Experimental investigation and exergy analysis of a triple fluid vapor absorption refrigerator

• Experimental study on a commercial triple fluid vapor absorption refrigerator performed.
• An Aspen-hysys model developed and validated with experimental measurements.
• Exergy analysis of the unit performed and discussed.
• Absorber identified as largest source of irreversibility, followed by solution heat exchanger.

This paper presents an energy and exergy analyses of a triple fluid vapor absorption refrigerator working with ammonia as refrigerant, water as absorbent and hydrogen as auxiliary gas. The experimental setup is constituted of a commercial unit equipped with the appropriate metrology. The temperature at the inlet and outlet of every component of the machine, as well as the cabinet and ambient temperature are continuously measured and monitored. A simulation model of the machine is developed using the process simulator Aspen-Hysys. The thermodynamic analysis includes energy and exergy efficiency calculations, destroyed exergy evaluation and degradation of the coefficient of performance (COP) in each component of the refrigerator. The results indicate that the absorber exhibits the largest source of irreversibility followed by the solution heat exchanger. These two components alone are at the origin of 63% of the total degradation of COP.