A method for comparison of absorption heat pump working pairs
Abstract Screening analyses based on thermodynamic and heat transfer principles are conducted for a single-effect absorption heat pump to enable the comparison of working pairs on the basis of performance and component size. After a broad survey of working pairs in the literature, in which 83 are discovered, forty-two are analyzed for cooling mode operation, and ten are analyzed for heating mode operation. Working pairs with water as the refrigerant are the most favorable thermodynamically in cooling mode, although some of them require more heat transfer area due to higher viscosity. Working pairs with alcohol refrigerants are most favorable thermodynamically in heating mode, although working pairs with ammonia as the refrigerant yield much more compact systems. The analysis methods developed here can also be applied to newly-characterized absorption working pairs to allow comparison with those previously investigated in the literature.