A novel online measurement method for compositions and energy performance of an auto-cascade refrigeration system

Yinlong Li, Gang Yan, Dongliang Jing, Guoqiang Liu and Rodrigo Llopis

Energy, 2025, vol. 318, issue C

Abstract: The auto-cascade refrigeration cycle using mixed refrigerant is crucial for achieving temperatures ranging from −40 °C to −80 °C. The inability to continuously measure composition concentration in real-time is a challenge in current research. This issue complicates the system performance evaluation and optimization. This paper innovatively proposes an online measurement method of the circulating composition concentration, designed to measure circulating compositions, thermodynamic parameters and system efficiency accurately. The proposed method includes a dual mass flowmeter measurement method and a single mass flowmeter measurement method. An experimental platform with a temperature range of −58.6 °C to −40.4 °C is established to verify the feasibility of the online measurement method. The measurement accuracy is compared with the static sampling method using gas chromatography. The results show that the deviation between the experimental values and the online measurement values of the temperature is less than 3 K, and the maximum circulating composition concentration deviation is 4.55 %. The uncertainty results indicate that COP and cooling capacity exhibit uncertainties below 7.0 %, while circulating compositions maintained uncertainties below 3.5 %. This online measurement method can accurately predict the continuous composition variation, providing a basis for the performance evaluation of mixed refrigerant thermal systems.

Keywords: Online measurement method; Auto-cascade refrigeration system; Mixed refrigerant; Compositions; Energy performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:318:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225004220

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.134780

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