Heat transformers have the ability to recover low-temperature waste heat and upgrade it to a higher temperature for process use, thus saving energy. Application of thermoeconomics is directed to single-, double-, and triple-stage lithium bromide/water absorption heat transformers in order to investigate life-cycle costs of the systems. Thermoeconomics is a discipline that combines both thermodynamic and economic analysis for thermal systems. One of the objectives of thermo-economics is to minimize the product cost of a thermal system for a given output capacity. Life-cycle costing includes all cost factors (e.g., capital costs, operation, and estimated energy use) and can be used to evaluate the total costs of the systems over a period of years. Electrical-driven vapor-compression heat transformers are also evaluated for comparison purposes. The results provide guidelines for designing and selecting cost-efficient absorption heat transformers for industrial waste heat recuperation.

Units: SI