Radiation-enhanced thermal diode tank (RTDT) for refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) systems

Wang, Mingzhen; Hu, Eric; Chen, Lei

doi:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2022.11.004

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The RTDT takes advantage of this phenomenon by achieving water temperatures that fall below the ambient air temperature. The heat transfer dynamics between the different heat pipes and the tank water were thoroughly investigated by Wang et al [25], and it was validated that, under identical conditions, the RTDT can generate colder tank water compared with the CTDT. As shown in Figure 3, System 3 is an RTDT-RAC system with a fixed-speed compressor, while System 4 is that with a variable-speed compressor.…”

Section: Physical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Simulation Model of a Radiation-Enhanced Thermal Diode Tank-Assisted Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning (RTDT-RAC) System: A Novel Cooling System

Wang,

Hu,

Chen

2023

Energies

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This paper presents a novel technology to improve the energy efficiency of refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) systems by applying a condenser cooling approach. The approach is based on the integration of an innovative radiation-enhanced thermal diode tank (RTDT) with a RAC system. The thermal diode tank (TDT), consisting of heat pipes and an insulated water tank, is a passive device to generate cooling water at a minimum night ambient temperature. When the radiation-enhanced heat pipe (RHP) is equipped with the TDT, it becomes an RTDT, which could theoretically lower the water temperature below the ambient temperature. In this study, a radiation-enhanced thermal diode tank (RTDT) is proposed to supply cooling water to the RAC system. Simulation models for the proposed RTDT-assisted RAC (RTDT-RAC) system are developed in order to investigate the impacts of the tank size to cooling capacity (TS/Qc) ratio, day/night ambient temperature fluctuations on the system’s coefficient of performance (COP) and the energy saving percentage (ESP). The results show that a greater day/night ambient temperature difference and a larger TS/Qc value can both enhance the COP and ESP of the RTDT-RAC system. The optimal and threshold TS/Qc values were 1 m3/kW and 0.18 m3/kW, respectively. These findings demonstrate the potential of the RTDT-RAC system to achieve significant energy savings and provide valuable insights for the design and optimization of an RTDT-RAC system.

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Section: Physical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%