PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT OF A VAPOR-COMPRESSION CYCLE WITH COLD STORAGE FOR FREEZER APPLICATIONS

摘要

In this study, a modified vapor-compression refrigeration cycle with cold storage was proposed for applications in freezers. In the cycle, the phase change material (PCM) based cold storage is used to increase the subcooling degree for cycle performance enhancement. Theoretical evaluation for the proposed cycle using refrigerant R290 has been conducted based on thermodynamic first law. The results indicated that under a typical operation condition, the coefficient of performance and volumetric cooling capacity of the proposed cycle with the PCM subcooler were higher 5.8-25.1% and 5.5- 25.4%, respectively, in comparison with those of a conventional vapor-compression cycle. Furthermore, the effects of operating and design parameters on the cycle performance were discussed. This study indicates that the proposed cycle for freezer applications has the great potential to reduce energy consumption and guarantee food quality.