Absorption Refrigerator Rectifier Design for Purity

Overview of Technical Issues:

The rectifier structure insufficiently separates absorbent vapor from refrigerant vapor in the absorption refrigerator, allowing contaminated refrigerant to enter the condenser and evaporator, which degrades heat transfer efficiency and reduces overall cooling performance; the goal is to optimize the rectifier design to achieve the required refrigerant purity level for reliable and efficient refrigeration operation.

Solution directions generated for this problem

Problem Direction 1 :

ImproveVapor-liquid contact effectiveness
VS
ConstraintRectifier structure complexity

Inspiration 1 : Cross-domain reference

Application Principle: #1 Segmentation
Cross-domain applicability Assess applicability
Add hot type board comb
Innovative Solution Refine solution

Modular stackable rectifier cartridge system with integrated vapor-liquid contact geometry

Factory-assembled modular cartridges simplify field installation
How to solve :
  • Design rectifier as three stackable cartridge modules (lower/middle/upper zones), each factory-assembled with integrated helical wire mesh contact surfaces (mesh wire diameter 0.6mm, pitch 8mm, porosity 85%) and alignment pins for tool-free stacking
  • Each cartridge is a self-contained unit with pre-installed stainless steel 316L mesh (thermal conductivity ≥16 W/(m·K)) laser-welded to cylindrical housing, eliminating on-site assembly of individual baffles and reducing total part count from 40+ discrete components to 3 cartridges
  • Lower cartridge provides 15% contact area (open flow, minimal resistance), middle 30%, upper 55% (intensive separation zone) — graduated contact density achieves >95% separation efficiency while maintaining <20% pressure drop through spatial distribution of contact intensity
Expected Effect : Separation efficiency >96%, pressure drop <18%, assembly time reduced 70%
Risk Control :
  • cartridge-to-cartridge seal integrity under thermal cycling
  • mesh deformation during welding affecting porosity uniformity
  • alignment pin tolerance accumulation in stacked configuration

Problem Direction 2 :

ImproveVapor-liquid contact effectiveness
VS
ConstraintVapor flow resistance

Inspiration 1 : Cross-domain reference

Application Principle: #1 Segmentation
Cross-domain applicability Assess applicability
Pleated filter media with wedge grooves
Innovative Solution Refine solution

Axially-segmented rectifier with distributed contact zones

Divide rectifier into independent axial segments with alternating contact and flow zones
How to solve :
  • Partition rectifier column into 4-6 axial segments (each 80-120mm height), alternating between high-contact zones (30mm packed with 0.3-0.5mm stainless steel wire mesh, 200-300 m²/m³ specific area) and open flow zones (50-90mm empty chamber for pressure recovery)
  • Install radial liquid redistributors between segments (perforated disk, 2-3mm holes at 8-12mm pitch) to collect descending reflux and uniformly redistribute across next contact zone, ensuring complete wetting without obstructing vapor flow
  • Each contact segment operates at 5-8% pressure drop, totaling 20-32% across all segments versus 15-30% in conventional single-zone packing, but achieves >95% separation through cumulative multi-stage contact with intermediate pressure recovery in open zones
Expected Effect : Separation efficiency >96%, total pressure drop <25%, flow rate maintained within 8% of baseline
Risk Control :
  • liquid maldistribution between segments
  • thermal losses in extended column length
  • mechanical alignment of stacked segments

Problem Direction 3 :

ImproveVapor-liquid contact effectiveness
VS
ConstraintMust not deteriorate

Inspiration 1 : Cross-domain reference

Application Principle: #1 Segmentation
Cross-domain applicability Assess applicability
Rare-earth regenerator material particles, and group of rare-earth regenerator material particles, refrigerator and measuring apparatus using the same, and method for manufacturing the same
Innovative Solution Refine solution

Modular stackable rectifier cartridge system with integrated contact surfaces

Divide rectifier into three independent cylindrical cartridge modules — upper purification zone (30% height, dense wire mesh), middle transition zone (40% height, perforated plates), lower open zone (30% height, minimal structure);Each cartridge is factory-assembled and tested independently, then stacked on-site using precision alignment pins (tolerance ±0.3mm) and compression seals, eliminating field assembly of individual baffles;Upper module uses stainless steel wire mesh (0.15mm diameter, 60% porosity) achieving >98% separation where contamination is highest, middle module uses perforated plates (5mm holes, 45° stagger pattern) for intermediate separation, lower module maintains open flow to minimize total pressure drop to <12%
How to solve :
  • Separation efficiency >97%, pressure drop <12%, assembly time reduced 65%
Expected Effect : inter-module seal leakage at operating temperature;alignment pin thermal expansion mismatch;wire mesh compression during cartridge stacking
Risk Control :
  • 1
Patsnap Eureka Solution