Waste heat resources can be used to drive absorption heat pumps (AHP) when operated in the reverse Carnot cycle. An AHP recovers heat that otherwise would be rejected to the environment and it can produce cooling energy or recover heat for further use. The absorption heat transformer (AHT) is an inverted AHP; hence, an inverted reverse Carnot cycle can be applied. The AHT has excellent performance recovering waste energy from the industrial process and increasing a portion of that energy to a higher temperature. In the thermodynamics analyses, energy quality is more valuable than energy quantity. The first and second laws of thermodynamics are combined to evaluate the energy and develop guidance for improving the performance of the system. This study is based on using LiBr/ H2O solution as a working fluid for the performance evaluation of a single-effect AHT. Simulation of this AHT system to evaluate the performance at different operating conditions is analyzed in accordance with the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The results can apply to the optimum operation and fundamental design of an actual AHT system.

Units: SI