A computer program has been developed to predict the performance of an absorption refrigeration unit. A basic thermodynamic analysis of the LiBr absorption-refrigeration cycle has been performed and the dimensionless total exergy loss and exergy loss of each component are calculated. Consequently, the results of the second law analysis can be used to identify the less efficient components of the system.
The load in the condenser is slightly higher than that in the evaporator due to primarily superheating of the inlet vapour to the condenser. The condenser and evaporator loads are approximately 27.8% less than the corresponding generator and absorber loads. This difference is largely due to the heat of mixing in the solution, which are not present in the pure fluids. It has been shown that the absorption refrigeration cycle is effective in demonstrating the advantages of the exergy method since there are large irreversible losses in the heat transfer process that are not accounted for in the convential heat balanc