Abstract

The energy consumption per capita per year throughout the world is increasing. With an increase in standard of living and world population, the demand for total energy is increasing rapidly and it is anticipated that the existing fossil fuels will be exhausted before the end of this century. More attention is being focused by the scientists and engineers throughout the world to develop potential methods that would use waste heat. A significant amount of low temperature (between 60° C and 99° C) heat is wasted annually in industrial process [1]. This waste heat could be used to drive absorption chillers, but it is not used since it lowers the Coefficient of Performance (C.O.P) of the system. One approach to a lower generator temperature involves the lowering of generator pressure. The dual-chamber vortex generator (DCVG) described in this thesis lowers the generator pressure as a consequence of the conservation of rotational momentum and permits an absorption chiller to function with improved capacity with relatively cooler sources of waste heat. DCVG is designed to replace current high temperature generators in commercial absorption chillers. For a proof of concept, a test stand has been designed and constructed for testing the performance of a vortex-assisted generator for use in absorption refrigeration systems. The scope of this thesis is to develop Absorption Refrigeration Evaluation Software (ARES) which would provide a performance evaluation for the test stand, based on experimental data taken. ARES also helps in the design and analysis of a conventional and conventional/vortex absorption refrigeration system and makes it possible to investigate various cycle configurations, to predict their performance and to compare them with each other on a uniform basis. ARES requires simple inputs consisting of the minimum information needed to define the system, based on these input values other operating parameters are calculated. A graphical user interface (GUI) enables the user to run the program interactively and to view the results. The programming language chosen for developing ARES is JAVA and data acquisition system was designed by using Labview.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery--Testing--Mathematical models; Vortex generators--Testing--Mathematical models; Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery--Testing--Software; Vortex generators--Testing--Software; Java (Computer program language)

Publication Date

2003

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Mechanical Engineering (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Mechanical Engineering (KGCOE)

Advisor

Ali Ogut

Advisor/Committee Member

Jian Yu

Advisor/Committee Member

Jeffery Kozak

Comments

Physical copy available from RIT's Wallace Library at TP492.7 .S26 2003

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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