Secondary loop refrigeration may present an attractive alternative to the traditional direct expansion refrigeration systems that are typically employed in supermarkets today. Secondary loops offer the possibility of dramatically reducing refrigerant leakage from supermarket systems, which will prove beneficial to supermarket owners as well as to the environment. However, for secondary loop refrigeration to be competitive with existing direct expansion systems, its operation must first be optimized to provide higher system efficiencies. Due to the many issues faced in optimizing secondary loop refrigeration systems, a numerical model of the system was developed to properly explore the effect of various components and operating conditions on cycle efficiency. One of the first studies conducted was to investigate the effect of heat transfer in the supply and return lines, due to inadequate insulation, on cycle efficiency. Results of this study conclude that proper insulation of the secondary fluid distribution lines is extremely important to ensure efficient secondary loop performance. Future studies will continue to focus on many of the other aspects of secondary loop refrigeration to further increase operating efficiency.
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