Improved energy performance of ammonia recycling system using floating condensing temperature control

Highlights: • Thermodynamic models for the compressor and evaporative condenser were developed. • An evaluation index was proposed to determine the optimal set point. • An algorithm was presented to compute the optimal set point. • Strategies for operating ammonia recycling system were proposed. - Abstract: Aiming at reducing the energy-consumption of ammonia recycling system, we presented floating condensing temperature control to maximize the coefficient of performance (COP) of the system. Firstly, thermodynamic models for the compressor and evaporative condenser were developed respectively. Then, an evaluation index and a solution scheme were proposed to determine the optimal set point of condensing temperature and the corresponding compressor speed. It is found that the system COP can be maximized by controlling the compressor speed to adjust the set point based on any given operating conditions. When the wet-bulb temperature is 22 °C, the system COP could be improved by 19.2–27.6% under floating condensing temperature control.