Double-Effect Absorption Heat Pump for Simultaneous Heating and Cooling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vapor absorption systems can only generate hot water up to 40-43° C and require additional components and costs for simultaneous heating and refrigeration, limiting their industrial applications and increasing energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Innovation Solution
A double-effect vapor absorption system with a condenser, vapor generator, low and high-pressure evaporators and absorbers, flash heat exchanger, and heat recovery unit, allowing for selective connections between various heat exchangers to provide both heating and refrigeration without additional electrical or heat inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional vapor absorption systems are used, then the system structure is simple, but the hot water temperature is limited to 40-43°C and cannot provide simultaneous heating and refrigeration
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple independent pressure levels (high-pressure and low-pressure evaporators/absorbers) that can operate simultaneously. This segmentation allows different temperature zones to be created without requiring a complete system redesign, enabling hot water generation up to 90°C while maintaining structural manageability through modular pressure zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The absorption heat pump system is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it can provide heating (hot water up to 90°C), refrigeration (chilled water), and heat recovery. The high-pressure and low-pressure evaporator/absorber units work together to deliver both heating and cooling effects from a single system, eliminating the need for separate heating and cooling systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional components are added for simultaneous heating and refrigeration, then heating and refrigeration can be provided simultaneously, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the heating and refrigeration functions into a single integrated absorption heat pump system. The high-pressure evaporator/absorber unit handles heating while the low-pressure unit handles refrigeration, but both operate within the same system architecture, sharing common components like the heat source input and control mechanisms, thereby reducing overall complexity compared to having separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic flow control mechanisms that allow the refrigerant and absorbent solutions to be dynamically directed to different pressure zones based on demand. This dynamic allocation enables the system to adjust between heating and refrigeration modes flexibly without requiring physically separate fixed systems, optimizing component utilization.
3Use of energy by moving object
If conventional systems are used for heating and refrigeration, then energy consumption is high, but the system operation is reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously recovers and utilizes waste heat from the refrigeration cycle to enhance the heating function. The heat released during the absorption process in the high-pressure absorber is continuously captured and used to preheat the water for heating applications, creating a continuous useful action that eliminates energy waste and maintains reliable operation through sustained thermal energy utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the waste heat that would normally be rejected to the environment during the refrigeration cycle into a useful resource for heating. The heat of absorption released when refrigerant vapor is absorbed by the absorbent solution is captured and utilized to generate hot water, transforming what would be a harmful waste product into a beneficial energy source, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining system reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system efficiently generates hot water up to 90° C and provides simultaneous heating and refrigeration, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions, while eliminating the need for extra components and inputs, thus lowering operational costs and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
The heat causes the refrigerant to desorb from the absorbent and vaporize
Implementation Method 2
These vapors flow to a condenser, where the heat is rejected and the refrigerant is condensed to a high-pressure liquid
Implementation Method 3
This liquid refrigerant is then sent to a low-pressure evaporator, where it evaporates by absorbing heat and providing the cooling effect
Implementation Method 4
The concentrated absorbent in the generator is then sent to the absorber, where it is recombined with the low-pressure refrigerant vapors returning from the evaporator
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for providing heating and/or refrigeration effect and a method thereof is disclosed which provides simultaneous heating and refrigeration, only heating or only refrigeration, using a double-effect vapor absorption cycle or a single-effect vapor absorption cycle. The present invention comprises providing a heat input to an absorbent in a generator to obtain a concentrated absorbent which is fed to a set of absorbers which are located in co-operation with a set of evaporators provided with a condensed refrigerant, to obtain heating and/or refrigeration effect. The heat/energy used during the process is recovered by a plurality of heat exchangers such that the wastage of energy and utilities is minimized. The present invention substantially reduces the CO2 emissions, thus is eco-friendly.