Absorption heat pump - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Absorption heat pump

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Absorption heat pump is essentially an air-source heat pump driven not by electricity, but by a heat source
such as solar-heated water, or geothermal-heated water. There are also absorption coolers available that work
on the same principle, but are not reversible and cannot serve as a heat source.

Contents
1 Solar thermal
2 Other
3 See also
4 References

14,000 kW absorption heat pump

5 External links

Solar thermal
Single, double or triple iterative absorption cooling cycles are used in different solar-thermal-cooling system
designs. The more cycles, the more efficient they are.
In the late 19th century, the most common phase change refrigerant material for absorption cooling was a
solution of ammonia and water. Today, the combination of lithium bromide and water is also in common use.
One end of the system of expansion/condensation pipes is heated, and the other end gets cold enough to make
ice. Originally, natural gas was used as a heat source in the late 19th century. Today, propane is used in
recreational vehicle absorption chiller refrigerators. Innovative hot water solar thermal energy collectors can
also be used as the modern "free energy" heat source.
Efficient absorption chillers require water of at least 190 F (88 C). Common, inexpensive flat-plate solar
thermal collectors only produce about 160 F (70 C) water, but several successful commercial projects in the
US, Asia and Europe have shown that flat plate solar collectors specially developed for temperatures over 200
F (featuring double glazing, increased backside insulation, etc.) can be effective and cost efficient.[1]
Evacuated-tube solar panels can be used as well. Concentrating solar collectors required for absorption
chillers are less effective in hot humid, cloudy environments, especially where the overnight low temperature
and relative humidity are uncomfortably high. Where water can be heated well above 190 F (88+ C), it can
be stored and used when the sun is not shining.
For 150 years, absorption chillers have been used to make ice (before the electric light bulb was invented).[2]
This ice can be stored and used as an "ice battery" for cooling when the sun is not shining, as it was in the
1995 Hotel New Otani Tokyo in Japan.[3] Mathematical models are available in the public domain for icebased thermal energy storage performance calculations.[4]

Other
By using a fuel cell as opposed to a burner to create heat, it would be theoretically possible to create an airconditioner which converted approximately 55% of the fuel (assuming a methane fuel cell) to electricity and
the rest to driving an air-conditioner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_heat_pump

12/12/2014

Absorption heat pump - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Page 2 of 2

See also
Absorption refrigerator
Geosolar
Geothermal heat pump
Solar air conditioning
Solar thermal cooling

References
1. ^ "Solar Cooling." (http://www.solid.at/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=73)
www.solid.at. Accessed on 1 July 2008
2. ^ Gearoid Foley, Robert DeVault, Richard Sweetser. "The Future of Absorption Technology in
America" (http://www.eere.energy.gov/de/pdfs/absorption_future.pdf). U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy (EERE). Archived
(http://web.archive.org/web/20071128051310/http://www.eere.energy.gov/de/pdfs/absorption_future.pdf) from the
original on 28 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
3. ^ "Ice-cooling System Reduces Environmental
Burden" (http://www.newotani.co.jp/en/group/noc/news/05.html#eco-commitment). The New Otani News. New
Otani Club International members. 2000-06-28. Archived
(http://web.archive.org/web/20071007123108/http://www.newotani.co.jp/en/group/noc/news/05.htm) from the
original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
4. ^ "Development of a thermal energy storage model for
EnergyPlus" (http://gundog.lbl.gov/dirpubs/04_moncef.pdf). 2004. Retrieved 2008-04-06.

External links
Absorption Heat Pumps
(http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12680)
(EERE)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Absorption_heat_pump&oldid=636463754"
Categories: Geothermal energy Solar power Solar thermal energy

This page was last modified on 3 December 2014 at 14:42.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_heat_pump

12/12/2014