REFRIGERATION USING WASTE HEAT IN CARS

ABSTRACT:
Quite often, peoples own desire for comfort increases the burden on environment, the
use of private cars and air conditioning units in them are an example of this. These add comfort to the
people, increasing the burden on environment. In this project we have tried to give positive life cycle
environmental impact by reducing the emission of exhaust gas. This reduction is achieved using vapor
absorption cycle instead of vapor compression cycle and by using reri!eration "otor run by
waste heat that is normally used.
At present vapor compression system is widely being used in automobiles for refrigeration
purpose. The major disadvantages of this system are
ompressor runs by the power from engine cran!shaft, thus reducing the e"ciency of the
engine
#se of refrigerant increases the cost and the environmental impact
$eing a salt, lithium bromide does not exert any pressure and does not boil o% when heated. &o the
refrigerant water vapor boiled o% from the absorbent solution in the generator leaves as pure
refrigerant vapor. Thus there is no nee# o recti$er to separate out the absorbent vapor from the
refrigerant vapor, as re'uired in water( ammonia absorption cycle.
)ithium bromide salt when mixed with water forms the solution. As the amount of the salt mixed in the
solution increases, the solution is said to be stronger and with a reduction of salt content the solution
becomes wea!er. The concentration of the solution is denoted by the amount of salt by weight
expressed as percent of the solution weight. The concentration of the solution does not change with
temperature, but its speci*c gravity does.
The concentration of a solution does not change with temperature, its concentration comes down. This
is because the weight of the total solution has increased on absorbing water, but salt content has not
changed. A stronger solution can absorb more water vapor than a solution of lower concentration. T%e
rate o absorption o &ater vapor co"es #o&n as te"perat're o t%e sol'tion increases.
The refrigerant used in the absorption system is highly soluble in absorbent. The evaporator and
absorber are inter(connected.so the refrigerant vapor formed in the evaporator +on the evaporation of
the li'uid refrigerator, is absorbed by the absorbent in the absorber due to the strong a"nity of the
absorbent for the refrigerant, thereby maintaining the refrigerant vapor pressure in the evaporator at
the low level re'uired for continuous vapori-ation of li'uid refrigerator to obtain refrigeration. To
recover the refrigerant from the absorbent it is pumped from the absorber to the generator, where it is
heated using steam or hot water.
.n getting heated the absorbent releases the refrigerant vapor as a high temperature/pressure
vapor. It passes to the comparatively cooler condenser where it is condensed. The li'uid refrigerant
then passes on to the evaporator thus completing the refrigerant cycle. The absorbent 0ows bac! from
the generator to the absorber. 1eat is generated when the refrigerant is absorbed by the absorbent(
!nown as the heat of absorption or heat of dilution. 2urther the refrigerant vapor condenses in the
absorbent solution and for this the latent heat of vapori-ation of the refrigerant vapor has to be
removed. Therefore the absorber also needs cooling and for this cooling medium +air or water, used for
the condenser is *rst passed through absorber and then to the condenser. Thus the heat rejection of
an absorption system is higher and so re'uires higher 0ow rate of the coolant +air or water, than the
mechanical system. The cooling tower capacity for an absorption machine therefore should be much
more than that of a mechanical vapor(compression system of the system capacity.
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