The effect of radiation shields around the air condenser and compressor of a refrigerator on the temperature distribution inside it

In almost all domestic refrigerators–freezers all components are assembled in the same relative position since several years ago. It is also known that the condenser releases heat at high temperatures (first law of thermodynamics) as well as the compressor. This heat is rejected to the environment in almost all practical situations partially by natural air convection. However, part of it is due to thermal radiation that causes an overheating of the refrigerator–freezer surfaces adjacent to those equipments. As a consequence there are more heat gains to the refrigerator–freezer through these surfaces and hence higher air temperatures inside. This paper describes how a simple technique can be very useful in order to minimize that part of heat transfer by radiation. The improvement is achieved by placing a radiation shield – a sheet of aluminium foil – over the surfaces close to the condenser and the compressor. For validating this technique a refrigerator–freezer was monitored with thermocouples for the measurements of the inside air temperatures in two situations: with and without the radiation shield. Results show that with this practice the average inside air temperatures in the refrigerator–freezer could decrease to about 2 K. An available commercial code was used in order to simulate the air temperature distribution and air velocities inside the refrigerator cabinet in both situations. Results from the experimental apparatus and from simulations show that there is a good agreement between them which validates the experiments carried out.Also an available commercial code, the Fluent, was used to simulate the internal air temperature in both situations.     

Numerical analysis and experimental investigation into the performance of a wire-on-tube condenser of a retrofitted refrigerator

The present paper discusses (a) the analysis of a wire-on-tube condenser under varying operating conditions of free convection using FEM, and (b) experimental verification of the performance of two wire-on-tube condensers in a retrofitted domestic refrigerator using refrigerant R-134a. The study is motivated by the desire to investigate if the wire-on-tube condensers used in R-12 based refrigerators could be used in a modified refrigerator using R-134a refrigerant. Experiments were conducted in a climate chamber under controlled and varying ambient temperatures and mass flow rates to determine the locations where phase change occurs and the degree of subcooling achieved. In terms of initial and final phase change point locations the predicted results agree with the experimental results to within ±10%. The analysis and the experiments also lead to the information about the adequacy of the number of tubes for complete condensation of the refrigerant vapour under given operating conditions. The methodology can be used as a design tool for the design of wire-on-tube condenser of a small refrigerator as well as the suitability of specific decommissioned condensers for use in a retrofitted refrigerator. It also indicates that R-12 based refrigerators using wire-on-tube condensers retrofitted with R-134a compressor and refrigerant deserve and warrant further studies for adoption.     

Structural analysis of a cryogen-free refrigerator for space

Future X-ray observatories in space, such as European Space Agency's (ESA) X-ray evolving universe spectroscopy (XEUS) mission, will require cooling to the region 10–100 mK to enable the utilisation of advanced cryogenic photon detectors in cryogenic spectrometer instruments. Such missions are envisaged to be completely cryogen-free, replacing the traditional superfluid liquid helium cryostat with a space worthy mechanically cooled system. As part of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory's (MSSL) adiabatic demagnetisation refrigerator (ADR) development programme, we have investigated the construction of a flight cryostat containing a 10 mK ADR (the MSSL double ADR (dADR)) that can be cooled by a single Astrium (formally Matra Marconi Space (MMS)) 4 K mechanical cooler. A proto-type dADR has been constructed and will be flight proven as part of a sounding rocket payload, where the dADR system will be used to cool an array of superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detectors at the focus of an X-ray telescope.     

食堂冷藏柜的维修及冷凝器风系统的改造

分析食堂用冷藏柜故障产生的根本原因，介绍处理故障的过程，并提出改造冷凝器冷却风系统的方案，以从根本上解决冷凝器散热不良问题，并对方案中冷藏柜运行性能、经济性进行分析，验证该方案是可行的。     

扩散吸收式冰箱平直翅片管冷凝器数值模拟

对氨水扩散吸收式冰箱的平直翅片管冷凝器进行数值模拟,运用Fluent软件对空气不同流速下的流动与换热进行比较计算,得到平直翅片管冷凝器在自然对流下的温度场和速度场,及流速U与换热系数h,Re数与Nu数以及Re数与阻力系数f的拟合关系式。     

Performance enhancement of a household refrigerator by addition of latent heat storage

This paper studies the effect of adding a phase change material (PCM) slab on the outside face of a refrigerator evaporator. A dynamic model of the vapour compression cycle including the presence of the phase change material and its experimental validation is presented. The simulation results of the system with PCM show that the addition of thermal inertia globally enhances heat transfer from the evaporator and allows a higher evaporating temperature, which increases the energy efficiency of the system. The energy stored in the PCM is yielded to the refrigerator cell during the off cycle and allows for several hours of continuous operation without power supply.     

Visualization of refrigerant flow at the capillary tube inlet of a high-efficiency household refrigerator

The subcooled condition at the condenser outlet ensures complete condensation, which is necessary in vapor compression systems to increase the cooling capacity and ensure the liquid conditions at the expansion device inlet. However, in household refrigerators, recent works indicate the presence of two-phase flow at the capillary tube inlet. These systems behave quite differently from other refrigeration systems due to the extremely low capacity. In the present work, a test bench was built to visualize the refrigerant flow at the condenser outlet and at the capillary tube inlet of a commercial household refrigerator. A transparent tube replaced the end of the condenser and three transparent filters were installed with different orientations. Different positions of the capillary tube within the filters were also tested. Despite measuring a certain subcooling, all the reported visualizations showed that the capillary tube was steadily drawing in two-phase flow.     

On the effect of the electric field in the free space surrounding a finite piezoelectric body

This note shows that a widely used approximation in analyzing motions of a finite piezoelectric body (i.e., the normal component of the electric displacement vector at an unelectroded material-air interface can be taken to be zero when the dielectric constant of the material is much larger than the electric permittivity of the free space) may lead to inaccurate results.     

Analysis of solenoid based linear compressor for household refrigerator

This article presents the analytical modeling of an oil-free solenoid actuator based linear compressor used in household refrigerators. The stator coil was excited with the pulse width modulated signal which caused linear oscillations in the armature using helical spring. Dynamic characteristics of the linear compressor were studied analytically considering the nonlinearity of the gas and electromagnetic force. The system dynamic models were validated with the finite element simulation as well as a specially designed experimental setup. Frequency response functions of stroke to current as well as pressure to current ratios were generated to evaluate the effect of excitation frequency on the compressor performance. The higher efficiency of the solenoid actuator was achieved when excited at the natural frequency. The results show that the natural frequency of the designed system is around 19 Hz and the work done in a cycle is approximately 1.3 J. Additionally, 47% isentropic and 87% electrical efficiency were achieved.     

家用冰箱（柜）铝蒸发器内漏原因

本文介绍了家用冰箱(柜)铝蒸发器内漏的常见原因,提出了预防蒸发器内漏的一些措施.     

Proposed designs for a “dry” dilution refrigerator with a 1 K condenser

Recent development of “dry” dilution refrigerators has used mechanical cryocoolers and Joule-Thomson expansion stages to cool and liquefy the circulating ³He. While this approach has been highly successful, we propose three alternative designs that use independently-cooled condensers. In the first, the circulating helium is precooled by a mechanical cooler, and liquified by self-contained ⁴He sorption coolers. In the second, the helium is liquefied by a closed-cycle, continuous flow ⁴He refrigerator operating from a room temperature pump. Finally, the third scheme uses a separate ⁴He Joule-Thomson stage to cool the ³He condenser. The condensers in all these schemes are analogous to the “1-K pot” in a conventional dilution refrigerator. Such an approach would be advantageous in certain applications, such as instrumentation for astronomy and particle physics experiment, where a thermal stage at approximately 1 K would allow an alternative heat sink to the still for electronics and radiation shielding, or quantum computer research where a large number of coaxial cables must be heat sunk in the cryostat. Furthermore, the behaviour of such a refrigerator is simplified due to the separation of the condenser stage from the dilution circuit, removing the complex interaction between the 4-K, Joule-Thomson, still and mixing chamber stages found in current dry DR designs.     

电冰箱用微通道冷凝器制冷剂侧传热与压降特性试验研究

建立电冰箱换热器试验台,对具有百叶窗翅片的微通道冷凝器制冷剂侧的传热和压降进行测试。结果表明:随着制冷剂质量流速的增加,冷凝器换热量、换热系数及制冷剂流动压降均增大,在冷凝压力为1.46MPa,制冷剂质量流速从90 kg/(m~2·s)增加到150 kg/(m~2·s)时,换热量、换热系数和压降分别增加63%,116%和166%;随着冷凝压力的升高,换热量增大,换热系数减小,在制冷剂质量流速为150 kg/(m~2·s)时,冷凝压力为1.46 MPa与冷凝压力为1.16 MPa相比,换热量增加12%,换热系数降低39%。     

家用电冰箱制冷系统“脏堵”原因分析与改进

通过对家用电冰箱制冷系统发生脏堵进行剖析,归纳形成脏堵的主要原因,介绍问题的分析方法以及解决方案。     

Evaluating the heat energy dissipated in a small volume surrounding the tip of a fatigue crack

Fatigue crack initiation and propagation involve plastic strains that require some work to be done on the material. Most part of this irreversible energy is dissipated as heat and consequently the material temperature increases. The heat being an indicator of the intense plastic strains occurring at the tip of a propagating fatigue crack, the hypothesis is formed that it can be used to assess the fatigue damage accumulation rate of cracked components. Moreover, the heat energy at the crack tip is averaged according to Neuber’s finite particle concept. The aim of the present paper is to present the theoretical framework and the corresponding experimental technique to evaluate the heat energy dissipated in a structural volume surrounding the crack tip. The shape and size of the structural volume have been assumed according to the literature, even though the definition of the structural volume size of the analysed material in a fatigue sense is not the scope of the present paper. The proposed experimental technique to evaluate the averaged heat energy is based on the radial temperature profiles measured around the crack tip by means of an infrared camera. The temperature fields measured within few millimetres from the crack tip have been compared successfully with existing analytical solutions.     

An experimental investigation of the energetic performances of HFO1234yf and its binary mixtures with HFC134a in a household refrigerator

In this paper, a comparative experimental analysis between HFC134a, HFO1234yf and a refrigerant mixture of HFC134a/HFO1234yf (10/90% weight) implemented in a domestic refrigerator is introduced. Adding 10% of HFC134a to HFO1234yf, the mixture becomes non-flammable with GWP still less than 150. The experimental tests have been conducted under sub-tropical conditions in accordance with the UNI-EN-ISO15502 standard. Two kinds of tests have been shown: pull down and 1-day energy consumption. The results show that HFC134a/HFO1234yf (10/90% weight) is the best drop-in refrigerant fluid for HFC134a in the domestic refrigerator used for the experimental tests. The refrigerant mixture has the closest behaviour to that of HFC134a in terms of temperatures and pressures. Furthermore, the cycle working with the optimal charge of the mixture shows an energy saving of 16 and 14% with respect to HFC134a and HFO1234yf, respectively.     

Improvements of a room-temperature magnetic refrigerator combined with Stirling cycle refrigeration effect

A high pressure hybrid refrigerator that combines the active magnetic refrigeration effect with the Stirling cycle refrigeration effect at room temperature is studied here. In the apparatus, a helium-gas-filled alfa-type Stirling refrigerator uses Gd sheets as the regenerator and the regenerator is put in a magnetic field varying from 0 to 1.4 T, which is provided by a Halbach-type rotary permanent magnet assembly. With an operating pressure of 5.5 MPa and a frequency of 2.5 Hz, a no-load temperature of 273.8 K was reached in 9 minutes, which is lower than that of 277.6 K for pure Stirling cycle. For the hybrid operation, cooling powers of 40.3 W and 56.4 W were achieved over temperature spans of 15 K and 12 K, respectively. For the latter case, the cooling power improves by 28.5% if compared with that exploiting only the Stirling cycle refrigeration effect.     

Steady cooling effect of an anisotropic thermoelectric refrigerator

The theory of cooling of an anisotropic thermoelectric refrigerator (ATR) is given on the assumption that the temperature is two-dimensional along the longitudinal section. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 650–653, May–June, 2000.     

Experimental study of the gravity effect on the distribution of refrigerant flow in a multi-pass condenser

Gravity in multi-pass condensers affects the refrigerant flow rate distribution, owing to the gravitational pressure drop that occurs mainly in the U-bend tubes in fin and tube condensers with horizontal tubes. This effect was studied using an experimental approach. A condenser with two ‘nU’ circuits was selected, and the temperature variation of the refrigerant side was measured and compared along each circuit. The critical air velocity, which indicated the initiation of the gravity effect, was found for a given refrigerant flow rate. As the air velocity increased beyond the critical air velocity, the gravity effect (or mal-distribution of the refrigerant flow) developed further. Similarly, the critical refrigerant flow rate was also determined for a given air velocity. As the refrigerant flow rate decreased below the critical refrigerant flow rate, the gravity effect also developed further. The gravity-affected region was shown in the table with rows of air velocities and columns of refrigerant flow rates, and expressed using a single parameter for a given refrigerant flow circuit.     

Performance enhancement of a diffusion-absorption refrigerator

An effort was undertaken to improve the current cycle performance of the diffusion-absorption refrigerator (DAR). The thermodynamic basis for the design changes is to reuse waste heat from the rectifier to heat the weak absorbent from the absorber. A new generator with heat exchanger (GWHX) was designed and fabricated. The test results of the DAR with GWHX are compared with baseline tests. The new generator design demonstrated a significant improvement in the cooling COP of as much as 50% compared to the baseline tests while the cooling capacity was unchanged.     

润滑油对R134a冰箱压缩机性能影响的研究

研究了润滑油对Ｒ１３４ａ旋转式冰箱压缩机性能的影响。对比试验表明，国产牌号的润滑油能够满足工质替代对润滑油特性的要求，润滑油不同。工作替代的效果便有差异。