Abstract
A mixed refrigerant ejector refrigeration cycle operating with two-stage vapor-liquid separators (MRERC2) is proposed to obtain refrigeration temperature at -40°C. The thermodynamic investigations on performance of MRERC2 using zeotropic mixture refrigerant R23/R134a are performed, and the comparisons of cycle performance between MRERC2 and MRERC1 (MRERC with one-stage vapor-liquid separator) are conducted. The results show that MRERC2 can achieve refrigeration temperature varying between -23.9°C and -42.0°C when ejector pressure ratio ranges from 1.6 to 2.3 at the generation temperature of 57.3-84.9°C. The parametric analysis indicates that increasing condensing temperature decreases coefficient of performance (COP) of MRERC2, and increasing ejector pressure ratio and mass fraction of the low boiling point component in the mixed refrigerant can improve COP of MRERC2. The MRERC2 shows its potential in utilizing low grade thermal energy as driving power to obtain low refrigeration temperature for the ejector refrigeration cycle.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Yu J. and Du Z.. Theoretical study of a transcritical ejector refrigeration cycle with refrigerant R143a. Renewable Energy, 2010, 35(9): 2034–2039.
Sun D.W. Comparative study of the performance of an ejector refrigeration cycle operating with various refrigerants. Energy Conversion and Management, 1999, 40(8): 873–884.
Selvaraju A. and Mani A. Analysis of a vapour ejector refrigeration system with environment friendly refrigerants. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 2004, 43(9): 915–921.
Alexis G. and Karayiannis E.. A solar ejector cooling system using refrigerant R134a in the Athens area. Renewable Energy, 2005, 30(9):1457–1469.
Roman R. and Hernandez J.I.. Performance of ejector cooling systems using low ecological impact refrigerants. International Journal of Refrigeration, 2011, 34(7): 1707–1716.
Chen J., Havtun H. and Palm B.. Screening of working fluids for the ejector refrigeration system. International Journal of Refrigeration, 2014, 47: 1–14.
He S., Li Y., and Wang R.Z.. Progress of mathematical modeling on ejectors. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2009, 13(8): 1760–1780.
Besagni G, Mereu R, Inzoli F. CFD Study of Ejector Flow Behavior in a Blast Furnace Gas Galvanizing Plant. Journal of Thermal Science, 2015, 24(1): 58–66
Huang B.J., et al. A 1-D analysis of ejector performance Analyse unidimensionnelle de la performance d'un éjecteur. International Journal of Refrigeration, 1999, 22(5): 354–364.
Ouzzane M. and Aidoun Z.. Model development and numerical procedure for detailed ejector analysis and design. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2003, 23(18): 2337–2351.
Cizungu K., Groll M., and Ling Z.G.. Modelling and optimization of two-phase ejectors for cooling systems. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2005, 25(13): 1979–1994.
Zhu Y. and Li Y.. Novel ejector model for performance evaluation on both dry and wet vapors ejectors. International Journal of Refrigeration, 2009, 32(1): 21–31.
Cardemil J. M. and Colle S.. A general model for evaluation of vapor ejectors performance for application in refrigeration. Energy Conversion and Management, 2012, 64: 79–86.
Chen W., et al. A 1D model to predict ejector performance at critical and sub-critical operational regimes. International Journal of Refrigeration, 2013, 36(6): 1750–1761.
Zhang B. and Shen S.. A theoretical study on a novel bi-ejector refrigeration cycle. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2006, 26(5‒6): 622–626.
Yu J., et al. A new ejector refrigeration system with an additional jet pump. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2006, 26(2-3): 312–319.
Sokolov M. and Hershgal D.. Enhanced ejector refrigeration cycles powered by low grade heat. Part 1. Systems characterization. International Journal of Refrigeration, 1990, 13(6): 351–356.
Sun D.W. Solar powered combined ejector-vapour compression cycle for air conditioning and refrigeration. Energy Conversion and Management, 1997, 38(5): 479–491.
Chesi A., et al. Suitability of coupling a solar powered ejection cycle with a vapour compression refrigerating machine. Applied Energy, 2012, 97: 374–383.
He Y. and Chen G.. Experimental study on an absorption refrigeration system at low temperatures. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 2007, 46(3): 294–299.
Du K., et al. A study on the cycle characteristics of an auto-cascade refrigeration system. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 2009, 33(2): 240–245.
Missimer D. J. Refrigerant conversion of auto-refrigerating cascade (ARC) systems. International Journal of Refrigeration, 1997, 20(3): 201–207.
Wang Q., et al. An investigation of the mixing position in the recuperators on the performance of an auto-cascade refrigerator operating with a rectifying column. Cryogenics, 2012, 52(11): 581–589.
Wang Q., et al. Numerical investigations on the performance of a single-stage auto-cascade refrigerator operating with two vapor–liquid separators and environmentally benign binary refrigerants. Applied Energy, 2013, 112: 949–955.
Yan G., Hu H., and Yu J.. Performance evaluation on an internal auto-cascade refrigeration cycle with mixture refrigerant R290/R600a. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2015. 75: 994–1000.
Tan Y., Wang L., and Liang K., Thermodynamic performance of an auto-cascade ejector refrigeration cycle with mixed refrigerant R32 + R236fa. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2015, 84: 268–275.
Gong M.Q., Wu J.F., and Luo E.C.. Performances of the mixed-gases Joule–Thomson refrigeration cycles for cooling fixed-temperature heat loads. Cryogenics, 2004, 44(12): 847–857.
Yan G., Chen J., and Yu J.. Energy and exergy analysis of a new ejector enhanced auto-cascade refrigeration cycle. Energy Conversion and Management, 2015, 105: 509–517.
Keenan H., Neumann, E.P. and Lustwer K, F. An investigation of ejector design by analysis and experiment. Journal of Applied Mechanics-transactions of the ASME, 1950, ASME 72: 299–309.
Wang J., Y. Dai, and Z. Sun. A theoretical study on a novel combined power and ejector refrigeration cycle. International Journal of Refrigeration, 2009, 32(6): 1186–1194.
Yu J., Song X., and Ma M.. Theoretical study on a novel R32 refrigeration cycle with a two-stage suction ejector. International Journal of Refrigeration, 2013, 36(1): 166–172.
NIST thermodynamic and transport properties of refrigerants and refrigerant mixtures REFPROP. 2002, NIST Standard Reference Database 23.
Alexis G.K. and Katsanis J.S.. Performance characteristics of a methanol ejector refrigeration unit. Energy Conversion and Management, 2004, 45(17): 2729–2744.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Additional information
This study is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant No. 51706061&50706060)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tan, Y., Chen, Y. & Wang, L. Thermodynamic Analysis of a Mixed Refrigerant Ejector Refrigeration Cycle Operating with Two Vapor-liquid Separators. J. Therm. Sci. 27, 230–240 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-018-1004-5
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-018-1004-5