A novel absorption–compression combined refrigeration cycle activated by engine waste heat

•A novel absorption-compression combined refrigeration cycle was proposed.•The cycle is activated by waste heat of exhaust gas and jacket water from engine.•The cycle has a high performance coefficient.•The cycle can supply enough cooling capacity for vehicles or ships. Absorption refrigeration is an admirable means of refrigeration to use waste heat and decrease electricity and power consumption in air conditioning and refrigeration. A novel absorption–compression combined refrigeration cycle, which is driven by waste heat from the internal combustion engine of overload vehicles, vessels, or diesel generating sets, is proposed and investigated in this study. The high-pressure generator and the low-pressure generator are activated by exhaust gases and coolant liquids from the engine, respectively. Correspondingly, the high- and low-pressure compressors and solution pump are driven by the output power from the engine. The proposed refrigeration cycle can use the waste heat of the engine to the greatest extent and decrease engine power consumption. First, the thermodynamic circle model of the combined system was constructed. Then, the model was solved under different control strategies and operating modes. Theoretical calculation results show that the proposed combined cycle had a higher performance coefficient compared with compression refrigeration. The calculation results can be used as a reliable design, control strategy, and optimization tool for the combined refrigeration cycle future utilization in overload vehicles, vessels, or diesel generating sets.