A dynamic simulation model for transient absorption chiller performance. Part II: Numerical results and experimental verification

This paper is the second paper out of two which present the development of a dynamic model for single-effect LiBr/water absorption chillers. The first part describes the model in detail with respect to the heat and mass balances as well as the dynamic terms. This second part presents a more detailed investigation of the model performance, including performance analysis, sensitivity checks and a comparison to experimental data. General model functionality is demonstrated.A sensitivity analysis gives results which agree very well to fundamental expectations: it shows that an increase in both external and internal thermal mass results in a slower response to the step change but also in smaller heat flow oscillations during the transient period. Also, the thermal mass has been found to influence the heat flow transients more significantly if allocated internally. The time shift in the solution cycle has been found to influence both the time to reach steady-state and the transients and oscillations of the heat flow. A smaller time shift leads to significantly faster response.A comparison with experimental data shows that the dynamic agreement between experiment and simulation is very good with dynamic temperature deviations between 10 and 25 s. The total time to achieve a new steady-state in hot water temperature after a 10 K input temperature step amounts to approximately 15 min. Compared to this, the present dynamic deviations are in the magnitude of approximately 1–3%.     

Continuous ice slurry formation by using W/O emulsion with higher water content

A W/O (water-in-oil) emulsion was made from a water–lamp oil mixture with higher water content and a small amount of an additive of amino group-modified silicone oil, and the emulsion could be changed into an ice slurry by cooling with stirring. By using a new continuous ice formation system proposed by one of the authors of this paper, the ice slurry could be formed continuously and stably in an ice formation vessel made of stainless steel. From the experimental results, the conditions were clarified for realizing continuous ice formation for 10 h without ice adhesion to the cooling wall. Moreover, in order to propagate supercooling dissolution of the emulsion effectively and to decrease viscosity in the ice slurry, voltages were applied to the emulsion and ice slurry formed, respectively, and it was clarified that the voltage impression was effective for both.     

Improvement of air distribution in refrigerated vertical open front remote supermarket display cases

This paper presents some of the results derived from extensive experimentation on display cases for supermarkets and derives some possible improvements to augment temperature uniformity and energy performance. The effect of the perforation pattern of the rear duct on the distribution of airflow between these and the front curtain is brought out. The critical component is air infiltration across the curtain, which is governed by internal air distribution and curtain characteristics. It is observed that a 70–30 distribution of flow between the curtain and the rear duct perforations yields a performance that satisfies the standards. Further, a judicious distribution of perforations on the rear duct at various levels and across is necessary. Correlations available in the literature are useful in making a qualitative assessment of the results.     

Experimental and numerical study on microchannel and round-tube condensers in a R410A residential air-conditioning system

The effect of different type of condensers on the performance of R410A residential air-conditioning systems was investigated in this study. Two R410A residential air-conditioning systems, one with a microchannel condenser and the other with a round-tube condenser, were examined experimentally, while the other components of the two systems were identical except the condensers. Two condensers had almost same package volumes. The two systems were operated in separate environmental chambers and their performance was measured in ARI A, B, and C conditions. Both the COP and cooling capacity of the system with the microchannel condenser were higher than those for the round-tube condenser in all test conditions. The refrigerant charge amount and the refrigerant pressure drop were measured; the results showed a reduction of charge and pressure drop in the microchannel condenser. A numerical model for the microchannel condenser was developed and its results were compared with the experiments. The model simulated the condenser with consideration given to the non-uniform air distribution at the face of the condenser and refrigerant distribution in the headers. The results showed that the effect of the air and refrigerant distribution was not a significant parameter in predicting the capacity of the microchannel condenser experimentally examined in this study. Temperature contours, generated from the measured air exit temperatures, showed the refrigerant distribution in the microchannel condenser indirectly. The temperature contours developed from the model results showed a relatively good agreement with the contours for measured air exit temperatures of the microchannel condenser.     

Experimental investigation of the performance of industrial evaporator coils operating under frosting conditions

This paper describes a field experimental investigation of the effects of frost formation on the performance of a low-temperature large-scale evaporator coil used in industrial refrigeration systems. A series of experiments were conducted to determine the in situ coil cooling capacity of the evaporator over time as frost builds on its surfaces. Field-measured quantities include inlet and outlet air temperatures, inlet and outlet air relative humidity, and air volume flow rate. These measurements provide a baseline set of experimental data that can be used to validate numerical models of industrial evaporators operating under frosting conditions.     

Experimental study on the performance of a simultaneous heating and cooling multi-heat pump with the variation of operation mode

The cooling load in the winter season becomes significant in commercial buildings and hotels because of the wide usage of office equipment and improved wall insulation. In this study, a simultaneous heating and cooling multi-heat pump having four indoor units and an outdoor unit was designed and tested in five operation modes: cooling-only, heating-only, cooling-main, heating-main, and entire heat recovery. The performance of the system with R410a was optimized by adjusting the system's control parameters. In the cooling-main mode, the rate of the bypass flow to the heating-operated indoor unit was optimized by controlling the EEV opening of the outdoor unit. In the heating-main mode, the mass flow rate to the cooling-operated indoor unit was optimized by adjusting the EEV opening in the outdoor unit. In the entire heat recovery mode, the compressor speed was controlled to improve the system COP with appropriate heating and cooling capacities.     

Experimental investigation of a reversible heat pump/organic Rankine cycle unit designed to be coupled with a passive house to get a Net Zero Energy Building

This paper presents an innovative reversible Heat Pump/Organic Rankine Cycle (HP/ORC) experimental unit designed to be coupled to a Net Zero Energy Building (connected to a 120 m² thermal solar roof and a ground heat exchanger). The system can operate in three different modes: an ORC mode to produce electricity when a large amount of heat is collected by the solar roof, a direct heating mode using exclusively the solar roof, and a HP mode for space heating during cold weather conditions. This paper describes a comprehensive experimental campaign carried out on a prototype unit using a modified HVAC scroll compressor (4 kWe). From the results, the technical feasibility of the system is demonstrated. A cycle efficiency of 4.2% is achieved in ORC mode (with condensation and evaporation temperature respectively of 25 °C and 88 °C) and a COP of 3.1 is obtained in HP mode (with condensation and evaporation temperature respectively of 61 °C and 21 °C).     

Experimental investigation of a three-material layered active magnetic regenerator

This work reports on experimental studies using an active magnetic regenerative test apparatus (AMRTA) in near room-temperature refrigeration cycles. Experiments using regenerator beds composed of three different magnetocaloric materials combined in a layered configuration with applied fields of 2 T have produced no-load temperature spans in excess of 50 K. The test apparatus uses two active magnetic regenerators each containing approximately 135 g of refrigerant. An overview of the test apparatus, operating parameters, and performance is described. The impacts of operation at varying heat rejection temperatures, applied fields of 1.5 T and frequencies between 0.65 and 1.0 Hz are presented. In addition, the impacts of operating pressure and applied load on temperature spans are discussed.     

Experimental study on the performance of a room temperature magnetic refrigerator using permanent magnets

An investigation of a room temperature active magnetic refrigerator was carried out in this work. An experimental rig was built, in which two reciprocating regenerative beds packed with 1167.4 g of gadolinium were used, helium gas was used as a heat transfer fluid, and an average 1.5 T magnetic field was supplied by permanent magnets. With this apparatus, the influence of the gas pressure, the operating frequency and the temperature range were studied systematically. The lowest no heat load temperature of −2.79 °C at the cold end heat exchanger and a maximum no heat load temperature span of 42.28 °C were obtained. A maximum cooling power of 51.3 W was achieved over a temperature span of 18.16 °C. The results in this study provide useful data for future design and development of room temperature magnetic refrigerators.     

Composite adsorbent of CaCl2 and expanded graphite for adsorption ice maker on fishing boats

Adsorption performances and thermal conductivity were tested for three types of adsorbent: Pure CaCl₂ powder, simple composite adsorbent and consolidated composite adsorbent. The simple composite adsorbents show better adsorption performance because the additive of expanded graphite in CaCl₂ powder has restrained the agglomeration phenomenon in adsorption process and improved the adsorption performance of CaCl₂. The consolidated composite adsorbent are suitable to be used as adsorbent for ice maker on fishing boats because they have higher thermal conductivity, larger volumetric cooling capacity, higher SCP values and better anti-sway performance than simple composite adsorbents. Thermal conductivity of the consolidated composite adsorbent is 6.5–9.8 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ depending on the molding pressure, ranging from 5 to 15 MPa, which is about 32 times higher than the thermal conductivity of CaCl₂ powder. The volumetric cooling capacity of consolidated composite adsorbent is about 52% higher than the best result obtained for CaCl₂ at the evaporating temperature of −10 °C. The SCP of the consolidated adsorbent increases of about 353% than CaCl₂ powder from simulation results at T_ad=30 °C and T_ev=−10 °C. The consolidated composite adsorbents have good anti-sway performance and they are not easy to be scattered out when the fishing boats sway on the sea.