Numerical Analysis of The Heat and Mass Transfer Process in Absorbers

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA
Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023.
ISSN: 1696-8352
Numerical analysis of the heat and mass transfer process in absorbers

using water and lithium bromide
Análise numérica do processo de transferência de calor e massa em

absorventes utilizando água e brometo de lítio
DOI: 10.55905/oelv21n12-127
Recebimento dos originais: 11/11/2023

Aceitação para publicação: 11/12/2023
Aida Marelyn Avendaño

Master in Mechanical Engineering
Institution: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE)
Address: Professor Morais Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, Recife - PE,
CEP: 50670-901
E-mail: aidavendano@gmail.com
Anderson Breno Souza

Master in Agricultural Engineering from Universidade de São Francisco (UNIVASF)
Institution: Universidade Federal do Oeste da Bahia (UFOB)
Address: Av. Manoel Novaes, Bom Jesus da Lapa – BA, CEP: 47600-000
E-mail: anderson.souza@ufob.edu.br
José Carlos Charamba Dutra

Doctor in Mechanical Engineering from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
CEP: 50670-901
E-mail: jose.dutra@ufpe.br
Alvaro Antonio Ochoa Villa

Doctor in Mechanical Engineering from Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE)
Institution: Instituto Federal de Pernambuco (IFPE)
Address: Av. Prof. Luiz Freire, 500, Recife – PE, CEP: 50740-540
E-mail: ochoaalvaro@recife.ifpe.edu.br
José Claudino Lira Júnior

Doctor in Mechanical Engineering
CEP: 50670-901
E-mail: claudino.lira@ufpe.br
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Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023.
ISSN: 1696-8352
Allan Giuseppe de Araújo Caldas

Doctor in Mechanical Engineering from Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB)
Institution: Instituto Federal da Paraíba (IFPB)
Address: Av. Primeiro de Maio, 720, João Pessoa - PB, CEP: 58015-435
E-mail: allangyusepp@hotmail.com
Allysson Macário de Araújo Caldas

Doctor in Mechanical Engineering from Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB)
Institution: Instituto Federal da Paraíba (IFPB)
Address: Av. Primeiro de Maio, 720, João Pessoa - PB, CEP: 58015-435
E-mail: allysson.caldas@ifpb.edu.br
Paula Suemy Arruda Michima

Doctor in Mechanical Engineering
CEP: 50670-901
E-mail: paula.michima@ufpe.br
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to simulate the heat and mass transfer process of a spiral tubular Lithium
Bromide/Water (LiBr/H2O) absorber based on a non-linear mathematical model
developed in MATLAB program, using an iterative numerical method and experimental
data from the literature for calibration and validation. For this, the absorber was simplified
as a descending film flat plate and the simulation considered three different cases of
cooling water temperature variation: 21.5°C, 23.5°C, 25.6°C. The effective mass transfer
coefficient, Kef, was obtained from the literature, and the overall heat transfer coefficient,
U, was calculated using the overall thermal resistance within the absorber. The
distributions for the temperature and concentration of the solution and cooling water,
obtained by the model, showed good agreement when compared to the literature. It was
found that the heat and mass transfer increased when varying the absorber length up to
14.25 m, and from this value on, they remained nearly constant. Increasing the mass flow
rate of the cooling water inlet decreases the temperature and concentration of the
LiBr/H2O. In addition, copper and aluminum proved to be more suitable for use in the
absorber tube than stainless steel.
Keywords: absorber, heat and mass transfer, LiBr/H2O, absorption cooling.
RESUMO
Este estudo teve como objetivo simular o processo de transferência de calor e massa de
um absorvedor tubular de brometo de lítio/água (LiBr/H2O) baseado em um modelo
matemático não-linear desenvolvido no programa MATLAB, usando um método
numérico iterativo e dados experimentais da literatura para calibração e validação. Para
isso, o absorvedor foi simplificado como uma placa plana de filme descendente e a
simulação considerou três casos diferentes de variação da temperatura da água de
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resfriamento: 21,5°C, 23,5°C, 25,6°C. O coeficiente de transferência de massa efetivo,

Kef, foi obtido a partir da literatura, e o coeficiente de transferência de calor global, U,
foi calculado usando a resistência térmica global dentro do absorvedor. As distribuições
de temperatura e concentração da solução e da água de resfriamento, obtidas pelo modelo,
mostraram boa concordância quando comparadas com a literatura. Verificou-se que a
transferência de calor e massa aumentou quando variou o comprimento do absorvedor até
14,25 m, e a partir deste valor, eles permaneceram quase constantes. O aumento do caudal
mássico da entrada de água de arrefecimento diminui a temperatura e a concentração do
LiBr/H2O. Além disso, o cobre e o alumínio mostraram-se mais adequados para uso no
tubo absorvedor do que o aço inoxidável.
Palavras-chave: absorvente, calor e transferência de massa, LiBr/H2O, resfriamento por

absorção.
1 INTRODUCTION
In recent years, there has been a growing concern related to the need for changes
in energy matrices and gas emissions that are responsible for the degradation of the
environment, bringing the exposed facts to the real world. The demand for room cooling
is inserted in this context, and an alternative to conventional thermal cooling equipment’s
is absorption refrigeration system. They can be used to take advantage of renewable
thermal sources or waste heat from industrial processes, reducing environmental impacts
from refrigeration (Garcia-Hernando and Vega, 2019).
The absorber has a recognized prominence among the basic components of an
absorption refrigeration system (Jaballah et al., 2019). In the absorber, the concentrated
liquid solution absorbs the refrigerant vapor from the evaporator. As a result, the capacity
of the absorber determines the amount of refrigerant that constantly circulates through the
cycle; thus, the greater the mass and heat transfer in the process in this equipment, the
greater the capacity of the system to remove heat from the fluid, which will be refrigerated
(Giannetti et al., 2017).
In this way, the design of absorbers for absorption refrigeration systems is still
subject to numerous uncertainties since its process involves, simultaneously, heat and
mass exchanges, in addition to the systemic interactions of the absorption of the
refrigerant vapor, requiring greater understanding and demanding of numerous scientific
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studies, mainly because it is known that the performance of these devices is influenced
by their geometry and by the absorption methods employed (Olbricht and Luke 2019).
Olbricht and Luke (2019) carried out an experimental analysis of heat and mass
transfer in a falling film LiBr/H2O absorber of tube bundles aiming to generate
correlations that would improve the design of this equipment. They found that heat
transfer and mass transfer are more significant depending on the Reynolds number of the
fluids that raise the refrigerant's temperature. However, a comparison with literature
correlations revealed a strong deviation between experimental and calculated results.
Toppi et al. (2015) performed modeling and experimental validation of heat and mass
transfer in a tube-in-tube absorber, considering the pressure drop along the equipment.
Arshi and Sudharsan (2020) carried out a detailed experimental study on a
horizontal tube falling film absorber used in a LiBr/H2O system, considering the
influence of the cooling water flow rate, its inlet temperature and spray density on the
temperatures and solution concentrations, heat and mass fluxes, and heat transfer
coefficients. They found, among other things, the better performance in absorption, the
higher the flow of cooling water, while the increase in the temperature of this water
caused the opposite. Nabil et al. (2014) compared a simplified non-linear model and a
simplified linear model to evaluate the overall heat and mass transfer in a spiral tubular
absorber of a LiBr/H2O absorption chiller.
Thus, considering the scarcity in the literature of simulation of the absorption
process in spiral tubular absorbers, this study used a non-linear mathematical model to
simulate heat and mass transfer in a spiral tubular absorber applied in systems that use
the fluid of LiBr/H2O, cooled with counter-current water, to obtain the distributions of
the temperature and concentration of the solution, and of the cooling water.
2 PHYSICAL PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

The evaporator and absorber are incorporated into a single envelope and are made
up of spiral-shaped tubes (Figure 1). In this configuration, the evaporator forms the inner
circuit and the absorber forms the outer circuit. Figure 1a shows the longitudinal section
of the absorber/evaporator envelope. The absorber consists of two rows of spiral-shaped
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copper tubes. Each row consists of 17 tubes with a developed length of 1.9m and an outer
diameter of 19 mm. Both rows are contained within a steel envelope. Therefore, the only
measurable quantities are represented by the inlet and outlet of the absorber. In Figure 1b,
the concentrated LiBr/H2O solution and water vapor are sprayed from the top of the
absorber, forming a film with the water vapor onto the spiral tubes. The cooling water
enters from the bottom of the absorber and flows into the tubes, and the absorption process
takes place outside the tubes.
Since the outside diameter of the absorber spiral tubes is much smaller than the
length, the heat and mass transfer process that takes place inside the absorber can be
simplified as a vertical flat plate, where the absorbing solution and the cooling fluid are
in a counterflow, Figure 1c. Inside the absorber, the concentration of the LiBr/ H2O
solution decreases along the flow direction of the solution because of water vapor
absorption. The heat of absorption that is generated in the vapor absorption by the
LiBr/H2O solution is coupled with the heat transferred between the LiBr/H2O solution
and cooling water, yielding the temperature variation along the longitudinal axis in both
fluids.
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Figure 1. Graphical representation of the absorber-evaporator. a) Longitudinal section of the absorber-

evaporator envelope, b) Flow diagram inside the absorber. C) Representation of the spiral absorber as a
vertical flat plate
Source: Nabil et al. (2014) and Islan and Wijeysundera, (2004)
3 MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF THE ABSORBER OF AN ABSORPTION

REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
The mathematical model was developed using the mass and energy balance
equations, and the constitutive equations of the heat and mass transfer process (convective
and mass coefficients), and considering stationary state. Figure 2 shows a schematic of
the physical model used to represent the absorption process in the absorber. In the model,
the variation in the mass flow rate of the solution (dMs) and the mass and heat transfer
from the interface to the solution is represented by the heat transfer coefficient, ho, and
the mass transfer coefficient, Km. (Kyunga et al., 2007). The heat and mass transfer
process in the spiral absorber represented as a flat plate was carried out according to the
following considerations:
i.One-dimensional problem, variation of flow properties in the vertical-x-direction;
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ii.The solution film is treated as a semi-infinite medium for heat and mass transfer;
iii.The steam is considered to be single-phase;
iv.The solutions in the system are Newtonian and the physical properties constant
with temperature and concentration;
v.The descending film is considered laminar flow;
vi.Equilibrium pressure exists at the vapor-solution interface;
vii.The vapor continues with uniform pressure (which is the absorption pressure) and
temperature;
viii.Vapor drag in the descending film is negligible;
ix.The heat transferred from the solution to the vapor is negligible.
The heat transfer coefficient from the LiBr/ H2O solution to the tube wall is hi,
and the heat transfer coefficient from the tube wall to the cooling water is ha. The overall
heat transfer coefficient between the solution and the cooling water is represented by the
variable U. To study the mass and the heat transfer within the absorber, three independent
variables were considered: the temperature of the cooling water, Ta, the temperature of
the LiBr/H2O solution, Ts and the concentration of LiBr in the solution, s.
Figure 2. (a) Schematic of the control volumes. (b). Energy balance at the liquid-vapor interface
Source: Adapted from (Tsai and Blaco, 1998) and (Patnaik et al., 1193).
The energy and mass balance were constructed using the control volume of length
dX, section ABCD of the descending film of the LiBr/H2O solution, figure 2a, with the
equation for the heat of absorption d𝑄𝑠𝑎 expressed by the product of the overall heat
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transfer coefficient, U with the temperature difference between the solution and the
coolant, based on the external surface area, expressed as:
𝑑ℎ𝑠 𝑑𝑚𝑣
𝑀𝑠 = ℎ𝑣𝑠 − 𝑈(𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑎 ) (1)
𝑑𝐴 𝑑𝐴
ℎ𝑣𝑠 = ℎ𝑣 − ℎ𝑠 (2)
The enthalpy of the LiBr/H2O solution, hs, 𝑖s a function of Ts, and s. Therefore,
the equation for conservation of energy on the solution side o'f LiBr/ H2O can be
expressed as:
𝑑𝑇𝑠 𝑑𝜔𝑠 𝑑𝑀𝑠

𝑀𝑠 𝐶𝑠 + 𝑀𝑠 𝐶𝜔 = ℎ𝑣𝑠 − 𝑈(𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑎 ) (3)
𝑑𝐴 𝑑𝐴 𝑑𝐴
The change in vapor absorption rate, dmv, can be expressed in terms of the mass
transfer coefficient, Km, as:
𝑑𝑚𝑣 = 𝐾𝑚 𝜌𝑠 (𝜔𝑠 − 𝜔𝑖𝑓 )𝑑𝐴 (4)
For an infinitesimal control volume of length dX, involving the interface (figure
2.b), the energy conservation equation for the interface, can be expressed as:
𝑑𝑚𝑣 ℎ𝑣 = 𝑑𝑚𝑣 ℎ𝑝𝑣 + ℎ0 (𝑇𝑖𝑓 − 𝑇𝑠 )𝑑𝐴 (5)
hpv, depends on the temperature and the interface concentration, Tif e 𝜔𝑖𝑓 .
The condition at the liquid-vapor interface can be expressed through equations (6)
and (7), as:
𝐾𝑚 𝜌𝑠 (𝜔𝑠 − 𝜔𝑖𝑓 )ℎ𝑎𝑏 𝑑𝐴 = ℎ0 (𝑇𝑖𝑓 − 𝑇𝑠𝑏 )𝑑𝐴 (6)
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ℎ𝑎𝑏 = ℎ𝑣 − ℎ𝑝𝑣 (7)
The enthalpy of absorption in the liquid, hab, must be evaluated at the average
temperature. It was assumed that the if, and Ts, are in equilibrium at the interface at the
same constant vapor pressure, Pv, and the relationship between temperature and
concentration at equilibrium is approximately linear (Ibrahim and Vinnicombe, 1993),
expressed as:
𝜔𝑖𝑓 = 𝑎 + 𝑏𝑇𝑖𝑓 (8)
The constants “a” and “b”, can be considered for the working pressure range of
the LiBr/H2O system from 0.8 kPa to 2 kPa, where 𝑎 is constant at equilibrium ratio and
𝑏 is a coefficient at equilibrium ratio [K-1]
𝑃 −0.188
𝑎 = 0.37794 (𝑃 ) (9)
0
𝑃 −0.06574
𝑏 = 4.8688 × 10−3 (𝑃 ) (10)
0
where:
P; absorber pressure [kPa]

P0; reference pressure [kPa]
The condition at the liquid-vapor interface, the equilibrium ratio, and the
concentration at the interface, if, can be expressed as:
𝜆(𝑎+𝑏𝑇𝑠 )+𝑏𝜔𝑠
𝜔𝑖𝑓 = (11)
𝜆+𝑏
ℎ0
𝜆=ℎ (12)
𝑎𝑏 𝐾𝑚 𝜌𝑠
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Equations 13 and 14 express the change in mass flow rate of the LiBr/H2O solution
relative to the absorption area differential, dA, as:
𝑑𝑀𝑠
= 𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 (𝜔𝑠 − (𝑎 + 𝑏𝑇𝑠 )) (13)
𝑑𝐴
1 1 𝑏ℎ𝑎𝑏 𝜌𝑠
=𝐾 + (14)
𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝑚 ℎ0
The mass of the absorbent, LiBr salt, in the solution is assumed constant:
𝑀
𝑀𝑠 = 𝜔 𝑙 (15)
𝑠
The profile of the mass fraction of LiBr/H2O in solution, s regarding the

absorption area differential, dA, can be expressed as:
𝑑𝜔𝑠 𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 𝑀𝑙
=− (𝜔𝑠 − (𝑎 + 𝑏𝑇𝑠 )) (16)
𝑑𝐴 𝑀𝑠2
The temperature profiles of the solution, Ts, and the cooling water, Ta, are
represented by differential equations 17 and 18, as:
𝑑𝑇𝑠 ℎ 𝐶 𝑀 𝑈
= 𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 (𝑀 𝑣𝑠𝐶 + 𝑀𝑤2 𝐶 𝑙) (𝜔𝑠 − (𝑎 + 𝑏𝑇𝑠 )) − 𝑀 𝐶 (𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑎 ) (17)
𝑑𝐴 𝑠 𝑠 𝑠 𝑠 𝑠 𝑠
𝑑𝑇𝑎 𝑈
= −𝑀 (𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑎 ) (18)
𝑑𝐴 𝑎 𝐶𝑝𝑎
The above set of governing equations allows predicting the behavior of the
concentration, temperature of the solution, and the cooling water temperature Ts, s and
Ta, for the analyzed absorber.
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4 NUMERICAL MODELING OF THE ABSORBER

The solution of the system of governing equations of the heat and mass transfer
process inside the absorber is composed of the nonlinear first-order differential equations
(17), (18), and (20). The iterative Gauss-Seidel numerical method was used to solve the
system of equations, applying the numerical method of approximating the first derivative
by finite differences, and was developed using the Matlab 2016b computing platform.
For the case of the profile of the LiBr concentration in the LiBr/H2O solution, Ts,
the first derivative approximation by regressive finite differences was used, Figure 3.
Equations 21 and 22 show the discrete equations for solution concentration and
temperature.
Figure 3. Representation of the mesh in the physical model.
Source: The authors (2023)
𝜔𝑠 𝑖 −𝜔𝑠 𝑖−1 𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 𝑀𝑙

=− (𝜔𝑠𝑖 − (𝑎 + 𝑏𝑇𝑠 𝑖 )) 𝐿 (19)
𝑑𝑋 𝑀𝑠2
𝑇𝑠 𝑖 −𝑇𝑠 𝑖−1 ℎ 𝐶 𝑀 𝑈
= 𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 (𝑀 𝑣𝑠𝐶 + 𝑀𝑤2 𝐶 𝑙) (𝜔𝑠 − (𝑎 + 𝑏𝑇𝑠 𝑖 )) 𝐿 − 𝑀 𝐶 (𝑇𝑠 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑎 𝑖 )𝐿 (20)
𝑑𝑋 𝑠 𝑠 𝑠 𝑠 𝑠 𝑠
In the case of the cooling water temperature, Ta, the first derivative approximation
by progressive finite differences was used; taking into account that the water flow is in
countercurrent with the flow of the LiBr/H2O, solution, so the new value of the cooling
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water temperature evaluated at xi, will depend on the previous value of the cooling water
temperature that is at xi+1, as shown in figure 3.
𝑇𝑎 𝑖+1 −𝑇𝑎 𝑖 𝑈
= −𝑀 (𝑇𝑠 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑎 𝑖 )𝐿 (21)
𝑑𝑋 𝑎 𝐶𝑝𝑎
[𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 𝑀𝑙 (𝑎+𝑏𝑇𝑠 𝑖 )]𝐿𝑑𝑋

𝜔𝑠 𝑖−1 −
𝑀2𝑠
𝜔𝑠 𝑖 = [𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 𝑀𝑙 ]𝐿𝑑𝑋
(22)
1−
𝑀2𝑠
ℎ 𝐶𝑤 𝑀 𝑈
𝑇𝑠 𝑖−1 +[𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 ( 𝑣𝑠 + 2 𝑙 )(𝜔𝑠 −𝑎)]𝐿𝑑𝑋+ 𝑇 𝐿𝑑𝑋
𝑀𝑠 𝐶 𝑠 𝑀𝑠 𝐶 𝑠 𝑀𝑠 𝐶 𝑠 𝑎 𝑖
𝑇𝑠 𝑖 = ℎ 𝐶𝑤 𝑀 𝑈
(23)
1+[𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 𝑏( 𝑣𝑠 + 2 𝑙 )]𝐿𝑑𝑋+ 𝐿𝑑𝑋
𝑀𝑠 𝐶 𝑠 𝑀𝑠 𝐶 𝑠 𝑀𝑠 𝐶 𝑠
𝑈𝐿
𝑇 𝑑𝑋+𝑇𝑎 𝑖+1
𝑀𝑎 𝐶𝑝𝑎 𝑠 𝑖
𝑇𝑎 𝑖 = 𝑈 (24)
1+ 𝐿𝑑𝑋
𝑀𝑎 𝐶𝑝𝑎
The amount of vapor mass absorbed, mv, the change in lithium bromide (LiBr)
concentration at the interface, if, and the change in the mass flow rate of the if, and the
change in the mass flow rate of the LiBr/H2O solution, (Ms), were calculated using the
discrete equations (25), (26) e (27):
𝜆(𝑎+𝑏𝑇𝑠 )+𝑏𝜔𝑠
𝜔𝑖𝑓 = (25)
𝜆+𝑏
𝑚𝑣 𝑖 = 𝑚𝑣 𝑖−1 + 𝐾𝑚 𝜌𝑠 (𝜔𝑠 − 𝜔𝑖𝑓 )𝐿𝑑𝑋 (26)
𝑀𝑠 𝑖 = 𝑀𝑠 𝑖−1 + 𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 (𝜔𝑠 − (𝑎 + 𝑏𝑇𝑠 ))𝐿𝑑𝑋 (27)
Figure 4 shows the flowchart of the model developed to calculate the temperature
and concentration profiles of the LiBr/H2O solution, Ts, and s and the temperature profile
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of the cooling water, Ta, inside the absorber. The subroutine approach starts by entering
the initial data, the properties of the LiBr/H2O solution, and cooling water, such as
density, specific heats, flow rates, the required enthalpies, the operating pressure of the
absorber, and the reference pressure. Also needed are the values of the heat and mass
transfer coefficients. It was necessary to solve the equation system (17, 18 e 20) through
the Gauss-Seidel method, using an initial value of the solution temperature (𝑇𝑠𝑣 ), the
solution concentration (𝑣𝑠 ) and the cooling water temperature (𝑇𝑎𝑣 ) to initialize the
iterative procedure.
The program determines the new values of the solution temperature (𝑇𝑠𝑁 ), solution
concentration (𝑁 𝑁
𝑠 ), and cooling water temperature (𝑇𝑎 ), all from the equation system,
from the initial values, and calculates the error between the old value and the new value
against the stopping criterion, the precision error (e). If the error exceeds the precision
error value, the values of the solution temperature, solution concentration, and cooling
water temperature are updated to determine the new values. If the error does not exceed
the error allowed, the obtained values represent the solution temperatures and
concentration. Finally, the program visualizes the values of the solution temperature, the
solution concentration, and the cooling water temperature.
Also included in the program were the equations for determining the flow rate of
the LiBr/H2O solution, Ms, the absorbed vapor flow rate, mv, and the concentration at the
interface, if, through the equations. In the end, the profiles of the LiBr solution
temperature and concentration, 𝑇𝑠 and 𝜔𝑠 , as well as the cooling water temperature,𝑇𝑎 are
determined.
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Figure 4. Flowchart of the numerical model developed for the heat and mass transfer process inside an
absorber using the MATLAB computational platform.
5 CALIBRATION AND VALIDATION OF THE HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER

MODEL OF THE ABSORBER
For the calibration and validation of the developed model, a spiral-type absorber
was used based on Nabil et al. (2014). The absorber was placed in a vertical position,
consisting of two rows of copper tubes. Each row consists of 17 tubes, contained within
a steel envelope. The absorption of water vapor by the LiBr/H2O solution occurs on the
outer surface of the tubes. Table 1 shows the dimensions of the absorber used.
Table 1. Characteristics of the spiral absorber. Adapted from Nabil et al. [8]
Item Characteristics Symbol Unit Value
2
01 Total absorber area At m 3.86
02 Outer tube diameter d m 0.019
03 Length of spiral tube X m 1.9
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Table 2 shows the operating conditions of the absorber, which were obtained from
the experimental data performed (Nabil et al. 2014).
Table 2. Operating conditions of the absorber.

Variable Symbol Unit Test 1 Test 2 Test 3
Cooling water inlet temperature (absorber
𝑇𝑎 𝑒 °C 21.0 23.5 25.6
outlet)
Cooling water outlet temperature (ab- 𝑇𝑎 𝑠 °C 27.4 29 31.4
sorber inlet)
Temperature of the LiBr/H2O solution at
𝑇𝑠 𝑒 °C 41.25 41.25 41.25
the absorber inlet
Temperature of the LiBr/H2O solution at
𝑇𝑠 𝑠 °C 30.5 32 33.5
the absorber outlet
Mass fraction of LiBr/H2O solution at the
𝜔𝑠 𝑒 ---- 0.5958 0.5958 0.5958
absorber inlet
Mass fraction of LiBr/H2O solution at the
𝜔𝑠 𝑠 ----- 0.5405 0.545 0.5489
absorber outlet
Flow rate of the LiBr/H2O solution at the 𝑀𝑠 𝑒 kg/s 0.07845 0.07845 0.07845
absorber inlet
Cooling water flow rate 𝑀𝑎 kg/s 0.796 0.796 0.796
Absorber pressure P kPa 0.8496 0.8496 0.8496
Source: Nabil et al. (2014).
5.1 OVERALL HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS

The working conditions of the absorber used in the calibration process and the
effective mass transfer coefficient Kef were obtained from that presented in the literature
(Nabil et al., 2014). The mass and heat transfer coefficients Km and ho were calculated
using the analogous mass and heat correlation presented in Islam and Wijeysundera
(2003). The overall heat transfer coefficient, U, was calculated using the total thermal
resistance of the absorber. The convective heat transfer coefficient in the cooling water,
ℎ𝑎 , was calculated using the dimensionless Nusselt number using Dittus Boelter's
correlation Islam and Wijeysundera (2003). To calculate the convective heat transfer
coefficient in the LiBr/H2O solution, hi, the correlation of Sieder and Tate was used. The
properties of the LiBr/H2O solution were obtained from the literature (Kim and Infante-
Ferreira, 2006). Table 3 shows the comparison of the values of the overall transfer
coefficients, U, calculated and found in the literature (Nabil et al., 2014).
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Table 3. Percent errors of the overall heat transfer coefficient, U.

Absorber Working Condi-
Sym-
Description Units tions
bol
Test 1 Test 2 Test 3
Overall heat transfer coefficient reported by
U W/(m.°C) 491.00 470.00 423.74
[1]
Calculated overall heat transfer coefficient U W/(m.°C) 500.50 487,79 478.10
Percent error --- % 1.93 3.78 12.82
Source: (Nabil et al., 2014).
5.2 PHYSICAL MESH CALIBRATION

For the developed study, it was necessary to calibrate the physical mesh, using the
same operating conditions, presented in table 2, through test 1. Simulations were
performed varying the number of mesh elements adopted. The process was started by
considering 5 elements in the mesh and then adding 5 more elements in the next
simulations, successively. Figure 6a shows the behavior of the mesh in the LiBr/H2O
solution temperature results. Figure 6b shows the error of the temperatures of the
LiBr/H2O solution at the absorber varying the physical mesh elements.
As a calibration parameter, the variation of the LiBr/H2O solution temperature,𝑇𝑠 𝑠
in the length direction, X of the absorber tubes was considered, and the percentage of
relative error was calculated with the value of the solution temperature at the absorber
outlet, 𝑇𝑠 𝑠 , in each simulation.
Figure 6. Physical mesh elements variation. a) Temperature profile of the LiBr/H 2O solution at the outlet
of the absorber b) Relative error of the temperatures of the LiBr/H2O solution at the absorber.
41,0 1,604%
39,0
37,0 1,204%
Ts [°C]
Error
35,0
33,0 0,804%
31,0
29,0 0,404%
0,0 0,4 0,8 1,1 1,5 1,9
nodes=5
Absorber length nodes=15
nodes=10
[m] 0,004%
nodes=20 nodes=25 nodes=30 5 20 35 50 65 80 95 110 125
nodes=35 nodes=40 nodes=45 Physical mesh elements
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The maximum error calculated considering 5 elements was 1.50%, a value

significantly higher than the allowable error margin of 0.01%. Therefore, starting with 35
elements, the error tends to be smaller than the permissible tolerance. Therefore, a mesh
with 80 elements was used, where the relative error was 0.004%.
5.3 VALIDATION OF THE DEVELOPED MODEL

The developed numerical model was validated using experimental and numerical
data taken from the literature (Nabil et al., 2014) using the profiles of LiBr/H2O solution
temperature and concentration, cooling water temperature, and absorbed vapor flow rate
from the tubular spiral absorber, according to the conditions shown in Table 2.
5.3.1 Comparison of LiBr/H2O Solution Temperature

The validation of the solution temperature determined by the simulation was
compared with experimental and numerical data found in the literature. In this case, the
LiBr/H2O solution inlet temperatures of 41.25°C, cooling temperatures of 21°C and
25.6°C, and solution concentration of 59.58% were considered constant. Figure 7 shows
the behavior of the temperature distributions of the LiBr/H2O solution inside the absorber
showed similar behavior to the values found in literature (Islam et al. 2004).
The temperature of the solution decreases with the length of the absorber, as the
cooling water removes some heat from it. This may be because the greater the difference
between the solution temperature and the cooling water temperature, the greater the
𝑑𝑇𝑠
absolute value of the solution temperature gradient with absorber length, and,
𝑑𝑋
therefore the LiBr/H2O solution temperature decreases faster with absorber length, as
there is greater heat transfer between both fluids. The maximum relative errors found
between the values of the developed model and the values taken from the literature were
1.2% and 2.01%, corroborating the ability of the numerical model to predict the behavior
of the solution temperature along the absorber.
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Figure 7. Temperature of the LiBr/H2O solution in the absorber. Left) Tae= 21°C. Right) Tae= 25.6°C
On the other hand, the figure 8 shows the comparison between the values of the
temperature distribution of the LiBr/H2O solution and the results extracted from Nabil et.
al (2014) by using a coupled nonlinear model, where the effective mass transfer
coefficient, Kef, and the overall heat transfer coefficient, U, and the heat flux were
calculated by linearizing the model. It can be observed that the distribution obtained in
Nabil et. al. (2014) increases at the inlet of the absorber but decreases right after growth
since the absorption heat generated in the vapor absorption process cannot be completely
removed in the cooling process, which increases the temperature of the solution. The
results obtained using the proposed model show a solution temperature distribution with
a negative temperature gradient along the length of the absorber, i.e., the temperature
decreases with the length of the absorber. However, there is no increase in the solution
temperature at the inlet of the absorber due to the difference in the values of the solution
properties, where for the specific heat, enthalpy, and density the values were considered
constant, according to what was proposed by Islam et al. (2004), but Nabil et al. (2014)
used a variation of the enthalpy value and the specific heat as a function of temperature.
Despite this simplification, the maximum relative errors were insignificant, with values
less than 3.00%.
5.3.2 Comparison of the Concentration in the LiBr/H2O Solution

The distribution of the LiBr concentration in the LiBr/H2O solution inside the
absorber found in the simulations, Figure 8, were similar to the distribution found by
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Islam et al. (2004), It is observed that the variation of the LiBr concentration rate in the
solution had a decreasing behavior along the absorber length, indicating that the water
vapor absorption process by the solution was more relevant at the inlet of the absorber.
In figure 8, it can be seen that the concentration of LiBr in the solution was reduced
as the temperature of the cooling water was also decreased, i.e. more of the heat generated
by the process of water vapor absorption by the solution was removed through the cooling
water, optimizing the absorptive process.
Figure 8. LiBr concentration in the solution inside the absorber. Left) Tae= 21°C. Right) Tae= 25.6°C
The almost linear distribution of the LiBr concentration in the LiBr/H2O solution
is a result of the small variation of the mass flow of absorbed water vapor from the inlet
to the outlet of the absorber.
Comparing the distributions of the simulations for the temperature of the
LiBr/H2O solution (fig. 7), with the distribution of the LiBr concentration in the LiBr/H2O
solution inside the absorber (fig. 8), for the three tests, it can be observed that in the initial
sections of the absorber the temperature distribution of the solution presents a larger
gradient than the concentration of the solution, because of the thermal diffusivity (Dt =
1.427e-7 m2/s), which represents an order of magnitude larger than the mass diffusivity
(Dm= 1.352e-9 m2/s) of the LiBr/H2O solution. The results found for LiBr concentration
were 0.5501, 0.5602, 0.5660, with maximum relative errors of 1.77%, 2.79%, and 3.11,
respectively, with the experimental data.
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5.3.3 Comparison of Cooling Water Temperature

The profiles of the cooling water temperatures were almost linear, like the values
found by Islam et al. (2004), figure 9. A linear distribution of the cooling water tempera-
ture proves that there is no region along the absorber that identifies the intensification or
decrease of the cooling process of the LiBr/H2O solution, therefore, the heat flux trans-
ferred from the solution to the cooling water was practically constant. The largest relative
errors between the simulated and experimental values were 4.00%, 3.83%, and 5.81%
respectively.
Figure 9. Cooling water temperature variation inside the absorber. Left) Tae= 21°C. Right) Tae= 25.6°C
30 30
Experimental
25 Simulation
Simulação 25
T [°C]
T [°C]
20 20 Experimental
Simulação
15 15
0 0,38 0,76 1,14 1,52 1,9 0 0,38 0,76 1,14 1,52 1,9
Absorber length [m] Absorber length [m]
5.3.4 Comparison in Absorbed Vapor Flow

Figure 10 shows the distribution of the absorbed vapor mass flow rate, which
showed a linear trend behavior. The linear trend of the distribution of the concentration
in the LiBr/H2O solution with the length of the absorber is linked to the effect of the
cooling water, whose temperature profile should also be linear due to the dominant ca-
pacitance, which easily absorbs heat from the film. The driving force increases with tube
length due to the cooling water effect, however, as the thermal diffusivity (Dt = 1.427e-7
m2/s) was significantly higher than the mass diffusivity (Dm= 1.352e-9 m2/s) of the
LiBr/H2O solution. Thus, heat is transferred, from the interface, rapidly to the solution,
while the absorbed vapor tends to remain on the surface.
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Figure 10. Vapor flow absorbed in the absorber considering Tae = 23.5 °C
Therefore, while the concentration gradient across the film increases with length,
the diffusion resistance on the liquid side forces the concentration profile to follow the
same trend as the cooling fluid, in this case, water. The maximum errors found for the
mass flow rate of the absorbed vapor were 6% and 5% lower than the values found in the
literature.
6 DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS

A sensitivity analysis was performed by varying absorber parameters such as ab-
sorber tube length, cooling water temperature and flow rate, and absorber tube material
to verify the influence on energy behavior, considering temperature distribution profiles
and LiBr/H2O solution concentration inside the absorber.
6.1 VARIATION OF THE ABSORBER TUBE LENGTH

In the calibration process, an absorber tube length of 1.90 m was obtained with a
physical mesh of 80 nodes, with a calibrated node length of 0.02375 m. Considering this
information, the sensitivity analysis of the variation of the tube length on the temperature
and concentration of the solution was performed. In the analysis, the following operating
conditions of LiBr/H2O solution input were considered constant: temperature
(𝑇𝑠 𝑒 =41.25) and concentration (𝜔𝑠 𝑒 =0.5958), cooling water temperature (𝑇𝑎 𝑒 = 23.5).
The first simulation was performed for an absorber tube length of 0.95 m, with a
400-node mesh, using the calibrated node length (0.02375 m), increased by 40 nodes in
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subsequent simulations, until reaching a length of 23.75 m with 1000 nodes in the ab-
sorber tube. Figure 11a represents the variation of the temperature of the LiBr/ H2O solu-
tion at the outlet of the absorber as the length of the tube increases. Considering that the
flow rate and the inlet temperatures of the solution and cooling water remain constant,
and varying the length of the tube, there is an increase in the total absorption area, and, in
this sense, the overall heat transfer coefficient, U, tends to decrease, leading to an increase
in the amount of heat of the solution to be removed by the cooling water, and finally, the
temperature of the LiBr/H2O solution at the absorber outlet is reduced. The variation of
the LiBr/H2O solution concentration in the absorber as a function of increasing absorber
tube is shown in figure 12b. The concentration is represented in the mole fraction of LiBr
in the LiBr/H2O solution.
As observed in Fig. 11b, increasing the length of the absorber tube provides a
direct increase in the total area leading to a greater absorption heat exchange from the
solution, and therefore allowing greater absorption of the vapor into the solution, decreas-
ing the concentration of LiBr at the outlet of the absorber. Moreover, from the value of
9.5 m of tube length, it is observed that the LiBr/H2O solution temperature tends to be
stabilized, almost constant, due to the consideration of constant operating parameters,
causing the longer tube lengths to have thicker thermal boundary layers at the end of the
length, entailing a lower temperature gradient on the wall, and consequently a lower heat
exchange by conduction, corresponding to a lower convection heat coefficient. This leads
to a decrease in heat and mass exchange inside the absorber (Ochoa et al., 2017; Lima et
al., 2021), and therefore less steam will be absorbed for the absorption process of the
absorption cooling system, a fact observed in fig. 11b.
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Figure 11. a) LiBr/H2O solution outlet temperature varying of the absorber tube length. b) Solution con-
centration varying of the absorber tube length.
45 0,60
40
LiBr mass fraction

14,2… 0,57 23,75;
35
T [°C]
0,52
30
0,54 14,25;
0,52
25
20 0,51
0 4,75 9,5 14,25 19 23,75 0 4,75 9,5 14,25 19 23,75
Absorber length [m] Absorber length [m]
6.2 COOLING WATER TEMPERATURE VARIATION

Simulations were performed using the working conditions, Table 2, with a cali-
brated mesh of 1.9 m pipe length, to observe the effects of the cooling water. The cooling
water inlet temperature was varied with a difference of 2°C, starting at 10.5°C up to
40.5°C, Figure 12a.
Figure 12. a) Heat transferred within the absorber considering the cooling water inlet temperature at the
absorber outlet. b) LiBr/H2O solution temperature considering the cooling water inlet temperature at the
absorber outlet.
44
14
12 40
10
Heat [KW]
36
8
Ts [°C]
6 32
4
28
2
0 24
0 0,38 0,76 1,14 1,52 1,9 0 0,38 0,76 1,14 1,52 1,9
Absorber length [m]]
Ta=10.5 Ta=14.5 Ta=18.5 Absorber length [m]
Ta=10.5 Ta=14.5 Ta=18.5
Ta=22.5 Ta=26.5 Ta=30.5
Ta=22.5 Ta=26.5 Ta=30.5
It is observed that by decreasing the inlet cooling water temperature, at the outlet
of the absorber, there is an increase in heat exchange due to the increased difference in
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the temperatures of the cooling water and the LiBr/H2O solution. Since the arrangement
in the absorber, between the LiBr/H2O solution and the cooling water, is countercurrent,
there is a greater heat transfer in the final sections of the absorber. Figure 12b shows the
variation of the LiBr/H2O solution temperature inside the absorber with the variation of
the cooling water inlet temperature at the absorber outlet. It can be seen that by increasing
the cooling water inlet temperature, the absolute value of the gradient of the solution tem-
perature inside the absorber with the absorber length decreases, the heat transfer is lower,
there is less vapor absorption at the interface, and a higher solution temperature at the
absorber outlet.
Figure 13 shows the variation of the concentration of the LiBr/ H2O solution inside
the absorber with the variation of the cooling water inlet temperature at the absorber out-
let.
The concentration is given in the fraction of LiBr within the LiBr/ H2O solution.
It can be seen that by increasing the inlet temperature of the cooling water, the absolute
value of the gradient of the concentration of the solution inside the absorber with the
length of the absorber decreases, there is less vapor absorption at the interface, and at the
exit of the absorber the LiBr concentration is not decreased.
Figure 13. LiBr/H2O solution concentration considering the cooling water inlet temperature at the ab-
sorber outlet.
0,6
LiBr mass fraction
0,58
Ta=10°.5C Ta=14.5°C
0,56 Ta=18.5°C Ta=22.5°C
Ta=26.5°C Ta=30.5°C
0,54
0 0,38 0,76 1,14 1,52 1,9
Absorber length [m]
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6.3 COOLING WATER FLOW RATE VARIATION

The influence of the cooling water flow rate variation at the absorber outlet was
verified considering working conditions of test 2 with a mesh calibrated through simula-
tions along the absorber, considering a water flow rate variation from 0.199 kg/s to 101.88
kg/s.
Figure 14a and 14b show the temperature and concentration profile of the
LiBr/H2O solution inside the absorber with the variation of the cooling water flow rate.
Figure 16. a) LiBr/H2O solution temperature considering the cooling water inlet flow rate at the absorber
outlet. b) LiBr/H2O solution concentration considering the cooling water inlet flow rate at the absorber
outlet.
44
0,59
LiBr mass fraction
41
38
0,57
35
T [°C]
32
0,55
29 0 0,38 0,76 1,14 1,52 1,9
0 0,38 0,76 1,14 1,52 1,9
Absorber length [m]
Absorber length [m] Ma=0.199 kg/s Ma=0.398 kg/s
Ma=0.796 kg/s Ma=1.596 kg/s
Ma=0.199 kg/s Ma=0.398 kg/s
Ma=0.796 kg/s Ma=1.592 kg/s Ma=3.1834 kg/s Ma=6.368 kg/s
It is observed that by increasing the cooling water flow rate, the solution temper-
ature at the outlet of the absorber decreases. This is due to the effect of increasing the
cooling water flow rate, directly increasing the Reynolds number of the cooling water
flow, and the heat transfer coefficient on the cooling water side (h), and therefore its
overall heat transfer coefficient, U. This leads to a decrease in the LiBr concentration at
the absorber outlet, as can be seen in Figure 16b.
6.4 COOLING WATER FLOW RATE VARIATION

An analysis of different absorber materials such as copper, aluminum, and steel
(AISI 302, stainless steel) was performed. Table 4 shows the thermal conductivities and
the values of the global heat transfer coefficients for each material analyzed. These overall
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heat transfer coefficients, U, were calculated based on the type of tube material. In Figure
17 it is observed that the use of Copper and Aluminum showed very similar LiBr/H2O
solution temperature profile values, as a function of the overall absorber heat transfer
coefficient, which was similar (487.8 and 482.6 W/m.K).
Table 4. Absorber tube material parameters.

Absorber tube material
Parameter Unit
Copper Aluminum Steel
Thermal conductivity, (kp) W (m. K)-1 401.0 237.0 15.1
-2 -1
Overall heat transfer coefficient, (U) W m .K 487.8 482.6 349.7
The absolute value of the gradient of the solution temperature with the length of
the absorber with copper and aluminum was higher than that shown by the absorber tube
with Steel, due to having a lower overall heat transfer coefficient, U, i.e., there is less heat
transfer between the cooling water and the solution.
Figure 19. Temperature behavior of the LiBr/H2O solution varying the absorber tube material. Figure 20.
LiBr/H2O solution concentration varying the absorber tube material.
The behavior of the solution concentration, Figure 20, using Copper or Aluminum
was similar since the heat transfer between the cooling water and solution was similar,
i.e., the vapor absorption by the solution was similar with both materials. Furthermore,
the absolute value of the gradient of the solution concentration with the absorber length,
𝑑𝜔𝑠
𝑑𝑋
, with these materials (Copper and Aluminum) was higher than the absolute value
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presented by the Steel absorber tube, which allowed less heat transfer between the cooling
water and the solution temperature, and therefore less mass transfer at the interface.
7 CONCLUSIONS
A study of the heat and mass transfer process within a lithium bromide and water
tubular spiral absorber, simplified as a flat downward film plate, in one dimension at
steady state with the fluids in countercurrent, is developed using a nonlinear mathematical
model. Three different cases were simulated by varying the cooling water temperature by
21.5°C, 23.5°C, 25.6°C, where the values of the average overall transfer coefficient were
491, 470 and 423.74 W/(m.K).
For the temperature distribution, which showed good agreement when compared
to literature data, it is observed that in the initial sections thermal diffusion governs the
process inside the absorber and with high transport coefficients, but as soon as heat is
transferred between the cooling water and the solution the mass transfer process is
optimized, and the temperature profile of the solution becomes almost linear.
It was found that the heat and mass transfer increased when varying the length of
the absorber until it reached 14.25 m. After this value, these transfers remained almost
constant. Moreover, by reducing the cooling water inlet temperature, keeping the other
conditions constant, the heat transferred increases, with the cooling water distribution and
the solution concentration being linear.
Increasing the cooling water mass flow rate decreases the temperature and
concentration of the LiBr/H2O solution. When varying the material of the absorber using
copper, aluminum, and stainless steel, it was observed that the first two are better
materials to be used in the absorber tube due to higher thermal conductivities.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The first author thanks the CAPES and PPGEM/UFPE. The third and fourth authors
thanks the CNPq for the Productivity Grant nº 313014/2022-1 and 3303417/2022-6.
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41: 2409-2416
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Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023.
ISSN: 1696-8352
ANEXOS
Nomenclature
Mass fraction of LiBr at the vapor-solution Convection heat transfer coefficient in
if; ℎ𝑎 ;
interface cooling water [W/(m.°K)]
Enthalpy of absorption in the liquid
p; Tube wall thickness [m] hab;
[J/kg]
Convective heat transfer coefficient in
s; Density of the LiBr/H2O solution [kg/m3] ℎ𝑖 ;
the LiBr/H2O solution [W/(m.°K)]
Partial enthalpy of water vapor
Kinematic viscosity of the LiBr/H2O
s; hpv; absorbed at the liquid-vapor interface
solution [m2/s]
[J/kg]
Enthalpy of the LiBr/H2O solution
s; Film thickness of LiBr/H2O solution [m] hs;
[J/Kg]
Enthalpy of water vapor at the
𝜇𝑎 Dynamic viscosity of cooling water [N.s/m2] h v;
solution-vapor interface [J/Kg]
Thermal conductivity of cooling water
𝑎; Constant in the equilibrium relationship 𝑘𝑎 ;
[W/m.K]
Thermal conductivity of the tube wall
𝑏; Coefficient in the equilibrium ratio [K-1] 𝑘𝑝 ;
[W/m.K]
Thermal conductivity of the LiBr/H2O
C; Enthalpy Constant [J/kg] 𝑘𝑠 ;
solution [W/m.K]
Mass transfer coefficient from the
𝐶𝑝 𝑎 ; Specific heat of cooling water [kJ/kg] Km; interface to the LiBr/H2O solution
[m/s]
𝐶𝑝 𝑠 ; Specific heat of the LiBr/H2O solution
L; Flat plate width [m]
[kJ/kg]
Heat capacity of the LiBr/H2O solution at
Cs; Ma; Mass flow of cooling water [kg/s]
constant LiBr mole fraction [J/(kg.K)]
Change in LiBr molar fraction in LiBr/H2O Mass flow rate of the LiBr/H2O
d s; Ms;
solution solution [kg/s]
Dimensionless Nusselt number for
dA; Absorption Area Differential [m2] Nua;
cooling water
Dimensionless Nusselt number for
dEc; Variation of the system's kinetic energy [W] Nus;
solution
dEp; Potential Energy Variation, [W] P; Absorber pressure [KPa]
Enthalpy variation of the LiBr/H2O solution
dhs; P0; Reference pressure [KPa]
[W/(m2.K)]
Variation in the mass absorption rate of water Prandtl's dimensionless number for
dmv; 𝑃𝑟𝑎 ;
vapor [kg/s] cooling water
Variation in the mass flow rate of the Prandtl's dimensionless number for the
dMs; 𝑃𝑟𝑠 ;
LiBr/H2O solution [kg/s] LiBr/H2O solution
Variation of heat transferred to the system
dQ r; Absorber tube radio [m]
[W]
Change in the rate of heat flow by
Dimensionless Reynolds number for
dQsa; conduction from the LiBr/H2O solution to 𝑅𝑒𝑎 ;
cooling water
the tube wall [W]
Dimensionless Reynolds number for
dTa; Change in cooling water temperature [K] 𝑅𝑒𝑠 ;
the solution
dTs; Change in solution temperature [K] Scs; Dimensionless Schmidt number
Variation of the internal energy of the system
dU Sh; Sherwood's dimensionless number
[W]
Page 25814

Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023.
ISSN: 1696-8352
dX; length [m] Ta; Cooling water temperature [K]

Temperature at the solution-vapor
dW Variation of work of the system [W] Tif;
interface [K]
Mass diffusivity of the LiBr/H2O solution
𝐷𝑚 ; Ts; LiBr/H2O solution temperature [K]
[m2/s]
Heat transfer coefficient from the interface to Overall heat transfer coefficient
ℎ𝑜 ; U;
the LiBr/H2O solution [W/(m.°K)] [W/(m2.K]
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Numerical Analysis of The Heat and Mass Transfer Process in Absorbers

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REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA

Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023.

Numerical analysis of the heat and mass transfer process in absorbers

Análise numérica do processo de transferência de calor e massa em

Recebimento dos originais: 11/11/2023

Aida Marelyn Avendaño

Anderson Breno Souza

José Carlos Charamba Dutra

Alvaro Antonio Ochoa Villa

José Claudino Lira Júnior

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

Allan Giuseppe de Araújo Caldas

Allysson Macário de Araújo Caldas

Paula Suemy Arruda Michima

Keywords: absorber, heat and mass transfer, LiBr/H2O, absorption cooling.

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

resfriamento: 21,5°C, 23,5°C, 25,6°C. O coeficiente de transferência de massa efetivo,

Palavras-chave: absorvente, calor e transferência de massa, LiBr/H2O, resfriamento por

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

2 PHYSICAL PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

Figure 1. Graphical representation of the absorber-evaporator. a) Longitudinal section of the absorber-

Source: Nabil et al. (2014) and Islan and Wijeysundera, (2004)

3 MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF THE ABSORBER OF AN ABSORPTION

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

𝑑𝑇𝑠 𝑑𝜔𝑠 𝑑𝑀𝑠

𝑑𝑚𝑣 = 𝐾𝑚 𝜌𝑠 (𝜔𝑠 − 𝜔𝑖𝑓 )𝑑𝐴 (4)

𝑑𝑚𝑣 ℎ𝑣 = 𝑑𝑚𝑣 ℎ𝑝𝑣 + ℎ0 (𝑇𝑖𝑓 − 𝑇𝑠 )𝑑𝐴 (5)

𝐾𝑚 𝜌𝑠 (𝜔𝑠 − 𝜔𝑖𝑓 )ℎ𝑎𝑏 𝑑𝐴 = ℎ0 (𝑇𝑖𝑓 − 𝑇𝑠𝑏 )𝑑𝐴 (6)

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

ℎ𝑎𝑏 = ℎ𝑣 − ℎ𝑝𝑣 (7)

𝜔𝑖𝑓 = 𝑎 + 𝑏𝑇𝑖𝑓 (8)

P; absorber pressure [kPa]

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

The profile of the mass fraction of LiBr/H2O in solution, s regarding the

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

4 NUMERICAL MODELING OF THE ABSORBER

Figure 3. Representation of the mesh in the physical model.

Source: The authors (2023)

𝜔𝑠 𝑖 −𝜔𝑠 𝑖−1 𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 𝑀𝑙

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

[𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 𝑀𝑙 (𝑎+𝑏𝑇𝑠 𝑖 )]𝐿𝑑𝑋

𝑚𝑣 𝑖 = 𝑚𝑣 𝑖−1 + 𝐾𝑚 𝜌𝑠 (𝜔𝑠 − 𝜔𝑖𝑓 )𝐿𝑑𝑋 (26)

𝑀𝑠 𝑖 = 𝑀𝑠 𝑖−1 + 𝐾𝑒𝑓 𝜌𝑠 (𝜔𝑠 − (𝑎 + 𝑏𝑇𝑠 ))𝐿𝑑𝑋 (27)

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

Source: The authors (2023)

5 CALIBRATION AND VALIDATION OF THE HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

Table 2. Operating conditions of the absorber.

5.1 OVERALL HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

Table 3. Percent errors of the overall heat transfer coefficient, U.

5.2 PHYSICAL MESH CALIBRATION

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

The maximum error calculated considering 5 elements was 1.50%, a value

5.3 VALIDATION OF THE DEVELOPED MODEL

5.3.1 Comparison of LiBr/H2O Solution Temperature

REVISTA OBSERVATORIO DE LA ECONOMIA LATINOAMERICANA, Curitiba, v.21, n.12, p. 25785-25815. 2023..

Source: The authors (2023)

5.3.2 Comparison of the Concentration in the LiBr/H2O Solution