University of Florida Research Foundation Inc

Ut-battelle, Inc.

Sajjad Bigham

Saeed Moghaddam

Devesh Chugh

Mehdi Mortazavi

Omar Abdelaziz

Seyyed A Fazeli

Dazhi Yu

Rasool Nasrisfahani

An absorber for an absorption refrigeration system for a vertically mounted plate absorber has fins positioned over the plate to promote distribution of a fluid under flow as a nearly continuous thin film. The absorber has rows of fins that are evenly spaced with the fins occupying a portion of the active width of the plate with adjacent rows offset by the width of the plate. A combined evaporator-absorber module is constructed with the absorbing face of the absorber parallel with an evaporating surface of an evaporator where absorber solution and refrigerant fall as parallel falling sheets of liquid. The absorber is covered with a porous hydrophobic membrane to isolate the falling absorber solution from the falling liquid refrigerant.

Component and efficient plate and frame absorber

An absorber or desorber contains one or more micro-channels that have a 3-D structured heat-exchanging surface and a membrane on the microchannel situated distal to the 3-D structured heat-exchanging surface, where the membrane is permeable to a solvent of a solution employed in the absorber or desorber. The 3-D structured surface promotes mixing of hot and cold solution between the 3-D structured heat-exchanging surface and a vapor-exchanging surface proximal to the membrane. The mixing reduces the differences in concentration and temperature of the bulk solution and the solution at the vapor-exchanging surface to enhance the efficiency and rate of absorption or desorption of the solvent.

3D microstructures for rapid absorption/desorption in mechanically constrained liquid absorbents

An absorption cycle system, which permits water heating, dehumidifying, and/or evaporative cooling, includes a desorber, absorber, heat exchanger, and, optionally, an evaporator, is constructed to heat a process water that is plumbed through the absorber, heat exchanger, and condenser. In the absence or isolation of the evaporator, the system can dehumidify ambient air to the absorber. The water vapor released by evaporative cooling at the evaporator can be provided to the absorber in a controlled manner to simultaneously maintain a desired humidity while cooling the air ambient by the evaporator. The absorption cycle system can be housed within a single unit or can be compartmentalized.

Open absorption cycle for combined dehumidification, water heating, and evaporative cooling

Growing community of inventors

Gainesville, FL, United States of America

Sajjad Bigham