Abstract The use of ozone-depleting CFCs and the escalating energy cost in the conventional vapour compression refrigeration systems make the solar-assisted vapour absorption machines more attractive. Aqua-ammonia vapour absorption systems, essential for solar cold storage application, necessitate the use of a rectification column. The paper presents a steady-state simulation model of a rectification column based on mass, material and energy balances. The model predicts the temperatures, the mass flow rates and the states of the liquid dripping and the vapour rising from each of the plates. The quantitative effect of varying different parameters on the column performance is presented. The simulation model can eventually be used to optimize the rectification column. This can in turn help augment the COP of the entire refrigeration system.