Experimental investigation of a compact thermal compressor for an ammonia-water absorption heat pump

Highlights: • Small capacity diabatic distillation desorber and rectifier experiments. • Microchannel heat source/heat sink coupling. • Experimental validation of quantitative thermal compressor framework. • Validation of energetic and exergetic optimal desorption temperature prediction. An experimental evaluation of the thermal compressor of an ammonia-water absorption system is presented. A compact desorber and a rectifier based on diabatic distillation principles that lead to optimized system operation are designed and fabricated. Performance of these compact components as a thermal compressor for small-capacity absorption heat pumps is measured and compared with model predictions. Optimal desorption temperatures for energetic and exergetic performance established in previous modeling work are validated. The results of this study demonstrate the utility of modeling several components of an absorption system as a thermal compressor, which facilitates system design and control.