Thermo-economic analysis of absorption-compression hybrid cooling systems with parallel subcooling and recooling for small scale low-grade heat source and low temperature application

The consumption of low temperature refrigeration systems goes up dramatically due to the fast development of cold chain. In this regard, developing the absorption-compression hybrid cooling systems and employing the low-grade heat to save the compressor work is effective to address the above-mentioned issue. However, one of the main obstacles associated with such solution lies in small scale heat source vs. large heat consumption, which remarkably lowers the amount of energy saving. Consequently, a novel layout, absorption-compression hybrid cooling system with parallel subcooling and recooling, is proposed to deal with the above-mentioned problem. Comparative study is performed to display the advantage of the proposed facility at first. Subsequently, exergy analysis and parametric analysis of the proposed layout are implemented to derive design and operation criteria. Finally, the economic analysis of proposed system is carried out to assess the feasibility. It is found that the compressor power of the novel system is 9.3% and 10.45% less than that of two-stage vapour compression chiller and absorption-compression cascade layout, respectively. Moreover, the payback period of proposed layout is 3.67 years. The paper is favorable to enhance the energy saving of refrigeration system which is associated with small scale low-grade heat source and low temperature application.

Automated summary

Due to the fast development of cold chain, the consumption of low temperature refrigeration systems has increased dramatically. In order to address this energy waste issue, a novel layout for refrigeration systems is proposed which utilizes low-grade heat to save compressor work. Comparative, exergy, parametric, and economic analysis are performed to demonstrate the advantages of this new layout.