Coefficient of performance optimization of single-effect lithium-bromide absorption cycle heat pumps

In this paper, we investigate the coefficient of performance (COP) of a LiBr absorption cycle heat pump under different operating conditions. The investigation is carried out using a dynamical model fitted against data recorded from an actual heat pump used for district heating in Sonderborg, Denmark. Since the model is too complex to study analytically, we vary different input variables within the permissible operating range of the heat pump and evaluate COP at the resulting steady-state operating points. It is found that the best set-point for each individual input is located at an extreme value of the investigated permissible range, and that the COP optimization is likely to be a convex problem. Further, we exploit this observation to propose a simple offline set-point optimization algorithm, which can be used as an automated assistance for the plant operator to optimize steady-state operation of the heat pump, while avoiding crystallization issues.