Absorption systems for commercial use are usually arranged as central station chillers. In place of electric power, these units use a source of heat to regenerate the refrigerant. Gas, oil, or low-pressure steam is used.
In the absorption system used for air conditioning, the refrigerant is water. The compressor of the basic refrigeration cycle is replaced by an absorber, pump, and generator. A weak solution of lithium bromide is heated to evaporate the refrigerant (water). The resulting strong solution is cooled and pumped to a chamber where it absorbs the cold refrigerant vapor (water vapor) and becomes dilute.
Condensing water required with absorption equipment is more than that required for electric-driven compressors. Consult the manufacturer in each case for the water quantities and temperature required for the proper operation of this equipment.
The automatic-control system with these packaged absorption units is usually provided by the manufacturer and generally consists of control of the amount of steam, oil, or gas used for regeneration of the refrigerant to maintain the chilled water temperature properly. In some cases, condenser-water flow is varied to control this temperature.
When low-cost steam is available, low-pressure, single-stage absorption systems may be more economical to operate than systems with compressors. In general, steam consumption is about 20 lb /hr per ton of refrigeration. Tower cooling water??required is about 3.7 gal /min per ton with 85F water entering the absorption unit and 102F water leaving it.
As an alternative, high-pressure steam, two-stage absorption units are available that operate much more efficiently than the low-pressure units. The high-pressure units use about 12 lb of steam per ton of refrigeration at full load. This is a 40% savings in energy.
