Optimize the Evaporating Heat Transfer Coefficient of Refrigeration System Using Nano Fluid

Abstract

Improving heat transfer characteristics in refrigeration and air conditioning systems has been intensively studied by many investigators. In the present work the effect of using CuO-R134a in the vapour compression system on the evaporating heat transfer coefficient is investigated by CFD heat transfer analysis using the FLUENT software. An experimental test rig is designed for this purpose. The test section is a horizontal tube in the tube heat exchanger made from copper. The refrigerant is evaporated inside an inner copper tube and the heat load is provided from hot water that passing in an annulus surrounding the inner tube. Heat transfer coefficients were evaluated using FLUENT for heat flux ranged from 10 to 40 kW/m2, using nanoCuO concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 1% and particle size from 15 to 70 nm. The measurements indicated that for a certain nanoconcentration as heat flux or mass flux increases the evaporating heat transfer coefficient increases and also that the evaporating heat transfer coefficient increases with increasing nanoCuO concentrations up to certain value then decreases. The obtained evaporating heat transfer coefficient result have been optimized at its maximum value for the best CuOnano particles concentration in R134a refrigerant.