Wu Xi, Yan Linjing, Zhu Xiaojing, Liu Mingjun
Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
Sonyo Refrigeration (Dalian) Co., Ltd., Dalian 116699, China.
Membranes (Basel). 2024 Dec 24;15(1):2. doi: 10.3390/membranes15010002.
The absorption refrigeration system (ARS) stands as a remarkable device that is capable of efficiently harnessing low-grade thermal energy and converting it into cooling capacity. The reverse electrodialysis (RED) system harvests the salinity gradient energy embedded in two solutions of different concentrations into electricity. An innovative RED-ARS integration system is proposed that outputs cooling capacity and electric energy, driven by waste heat. In this study, a comprehensive mathematical simulation model of a RED-ARS integration system was established, and an aqueous lithium bromide solution was selected as the working solution. Based on this model, the authors simulated and analyzed the impact of various factors on system performance, including the heat source temperature (90 °C to 130 °C), concentrated solution concentration (3 mol∙L⁻ to 9 mol∙L⁻), dilute solution concentration (0.002 mol∙L⁻ to 0.5 mol∙L⁻), condensing temperature of the dilute solution (50 °C to 70 °C), solution temperature (30 °C to 60 °C) and flow rate (0.4 cm∙s⁻ to 1.3 cm∙s⁻) in the RED stacks, as well as the number of RED stacks. The findings revealed the maximum output power of 934 W, a coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.75, and overall energy efficiency of 33%.
