Investigation of the Part-Load Performance of an Absorption Chiller

Published

January 1, 1983

Author(s)

R Radermacher, S. A. Klien, David Didion

Abstract

An experimental investigation designed to determine the part-load performance of an ammonia-water absorption water chiller is described. The stead-state and cyclic performance of the chiller were measured under controlled conditions in an environmental chamber. Two valves were installed in the chiller to separate high- and low-pressure regions during off times, and insulation was applied to the chiller components. By these measures, losses due to cyclic operation were reduced by over 50%, resulting in a 6% to 7% increase in the calculated seasonal performance factor for typical northern and southern climates in the United States. The use of the valves eliminated the need of the "spindown" period, thereby reducing the consumption of parasitic electrical energy.

Citation

ASHRAE Transactions

Volume

89

Issue

No. 1

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

water chiller, absorption, experiments, ammonia, valves, high pressure, insulation, climate, low pressure, weather effects, evaluation, tests

Citation

Radermacher, R. , Klien, S. and Didion, D. (1983), Investigation of the Part-Load Performance of an Absorption Chiller, ASHRAE Transactions, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=910788 (Accessed October 13, 2025)