Component and efficient plate and frame absorber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10677501-B2
Application number	US-201615762333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2016
Priority date	Sep 24, 2015
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

An absorber for an absorption refrigeration system for a vertically mounted plate absorber has fins positioned over the plate to promote distribution of a fluid under flow as a nearly continuous thin film. The absorber has rows of fins that are evenly spaced with the fins occupying a portion of the active width of the plate with adjacent rows offset by the width of the plate. A combined evaporator-absorber module is constructed with the absorbing face of the absorber parallel with an evaporating surface of an evaporator where absorber solution and refrigerant fall as parallel falling sheets of liquid. The absorber is covered with a porous hydrophobic membrane to isolate the falling absorber solution from the falling liquid refrigerant.

First claim

We claim:

1. An absorber for an absorption refrigeration system and dehumidification of moist air, the absorber comprising at least one plate defining an active area and an array of fins disposed on a vertical surface of the at least one plate and having a distance between each fin that minimizes exertion of capillary forces on a cooling liquid disposed therebetween, the array of fins projecting perpendicularly from the vertical surface of the at least one plate, wherein the fins are spaced in a plurality of rows over the vertical surface of the at least one plate, the array of fins occupying at least a portion of a width of the active area of the vertical surface of the at least one plate, wherein each fin of the array of fins comprises a fin surface oriented perpendicular to the vertical surface of the at least one plate, and wherein ultimate and penultimate rows of the plurality of rows comprise fins that are offset by a fin lance length, whereby the array of fins are configured to distribute a falling liquid over the active area of the plate as a continuous thin falling film of the cooling liquid when the at least one plate is positioned vertically with the plurality of rows of fins being parallel to a base of the at least one plate.

2. The absorber according to claim 1 , wherein each fin of the array of fins is rectangular in shape and extends from the vertical surface of the at least one plate.

3. The absorber according to claim 1 , wherein the array of fins comprise an offset-strip fin array having a continuous surface comprising fins of an ultimate row projecting outward from the vertical surface with a continuing sheet being parallel to fins of an antepenultimate row projecting inward to the vertical surface.

4. An absorption refrigeration system, comprising an absorber according to claim 1 .

5. The absorber according to claim 1 , wherein a leading contact angle of a droplet of the cooling liquid when contacting the active area of the at least one plate is between 30° and 70°.

6. The absorber according to claim 1 , wherein the active area of the vertical plate comprises a hydrophilic surface.

7. The absorber according to claim 6 , wherein the hydrophilic surface is an oxidized and hydroxylized metal surface or a plastic surface.

8. A combined evaporator-absorber module, comprising at least one absorber according to claim 1 and at least one evaporator, wherein the evaporator comprises an evaporation plate for heat transfer and distribution of a refrigerant residing parallel to the plate of the absorber, and wherein a porous hydrophobic membrane separates the absorber and the evaporator.

9. The combined evaporator-absorber module of claim 8 , wherein two absorbers contact a common cooling conduit and the absorbers and cooling conduit are situated between two evaporators.

10. An absorption refrigeration system, comprising a combined evaporator-absorber module according to claim 8 .

11. An absorber comprising:
an absorber plate; and
a plurality of fins disposed on and extending from a vertical surface of the absorber plate, wherein
the plurality of fins are positioned on the vertical surface in a plurality of rows,
the plurality of fins occupy at least a portion of the width of an active area of the absorber plate,
each fin of the plurality of fins is spaced from the other fins such that capillary forces are not exerted on a cooling liquid disposed within the active area,
each fin of the plurality of fins comprising a fin surface positioned perpendicular to the vertical surface,
ultimate and penultimate rows of the plurality of fins comprise fins that are offset from the other rows of the plurality of rows of fins by a lance length of the fins, and
the plurality of fins are configured to distribute a liquid over the active area of the plate as a continuous thin film of liquid when the one or more plates are positioned vertically with the parallel rows of fins parallel to a base of the one or more plates.

12. The absorber according to claim 11 , wherein the fins are rectangular in shape, extending from the plate's surface.

13. The absorber according to claim 11 , wherein the fins comprise an offset-strip fin array having a continuous surface comprising the fins of an ultimate row projecting outward from the vertical surface with a continuing parallel sheet to the fins of an antepenultimate row projecting inward to the vertical surface.

14. An absorption refrigeration system, comprising an absorber according to claim 11 .

15. The absorber according to claim 11 , wherein the active area of the plate is a hydrophilic surface.

16. The absorber according to claim 15 , wherein the hydrophilic surface is an oxidized and hydroxylized metal surface or a plastic surface.

17. A combined evaporator-absorber module, comprising at least one absorber according to claim 11 and at least one evaporator, wherein the evaporator comprises an evaporation plate for heat transfer and distribution of a refrigerant residing parallel to the plate of the absorber, and wherein a porous hydrophobic membrane separates the absorber and the evaporator.

18. The combined evaporator-absorber module of claim 17 , wherein two absorbers contact a common cooling conduit and the absorbers and cooling conduit are situated between two evaporators.

19. An absorption refrigeration system, comprising a combined evaporator-absorber module according to claim 17 .

20. An absorber comprising:
at least one plate comprising a vertical surface and defining an active area on the vertical surface; and
an array of fins disposed on the vertical surface of the at least one plate and having a distance between each fin, the array of fins projecting perpendicularly from the vertical surface of the at least one plate, wherein
the fins are uniformly spaced in a plurality of parallel rows over the vertical surface of the at least one plate, the array of fins occupying at least a portion of a width of the active area of the vertical surface of the at least one plate,
each fin of the array of fins comprises a fin surface oriented perpendicular to the vertical surface of the at least one plate,
ultimate and penultimate rows of the plurality of parallel rows comprise fins are offset by a fin lance length, and
the array of fins are configured to distribute a falling liquid over the active area of the plate as a continuous thin falling film of the cooling liquid when the at least one plate is positioned vertically with the plurality of parallel rows of fins being parallel to a base of the at least one plate and when said distance between each fin is selected to cause wetting of the array of fins by the cooling liquid but to prevent exertion of capillary forces sufficient to disrupt flow characteristics of the continuous thin falling film of the cooling liquid.

Assignees

• Univ Florida

Inventors

• Moghaddam Saeed
• Mortazavi Mehdi
• Bigham Sajjad

Classifications

• F28F13/182

  especially adapted for evaporator or condenser surfaces (F28F13/187 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25B15/06

  the refrigerant being water vapour evaporated from a salt solution, e.g. lithium bromide {(F25B15/025 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• Y02A30/277

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F28D2021/0064

  Vaporizers, e.g. evaporators · CPC title

• F28F3/027

  with openings, e.g. louvered corrugated fins; Assemblies of corrugated strips · CPC title