Abstract. Aim. Due to the current priority given to energy conservation issues, a promising research avenue in the field of refrigeration consists in the developing of energy-saving systems based on heat-recovery absorption refrigerators. The aim of the work is to study the possibility of using a water-ammonia absorption refrigeration machine to increase the efficiency of food production facilities.Method. Based on an analysis of the initial enterprise data, the possible operating modes of the refrigeration machine were determined considering the various types of heating and cooling sources proposed in the task specification. The identification of the characteristics of single-stage and twostage absorption schemes confirmed the possibility of increasing the enterprise's efficiency through the use of secondary energy resources. Results. The choice of initial data for the design of a singlestage absorption water-ammonia refrigeration machine (AVXM) was justified on the basis of a preliminary analysis carried out to calculate the size of the degassing interval. The calculation was carried out using a ξ – i diagram for the ammonia water solution. Conclusion. Two prior conditions for the design of a high-performance absorption water-ammonia refrigeration machine were determined on the basis of an analysis of four conditions set by the customer. For operating conditions with a low degassing interval value, a scheme for an absorption water-ammonia refrigeration machine employing two-stage absorption is proposed.