Experimental and theoretical study of waste heat recovery from a refrigeration system using a finned helical coil heat exchanger

摘要

This paper is an experimental and theoretical study that aimed at conserving energy by utilizing the waste heat generated from a refrigeration system by calculating the range of condensation after the compression stage for the refrigerant (R410A). A helical coil tube-shell heat exchanger was designed as a heat recovery unit to use the waste heat from an air conditioner 1TR (split type) in the outdoor unit between the compressor and the condenser to produce hot water and increase the coefficient of performance (COP) of the refrigeration cycle. Two experimental types of the helical coil heat exchanger (conventional and finned) were used in attempts to induce absorption of the rejected heat into tap water. The increase in the COP ranges from 12.5% to 40%, an increase in the water outlet temperatures difference reaches 12°C. A cost-benefit analysis in terms of the net present value and the payback period (PP) has been performed. From the analysis, it has been observed that the use of the designed heat recovery unit will save electrical consumption to produce the required hot water with a PP of about 11.7 months for the conventional heat exchanger and 17.5 months for the finned helical coil heat exchanger.