Absorption chillers provide cooling to buildings by using heat. This seemingly paradoxical (but highly efficient) technology is most cost-effective in large facilities with significant heat loads. Not only do absorption chillers use less energy than conventional equipment does, but they also cool buildings without the use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Unlike conventional electric chillers, which use mechanical energy in a vapor compression process to provide refrigeration, absorption chillers primarily use heat energy with limited mechanical energy for pumping. Absorption chillers can be powered by natural gas, steam, or waste heat.
• The most promising markets for absorption chillers are in commercial buildings, government facilities, college campuses, hospital complexes, industrial parks, and municipalities.
• Absorption chillers generally become economically attractive when there is a source of inexpensive thermal energy at temperatures between 212°F and 392°F.