Characteristics of heat and mass transfer in vapor absorption of falling film flow on a horizontal tube

The absorber is an important component in absorption machines and its characteristics have significant effects on the overall efficiency of absorption machines. This article reports on the results of numerical studies on the characteristics of falling film LiBr–H2O solution on a completely wetted horizontal tube and the associated vapor absorption in the Reynolds number range of 5 < Re < 100. The boundary layer assumptions are used for the transport of mass, momentum and energy equations and the finite difference method is employed to solve the governing equations in the film flow. The heat and mass transfer coefficients are expressed in the forms of Reynolds number, Prandtl number and Schmidt number, at the usual absorber pressure and inlet solution concentration. The results can be used as a reference in designing actual absorption chiller.