Performance Analysis of an Absorption Heat Pump System for Waste Heat and Moisture Cascade Recovery from Flue Gas

Abstract

The typical flue gas exhaust temperature of coal-fired boilers is up to 150 °C. There is a considerable amount of waste heat that cannot be efficiently recovered. This study describes a zero-energy consumption absorption heat pump system that can improve the thermal efficiency and recover moisture. In the proposed system, lithium bromide solution serves as the recyclable heat-transfer medium, which absorbs sensible heat at the outlet of the air preheater by a generator. The latent heat of the flue gas is absorbed by an evaporator, and the condensate water appears. Theoretical investigation and mathematical models are built. Meanwhile, the operating parameters of the system are displayed. The results showed that the acid dew point of flue gas is related to the water content. The sorption heat pump efficiency (coefficient of performance) increased to 1.64. Compared with the two-stage heat exchanger system, 24.4 t/h condensate water and 47.21 MW waste heat were recovered. The flue gas temperature at the chimney entrance was reduced by 4.18 °C.