Patent ID: 8720216
Filing Date: 2014-05-13
Classification: F25B,Y02A,Y02B

Abstract:
1. A hybrid aqua-ammonia and lithium bromide-water absorption chiller, comprising: a LiBr-water generator; an LiBr-water solution received by the LiBr-water generator, the LiBr-water solution having a first LiBr concentration, the LiBr-water generator evaporates water from the LiBr-water solution having the first LiBr concentration to output water vapor and an LiBr-water solution having a second LiBr concentration, the second LiBr concentration being greater than the first LiBr concentration; an aqua-ammonia generator in fluid communication with the LiBr-water generator, the aqua-ammonia generator receives the water vapor, extracting thermal energy therefrom to partially condense the water vapor, and outputs a water vapor-liquid mixture; an aqua-ammonia solution having a first ammonia concentration, the aqua-ammonia generator evaporates ammonia from the aqua-ammonia solution and outputs ammonia vapor and an aqua-ammonia solution having a second ammonia concentration, the second ammonia concentration being lower than the first ammonia concentration; a LiBr-water condenser in fluid communication with the aqua-ammonia generator, the LiBr-water condenser receives the water vapor-liquid mixture and condenses remaining water vapor into condensed water, the LiBr-water condenser outputs thermal energy into the ambient environment; a vapor-liquid separator in fluid communication with the LiBr-water condenser through a throttling valve, the vapor-liquid separator separates the water vapor from liquid water from the water vapor-liquid mixture, the liquid water being divided into first and second portions of throttled water; a first LiBr-water evaporator; an aqua-ammonia condenser in thermal communication with the first LiBr-water evaporator, the first LiBr-water evaporator receives the first portion of the throttled water from the vapor-liquid separator, the aqua-ammonia condenser receives the ammonia vapor from the aqua-ammonia generator and condense the ammonia vapor into condensed ammonia by thermal exchange with the first portion of the throttled water; a second LiBr-water evaporator; an aqua-ammonia absorber in thermal communication with the second LiBr-water evaporator, the second LiBr-water evaporator receives the second portion of the throttled water from the vapor-liquid separator; a vapor-liquid heat exchanger receives the condensed ammonia; an aqua-ammonia evaporator receives a throttled, sub-cooled vapor-liquid mixture of ammonia from the vapor-liquid heat exchanger, the aqua-ammonia evaporator produces refrigeration by heat exchange between the throttled ammonia and the ambient environment, the aqua-ammonia evaporator produces saturated ammonia vapor for input to the vapor-liquid heat exchanger for superheating thereof, the aqua-ammonia absorber receives the superheated ammonia vapor for heat exchange with the second portion of the throttled liquid water to produce the aqua-ammonia solution having the first ammonia concentration; and a LiBr-water absorber receives the first portion of the saturated water vapor output from the first LiBr-water evaporator, the second portion of the saturated water vapor output from the second LiBr-water evaporator and the saturated water vapor output from the vapor-liquid separator, the LiBr-water absorber removes thermal energy therefrom by heat exchange with the ambient environment, the LiBr-water absorber further receives the LiBr-water solution having the second LiBr concentration and mixing the LiBr-water solution having the second LiBr concentration with the saturated water vapor output from the vapor-liquid separator and from the first and second LiBr-water evaporators to generate the LiBr-water solution having the first LiBr concentration.