Investigation and comparison of two configurations of a novel open-cycle absorption chiller

In this work two basic configurations (''open'' and ''semi-open'') of the DER absorption chiller have been studied and compared. They are both capable of utilizing low grade heal, since their open designs allow for operation at small differences between the heat source and the heal rejection temperatures. They employ ambient air in conjunction with an absorbent solution for producing chilled water. The machines consist of only three major components and operate at atmospheric pressure. Computer simulations of the two configurations operated under ambient conditions of a typical summer day as well as under ARI standard outdoor conditions have been conducted using a modified existing computer code. The semi-open configuration proved to be superior for most cases with respect to the COP. However, under typical summer day conditions, the open DER cycle performed better for chilled water temperatures above 15 degrees C that are common in radiant cooling applications. Here, the COP attains values of about 0.8.