LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Simple Vapour Compression Refrigeration Cycle

Figure 2: p-h diagram of Vapour Compression Refrigeration Cycle
Figure 3: Simple Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Cycle
Figure 4: NH3 and Water VAR Cycle with Heat Exchanger
Figure 5: Use of Solar Energy in Ammonia Production
Figure 6: Schematic Diagram of Heat and Work Interaction during Refrigeration
Process
Figure 7: Photo-voltaic Solar Cell

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 INTRODUCTION
The prices of energy have been increasing exponentially worldwide. Industrial
Refrigeration is one of the most energy consuming sector. What if a refrigeration
system is designed which uses no energy or minimal amount of energy?
The solution lies in absorption refrigeration system. By producing an adsorption
refrigeration system we are not only cutting down the energy costs but also
preserving our environment. This refrigeration system doesn’t use any of the CFCs
so our ozone layer is safe.
A solar power refrigeration system is a refrigerator which runs on energy directly
provided by sun and includes solar thermal energy.
There a several ways that we can use solar energy to our required purpose. Solar
photovoltaic technology transforms photons from the sun to electrons. Solar
thermal energy uses the heat produced by the sun’s radiation to either use as
heat itself or to be used in a heat engine that can drive a turbine and produce
clean electricity.
Types of refrigeration system
Vapor compression refrigeration system:-
It works on the principle that highly compressed fluid allowed to expanse it
gets colder when pressure is high enough expanded gas get cooler than room
temperature.

Figure 1

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The process involved in the cycle can be represented in p-h curve for determining
its performance and energy associated with the system.

Figure 2
Vapor absorption refrigeration system:-
This cycle is based upon principle of absorption. This is quite similar to vapor
compression cycle but instead of compressor generator absorber and pump is
used.

Figure 3

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 Literature Review
Attempts have been made to run vapour absorption systems by solar energy with
concentrating and flat plate solar collectors. Several small solar absorption
refrigeration systems have been made around 1950s in several countries.
Professor G.O.G. Lf of America is one of the pioneers in the area of solar
refrigeration using flat plate collectors. A solar refrigeration system that could
produce 250 kg of ice per day was installed in Tashkent, USSR in 1953. This system
used a parabolic mirror of 10 sq m area for concentrating the solar radiation. F.
Trombe installed an absorption machine with a cylindro-parabolic mirror of 20 sq
m at Montlouis, France, which produced 100 kg of ice per day.
Serious consideration to solar refrigeration systems was given since 1965. Due to
the scarcity of fossil fuel based energy sources. LiBr-water based systems have
been developed for air conditioning purposes. The first solar air conditioning
system was installed in an experimental solar house in University of Queensland,
Australia in 1966. After this several systems based on solar energy were built in
many parts of the world including India. In 1976, there were about 500 solar
absorption systems in USA alone. Almost all these were based on LiBr-water as
these systems do not require very high heating temperatures. These systems
were mainly used for space air conditioning.
Jasim et al. (2007) performed a thermodynamic analyses for different working
fluid pairs. A computer simulation model has been developed to predict the
performance of solar absorption refrigeration system using different working
fluid. Detailed thermodynamic properties for ammonia- water, ammonia-lithium
nitrate and ammonia-sodium thiocyanate are expressed in polynomial equations
and used in cycle simulation. The performances of these three cycles against
various generator, evaporator, and condenser temperatures are compared. The
results show that the ammonia-lithium nitrate and ammonia-sodium thiocyanate
cycles give better performance than the ammonia-water cycle.
Syed et al. (2012) proposed an alternate designs for a 24-h operating solar
powered absorption refrigeration technology. The development includes an in-
depth review of the design and operation of the conventional and solar-assisted
absorption refrigeration systems coming-up with new alternative designs,
detailed thermodynamic analysis of some of the new alternative designs and
selection of the most suitable alternative design. The analysis indicates that
continuously operating solar-powered aqua-ammonia absorption system with

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refrigerant storage is the most suitable alternative design for an uninterrupted
supply of cooling effect.

Bajpai et al. (2012) presented an environment friendly vapour absorption

refrigeration system of unit capacity using R 717 (NH3) and water as the working
fluids. The system is designed and tested for various operating conditions using
hot water as heat source. The performance of the fabricated system is outlined
with respect to various operating conditions related to heat source, condenser,
absorber and evaporator temperatures.

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 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The main purpose of our project is to implement solar vapor absorption system
effectively to meet energy demand at lowest cost. The system mostly depends
upon temperature difference of the two liquids to separate them. Till now
separation of liquid mixture by distillation process is not a convenient method.
Also it depends upon the effective absorption of refrigerant for proper flow in
channel. Due to these reasons, system loses it performance and its practical
implementation is not that cost effective.
The problem associated with Vapor absorption refrigeration system are:-
1. Low COP
Ideally cop of vapor absorption refrigeration system is 2 but in
practical uses it is found to be less than one.
2. Time consumption
Usually takes more time to provide cooling effect.
3. Cost consideration
Initial cost is high because of complex and large parts used.
4. Large size huge weight
5. Improper absorption
Due to improper of mixing of absorbent and refrigerant desired
cooling effect can not be achieved.

Through this project our aim is to enhance the cop and to find proper
combination of refrigerant and absorbent so that high amount of
refrigeration effect at minimum cost can be achieved from the system.

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 METHODOLOGY
VAPOUR ABSORPTION SYSTEM
The main component used in vapor absorption system are as follows
 ABSORBER
 GENERATOR
 SOLAR PANEL
 CONDENSER
 EXPANSION VALVE
 EVAPORATOR
 Pump

ABSORBER:-
• It is used to store the mixture of water and ammonia in proper proportion.
• Its main function is to produce the required aqua ammonia solution.
• Low pressure NH3 vapour is absorbed by the weak solution of NH3 which is
stored in the absorber.
GENERATOR
• Heats the strong aqua ammonia solution up to the boiling temperature of
ammonia solution to produce ammonia vapors.
• Solar thermal energy is used for heating purpose.
• The ammonia and water get separated due to difference in boiling
temperature of above.
CONDENSER
• A device or unit used to condense a substance from its gaseous to its liquid
state.
• Application areas include air conditioning, industrial chemical processes
such as distillation, steam power plants and other heat-exchange systems.

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EXPANSION VALVE
• Controls the amount of refrigerant flow into the evaporator.
• Cause a pressure drop (Isenthalpic) of the working fluid.
• Causes sudden drop in temperature.
• Type of expansion valves used capillary type expansion valve.
EVAPORATOR
• Absorption of heat from the surrounding.
• Heat transfer is done by forced convection or natural convection.
• Application areas: food and beverage industry, pharmaceutical industry.

WORKING OF IDEAL VAPOR ABSOROPTION CYCLE:-

The process involved in the refrigeration system is as follows.

Figure 4
Some liquids like water have great affinity for absorbing large quantities of certain
vapours (NH3) and reduce the total volume greatly. The absorption refrigeration
system differs fundamentally from vapour compression system only in the
method of compressing the refrigerant. An absorber, generator and pump in the
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absorption refrigerating system replace the compressor of a vapour compression
system.
Figure shows the schematic diagram of a vapour absorption system. Ammonia
vapour is produced in the generator at high pressure from the strong solution of
NH3 by an external heating source. The water vapour carried with ammonia is
removed in the rectifier and only the dehydrated ammonia gas enters into the
condenser. High pressure NH3 vapour is condensed in the condenser. The cooled
NH3 solution is passed through a throttle valve and the pressure and temperature
of the refrigerant are reduced below the temperature to be maintained in the
evaporator. The low temperature refrigerant enters the evaporator and absorbs
the required heat from the evaporator and leaves the evaporator as saturated
vapour. Slightly superheated, low pressure NH3 vapour is absorbed by the weak
solution of NH3 which is sprayed in the absorber as shown.
Weak NH3 solution (aqua–ammonia) entering the absorber becomes strong
solution after absorbing NH3 vapour and then it is pumped to the generator
through the heat exchanger. The pump increases the pressure of the strong
solution to generator pressure. The strong NH3 solution coming from the absorber
absorbs heat form high temperature weak NH3 solution in the heat exchanger.
The solution in the generator becomes weak as NH3 vapour comes out of it. The
weak high temperature ammonia solution from the generator is passed to the
heat exchanger through the throttle valve. The pressure of the liquid is reduced to
the absorber pressure by the throttle valve.
The absorption refrigeration system, which has some advantages, such as silent
operation, high reliability, long service life, simpler capacity control mechanism,
easier implementation, and low maintenance, is widely acknowledged as a
prospective candidate for efficient and economic use of solar energy for cooling
applications. Also, the absorption refrigeration cycle is usually a preferable
alternative, since it uses the thermal energy collected from the sun without the
need to convert this energy into mechanical energy as required by the vapour
compression cycle. In addition, the absorption cycle uses thermal energy at a
lower temperature than that dictated by the vapour compression cycle. The
binary systems of NH3-H2O and LiBr- H2O were well known as working fluid pairs
to be applied both in absorption heat pumps and in absorption.

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Use of Solar Energy in producing ammonia vapour

Figure 5

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REFRIGERANT AND ABSORBENT
Refrigerant, a non-corrosive liquid or gas that is used in machine to exchange
heat.
The refrigerant used gets evaporated at low pressure and transferred to absorber
where it gets condensed due to cooling effect of absorber. Mixture is pressurized
by the pump and sent to generator for distillation and heat addition. The
generator takes heat from solar source. The combination absorbent and
refrigerant is such that their difference in boiling point temperature is more than
100˚c. The refrigerant gets vaporized first and separated from absorbent. The
remaining absorber flows through expansion valve back into the absorber.
Properties of ideal refrigerant:
• It should boil b/w 2˚-10 ˚C and condense at 40 ˚C or above. (pressure
around atmospheric)
• Large latent heat of vaporization.
• High critical temperature.
• Stability in complete cycle.
Properties of ideal absorbent:
• Greater affinity for refrigerant.
• Heat released during absorption of refrigerant should be minimum.
• High boiling point.
• Low specific heat.
• Chemical stability.

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Coefficient of performance of ideal absorption system

ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟

COP =
𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝 + ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟

According to law of thermodynamics

Qc = Qg + Qe
Qc = heat discharge to atmosphere
Qg = heat given to refrigerant in generator
Qe = heat absorbed by refrigerant in evaporator
Tg =temperature at which heat is given to generator
Tc=temperature at which heat discharged to atmosphere
Te=temperature at which heat is absorbed in evaporator
𝑇𝑒 𝑇𝑔 − 𝑇𝑐
𝐶𝑂𝑃 =
𝑇𝑐 − 𝑇𝑒 𝑇𝑔
𝑇𝑒
= cop of refrigerator working between temp Te and Tc
𝑇𝑐−𝑇𝑒
𝑇𝑔−𝑇𝑐
= cop of Carnot cycle working between temp Tg and Tc
𝑇𝑔

Figure 6

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 Proposed modification in the ideal cycle
Practically the absorption cycle has very low cop i.e. less than 1. This is due to
improper mixing of the liquids. As a proper solution is not form, desired
vaporization of ammonia is affected. The above problem can be minimized upto
certain level by adapting following changes in the idea cycle.
1. For effective distillation of mixture at Generator
It is well known that vaporization of liquid occurs more rapidly when
pressure is reduced. For this purpose a venturi pump is introduced before
generation to give low pressure at the venturi throat section. The reduced vapour
then passed into the generator for further process.
2. Rectifier and analyzer
When ammonia is vaporised in the generator, some water is also vaporised
and will flow into the condenser along with the ammonia vapours in the simple
system. If these unwanted water particles are not removed before entering into
the condenser, they will enter into the expansion valve where they freeze and
choke the pipe line. To reduce this effect, rectifier and analyzer is used.
The analyzer can be built as an integral part of the generator or made as a
separate piece of equipment. It consists of a series of trays mounted above the
generator. The solution from the heat exchanger are introduced at the top of the
analyzer and flow downward over the trays and into the generator. In this way,
considerable liquid surface area is exposed to the vapour rising from the
generator. The vapour is cooled and most of the water vapour condenses, so that
mainly ammonia vapour leaves the top of the analyzer. Since the ammonia water
solution is heated by the vapour, less external heat is required in the generator.
Since all the water vapour are not completely removed in the analyzer, so
we used a closed type vapour cooler called rectifier. It is generally water cooled
and may be of the double pipe, shell and coil or shell and tube type. Its function is
to cool further the ammonia vapours leaving the analyzer so that the remaining
water vapours are condensed. Thus, only dry or anhydrous ammonia vapours flow
to the condenser. The condensate from the rectifier is returned to the top of the
analyzer by a drip return pipe.

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3. Improvement in solar collector
The solar energy capturing capacity can be enhanced by the following.

Figure 7

a. MAXIMUM LIGHT CAPTURE

In most conventional solar cells, metal contacts cover up to 10 percent of
the front surface of the cell, blocking valuable sunlight from being captured
by the cell. It’s called shading loss. If we place all electrical contacts on the
back of the solar cell, so all the sunlight reaches its destination.

b. IMPROVED MATERIAL ABSORPTION

Some photons that might be absorbed by the silicon without becoming
usable electricity get a second chance to produce electricity. If we provide
a backside “mirror” that reflects sunlight that has not yet been absorbed
back into the cell. With a second chance to reach the contacts, more
photons change into electrons and electrical energy.

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 Scope for future study

Since the COP of simple vapour absorption refrigeration cycle is very low so we
are trying to improve the COP by applying following changes:-
1. Using analyzer & rectifier in the circuit.
2. Adding another heat exchanger between condenser and evaporator.
3. To improve photon absorbing capacity of solar panel.

We will take on our idea for further improvisation of the performance of the cycle
by analyzing above mentioned changes. We are also going to study different types
of absorbent and refrigerant which could give a better refrigeration effect. For
proper implementation of the cycle in refrigerator, we will study about different
parameters affecting the cycle and designing of the cycle by calculating mass of
mixture and energy required at different stages.

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 References

1. CHINNAPPA, Performance of an Intermittent Refrigerator Operated by a

Flat Plate Collector, 1961, Solar Energy Vol 6, pp.143-150
2. R.K.Swartman and Swaminathn, Solar Powered Refrigerator, Mechanical
Engineering, June 1971, Vol. 6, pp. 22-24.
3. Nagendra Prasad and Hemant Kumar Nayak, Solar Powered Refrigeration:
A Technical Review
4. Bajpai V.K, Design of Solar Powered Vapour Absorption System,
Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering, Vol III, 2012.
5. Pongsid Srikhirin And Satha Aphornratana,A review of absorption
refrigeration technologies
6. M.A.Rashid and F.Malek, Improvement of absorption characteristic of
solar cell
7. Jayden Harman and Francesca Bertone, Vapour absorption system,
Publication no. EP2558178 A1
8. C.P.Arora, Refrigeration And Air Conditioning, Tata Mcgraw Hill
Publication, 3rd Edition.
9. Robert H. Perry, Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, Tata Mcgraw Hill
Publication, 4rd Edition.
10. www.nptel.com
11.www.photovoltaic-software.com

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