The impact of water flow configuration on crystallisation in LiBr/H2O absorption water heater

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Int. J Energy Technol and Policy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1504/IJETP.2011.039221· OSTI ID:1009476

Wang, Kai ^[1]; Abdelaziz, Omar ^[1]; Vineyard, Edward Allan ^[1]

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1. ORNL

Lithium Bromide (LiBr) strong solution entering the absorber tends to crystallise when the absorber temperature is increased for a fixed evaporating pressure. This is considered the key technical barrier for the development of a LiBr absorption heat pump water heater. There are several approaches to avoid the crystallisation problem, such as chemical crystallisation inhibitors, heat and mass transfer enhancement and thermodynamic cycle modification. This paper investigates and compares two flow configurations of LiBr absorption heat pump water heater to evaluate the allowable operating conditions for each. The simulation results indicated that introducing the process water through the absorber first results in lower absorber temperature and hence less tendency for crystallisation.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1009476
• Journal Information: Int. J Energy Technol and Policy, Vol. 7, Issue 4; ISSN 1472-8923
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
ABSORPTION HEAT
CRYSTALLIZATION
LITHIUM BROMIDES
WATER HEATERS
HEAT PUMPS
FLUID FLOW
FLOW MODELS
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Absorption heat pump
water heater
crystallization
control strategy