How It Works-Components
Evaporator (Conventional)
Liquid refrigerant enters the evaporator and is
distributed over the top of the tube bundle. As the
refrigerant droplets cover the outside surface of
the tubes, the heat from the returning chilled
water passing through the tubes causes the
refrigerant to flash from a liquid to a vapor. The
temperature at which this happens depends on
the evaporator shell pressure which is dictated by
the absorber section of the chiller. The
refrigerant vapor passes through the mist
eliminators and into the absorber section of the
chiller. As the liquid refrigerant passes down
through the bundle of evaporator tubes, more
and more of it vaporizes. The refrigerant
remaining in a liquid state at the bottom drains
into the refrigerant tank and is pumped back up
the top of the tube bundle and the process is
repeated.
Absorber (Conventional)
Concentrated LiBr solution enters the Absorber
section of the chiller and is sprayed over the
absorber tube bundle. Because the vapor
pressure of the concentrated solution is very low,
the refrigerant vapor from the evaporator flows
into the absorber and is absorbed into the LiBr
solution. This mass transfer process causes the
concentrated LiBr solution to become less
concentrated or diluted as the refrigerant (water)
is absorbed into the solution. This dilution
process generates heat and if not cooled would
eventually stop as the solution temperature would
rise with a corresponding rise in vapor pressure.
This would be similar to closing the vanes or
slowing down a centrifugal compressor on a
chiller where the load was constant. The water
flowing inside the absorber tube bundles comes
from the cooling tower and serves to cool the LiBr
solution as it flows down through the tube bundle
allowing the absorption process to continue as
the solution becomes more diluted as it absorbs
more refrigerant vapors. When the LiBr solution
reaches the bottom of the absorber section it has
become
Rev: too diluted and needs to be re-
JMB_1_7_16
concentrated or re-generated and drains into the
suction of the Solution Pump.
How It Works-Components
Evaporator/Absorber (2 Step)
With a 2 Step Evaporator, the evaporator as well
as the absorber is split into two sections. This
design, similar to the way a series counterflow
chiller arrangement allows chiller lift reduction,
provides an advantage in that it allows the overall
cycle concentration to be lower than a similar
chiller with a conventional absorber/evaporator.
This innovative design provides higher reliability,
increased efficiency and the ability to use lower
temperature hot water or steam in the Generator.
The two evaporators are in series with respect to
the chilled water flow through the tubes. In other
words the chilled water flows through the lower
evaporator tubes first and then the upper
evaporator tubes. Each evaporator operates at a
slightly different temperature and pressure. The
refrigerant in the lower evaporator boils at a
slightly higher temperature than in the upper
evaporator, consequently cooling the chilled
water in 2 steps.
The two absorber sections are split as well with
the strong solution first entering the top of the
uppermost absorber and flowing down through
the top absorber bundle. It then flows into the top
of the lower Absorber section. The strong solution
entering the upper Absorber takes advantage of
its lower vapor pressure allowing the upper
Evaporator to operate at a lower pressure and
temperature.
When the LiBr solution enters the lower Absorber
section it is already somewhat diluted from the
refrigerant vapor that boiled off in the upper
evaporator. At this lower concentration the
solution vapor pressure would normally not be
sufficient to provide a low enough evaporator
pressure to satisfy the leaving chilled water
design, however, since the lower evaporator is
the first step of chilled water cooling this dilute
solution’s vapor pressure is adequate to maintain
the lower evaporator at the required temperature
and pressure.
The cooling tower water enters the lower
absorber section first,keeping the vapor pressure
of the weaker solution as low as possible.
Rev: JMB_1_7_16
How It Works-Components
Solution Pump, Solution to Solution Heat
Exchangers and Generator
The dilute LiBr solution is pumped from the
bottom of the Absorber section through the
Solution to Solution Heat Exchanger and then to
the Generator section of the chiller. The Solution
to Solution Heat Exchangers provide cycle
efficiency by preheating this solution flow to the
Generator. Once the dilute LiBr solution enters
the Generator, steam or hot water on the inside
of the generator tubes causes the refrigerant
water that was absorbed into the solution in the
Absorber section of the chiller to boil off. As the
solution boils, the refrigerant vapor that is given
off passes to the Condenser section of the chiller.
The temperature at which the solution boils is
dictated by the solution concentration and the
pressure in the generator. The pressure in the
generator is dictated by the condenser shell
pressure which is determined by the cooling
water temperature (and flow). The LiBr solution in
the generator is re-concentrated and heated
during this process. The concentrated solution
flows out of the generator and back through the
solution to solution heat exchangers, preheating
the incoming solution to the generator. The
leaving solution temperature is dictated by the
temperature of the heat source (water or steam)
entering the Generator.
Condenser
Refrigerant vapor, after being boiled off the LiBr
solution in the Generator passes into the
Condenser section of the chiller. Cooling tower
water that has already passed through the
Absorber tube bundle enters the Condenser tube
bundle cools the refrigerant vapor on the shell
side. As heat is removed from the refrigerant
vapor, it condenses to a liquid and drains out of
the condenser through the metering device back
to the Evaporator section of the chiller.
Rev: JMB_1_7_16
