## 1 Introduction  
The demand for cooling energy in the form of chilled water is an important factor when considering energy management in many industrial plants. In most cases, the basic devices used for chilled water production are compression chillers with air-cooled condensers (monoblock-type) or water-cooled condensers (split-type). Using electricity to power the production of cooling energy limits core production, which requires electricity to power new processing lines. Replacing the above-mentioned systems with absorption units powered by hot water or steam, which are already available in many industrial plants, may therefore be an attractive alternative. In order to select the variant of expansion or retrofitting of a chilled water production system, one needs to conduct an analysis taking into account the cooling needs, their variation over time, and the availability of energy carriers. The identified variants should be assessed according to multiple criteria, taking into account technological, energy-related, environmental, and economic aspects. A review of absorption cooling technologies that may be applied in chilled water systems in industrial plants can be found in [PERSON] et al. [1]. The authors noted an increased interest in this field in connection with the energy crisis, rise in primary fuel prices, and the negative environmental impact of traditional compression chilling systems. They noted that despite its many advantages (e.g., the possibility of using low-potential heat as a power source, and using cooling mediums with minimal environmental impact), this technology is characterized by low energy efficiency. By analyzing research by many other authors, they pointed to options in terms of improving the energy efficiency ratio (EER) and seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) by increasing heat recuperation, using new pairs of mediums, and modifying the operating parameters. Many research papers on absorption technology are concerned with evaluations and possible improvements of energy efficiency. [PERSON] et al. [2] performed an energy and exergy analysis of a dual-stage absorption system powered by various energy sources. While studying the application of hot water, steam, and hot air as energy sources for a high-temperature boiler, they noticed that the internal exergy losses were lowest when the boiler was fueled by hot water and highest when it was fueled by hot air. [PERSON] et al. [3] conducted in situ research and numerical modeling of a single-stage absorption chiller. Those authors built a numerical model of the chiller based on the energy balance, which they validated against a commercially available, 106.1 kW water chiller. By analyzing the device's EER, cooling efficiency, and temperature drop in the boiler, they concluded that the equipment operated correctly across a broad range of boiler-powering temperatures and enabled the efficient use of low-temperature sources of powering heat. [PERSON] et al. [4] conducted experimental research on a 1750 kW absorption chiller with a natural gas-fueled boiler. Two years of research allowed those authors to determine the energy-efficiency variability and internal exergy losses of the device based on operating time. They noticed a 22% drop in the EER and a 14% increase in exergy losses, which they attributed to the device becoming contaminated during use. Their final conclusion was that the equipment should undergo service checks more frequently. [PERSON] (2006) [5] conducted experimental research on a 500 kW single-stage absorption chiller fueled by steam. The research helped to evaluate the energy and economic efficiency of the studied system. It was discovered that the instantaneous cooling load of the device significantly influenced its EER. The prospects for integrating absorption chilling systems as elements of a combined energy economy were described in [6; 7; 8].