Experimental investigation of the performance of a single-stage auto-cascade refrigerator

Abstract

Auto-refrigerating cascade (ARC) systems possess many advantages comparing with traditional cascade refrigeration systems. This work proposed a novel ternary mixture, R600a/R23/R14, for ARC systems for 190K applications. The performance of the ternary mixture and the influences of compositional ratio and bypass scheme were assessed in a modified domestic cooler. The results demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed R600a/R23/R14 ternary mixture as an environmental benign alternative for ARC systems. The performance varied little within a certain composition range and a mass ratio of 35/30/35 for R600a/R23/R14 mixture was recommended. It also showed that the two bypass schemes, which can regulate more effectively the refrigerant compositions, were better than the conventional hot-gas bypass approach. The variation of the evaporator temperature suggested the presence of local dryout at high heat loads (i.e., larger than the design value), which should be carefully prevented.

Novel Cascade Refrigeration Cycle for Cold Supply Chain of COVID-19 Vaccines at Ultra-Low Temperature -80°C Using Ethane (R170) Based Hydrocarbon Pair

“…They concluded that the COP and exergy efficiency within the range of the operating parameters in the evaluation were found to be 3.274% and 37.63%. Rui et al [6] proposed a novel ternary mixture, R600a/R23/R14, for ARC systems for 190 K (−83˚C) applications. Their results demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed R600a/R23/R14 ternary mixture as an environmental benign alternative for Auto-Refrigeration cascade systems.…”

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of a Recuperative Heat Exchanger and Throttles Opening on a CO2/Isobutane Autocascade Refrigeration System

“…The ACR's operating principle is based on the use of a zeotropic binary or a ternary mixture of refrigerants [24]. The selection of the high boiling point (HBP) and low boiling point (LBP) compounds, constituting the mixture, is based on the maximum mass fraction of the more volatile component for a given condensation pressure.…”

Energy and exergy analysis of a modified three-stage auto-cascade refrigeration cycle using low-GWP refrigerants for sustainable development

“…An increase of up to 20% in the COP was observed. Rui et al [ 41 ] proposed a novel ternary mixture, R600a/R23/R14, for ARC systems for 190 K applications. The results demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed R600a/R23/R14 ternary mixture as an environmental benign alternative for ARC systems, and a mass ratio of 35/30/35 mixture was recommended.…”