Design, Build-up, and Commissioning of 350 kW Refrigeration Test Facility for Experimental Investigation of Large Cold Chain Equipment

摘要

A new refrigeration facility suitable for experimental investigation of a large variety of cold chain applications has been designed and built from the ground up. The system utilizes a cascade approach and combines two screw compressors in DX configuration cooling ethylene glycol/water (EGW) for low and medium temperature applications. The targeted cooling capacity ranges from 100 kW at -40 °C to 350 kW at 0 °C. Both stages are designed for use with R410A. Unlike systems that are installed in commercial environments, this new facility has been fully instrumented, including test sections with visual access, to obtain accurate performance measurements at different ambient temperatures and load conditions. This paper gives valuable insights and lessons learned from the design and commissioning process including controls, start-up, and oil return issues. Good agreement has been observed between actual and target performance for which the refrigeration facility has been designed.