Evaporator Optimization of Refrigerator Systems Using Quality Analysis

Sangkyung Na, Sanghun Song, Seunghyuk Lee, Jehwan Lee, Hyun Kim, Sungwoo Lee, Gyungmin Choi and Seongyool Ahn
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Sangkyung Na: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Sanghun Song: LG Electronics 391-2, Changwon 51533, Korea
Seunghyuk Lee: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Jehwan Lee: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Hyun Kim: LG Electronics 391-2, Changwon 51533, Korea
Sungwoo Lee: LG Electronics 391-2, Changwon 51533, Korea
Gyungmin Choi: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Seongyool Ahn: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: In this study, evaporator optimization, via both experimental and simulation methods was conducted. To evaluate the evaporator performance, under the optimal system, the compressor operating time and the effects of oil on the refrigerator system were studied. If the temperature of the refrigerator chamber reaches the setting value, the compressor stops working and it leads to the temperature of the refrigerator chamber slowly increasing, due to the heat transfer to the ambient. When the refrigerator temperature is out of the setting range, the compressor works again, and the refrigerator repeats this process until the end of its life. These on/off period can be controlled through the compressor piston movement. To determine the optimal compressor operating conditions, experiments of monthly power consumption were conducted under various compressor working times and the lowest power consumption conditions was determined when the compressor worked continuously. Lubricating oil, the refrigerator system, using oil, also influenced the system performance. To evaluate the effect of oil, oil eliminated and oil systems were compared based on cooling capacity and power consumption. The cooling capacity of the oil eliminated system was 2.6% higher and the power consumption was 3.6% lower than that of the oil system. After determining the optimal operating conditions of the refrigerator system, visualization experiments and simulations were conducted to decide the optimal evaporator and the conventional evaporator size can be reduced by approximately 2.9%.

Keywords: refrigerator system; flow characteristics of refrigerant; lubricating oil elimination; visualization in evaporator; evaporator quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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