Impact of condensate water recycling on the performance of open refrigerated display cabinet

Abstract

The escalating global energy concerns have underscored the urgent need for energy conservation, particularly within the refrigerated industry. The imperative of optimizing the performance of open refrigerated display cabinets (ORDC) has become increasingly pronounced. This study sought to investigate the impact of condensate water recycling on ORDC operations through experiment, focusing on the influence of condensate water flowrate, temperature, and heat exchanger length on key performance indicators such as thermal entrainment factor (TEF), coefficient of performance (COP), and heat transfer efficiency enhancement (η). The findings revealed that the flowrate of condensate water wielded the most substantial impact on system performance, leading to noteworthy increases of 10.42% in COP and 7.05% in η, while TEF experienced a reduction of 4.33% within a flow rate range from 0 ml/min to 54 ml/min. Notably, an optimal flowrate of 54 ml/min was identified. Conversely, the temperature of condensate water exhibited minimal influence on system performance. Increasing the length of the heat exchanger demonstrated a linear correlation with improved system performance. In practical applications, the enhancements in COP, η, and TEF, compared to scenarios without a condensate water recycling system, ranged from 2.23% to 5.80%, 1.21% to 3.68%, and 0.37% to 2.09%, respectively.