[−]quickthrowman · 2026-08-30 Sun 13:49 UTC ·
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> It would be great if someone could improve this tech to where there's a breakeven point of ownership (preferably less than 20 years) when it becomes a better deal than other modern refrigerators.
Given that absorption chillers have a COP of 0.7 to 1.2 vs a vapor-compression chiller with a COP of 4-6, it’s likely impossible to create an absorption chiller/refrigerator that equals or exceeds a vapor-compression chiller/refrigerator due to physics/thermodynamics. This isn’t much of a downside for absorption chillers powered by waste heat since the energy would otherwise be lost.
Someone smarter than I am will have to explain why, all I know is that vapor-compression refrigeration is 4-6x more efficient than absorption refrigeration.
Given that absorption chillers have a COP of 0.7 to 1.2 vs a vapor-compression chiller with a COP of 4-6, it’s likely impossible to create an absorption chiller/refrigerator that equals or exceeds a vapor-compression chiller/refrigerator due to physics/thermodynamics. This isn’t much of a downside for absorption chillers powered by waste heat since the energy would otherwise be lost.
Someone smarter than I am will have to explain why, all I know is that vapor-compression refrigeration is 4-6x more efficient than absorption refrigeration.