A detailed analysis of water-vapour absorption in LiBr–H2O solution on a cooled horizontal tube

A detailed model is presented for the analysis of the thermodynamics and heat and mass transfer in LiBr–H2O absorption on a cooled horizontal tube. The hydrodynamic description is simplified by using Nusselt’s equations. A consistent thermodynamic formulation is developed demonstrating the real nature of water-vapour and the electrolytic nature of the aqueous solution. In terms of the transport phenomena description, a two-dimensional model is proposed for the heat and mass transfer inside the LiBr–H2O film and an exact energy balance is applied in the coolant stream. An analysis of the dependence of the absorption process on the main operating and geometric parameters is presented for the case of the LiBr–H2O absorption on a single cooled horizontal tube. The agreement of the proposed model results with existing measurement data in the non-wavy flow regime is verified.