Ammonia absorption refrigeration is time-tested technology that has come of age. Waste heat recovery can be combined with absorption chilling to reduce or eliminate the electric power bill of mechanical refrigeration. For instance, if a company has a power-generating gas turbine, the high temperature exhaust heat can be converted to refrigeration with an ammonia absorption refrigeration (AAR) process.
Industrial refrigeration is dominated by mechanical compression refrigeration. Ammonia absorption can economically replace a large portion of the needed refrigeration if there is a source of low-value waste heat available. Ready sources may include flare gas, landfill gas, gas engine or gas turbine exhaust, rejected low pressure steam, bio-waste or hot process streams.
Typically a system operating with 0°F refrigeration can produce 0.4 BTUs of refrigeration for 1 BTU of waste heat from turbine exhaust. SPS can build units as small as 10 tons of refrigeration (120,000 BTU/hr) up to 1,000 tons of refrigeration. The waste heat temperature should be around 225-350°F.
Refrigeration using waste heat recovery is projected to make a significant impact in the industrial refrigeration market. Typical applications include:
- Replacing mechanical refrigeration in natural gas liquids recovery plants
- Combined cycle power generation replacing secondary steam turbine
- Petrochemical facilities such as ethylene plants
- Pre-cooling air to gas turbines
- Chicken, fish, and beef processing
- Overhead condensers for distillation columns
- Liquification of carbon dioxide
SPS has a unique configuration of heat exchangers and distillation that keeps our price competitive. We also build our own vessels, heat exchangers, and control systems. Our process simulation allows for quick evaluation of your waste heat utilization.
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