Thermal analysis of an absorption refrigeration cycle using an ionic liquid and water as working pair

Energy consumption will increase in the next years if the standard of living in industrialized countries is desired to be maintained. At the same time, and because of the limited energy-sources and environmental pollution arising from the use of fuels, energy saving is becoming compulsory [1]. In this context, sustainable technologies for cooling and heating play an important role. More concretely, heat-driven refrigeration cycles such as the absorption cycle have received increased attention in recent years [2]. They are capable of converting waste heat, heat from renewable energies or from cogeneration systems to a useful refrigeration. As a consequence, they are seen as an attractive alternative [3],[4]. Absorption systems are quiet, have a long life cycle, are cheap to maintain and environmentally benign. Nevertheless, the most often quoted drawbacks are heavy weight and a relatively high initial cost [2]. Thermal efficiency undoubtedly is an important factor when considering heat-driven refrigeration cycles. As heat losses are desired to be minimized, the warranty of a correct insulation is of prime interest. As mentioned in [1], one of the main objectives for researchers in thermal science is to find the optimum insulation thickness when concerning both energy saving and economical aspects. In the present thesis, a thermal analysis of a 10 kW absorption chiller with waterionic liquid as the working pair has been carried out. As a result, the overall heat transfer between the chiller and the surroundings has been identified. The parts of the chiller with an influence on this undesired phenomenon have been detected. Finally, the possible effect of these heat flows on the efficiency of the chiller has also been investigated.Outgoin