Performance study of ejector cooling cycle at critical mode under superheated primary flow

Abstract

In this work the performance of the ejector cooling cycle is investigated at critical mode, where, the effects of ejector geometry, refrigerant type, and operating condition are studied. The ejector cooling cycle is modeled with EES Software. The mass, momentum, and energy conservation principles are applied to the secondary and primary flows to investigate the performance of the ejector cooling cycle under superheated primary flow.The refrigerant R134 a is selected based on the merit of its environmental and performance characteristics. The primary working fluid in the refrigeration cycle is maintained at superheated conditions for optimal ejector performance. The solar generator temperature ranges are 80–100°C. The operating temperature of evaporator range is 8–12°C and the optimal condensation temperature is in the range of 28–40°C. It is found that constant-pressure mixing ejector generates higher backpressure than constant-area mixing ejector for the same entrainment ratio and COP. The type of ejector is selected based on the performance criteria of the critical backpressure and choking condition of the primary flow, the so called EJ2 type ejector meets the criteria. The COP is found to be in the range of 0.59–0.67 at condenser backpressure of 24bar due to higher critical condenser pressure and higher generator temperature.