Performance analysis of a diffusion absorption refrigeration cycle working with TFE–TEGDME mixture

The binary mixture of TFE–TEGDME has good thermo-physical properties and been investigated by many absorption chiller and heat pump researchers. However, few studies have been reported on the diffusion absorption refrigeration (DAR) system using TFE–TEGDME as the working fluid. The present article numerically investigates the potential of TFE–TEGDME used in the DAR system with two cooling mediums, viz. water (32 °C) and air (35 °C). It is found that with the absorber effectiveness of 0.8, the optimum generation temperature for the air-cooled TFE–TEGDME DAR system is around 170 °C, and the corresponding coefficient of performance (COP) is up to 0.45. In comparison, the performance of the water-cooled system is better with a lower optimum generation temperature around 130 °C and a higher COP reaching 0.56. Parametric studies are also conducted to analyze the effects of the cooling medium, generation temperature, evaporation temperature and absorber effectiveness on the system performance. Finally, the performance of the TFE–TEGDME and NH3–H2O DAR cycles is compared in terms of the COP and circulation ratio. Overall, it can be concluded that the TFE–TEGDME mixture is a good working fluid for the DAR cycle.

► A diffusion absorption refrigeration (DRA) cycle using TFE–TEGDME is investigated.
► Parametric studies are conducted in terms of COP and circulation ratio.
► Results show the water-cooled DAR cycle is preferable to the air-cooled.
► Comparison between the TFE–TEGDME and NH3–H2O DAR cycles is performed.
► At low cooling temperatures, the TFE–TEGDME cycle is a good alternative to NH3–H2O.