Abstract
More and more applications, such as natural gas liquefaction, LNG reliquefaction, whole body cryotherapy and cryopreservation, require cooling in the temperature range from 110 to 150 K. This can be achieved in systems using standard refrigeration compressors, which are reliable and cost-effective, but are subject to certain operating limits. This paper investigates the potential of a three-stage cascaded refrigeration system based on standard refrigeration compressors in this range of temperatures. The investigation takes into account the vital limitations of refrigeration compressors and aims to look for possible refrigerant configurations (taking into account PFCs, HFCs, HCs and HOs); performance limitations such as cooling power temperature and system COP; and the influences of system architecture (single-stage and two-stage compression). The paper investigates whether it is possible to design a three-stage cascaded refrigeration system using standard refrigeration compressors, and if so, at what cost? This investigation shows that the three-stage cascaded refrigeration system can reach the lowest temperature of 127 K with a COP of 0.179, which corresponds to a Carnot efficiency of 0.262. Moreover, systems based on natural refrigerants are found to be advantageous in terms of achieved temperatures compared to those that use synthetic refrigerants. Furthermore, only the application of R50 (methane) is shown to allow temperatures below 130 K to be achieved, and this is possible only in a two-stage compression cascade system. For most of the investigated configurations, the suction pressure must be below atmospheric pressure to thermally couple cascade stages.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.