New Developments and Progress in Absorption Chillers for Solar Cooling Applications

At present, novel, small-to-large capacity absorption chillers with unique technical features have emerged on the global market, and laboratory and pre-industrial prototypes have also been developed. These chillers have been designed for the efficient use of low-grade heat sources; some are air-cool...

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Main Authors: Dereje S. Ayou, Alberto Coronas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-06-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/12/4073
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author Dereje S. Ayou
Alberto Coronas
author_facet Dereje S. Ayou
Alberto Coronas
author_sort Dereje S. Ayou
collection DOAJ
description At present, novel, small-to-large capacity absorption chillers with unique technical features have emerged on the global market, and laboratory and pre-industrial prototypes have also been developed. These chillers have been designed for the efficient use of low-grade heat sources; some are air-cooled, small capacity systems; compact water/LiBr chillers; or solar-gas-fired single/double-effect chillers. Also, some advanced commercial absorption chillers have an extensive temperature glide in the driving heat stream (>30 K) which extracts approximately twice as much heat (~200%) as the single-effect chiller. This large temperature glide means that the chillers are well suited to solar thermal collector installations and district heating networks, and the extra driving heat increases cold production. Moreover, recent advances in R718 turbo compressor technologies have helped to solve the problems water/LiBr absorption chillers have in adapting to extreme operating conditions (e.g., high ambient temperature, >35 °C) by using a compressor-boosted absorption chiller configuration. This review paper presents and discusses the developments and progress in these absorption chiller technologies. In summary, the new absorption chillers may be useful for developing efficient, cost-effective, and robust solar cooling solutions that are needed to mitigate the unsustainable impact of the rising global demand for space cooling.
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spelling doaj.art-90bf00d1f36447379857d746a9a4f2592023-11-20T03:38:58ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172020-06-011012407310.3390/app10124073New Developments and Progress in Absorption Chillers for Solar Cooling ApplicationsDereje S. Ayou0Alberto Coronas1CREVER–Group of Applied Thermal Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, SpainCREVER–Group of Applied Thermal Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, SpainAt present, novel, small-to-large capacity absorption chillers with unique technical features have emerged on the global market, and laboratory and pre-industrial prototypes have also been developed. These chillers have been designed for the efficient use of low-grade heat sources; some are air-cooled, small capacity systems; compact water/LiBr chillers; or solar-gas-fired single/double-effect chillers. Also, some advanced commercial absorption chillers have an extensive temperature glide in the driving heat stream (>30 K) which extracts approximately twice as much heat (~200%) as the single-effect chiller. This large temperature glide means that the chillers are well suited to solar thermal collector installations and district heating networks, and the extra driving heat increases cold production. Moreover, recent advances in R718 turbo compressor technologies have helped to solve the problems water/LiBr absorption chillers have in adapting to extreme operating conditions (e.g., high ambient temperature, >35 °C) by using a compressor-boosted absorption chiller configuration. This review paper presents and discusses the developments and progress in these absorption chiller technologies. In summary, the new absorption chillers may be useful for developing efficient, cost-effective, and robust solar cooling solutions that are needed to mitigate the unsustainable impact of the rising global demand for space cooling.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/12/4073absorption chillersair-cooleddouble-liftdriving heat temperature glideplate heat exchangerssolar cooling
spellingShingle Dereje S. Ayou
Alberto Coronas
New Developments and Progress in Absorption Chillers for Solar Cooling Applications
Applied Sciences
absorption chillers
air-cooled
double-lift
driving heat temperature glide
plate heat exchangers
solar cooling
title New Developments and Progress in Absorption Chillers for Solar Cooling Applications
title_full New Developments and Progress in Absorption Chillers for Solar Cooling Applications
title_fullStr New Developments and Progress in Absorption Chillers for Solar Cooling Applications
title_full_unstemmed New Developments and Progress in Absorption Chillers for Solar Cooling Applications
title_short New Developments and Progress in Absorption Chillers for Solar Cooling Applications
title_sort new developments and progress in absorption chillers for solar cooling applications
topic absorption chillers
air-cooled
double-lift
driving heat temperature glide
plate heat exchangers
solar cooling
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/12/4073
work_keys_str_mv AT derejesayou newdevelopmentsandprogressinabsorptionchillersforsolarcoolingapplications
AT albertocoronas newdevelopmentsandprogressinabsorptionchillersforsolarcoolingapplications