INVESTIGATION AND COMPARISON OF 2 CONFIGURATIONS OF A NOVEL OPEN-CYCLE ABSORPTION CHILLER

In this work two basic configurations ('open' and 'semi-open') of the dehumidifier-evaporative cooler-regenerator (DER) absorption chiller h ave been studied and compared, They are both capable of utilizing low grade heat, since their open designs allow for operation at small diff erences between the heat source and the heat rejection temperatures. T hey employ ambient air in conjunction with an absorbent solution for p roducing chilled water, The machines consist of only three major compo nents and operate at atmospheric pressure. Computer simulations of the two configurations operated under ambient conditions of a typical sum mer day as well as under United States Air Conditioning and Refrigerat ion Institute standard outdoor conditions have been conducted using a modified existing computer code, The semi-open configuration proved to be superior for most cases with respect to the coefficient of perform ance (COP). However, under typical summer day conditions, the open DER cycle performed better for chilled water temperatures above 15 degree s C that are common in radiant cooling applications. Here, the COP att ains values of about 0.8. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd and IIR. All r ights reserved.