Comparison of Waste Heat Driven and Electrically Driven Cooling Systems for a High Ambient Temperature, Off-Grid Application

Abstract

Forward army bases in off-grid locations with high temperatures require power and cooling capacity. Each gallon of fuel providing electrical power passes through a complex network, introducing issues of safety and reliability if this network is interrupted. Instead of using an engine and an electrically powered cooling system, a more efficient combined heat and power (CHP) configuration with a smaller engine and LiBr/Water absorption system (AS) powered by waste heat could be used. These two configurations were simulated in both steady state and transient conditions, in ambient temperatures up to 52 deg C, providing up to 3 kW of non-cooling electricity, and 5.3 kW of cooling. Unlike conventional AS's which crystallize at high temperatures and use bulky cooling towers, the proposed AS's avoid crystallization and have air-cooled HXs for portability. For the hottest transient week, the results showed fuel savings of 34-37%, weight reduction of 11-19%, and a volumetric footprint 3-10% smaller.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 10, 2012
Accession Number
ADA573806

Entities

People

  • Christopher P. Horvath

Organizations

  • University of Maryland

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Absorption
  • Air Cooled
  • Calorific Value
  • Combustion
  • Compressors
  • Cooling
  • Cooling Towers
  • Electricity
  • Energy
  • Engine Components
  • Fluids
  • Heat Energy
  • Heat Transfer
  • High Temperature
  • Mass Transfer
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Water Vapor

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Engineering.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.