Performance Characteristics of an Ammonia-Water Absorption Refrigeration System Driven by Diesel Waste Exhaust Heat

The thermal performance of an ammonia-water-hydrogen absorption refrigeration system using the waste exhaust gases of an internal combustion diesel engine as energy source was investigated experimentally. An automotive engine was tested in a bench test dynamometer, with the absorption refrigeration system adapted to the exhaust pipe via a heat exchanger. The engine was tested for different torques (15 N.m, 30 N.m, and 45 N.m). The exhaust gas flow to the heat exchanger built on the generator was controlled manually using two control valves. The refrigerator reached a steady state temperature between 10 and 14.5°C about 3.5 hours after system start up, depending on engine load. The maximum coefficient of performance was 0.10 obtained for the controlled exhaust mass flow case at torque 30 Nm after 3hrs from system startup.