Performance analysis of single-stage refrigeration system with internal heat exchanger using neural network and neuro-fuzzy

In this study, artificial neural networks (ANNs) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy (ANFIS) have been used for performance analysis of single-stage vapour compression refrigeration system with internal heat exchanger using refrigerants R134a, R404a, R407c which do not damage to ozone layer. It is well known that the evaporator temperature, condenser temperature, subcooling temperature, superheating temperature and cooling capacity affect the coefficient of performance (COP) of single-stage vapour compression refrigeration system with internal heat exchanger. In this study, COP is estimated depending on the above temperatures and cooling capacity values. The results of ANN are compared with ANFIS in which the same data sets are used. ANN model is slightly better than ANFIS for R134a whereas ANFIS model is slightly better than ANN for R404a and R407c. In addition, new formulations obtained from ANN for three refrigerants are presented for the calculation of the COP. The R² values obtained when unknown data were used to the networks were 1, 0.999998 and 0.999998 for the R134a, R404a and R407c respectively which is very satisfactory.     

A comparison of the operating performance of alternative refrigerants

This paper provides a comparison of the operating performance of three alternative refrigerants for use in a vapour compression refrigeration cycle. The refrigeration capacity and COP of R401A, R290 and R134A were compared with those of R12 when used in a propriety vapour compression refrigeration unit initially designed to operate with R12. The results indicate that the performance of R134a is very similar to that of R12 justifying the claim that it is a drop in replacement for R12 but of the refrigerants tested it gave the poorest performance. When viewed in terms of green house impact however R290 showed the best performance.     

A zero ODP replacement for R12 in a centrifugal compressor: an experimental study using R134a

It is well believed that the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and their mixtures are the most promising candidates to substitute the conventional refrigerants, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and HCFCs which contain chlorine atoms in the molecule. This substitution is necessary for the harmful action of CFCs and of HCFCs toward atmospheric ozone layer damage because the disruption of ozone has been attributed to chlorine. For this reason they must be replaced by more environment‐friendly refrigerants, as the new family, designated as HFCs, that are chlorine free. Centrifugal compressors differ from positive displacement compressors in two major respects: high vapour volume flow for a given physical size and lower pressure ratio. They are particularly suited to applications where differences between evaporator and condenser temperatures are low. The preferred properties for fluids used in centrifugal compressors differ in certain important aspects from those preferred for fluids used in positive displacement units. In particular centrifugal compressors typically utilize fluids such as CFC114, CFC113, CFC12 and CFC11 for which many potential candidate replacements exist; however, for CFC12, HFC134a is the most suitable replacement. A comparison of the refrigerants HFC134a and CFC12 has been carried out and the results from the tests, using data from a refrigerating plant operating with a centrifugal compressor are reported. The chilled water cooling plant, with a refrigerating capacity of 6500 kW is made up of a centrifugal two‐stage compressor, a condenser linked to a cooling tower, an economizer and a flooded evaporator. Experimental results show that a lower coefficient of performance is found when R134a is used as substitute for R12; the difference between the COP values decreases rising the compression ratio. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of a combined ejector–vapour-compression refrigeration system

A new refrigeration cycle based on the combination of an ejector cycle with a vapour compression cycle is described. This integration maximizes the performance of the conventional ejector cycles and provides high COP for refrigeration. The analyses show that the new cycle has a significant increase in system performance over the conventional systems, its COP values are competitive to the absorption machines. If the system is powered by waste heat and the cost of its supply can be neglected, the COP values will be much higher. The system performance can be further improved if dual refrigerants are used and the dual refrigerants giving high performance are identified. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A review on recent developments in new refrigerant mixtures for vapour compression‐based refrigeration,air‐conditioning and heat pump units

In the present paper, an attempt has been made to review the performance of new refrigerant mixtures employed in vapour compression‐based refrigeration, air‐conditioning and heat pump units. The studies reported with refrigerant mixtures are categorized into six groups as follows: (i) hydrocarbon (HC), (ii) hydroflurocarbons (HFC), (iii) HFC/HC, (iv) hydrochloroflurocarbons (HCFC), (v) carbon dioxide (R744) and (vi) ammonia (R717). This paper explores the studies reported with new refrigerant mixtures in domestic refrigerators, commercial refrigeration systems, air conditioners, heat pumps, chillers and in automobile air conditioners. In addition, the technical difficulties faced with new refrigerant mixtures, further research needs in this field and future refrigerant options for new upcoming systems have been discussed in detail. This paper concludes that HC based refrigerant mixtures are identified as a long‐term alternative to phase out the existing halogenated refrigerants in the vapour compression‐based systems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of saturation‐temperature on the performance of a vapour‐compression refrigeration‐cycle working on different refrigerants using exergy method

In this study, the behaviour of a vapour‐compression refrigeration cycle, for different refrigerants such as NH₃, R‐12, R‐22 and HFC‐134a was investigated using the exergy method. The cooling load of the plant and the saturation‐temperature of the cold chamber were held constant, whereas the saturation‐temperatures of the evaporator and the condenser were varied from 303 to 313 K and 258 to 248 K, respectively. The irreversibility rates (or exergy destruction rates) of sub‐regions for the whole cycle, using energy and exergy analysis, were determined for each refrigerant. The effects of changes in the saturation‐temperature in the condenser and evaporator on the irreversibility rate of the cycle were obtained for each refrigerant. The relations between the total irreversibility rate of the plant and the irreversibility rate of the condenser and the evaporator were determined for different values of saturation temperatures of the condenser and the evaporator. The COP of the cycle and the rational efficiency were determined for each of the refrigerants and compared with each other. Among the refrigerants used, R‐12 was found to be the most economical refrigerant as compared with the others. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparative study of water as a refrigerant with some current refrigerants

Water as a refrigerant (R718) is compared with some current natural (R717 and R290) and synthetic refrigerants (R134a, R12, R22, and R152a) regarding environmental issues including ozone depletion potential (ODP) and global warming potential (GWP), safety (toxicity and flammability), operating cost, refrigeration capacity and coefficient of performance (COP). A computer code simulating a simple vapour compression cycle was developed to calculate COPs, pressure ratios, outlet temperatures of the refrigerants from the compressor, and evaporator temperatures above which water theoretically yields better COPs than the other refrigerants investigated. The main difference of this study from other similar studies is that both evaporator temperature and condenser temperature are changed as changing parameters, but the temperature lift, which is the temperature difference between condenser and evaporator, are held constant and the irreversibility during the compression process is also taken into consideration by taking the isentropic efficiency different from 100%. It is found that for evaporator temperatures above 20°C and small temperature lift (5 K), R718 gives the highest COP assuming exactly the same cycle parameters. For medium temperature lifts (20–25 K), this evaporator temperature is above 35°C, whereas for even greater temperature lifts it decreases again. Furthermore, with increased values of polytropic efficiency, R718 can maintain higher COPs over other refrigerants, at lower evaporator temperatures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermodynamic analysis of subcooling and superheating effects of alternative refrigerants for vapour compression refrigeration cycles

This paper presents a computer‐based first law and exergy analysis applied to vapour compression refrigeration systems for determining subcooling and superheating effects of environmentally safe new refrigerants. Three refrigerants are considered: R134a, R407c and R410a. It is found that subcooling and superheating temperatures directly influence the system performance as both condenser and evaporator temperatures are affected. The thermodynamic properties of the refrigerants are formulated using artificial neural network (ANN) methodology. Six ANNs were trained to predict various properties of the three refrigerants. The training and validation of the ANNs were performed with good accuracy. The correlation coefficient obtained when unknown data were used to the networks were found to be equal or very near to 1 which is very satisfactory. Additionally, the present methodology proved to be much better than the linear multiple regression analysis. From the analysis of the results it is found that condenser and evaporator temperatures have strong effects on coefficient of performance (COP) and system irreversibility. Also both subcooling and superheating affect the system performance. This effect is similar for R134a and R407c, and different for R410a. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An algorithmic approach towards finding better refrigerant substitutes of CFCs in terms of the second law of thermodynamics

In this study, rational efficiency (RE) and component based irreversibility ratios of a cooling system based on the second law of thermodynamics using HFC and HC based pure refrigerants, such as, R32, R125, R134a, R143a, R152a, R290, R600a and their binary and ternary mixtures, along with R12, R22 and R502 (i.e. CFCs) have been numerically calculated. The effect of temperature glide, occurring at the condenser and evaporator, on the RE of the cooling system has been evaluated. The calculations are based on a constant cooling load on a cooling system with suction/line heat exchanger (SLHE). To be able to calculate the performance of the cooling system, an algorithm that uses the state point properties provided by REFPROP has been employed. We have targeted finding better mixture substitutes in terms of rational efficiency. For example, despite the suggestions in the literature; for R22, the mass percentage level of 20/80 of R32/R134a has provided the best RE level. The highest irreversibility (in percentages) is found at the condenser. The results also suggest that for both binary and ternary mixtures, a general trend of increases in RE level is observed against temperature glide increases occurring at this system component.     

Thermodynamic analysis of R422 series refrigerants as alternative refrigerants to HCFC22 in a vapour compression refrigeration system

In the present study, the first and second law analysis of R422 series refrigerants (R422A, R422B, R422C and R422D) is presented as an alternative to HCFC22. A computational model, developed in engineering equation solver software, is employed for comparing the performance of these refrigerants in vapour compression refrigeration cycle. The thermodynamic properties of the R422 series refrigerants are computed using Refprop version 7.0. The parameters computed are volumetric cooling capacity (VCC), compressor discharge temperature, coefficient of performance (COP), exergetic efficiency and efficiency defects in system components. The results indicate that VCC, COP and exergetic efficiency for HCFC22 are higher in comparison with R422A, R422B, R422C and R422D. The efficiency defects in the condenser are largest followed by throttle valve, compressor and evaporator. Thus, the design improvement of condenser is of utmost importance to reduce the overall irreversibility and improve the system performance. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From pure fluids to zeotropic and azeotropic mixtures: The effects of refrigerant-oil solubility on system performance

This paper highlights the effects of circulating compressor lubricants on the performance of vapour compression refrigeration systems. It will give a baseline case of R12 and a mineral oil and show to what degree the alternative refrigerants and their mixtures conform to this.     

Numerical analysis of an air condenser working with the refrigerant fluid R407C

As CFC (clorofluorocarbon) and HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) refrigerants which have been used as refrigerants in a vapour compression refrigeration system were know to provide a principal cause to ozone depletion and global warming, production and use of these refrigerants have been restricted. Therefore, new alternative refrigerants should be searched for, which fit to the requirements in an air conditioner or a heat pump, and refrigerant mixtures which are composed of HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) refrigerants having zero ODP (ozone depletion potential) are now being suggested as drop-in or mid-term replacement. However also these refrigerants, as the CFC and HCFC refrigerants, present a greenhouse effect.The zeotropic mixture designated as R407C (R32/R125/R134a 23/25/52% in mass) represents a substitute of the HCFC22 for high evaporation temperature applications as the air-conditioning.Aim of the paper is a numerical–experimental analysis for an air condenser working with the non azeotropic mixture R407C in steady-state conditions. A homogeneous model for the condensing refrigerant is considered to forecast the performances of the condenser; this model is capable of predicting the distributions of the refrigerant temperature, the velocity, the void fraction, the tube wall temperature and the air temperature along the test condenser. Obviously in the refrigerant de-superheating phase the numerical analysis becomes very simple. A comparison with the measurements on an air condenser mounted in an air channel linked to a vapour compression plant is discussed. The results show that the simplified model provides a reasonable estimation of the steady-state response and that this model is useful to design purposes.     

Neural networks—a new approach to model vapour‐compression heat pumps

The aim of this paper is to model the steady‐state performance of a vapour‐compression liquid heat pump with the use of neural networks. The model uses a generalized radial basis function (GRBF) neural network. Its input vector consists only of parameters that are easily measurable, i.e. the chilled water outlet temperature from the evaporator, the cooling water inlet temperature to the condenser and the evaporator capacity. The model then predicts relevant performance parameters of the heat pump, especially the coefficient of performance (COP). Models are developed for three different refrigerants, namely LPG, R22 and R290. It is found that not every model achieves the same accuracy. Predicted COP values, when LPG or R22 are used as refrigerant, are usually accurate to within 2 per cent, whereas many predictions for R290 deviate more than ±10 per cent. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simulation model of the rectification column of a solar cold storage unit

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.     

自然工质复叠式制冷循环替代与节能研究

通过对自然工质R290／CO2和NH3／CO2与常规工质R22／R13的复叠式制冷循环的热力学分析，得出P290／CO2复叠式制冷循环的COP比常规工质R22／R13的低，提出CO2低温循环采用膨胀机代替热力膨胀阀，从而提高了COP。在NH3／CO2复叠式循环的NH3高温循环和CO2低温循环中都采用膨胀机代替热力膨胀阀，可以大大地提高COP。自然工质P290／CO2和NH3／CO2替代常规工质R22／R13复叠式制冷循环有很好的前景。     

An experimental evaluation of the vapour compression plant performances in presence of R407C leaks using an electronic expansion valve

Chlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used as working fluids in the vapour compression plants, have to be replaced by new substances because of their ozone depletion potential. Zeotropic mixture of HFCs refrigerants that are environment-friendly substances are often employed. The zeotropic mixtures with a large glide temperature could cause problems in the refrigeration control system when a leak occurs because their composition modifies. This paper presents a comparison of the energetic performances, in presence of leaks, when a thermostatic valve and an electronic expansion valve are used in a refrigeration plant, working with the zeotropic mixture designated as R407C (R32/R125/R134a 23/25/52% in mass)—this is the most suitable substitute of the HCFC22. The vapour leaks are simulated at the inlet of the evaporator and at the liquid receiver. Experimental results show that a good adaptability to mixture leaks is related to the electronic expansion valve, while better energetic performances are obtained using the thermostatic expansion valve as long as it is usable.     

Performance characteristics of refrigeration cycle with parallel compression economization

Thermodynamic analyses and economizer pressure optimizations of ammonia, propane and isobutane‐based refrigeration cycles with parallel compression economization are presented in this article. Energetic and exergetic performance comparisons with transcritical CO₂ cycle are presented as well. Results show that the optimum economizer mass fraction as well as COP improvement increase with increase in cycle temperature lift. The expression for optimum economizer pressure has been developed. Study shows that the performance improvements using parallel compression economization are strongly dependent on the refrigerant properties as well as the operating conditions. Using parallel compression economization, carbon dioxide yields maximum COP improvement of 31.9% followed by propane (29.8%), isobutane (27.2%) and ammonia (11.3%) for studies ranges. In spite of higher COP improvement, the cooling COP as well as second low efficiency for carbon dioxide is still significantly lower than that for others. Component‐wise irreversibility distributions show the similar trends for all refrigerants except CO₂. Employing parallel compression economization in refrigeration cycle not only improves the cooling COP but also increase the compactness of evaporator. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimization of multistage vapour compression systems using genetic algorithms. Part 1: Vapour compression system model

The vapour compression cycle is the most common type of refrigeration cycle in use today. Most vapour compression systems are simple, having only four major components: a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator. Multistage vapour compression systems are more complex with, for example, extra compressors, aftercoolers, intercoolers, flash tanks and liquid‐to‐suction heat exchangers. The study performed here considers 121 different configurations operating at condensing and evaporating temperatures that range from ?50 to 50°C. The refrigerants used are ammonia, R‐22, R‐134a, R‐152a and R‐123. The basis of comparison for the systems is multistage effectiveness. Multistage effectiveness is a novel term defined as the ratio of the coefficient of performance of a multistage system to the collective coefficient of performance of an equivalent group of basic single‐stage systems operating at the same cooling capacities and evaporating and condensing temperatures. Equivalency here is defined on the basis of achieving the same cooling capacity at their respective temperatures as dictated by the multistage systems. The vapour compression system model presented here was put through genetic optimization with interesting results. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energy and exergy analysis of vapor compression refrigeration system using pure hydrocarbon refrigerants

This study presents a comparison of energetic and exergetic performance of a vapor compression refrigeration system using pure hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants. In this study, four different pure HCs propane (R290), butane (R600), isobutane (R600a) and isopentane (R1270) are used in theoretical analysis. R22 and R134a are also used in the analysis. For the analysis, EES package program was used for solving thermodynamic equations of the refrigerants. Results have been presented graphically. According to results, differences of coefficient of cooling performance values of these refrigerants are quite small. Energetic and exergetic efficiency values obtained with R1270 and R600 are higher than R600a and R290. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energy and exergy analyses of a two‐stage vapour compression refrigeration system

In this paper exergy analysis of two‐stage vapour compression refrigeration (VCR) system has been carried out with an objective to evaluate optimum inter‐stage temperature (pressure) for refrigerants HCFC22, R410A and R717. A thermodynamic model based on the principles of mass, energy and exergy balances is developed for this purpose. The computed results illustrate the effects of evaporation and condensation temperatures, isentropic efficiencies of compressors, sub‐cooling of refrigerant and superheating of suction vapour on optimum inter‐stage saturation temperature (pressure). The optimum inter‐stage saturation temperatures (pressures) for HCFC22 and R410A are proximate to arithmetic mean of evaporation and condensation temperatures (AMT) when assuming superheating of suction vapour and non‐isentropic compression processes in low‐pressure and high‐pressure compressors. The optimum inter‐stage saturation temperatures (pressures) for HCFC22 and R410A are near to geometric mean of evaporation and condensation temperatures (GMT) when it is assumed that cycle involves the effects of sub‐cooling, superheating of suction vapour and non‐isentropic compression of the suction vapour. The optimum inter‐stage saturation temperature (pressure) for R717 is close to GMT irrespective of sub‐cooling, superheating of suction vapour and non‐isentropic compression in the cycle. The efficiency defects, computed corresponding to optimum inter‐stage temperature in condenser is higher in comparison to the other components. Finally, it is deduced that R717 is a better alternative refrigerant to HCFC22 than R410A in two‐stage VCR system. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.