Thermodynamic and economic performance of the LiBr–H2O single stage absorption water chiller

The LiBr–H2O single stage absorption water chiller, installed at the Municipal CHP plant of the city of Poznan, Poland was examined in order to find its energy performance. The 495 kW water chiller is used for CHP plant technological rooms air conditioning (e.g. control rooms, power supply rooms). The superheated steam (p = 1.0 MPa, t = 250 °C) is the heat source for the generator and cooling water for the absorber and condenser is supplied from the existing cooling water installation. The chilled water temperature is set at 6 °C. On the basis of online temperature and media flow measurements, the system’s energy balance was created. Employing the first law of thermodynamics the energy balance equation was solved and used for the derivation of the chiller’s COP factor. The work’s main goal was to establish the influence of the chiller’s actual load on the energy efficiency of the system. The economic evaluation of cooling energy unit price was carried out on the basis of the measured chiller’s COP factor