Performance analysis of a combined vapor compression cycle and ejector cycle for refrigeration cogeneration

A hybrid vapor compression refrigeration (HVCR) system, which combines a vapor compression refrigeration (VCR) system and an ejector refrigeration (ER) system, was developed. The waste heat energy from the gas cooler in the VCR system is applied as driven source towards ER system.Thermodynamic investigations on the performance of the HVCR system, using CO₂ as a refrigerant, are performed with energetic and exergetic methods, and the comparative analyses with the VCR system are conducted. Comprehensive effects of key operating parameters on the system performance are also studied. The results indicate that for the same cooling capacity, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the HVCR system shows 25% higher COP and the total mechanical power consumption is reduced by 20% than that of conventional VCR system, respectively. The performance characteristics of the proposed cycle show its application potential in cooling and air-conditioning.     

非共沸混合天然工质泄漏对自复叠循环制冷机性能的影响

以非共沸混合工质两相区的等温泄漏模型为基础,分析自复叠循环装置中各部件的泄漏对工质组分的影响,以天然工质R600a／CO2自复叠低温冷冻箱为例,研究不同泄漏点和不同泄漏率的泄漏特性。结果表明：当工质泄漏时,混合工质组分和循环性能均发生变化,在蒸发器出口处的泄漏对循环性能影响最大;当泄漏引起循环工质组分发生较大变化时,压缩机变容量和变压力比调节能力明显降低,此时系统不能满足设计工况的要求,工作性能变差。     

Simulated performance and cofluid dependence of a CO2-cofluid refrigeration cycle with wet compression

Recent experiments demonstrate the viability of a low-pressure CO₂-cofluid compression refrigeration cycle in which CO₂ and a non-volatile cofluid are circulated in tandem and co-compressed in a compliant scroll compressor. This work explores the theoretical performance limitations of such a cycle operating under environmental conditions representative of automotive air conditioning and studies the dependence of this performance on the properties of the CO₂-cofluid mixture. The vapor–liquid equilibrium and thermodynamic properties of the mixture are described using a previously reported activity-coefficient model. A coupled system of physically based equations that allows for consideration of both ideal and real hardware components is used to represent the system hardware and its interaction with the environment. The system efficiency is analyzed in terms of entropy generation rates in the various hardware components; entropy generation in the internal heat exchanger—a component required to achieve sufficiently low cooling temperatures—strongly influences overall system efficiency. The vapor pressure of the CO₂-cofluid mixture and the heat of solution of CO₂ in cofluid have large and somewhat independent contributions to the system performance: lower saturation pressure lowers the optimal operating pressures at fixed CO₂ loading, while increasingly negative heat of solution contributes to higher specific refrigeration capacity and efficiency.

Résumé

Recent experiments demonstrate the viability of a low-pressure CO₂-cofluid compression refrigeration cycle in which CO₂ and a non-volatile cofluid are circulated in tandem and co-compressed in a compliant scroll compressor. This work explores the theoretical performance limitations of such a cycle operating under environmental conditions representative of automotive air conditioning and studies the dependence of this performance on the properties of the CO₂-cofluid mixture. The vapor–liquid equilibrium and thermodynamic properties of the mixture are described using a previously reported activity-coefficient model. A coupled system of physically based equations that allows for consideration of both ideal and real hardware components is used to represent the system hardware and its interaction with the environment. The system efficiency is analyzed in terms of entropy generation rates in the various hardware components; entropy generation in the internal heat exchanger—a component required to achieve sufficiently low cooling temperatures—strongly influences overall system efficiency. The vapor pressure of the CO₂-cofluid mixture and the heat of solution of CO₂ in cofluid have large and somewhat independent contributions to the system performance: lower saturation pressure lowers the optimal operating pressures at fixed CO₂ loading, while increasingly negative heat of solution contributes to higher specific refrigeration capacity and efficiency.     

Profit rate performance optimization for a generalized irreversible combined refrigeration cycle

Finite-time exergoeconomic performance of a Newtonian heat transfer law system generalized irreversible combined refrigeration cycle model with finite-rate heat transfer, heat leakage and internal irreversibility is presented in this paper. The operation of the generalized irreversible combined refrigeration cycle is viewed as a production process with exergy as its output. The performance optimization of the cycle is performed by taking profit as the objective. The optimal profit rate, optimal COP (coefficient of performance), as well as the relation between the optimal profit rate and COP of the cycle are derived. The focus of this paper is to obtain the compromise optimization between economics (profit rate) and the energy utilization factor (COP) for the cycle, by searching the optimum COP at maximum profit rate, which is termed as the finite time exergoeconomic performance bound. Moreover, the effects of various factors, including heat leakage, internal irreversibility and the price ratio, on the profit rate performance of the cycle are analysed by detailed numerical examples.     

回热式空气制冷循环性能新析

采用制冷率密度这一新的性能参数作为热力学优化目标,用有限时间热力学的方法,分析了回热式空气制冷循环的性能,得到了普适的解析关系式,并由数值计算分析了压比、热导率分配、压缩机和膨胀机的效率等参数对制冷率密度的影响特点。     

A comparison of refrigerants in a two-stage ejector-expansion transcritical refrigeration cycle based on exergoeconomic and environmental analysis

A comprehensive energy, exergy, exergoeconomic and environmental comparison between carbon dioxide, ethane and nitrous oxide as the refrigerants of a two-stage ejector-expansion transcritical refrigeration cycle is carried out. All of the obtained results are attained by optimizing COP subject to gas cooler and intercooler pressures in different values of gas cooler and evaporator temperatures. It is observed that the compressors operating pressure and temperature levels in the cycle for ethane are lower than other refrigerants, which leads to higher system safety and lifetime. Furthermore, the highest COP and exergy efficiency in a wide range of gas cooler temperature belongs to the ethane. The nitrous oxide refrigerant has the lowest product unit cost, which is about 4.2% lower than that of the ethane refrigerant with the highest product unit cost. Therefore, ethane is the most preferable refrigerant from energy and exergy aspects and nitrous oxide is suitable based on exergoeconomic viewpoint.     

Methods for comparing the performance of pure and mixed refrigerants in the vapour compression cycle

Methods of comparing pure and mixed refrigerants are considered by computing the coefficient of performance and the heating capacity for an ideal vapour compression cycle for R22/R11 aand R22/R11 mixtures. For comparisons based only on one characteristic condensation temperature and one evaporation temperature, the results depend entirely on how the characteristic temperatures are defined. A method specifying the heat transfer fluid temperatures and a total heat exchanger area per unit capacity is thought to offer a comparison applicable to both pure and mixed refrigerants. Using this method, the effects of compressor superheat, heat exchanger approach temperatures, and the match of refrigerant and heat transfer fluid temperatures are discussed.     

三级自动复叠系统混合工质配比设计与验证

为了确定应用于三级自动复叠系统的混合工质,说明了混合工质组分确定的方法,并据此为一台设备选取了R134a/R23/R14/R50作为制冷剂。通过提出了一些理想状态假设之后,简化制冷剂在制冷系统中的循环过程。忽视非必须制冷剂R50对系统的影响,认为系统中只有R134a/R23/R14进行制冷循环。利用串联热平衡法计算了各组分的循环流量,以R14的循环量作为对比单位,与实验得出的最佳配比进行比较。通过分析误差原因,指出了在实际设备制造过程中根据计算结果确定混合工质配比的可行性。     

一种新型吸收-压缩复合制冷循环模拟

为了对一种新型吸收-压缩复合制冷循环的性能进行模拟,使用Visual Basic语言自行编制了一个程序.该程序模拟了发生温度、蒸发温度、冷凝温度、加热量、制冷量对系统性能的影响,并将其性能与传统蒸气压缩式制冷循环作了对比.模拟结果表明:当发生温度升高时,新循环的制冷系数先增大后减小;当蒸发温度升高或加热量增大时,新循环...     

环保制冷剂R290在四级自动复叠制冷系统中的应用

采用环保制冷剂R290取代R22应用于四级自动复叠制冷系统,理论模拟计算表明,R290与R22有较相似的热物理性质,并且相同温度条件下R290有更低的饱和压力;相同压力条件下具有更大的汽化潜热,与R23组成非共沸混合工质能够获得更低的蒸发温度。采用混合制冷剂R290/R23/R14/R50进行试验,获取了-142℃的理想低温,冷量达到105 W。     

Energy and exergy investigation of ejector refrigeration systems using retrograde refrigerants

Conventional and compression-enhanced ejector refrigeration systems were investigated numerically using regular and retrograde refrigerants. The nature of retrograde fluids was explained, including their main advantages and disadvantages. The numerical model was developed and validated with previous experimental data of both types of working fluids. Energy and exergy analysis were performed to examine system performance and compare between the selected refrigerant candidates. Retrograde refrigerants were found promising with both versions of ejector cycles, when two case studies of an air conditioning application and an indoor ice rink were considered. The butene series showed superior coefficient of performance and exergy efficiency, especially the isomers cis-2-butene and 1-butene.     

循环周期对吸附制冷管性能的影响与分析

设计制作了一种类似于热管、以13X分子筛-水为工质对的吸附制冷单管,吸附制冷单管直径为19 mm,吸附制冷单管由吸附床段和蒸发\冷凝段组成,其中吸附床段长800 mm,蒸发冷凝段长260 mm。吸附制冷系统由吸附制冷单管、管式电炉和数据采集装置组成,利用本装置对影响吸附制冷单管性能的循环周期、吸/脱附时间比进行了一系列实验研究,并利用数值模拟对分析结果进行了理论分析。研究表明:当吸附时间和脱附时间相等时,在不同脱附温度下,循环周期存在一个相应的最佳值,脱附温度越高,相应的最佳循环周期越长;适当增加一个循环周期内吸附时间所占比例可有效提高单元管制冷功率。对于此吸附单元管,在脱附温度为310℃时,吸附时间35 min、脱附时间25 min时,吸附制冷单管制冷功率达到最大值4.97 W,其单位质量吸附剂的制冷功率SCP为57.73W/kg,比吸附时间和脱附时间均为30 min时的制冷功率提高6.65%。     

Performance of compression/absorption hybrid refrigeration cycle with propane/mineral oil combination

This paper discusses the feasibility of a vapor compression/absorption hybrid refrigeration cycle for energy saving and utilization of waste heat. The cycle employs propane as a natural refrigerant and a refrigeration oil as an absorbent. A prototype of the cycle is constructed, in which a compressor and an absorption unit are combined in series. The performance of the cycle is examined both theoretically and experimentally. Although the solubility of the propane with the oil is not enough as a working pair in the absorption unit, the theoretical calculation shows that the hybrid cycle has a potential to achieve a higher performance in comparison with a simple vapor compression cycle by using the waste heat. In the experiment, the prototype cycle is operated successfully and it is found that an improvement of an absorber is necessary to achieve the good performance close to the theoretical one. The application of an AHE (absorber heat exchanger) can reduce the heat input to a generator. Further examinations on some other combinations of refrigerant/refrigeration oil and additives are desirable.     

Thermodynamic optimization of combined power and refrigeration cycle using binary organic working fluid

A combined cycle has been proposed for the production of power and refrigeration simultaneously. The cycle can be driven by low grade heat sources such as solar, geothermal and waste heat sources. In the first part of this paper, a model has been developed to perform a parametric analysis to evaluate the effects of important parameters on the performance of the cycle, which is a combination of Rankine and absorption refrigeration cycle. Propane–decane has been used as an organic dual working fluid. In the second part, multi objective genetic algorithm is applied for Pareto approach optimization of the cycle. There are three important conflicting objectives namely, turbine work (W_t), cooling capacity (Q_c) and thermal efficiency (η_th) which have been selected to find the best possible combination of these performance parameters. Optimization has been carried out by varying turbine inlet pressure, superheated temperature and condenser temperature as design variables. Among optimum design parameters, a trade-off point is selected. Turbine inlet pressure, superheated temperature and condenser temperature are assumed to be 29.5 bar, 410 K and 386.6 K respectively as the values assigned to this point. Furthermore, it has been shown that some interesting and important relationships can be discovered among optimal objective functions and decision variables involved, consequently.     

Performance analysis of the ejector-expansion refrigeration cycle using zeotropic mixtures

To evaluate the performance of the ejector-expansion refrigeration cycle (EERC) using zeotropic mixtures, a numerical study is conducted. A constant-pressure two-phase ejector model for zeotropic mixtures is established. The effects of both the fluid composition and the working conditions are investigated. Mixture R134a/R143a is selected as the working and the simulation results reveal that, the cycle COP increases first and then decreases as MF_t (the mass fraction of R134a) increases in the researched condition. The COP gets a maximum value of 4.18 with MF_t of 0.9 and yields a minimum value of 3.66 with MF_t of 0.5. With mixture 0.9/0.1, the COP improvement reaches a maximum value of 10.47%. This improvement rises at high condensing temperature or low evaporating temperature. The exergy analysis shows that the compressor and ejector contribute the most exergy destruction, and the cycle exergy efficiency achieves a maximum value with MF_t of 0.7.     

Experimental investigation on the performance and global environmental impact of a refrigeration system retrofitted with alternative refrigerants

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the drop-in process for HCFC-22 in a 5-ton refrigeration system. The original refrigerant was replaced by alternative halogenated refrigerants such as HFC-438A, HFC-404A, HFC-410A and HFC-32, as well as hydrocarbons HC-290 and HC-1270. The experimental facility was composed basically of a semi-hermetic reciprocating compressor, tube in tube heat exchangers and an electronic expansion valve. The tests were performed by just replacing the refrigerant, without changing any components, typically as in a drop-in process. The main parameters were varied to verify the range and performance of each refrigerant and then compared to the HCFC-22. Results showed that the natural refrigerants presented the best coefficient of performance and that results for HFCs, excepting the HFC-32, remained below those of HCFC-22. Regarding the environmental impact, using the parameter TEWI, the best results were reached with hydrocarbons; meanwhile, the refrigerant HFC-404A presented the highest environmental impact.     

Retrofitting of R404a commercial refrigeration systems using R410a and R407f refrigerants

This paper presents an experimental analysis about the retrofitting of two commercial stationary refrigeration systems marketed by an Italian leading company. Such systems operate both at medium temperature (MT), i.e. [−5; 10]°C, and low temperature (LT), i.e. [−25; −15]°C, and they are originally designed to work with hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) R404a, known as a high global warming potential (GWP) fluid (GWP = 3922). The goal is to investigate the performances of HFC R410a (GWP = 2088) and R407f (GWP = 1825), chosen as effective alternatives to HFC R404a. Such fluids are compatible with the refrigeration systems, non-flammable and easy-available. Furthermore, they meet the European Union (EU) restrictions in force in the next future, so that they are suitable to start the transition toward efficient and eco-friendly refrigeration systems. The experimental campaign shows the feasibility of adopting R407f and R410a for the MT refrigeration system and R407f fluid for the system operating at LT.     

对配组式双级压缩制冷系统热力循环的计算与分析

利用由多台螺杆压缩机组成的配组式双级压缩制冷系统，在高压级、低压级压缩机理论输气量之比不同的运行工况下，对其进行热力计算与分析，并对制冷量、轴功率、单位轴功率制冷量作综合的比较与分析。     

Development of a circulating system for a jet refrigeration cycle

This paper proposed a workless-generator-feeding (WGF) system for a jet refrigeration cycle, using R141b. This feeding system does not require any mechanical power. The liquid refrigerant from the condenser was fed to the vapour-generator by means of the generator pressure and gravitational force. The system was tested and compared with a conventional system using a mechanical pump. It was found that this system was workable. The heat input to the generator was slightly higher than that for a system using a mechanical pump. The jet refrigeration cycle employing this new feeding system provided a slightly lower coefficient of performance (COP) compared to a system using a mechanical pump. However, this new system did not require any mechanical energy. Therefore, the jet refrigeration system employing this WGF system is truly a heat-power refrigeration cycle.