Cover
Vol. 25 No. 1 (2025)

Published: September 9, 2025

Pages: 74-85

Review Article

Absorption Refrigeration Systems Powered by Waste Heat Engine and Renewable Energy: A Review

Abstract

Conventional Refrigeration Systems (VCRS) are the most commonly used in industrial buildings and facilities. Conventional refrigeration systems are among the most energy-consuming sources in addition to causing more environmental problems and gas emissions, such as hydrocarbons (HCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), are known to contribute to global warming and ozone depletion. Absorption Refrigeration Systems (VARS) are a good alternative to conventional refrigeration systems because they use low-grade heat sources and operate with environmentally friendly liquids. The most important of these heat sources is the heat wasted from engines, industrial processes and many other sources. The global objective of the study is a literature review on the different ways to operate the absorption refrigeration system using waste heat in engines that include exhaust gases and engine cooling water as well as renewable energy that includes solar energy. Reviews of the literature have demonstrated how the absorption refrigeration system can be used and operated using a variety of thermal sources. This study also supports the usage of ecologically friendly chillers to provide air conditioning and refrigeration, as it shows these systems have a lower performance coefficient when compared to conventional refrigeration systems.

References

  1. A. Sur and R. K. Das, “Review on solar adsorption refrigeration cycle,” International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology (IJMET), Vol. 1, Issue 1, pp. 190-226, 2010.
  2. M. U. Siddiqui and S. A. M. Said, “A review of solar powered absorption systems,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 42, pp. 93-115, 2015.
  3. W. Wu, B. Wang, W. Shi, and X. Li, “An overview of ammoniabased absorption chillers and heat pumps,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 31, pp. 681-707, 2014.
  4. H. Yabase, “Steam driven triple effect absorption solar cooling system,” International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference at Purdue, July 16-19, 2012. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iracc/1272
  5. Y. Yuan, X. Cao, L. Sun, B. Lei, and N. Yu, “Ground source heat pump system: A review of simulation in China,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 16, Issue 9, pp. 6814-6822, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.07.025
  6. A. Ouadha and Y. El-Gotni, “Integration of an ammonia-water absorption refrigeration system with a marine Diesel engine: A thermodynamic study,” Procedia Computer Science, Vol. 19, pp. 754-761, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2013.06.099
  7. D. C. Wang, Y. H. Li, D. Li, Y. Z. Xia, and J. P. Zhang, “A review on adsorption refrigeration technology and adsorption deterioration in physical adsorption systems,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 14, Issue 1, pp. 344-353, 2010.
  8. M. R. Anisur, M. H. Mahfuz, M. A. Kibria, R. Saidur, I. H. S. C. Metselaar, and T. M. I. Mahlia, “Curbing global warming with phase change materials for energy storage,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 18, pp. 23-30, 2013.
  9. H. Z. Hassan and A. A. Mohamad, “A review on solar cold production through absorption technology,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 16, Issue 7, pp. 5331-5548, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.04.049
  10. C. Somers, A. Mortazavi, Y. Hwang, R. Radermacher, P. Rodgers, and S. Al-Hashimi, “Modeling water/lithium bromide absorption chillers in ASPEN Plus,” Applied Energy, Vol. 88, Issue 11, pp. 4197-4205, 2011.
  11. B. J. William, A. Selvaraj, M. S. Rammurthy, M. Rajaraman, and V. Srinivasa Chandra, “A Study on Implementation of Vapour Absorption Air Conditioning System (VAAcS) Using LiBr-H 2 O in Commercial vehicles,” SAE Technical Papers, SAE International, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4271/2017-01-0181
  12. M. Tawalbeh, T. Salameh, M. Albawab, A. Al-Othman, M. E. H. Assad, and A. H. Alami, “Parametric study of a single effect lithium bromide-water absorption chiller powered by a renewable heat source,” Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems, Vol. 8, Issue 3, pp. 464-475, 2020. https://doi.org/10.13044/j.sdewes.d7.0290
  13. J. Koehler, W. J. Tegethoff, D. Westphalen, and M. Sonnekalb, “Absorption refrigeration system for mobile applications utilizing exhaust gases,” Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 32, Issue 5, pp. 333340, 1997. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002310050130
  14. S. Jiangzhou, R. Z. Wang, Y. Z. Lu, Y. X. Xu, J. Y. Wu, and Z. H. Li, “Locomotive driver cabin adsorption air-conditioner,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 28, Issue 11, pp. 1659-1670, 2003.
  15. L. Lin, Y. Wang, T. Al-Shemmeri, S. Zeng, J. Huang, Y. He, X. Huang, S. Li, and J. Yang, “Characteristics of a diffusion absorption refrigerator driven by the waste heat from engine exhaust,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 220, Issue 3, pp. 139-149, 2006.
  16. A. Ramanathan and P. Gunasekaran, “Simulation of absorption refrigeration system for automobile application,” Thermal Science, Vol. 12, Issue 3, pp. 5-13, 2008.
  17. G. Vicatos, J. Gryzagoridis, and S. Wang, “A car airconditioning system based on an absorption refrigeration cycle using energy from exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine,” Journal of Energy in Southern Africa, Vol. 19, Issue 4, pp. 6-11, 2008. https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2008/v19i4a3331
  18. A. A. Manzela, S. M. Hanriot, L. Cabezas-Gómez, and J. R. Sodré, “Using engine exhaust gas as energy source for an absorption refrigeration system,” Applied Energy, Vol. 87, Issue 4, pp. 1141-1148, 2010.
  19. A. Mohapatra, K. K. Aneja, S. Kadam, A. Rafiq, and A. Anil, “Heat Recovery System in Automobile,” International Conference on New Horizons in Science Engineering Technology (NHSET-2018), International Journal of Scientific Research in Computer Science, Engineering and Information Technology, Vol. 4, Issue 5, pp. 268-271, 2018.
  20. A. T. Rêgo, S. M. Hanriot, A. F. Oliveira, P. Brito, and T. F. U. Rêgo, “Automotive exhaust gas flow control for an ammoniawater absorption refrigeration system,” Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 64, Issue 1-2, pp. 101-107, 2014.
  21. İ. Hilali, and M. S. Söylemez, “An Application of Engine Exhaust Gas Driven Cooling System in Automobile AirConditioning System,” Journal of Thermal Science and Technology, Vol. 35, Issue 1, pp. 27-34, 2015.
  22. W. I. A. Aly, M. Abdo, G. Bedair, and A. E. Hassaneen, “Thermal performance of a diffusion absorption refrigeration system driven by waste heat from diesel engine exhaust gases,” Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 114, pp. 621-630, 2017.
  23. M. I. S. Adjibade, A. Thiam, C. Awanto, and D. Azilinon, “Experimental analysis of diffusion absorption refrigerator driven by electrical heater and engine exhaust gas,” Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, Vol. 10, pp. 255-261, 2017.
  24. H. Yuan, J. Zhang, X. Huang, and N. Mei, “Experimental investigation on binary ammonia–water and ternary ammonia– water–lithium bromide mixture-based absorption refrigeration systems for fishing ships,” Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 166, pp. 13-22, 2018.
  25. S. Kaewpradub, P. Sanguanduean, W. Katesuwan, N. Chimres P. Punyasukhananda, L. G. Asirvatham, O. Mahian, A. S. Dalkilic, and S. Wongwises, “Absorption refrigeration system using engine exhaust gas as an energy source,” Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, Vol. 12, pp. 797-804, 2018.
  26. V. Venkataraman, A. El-Kharouf, B. Pandya, E. Amakiri, and R. Steinberger-Wilckens, “Coupling of engine exhaust and fuel cell exhaust with vapour absorption refrigeration/air conditioning systems for transport applications: A review,” Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, Vol. 18, 2020.
  27. S. Bux. and T. A.C., “Vapour absorption based automobile air conditioning using exhaust waste heat of diesel engine through plate and frame heat exchanger,” VSRD, International Journal of Mechanical, Civil, Automobile and Production Engineering, Vol. 4, Issue 3, pp. 25-35, 2014.
  28. J. S. Vijesh and S. Steffin, “Vapor Absorption Refrigeration System Using Waste Heat from Engine,” Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Science and Technology, 2021.
  29. T. Ahmad, M. Azhar, M. K. Sinha, M. Meraj, I. M. Mahbubul, and A. Ahmad, “Energy analysis of lithium bromide-water and lithium chloride-water based single effect vapour absorption refrigeration system: A comparison study,” Cleaner Engineering and Technology, Vol. 7, 2022.
  30. A. Sharma, B. K. Mishra, A. Dinesh, and A. Misra, “Design and Performance Study of a Hot Water Driven 5 TR Capacity Absorption Cooling System,” International Journal of u- and eService, Science and Technology, Vol. 7, Issue 6, pp. 205-212, 2014. https://doi.org/10.14257/ijunesst.2014.7.6.18
  31. F. Táboas, M. Bourouis, and M. Vallès, “Analysis of ammonia/water and ammonia/salt mixture absorption cycles for refrigeration purposes in fishing ships,” Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 66, Issue 1-2, pp. 603-611, 2014.
  32. V. Palomba, M. Aprile, M. Motta, and S. Vasta, “Study of sorption systems for application on low-emission fishing vessels,” Energy, Vol. 134, pp. 554-565, 2017.
  33. S. S. Kanase, “Vapour Absorption AC in Automobiles Using Radiator,” International Journal of Innovations in Engineering Research and Technology, Issue 2015, pp. 1-3, 2021. https://repo.ijiert.org/index.php/ijiert/article/view/715
  34. T. Cao, H. Lee, Y. Hwang, R. Radermacher, and H. H. Chun, “Modeling of waste heat powered energy system for container ships,” Energy, Vol. 106, pp. 408-421, 2016.
  35. W. Salmi, J. Vanttola, M. Elg, M. Kuosa, and R. Lahdelma, “Using waste heat of ship as energy source for an absorption refrigeration system,” Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 115, pp. 501-516, 2017.
  36. N. R. Ammar and I. S. Seddiek, “Thermodynamic, environmental and economic analysis of absorption air conditioning unit for emissions reduction onboard passenger ships,” Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Vol. 62, pp. 726-738, 2018.
  37. O. Kaynakli and M. Kilic, “Theoretical study on the effect of operating conditions on performance of absorption refrigeration system,” Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 48, Issue 2, pp. 599-607, 2007.
  38. G. Gutiérrez-Urueta, P. Rodríguez, M. Venegas, F. Ziegler, and M. C. Rodríguez-Hidalgo, “Experimental performances of a LiBr-water absorption facility equipped with adiabatic absorber,” International Journal of Refrigeration, Vol. 34, Issue 8, pp. 17491759, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2011.07.014
  39. H. K. Abdulrahim and M. A. Darwish, “Thermal desalination and air conditioning using absorption cycle,” Desalination and Water Treatment, Vol. 55, Issue 12, pp. 3310-3329, 2015.
  40. G. Gutiérrez-Urueta, A. Huicochea, P. Rodríguez-Aumente, and W. Rivera, “Energy and exergy analysis of water-LiBr absorption systems with adiabatic absorbers for heating and cooling,” Energy Procedia, Vol. 57, pp. 2676-2685, 2014.
  41. S. M. Osta-Omar and C. Micallef, “Mathematical model of a Lithium-Bromide/water absorption refrigeration system equipped with an adiabatic absorber,” Computation, Vol. 4, Issue 4, 2016.
  42. R. López-Zavala, N. Velázquez-Limón, L. A. González-Uribe, J. A. Aguilar-Jiménez, J. Alvarez-Mancilla, A. Acuña, S. Islas, “A novel LiBr/H 2 O absorption cooling and desalination system with three pressure levels,” International Journal of Refrigeration, Vol. 99, pp. 469-478, 2019.
  43. A. Marashli, E. Alfanatseh, M. Shalby, and M. R. Gomaa, “Modelling single-effect of Lithium Bromide-Water (LiBr-H 2 O) driven by an evacuated solar tube collector in Ma’an city (Jordan) case study,” Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, Vol. 37, 2022.
  44. Y. Aljuhani and A. M. A. Dayem, “Thermal analysis of a solarpowered absorption air-conditioning system: Case study for a tent in Mina zone, Saudi Arabia,” Cleaner Engineering and Technology, Vol. 8, 2022.
  45. J. C. Jiménez-García and W. Rivera, “Exergy analysis of an experimental ammonia/water absorption cooling system,” Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, Vol. 49, 2023.
  46. M. Hassan, I. I. El-Sharkawy, and K. Harby, “Study of an innovative combined absorption-adsorption cooling system employing the same evaporator and condenser,” Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, Vol. 42, 2023.
  47. D. K. Sharma, D. Sharma, and A. H. H. Ali, “Optimization and thermo-economic performance of a solar-powered vapor absorption cooling system integrated with sensible thermal energy storage,” Energy Conversion and Management: X, Vol. 20, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2023.100440
  48. F. Dione, A. Thiam, E. H. I. Cisse, D. Diouf, and A. S. Maiga, “Theoretical study of an NH 3 -H 2 O absorption chiller powered by a linear Fresnel system modelled by combining ray tracing and CFD,” Results in Engineering, Vol. 20, 2023.
  49. H. Zhao, H. Xu, D. Jin, and W. An, “Research on geothermaldriven single-effect absorption refrigeration systems with different working fluids: energy and exergy analysis,” International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, Vol. 19, pp. 1689-1698, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijlct/ctae100
  50. A. Verma, S. C. Kaushik, and S. K. Tyagi, “Performance enhancement of absorption refrigeration systems: An overview,” Journal of Thermal Engineering, Vol. 9, Issue 4, pp. 1100-1113, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18186/thermal.1334225