Theoretical and experimental analysis of a single stage ammonia-water absorption chiller performance

The ammonia-water absorption chillers are thermally driven devices producing a cooling effect. It can be operated without any use of electrical or mechanical energy. The advantage of absorption chillers is precisely that they can utilize low grade energy. An experimental prototype of a single stage ammonia-water absorption chiller with complete condensation was designed, built and tested. The thermodynamic models of the components have been assembled so as to quantify the simultaneous heat and mass transfer processes occurring within the exchangers. Calculated results were compared with experimental data. The results show that the actual results were found to tie between 70% and 80% of the calculated values. It shows that heat losses from the generator have a strong effect on the system performance, and the cooling capacity is also limited by the evaporator or absorber mass transfer performance.