Technical and Economic Analysis of an Absorption Chiller

Abstract

The research conducted includes a technical and economic analysis of an absorption chiller used for cooling a hotel in the city of Plovdiv - Bulgaria. The main objectives of the analysis are: to establish whether the project is profitable or not; to provide an opportunity to compare different project options; to provide information to a bank or other financing institution as to whether the financial indicators of the project satisfy its requirements for financing such a project. The following are determined: investment costs for the project, energy costs during operation of the installation, operating costs during operation of the installation. Based on this, annual energy savings, simple payback period of the installation, net present value, net present value coefficient, payback period and internal rate of return of the installation were calculated. An energy-economic analysis was performed using the "full cost" method of absorption and vapor-compressor water chillers. The analysis shows that for the specific site; the absorption chiller is a more energy-efficient air conditioning solution than a chiller operating on the principle of a vapor-compressor refrigeration machine.