Pump Cycle Research Articles

Compressor Development for CO2-Based Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) Systems

Abstract Pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) offers a cost-effective means to store electrical energy for long duration by utilizing a heat pump cycle to transfer thermal energy from a low temperature reservoir (LTR) to a high temperature reservoir (HTR). The heat pump compressor, which represents a significant driver to the cost, performance and operating characteristics of the PTES system. During charging (>100 MW), traditional compressor scaling charts indicate that the operating conditions needed would be best served by a multistage axial compressor. The conceptual design of a large-scale CO2 axial compressor was completed, including mean-line estimates of the compressor performance at full power conditions. At steady state, full power operation, the isentropic efficiency and mechanical efficiency of the compressor have significant impact on the cycle design and round trip efficiency of the PTES system. The results of the conceptual design were used to refine the PTES cycle design and updated operating conditions provided for further aero design optimization. An important characteristic of the PTES system is its ability to charge at variable rate, which provides significant challenges on compressor operability, especially for a compressor that will be coupled to a fixed-speed synchronous motor. Cycle studies of variable charging rate processes have been conducted, and the impact of compressor operating map characteristics explored. Based on initial modeling studies, single compressor operation can be achieved down to at least 50% of rated power, with further reductions possible depending on the characteristics of the compressor map speedlines.

Patient satisfaction study for the new Rigicon Infla10 inflatable penile prosthesis including single surgeon safety and outcomes data.

Rigicon is a newer inflatable penile prostheses (IPP) manufacturer that has produced the Infla10 IPP for countries outside the United States (US) since 2019, with Food and Drug Administration studies for approval of Infla10 in the US presently underway. This study aims to report the first patient satisfaction, efficacy, and safety from revision data for the newly available Rigicon Infla10 IPP. A single surgeon's first 58 patients who underwent Rigicon Infla10 IPP implantation between 2019 and 2023 were included. Most patients (70%) received the Infla10 X (girth expansion) cylinder, and 30% received the Infla10 AX (length and girth expansion) model. Follow-up ranged from 4 to 42months (median 19months). Outcomes measured were intraoperative and postoperative complications as well as patient-reported satisfaction. Reoperation was required in 5 patients (8.6%). Complication rates were 1.7% urethral erosion (n= 1), 1.7% infection requiring explant (n= 1), and 5% mechanical malfunction due to tubing breakage at pump junction (n= 3). The tubing issue was addressed by the manufacturer, resulting in no additional mechanical concerns. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated rates of cumulative survival of the device at 12, 24, and 36months were 96.6%, 93.8%, and 78.2%, respectively. Overall, 53 patients (91.4%) were satisfied at 6months postoperatively and would recommend the procedure. Diminished satisfaction was due to perceived penile shortening in 3 patients (5.1%) and difficulty learning pump cycling in 2 patients (3.4%). This single surgeon series demonstrates high rates of patient satisfaction with appropriate early safety from revision. Limitations include the retrospective nature of this study and short-term follow-up. Additional prospective studies incorporating a larger number of patients are warranted. While very new in the marketplace, the Infla10 IPP shows promising early satisfaction, efficacy, and safety from revision.

Performance Analysis of a Water-Injected Twin-Screw Compressor in a High-Temperature R718 Heat Pump

Abstract High-temperature heat pumps with twin-screw compressors and water (R718) as the working fluid show promising potential for providing industrial heat and process steam at temperature levels of up to 200 °C. This paper presents a simulation approach for a two-layered simulation structure of a water-based high-temperature heat pump system including a twin-screw compressor with water-injection. The heat pump process with two-phase steam compression is investigated with respect to various aspects. In addition to controlling the compressor outlet temperature, the evaporation of the injected liquid leads to an increase in the displaced mass flow rate on the sink side of the heat pump. This effect is analyzed in detail for various system operating points using a thermodynamic simulation framework for the R718-based heat pump cycle and a comprehensive compressor model. The main target of the presented paper is the analysis of system performance and the detailed investigation of the interdependencies. Performance of the twin-screw compressor is determined by means of two-phase chamber model simulations. In the chamber model method thermodynamic properties of both injected liquid and steam are calculated based on the conservation equations of mass and energy for the compression process. Adequate sub-models for internal leakage and heat and mass transfer between vapor and liquid phase are applied. Integral results of the compressor simulations are embedded in the heat pump system simulation using a characteristic map. In conclusion, this paper contributes to the understanding of advanced compression technologies in the field of high-temperature heat pumps, offering a detailed examination of a water-injected steam compressor’s applicability and efficiency in a practical system setting.

Novel sustainable design of pressure-swing distillation coupled with natural decanting and Organic Rankine Cycle for separating n-propanol/benzene/water mixture

The separation of ternary azeotropic mixtures is a common challenge in the chemical industry due to the unique properties of azeotropes. This phenomenon complicates the separation processes, as traditional distillation methods may not effectively separate the components. The present work introduces a novel pressure-swing distillation (NPSD) process integrated with natural decanting for the effective separation of an n-propanol/benzene/water mixture. By exploiting the liquid–liquid envelope characteristics of the mixture, phase separation prior to distillation significantly enhances the separation efficiency. The NPSD process was optimised using the NSGA-II, addressing economic, environmental, and energetic objectives. Key findings reveal that the implementation of decanting allows the NPSD process to operate without substantial pressure adjustments, thereby facilitating fine separation more efficiently than conventional pressure-swing distillation designs. The proposed NPSD process can achieve up to 25.76 % savings in TAC while reducing CO2 emissions and improving energy efficiency. Furthermore, the integration of mechanical vapour recompression heat pump and Organic Rankine Cycle systems enhances energy saving, resulting in a TAC reduction of up to 31 % and a decrease in CO2 emissions of up to 38 % compared to existing energy-efficient designs. These findings highlight the potential of the NPSD-MVR-ORC system for sustainable chemical separation processes.

Topologically protected quantized changes of the distance between atoms

Thouless pumping enables the transport of particles in a one-dimensional periodic potential if the potential is slowly and periodically modulated in time. The change in the position of particles after each modulation period is quantized and depends solely on the topology of the pump cycle, making it robust against perturbations. Here, we demonstrate that Thouless pumping also allows for the realization of topologically protected quantized changes of the distance between atoms if the atomic s-wave scattering length is properly modulated in time. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Centrifugal Compressor Surge in Innovative Heat Pump: Fluid Dynamic and Vibrational Analysis

Abstract In the current energy scenario, it is necessary to reduce fossil fuel consumption to achieve the far-sighted and stringent decarbonization goals. To date, heat is mainly produced through fossil fuels. Alternatively, electrically driven heat pumps can exploit renewable power to recover environmental and waste heat, offering energy efficient and environmentally friendly heating and cooling for applications ranging from domestic and commercial buildings to process industries. For this reason, they are expected to play a primary role in complementing or displacing natural gas boilers in the residential and industrial sectors in the near future. Centrifugal compressors are already used as prime movers of the working fluid in heat pumps, thanks to their industrial replicability, compact size, affordable costs, and good performance in terms of efficiency and low noise. However, they are subject to instabilities such as surge and stall like any other dynamic compressor and these phenomena develop quite differently than in classic open-loop systems such as gas turbines. In fact, such peculiarity is mainly due to the closed-loop configuration with real gases in two-phase conditions, occurring in typical heat pump cycles. In addition, heat exchangers also contribute to make these phenomena different from what is commonly studied. Compressor surge in closed-loop heat pump systems has received lower attention than other applications by the engineering community, lacking dedicated experimental characterization, and clear exposition of the phenomenon. The aim of this paper is to experimentally investigate the behavior of a centrifugal compressor installed into an innovative close loop heat pump system under stable and unstable conditions from both vibrational and fluid-dynamic points of view. The impact of the main process parameters on the evolution of the instability is shown, highlighting how surge cycles change by varying system operating conditions. The energy contents of surge cycles and pressure fluctuations are highlighted, using data postprocessing techniques such as fast Fourier transform and phase locked average. The vibro-acoustic analysis enrich the comprehension of the phenomena. The experimental results shown in this paper can be a basis for the future development of validated mathematical models of closed-loop heat pumps systems equipped with dynamic compressors operating under stable and unstable operating conditions.

ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS FOR WASTE HEAT RECOVERY AT THE SILICATE INDUSTRY

The glass, ceramic and cement plants are energy intensive industrial systems, releasing high amounts of greenhouse gases. The dissipation of the waste heat reduces their profitability, energy and ecological efficiency. The absorption refrigeration systems are successful solutions for the recovery of thermal energy at different temperature levels to obtain useful cooling and heating powers for technological needs, and for air conditioning of administrative and industrial buildings. Although the absorption units in a heat pump and refrigeration cycle are currently used in building and industrial systems, they have not yet penetrated widely into the silicate factories. This paper discusses possibilities for the applications of basic types of absorption cycles at heat pump and refrigeration modes to utilize waste energy at different temperature levels in glass, ceramic and cement plants. The examined variants are demonstrated via examples, diagrams and analyses of the possible energy saving.

Performance analysis of a novel dual exhaust mixed refrigerant heat pump with large temperature lift

The substantial demand for heat energy, ranging from 70 − 100°C in industrial and commercial sectors, presents a significant challenge when utilizing traditional air source heat pumps. The conventional single-stage air source heat pumps often struggle with low system efficiency and poor operating conditions when tasked with heating with large temperature lift. To address these issues, a novel dual exhaust mixed refrigerant heat pump cycle was proposed. By incorporating an intermediate pressure compression stage in parallel, the proposed system can achieve an optimal temperature match in the recuperator, and lead to a significant enhancement in the coefficient of performance (COP). Compared to a single stage mixed refrigerant heat pump cycle, the novel system improves the COP from 5.063 to 5.756, representing an increase of 13.68 %. Concurrently, the exergy loss proportion of the recuperator decreases from 18.8 % to 13.7 %. The proposed system consistently demonstrates superior COP and exergy efficiency, regardless of whether the ambient temperature is within the range of 0 °C to 20 °C or the outlet water temperatures between 80 °C to 100 °C are present. These findings provide theoretical guidance for enhancing the performance of high-temperature heat pumps with large temperature lift.

Control of Carbon Dioxide Bivalent Heat Pump on Heating of Buildings. Part II

The control system of a bivalent heat pump (BHP), using as low potential heat (LPH) sources both the heat of the return water of the network and the heat of the outside air, is considered. The aim of the work is to determine the parameters of the thermodynamic cycle of the heat pump, which would ensure the operation of the heat pump at variable temperatures and flow rates of the re-frigerant in the load. The set goal is achieved by solving the following tasks: analysis of the methods of synthesis of systems at variable load, analysis of the operation of the system at random disturb-ances, development of the heat pump automatic control system (ACS). The main result of the work is: the scheme of the heat pump, which can work with variable pressures of the evaporator and the gas cooler, as well as the technical solution, in which the enthalpy difference at the evaporator remains constant regardless of the outside air temperatures Significance of the obtained results consists in crea-tion of the BTN scheme, which allows to provide both qualitative and qualitative-quantitative laws of regulation of thermal regime of a building at increase of SOR of a heat pump, thanks to rational choice of a temperature schedule of regulation. Local storage using electrochemical accumulators at the re-quired capacity would be very expensive and would make the entire installation unprofitable. The only reasonable solution is interaction with the grid, which requires, in addition to the technical means of interfacing, the presence of appropriate regulations governing the transfer of electricity generated by the local facility to the grid, especially if the generation will be carried out throughout the year. Keywords: bivalent heat pump scheme, automatic control, random disturbances, reliability, district heating, carbon dioxide.

Thermally-integrated CO2 cycles for MW-scale power generation and storage

Abstract In an energy scenario driven by Renewable Energy Sources (RES), where more and more bulky quantities of RES should be introduced on the grid, the role of energy storage systems is crucial. Further to already available electric storage technologies (mostly based on batteries), it will be mandatory to have grid flexible large scale energy storages able to operate ramp-up/down with large capacity, whose behaviour/management should be as much similar as possible to traditional power plants (also to guarantee specific grid services like grid frequency regulation via rotating inertia etc.) which are currently used to instantaneously regulate the grid. At this purpose, Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) offers GWh scale storage without geographical constraints, at reasonable costs, and implementing power and heat pump cycles integrated with thermal energy storage (TES) solutions. The peculiar features of supercritical CO2 (sCO2) make it the ideal candidate to act as working fluid for large scale PTES applications. sCO2 cycles are indeed fully compatible with the temperature range of TES hot storage sources and sCO2 has already been used in commercial HP solutions (even targeting high temperature HPs). In addition, sCO2 allows energy storage to embody a compact design as well, making the whole PTES footprint smaller compared to technologies based on other working fluids. Nevertheless, sCO2 based PTES solutions cannot achieve significant Round Trip Efficiency (RTE): a possible solution to such a limitation is represented by the exploitation of freely available heat sources (like thermal RES or waste heat), which could increase the COP of the charging cycle and, at the end, the electrical-based RTE, therefore in the so-called Thermally Integrated Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (TI-PTES). In the framework of the PRIN 2022 project ECO-SEARCHERS, specific cycle layouts of interest are studied and compared on a thermodynamic basis: the most promising solution is presented in this paper. Finally, the test rig that will be used for laboratory-scale validation of a small size radial bladeless turbine is described, providing a first glance to the technical challenges in realizing and managing sCO2 cycles in practice.

Computer modeling of employing binary/ternary organic blends in integrated HP-assisted HDH desalination systems

The global demand for potable water is rising, prompting the development of various energy systems for distilled water production. However, the significance of utilizing multicomponent working fluids in these systems has been largely overlooked. This study presents computer modeling of three HDH-based distillation units powered by two conventional heat pump cycles, namely, the simple and vapor injection heat pumps (first and second models) and an innovative heat pump cycle with an ejector expander (third model). The significance of the research lies in its pioneering investigation of utilizing two- and three-component mixtures in heat pump-based desalination units, which has not been previously explored. The study's primary aim is to determine whether using multicomponent working fluids instead of pure fluids or introducing structural modifications can more effectively enhance the performance of heat pump-based distillation units. The proposed models are simulated using EES and MATLAB software, with the study focusing on energetic, exergetic, exergoeconomic, and heat exchanger modeling to evaluate the feasibility of the configurations. The findings revealed that the structural modifications in the third scenario using R134a resulted in the highest GOR, with improvements of 44 % and 26.03 %, respectively, compared to the other scenarios. However, utilizing binary blend R22/R142b with different compositions improved the GOR of the first to three scenarios by 41.26 %, 29.06 %, and 11.87 %, respectively. Furthermore, in this case, the unit cost of distilled water for the first, second, and third scenarios increased by 12.87 %, 14.32 %, and 12.70 %, respectively. Finally, the first scenario has the highest NPV of 4.40 M$ and the shortest PP of 8.13 years. Therefore, utilizing the blend in a simple heat pump proves to be more efficient and cost-effective than implementing structural modifications.

Analysis of HEM applicability for a subcritical flashing ejector at low motive pressure

Validated CO2 ejector models are essential for developing high-performance refrigeration and heat pump cycles. This study focuses on assessing the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model’s applicability to simulate a CO2 flashing ejector at a reduced pressure of 0.47. The model was implemented in FLUENT, integrating a user-defined real gas model. Simulation results with different boundary condition options were compared to experimental data. The analysis was carried out to evaluate the predictive capabilities of the model and assess the experimental data quality. The results indicate that the developed model accurately estimated the motive mass flow rate, with a maximum relative error of 5.7%, showing better performance than previously reported data. The entrained flow rate, assuming double choking operation, was significantly higher than the experimental measurement, and the CFD-predicted wall static pressure underestimated the experimental profile, suggesting single-choked ejector operation. In contrast, the outflow density was better predicted under the same assumption, with an average error of 8.6%. Nevertheless, the simulated temperature profiles showed good agreement with the experimental data, especially when using the experimental entrained mass flow rate as a boundary condition.

A quasi-two-stage trans-critical CO2 heat pump with in-cycle thermal storage for performance enhancement

To decarbonise the heating sector, there is a strong demand for environmentally friendly and cost-effective heating technologies. Trans-critical CO2 heat pumps offer a sustainable alternative to traditional vapor compression cycles that rely on environmentally harmful synthetic refrigerants. However, a significant challenge within trans-critical CO2 heat pumps is their high throttling loss during expansion, leading to substantial flash gas production and subsequently higher recompression power consumption. In this paper, we apply our Flexible Heat Pump cycle concept to trans-critical CO2 heat pumps to address this issue. A thermal storage unit is introduced into a traditional trans-critical CO2 heat pump cycle to recover heat from the hot super-critical CO2 leaving the gas cooler during charging mode. Once it is fully charged, the stored heat is then used as a temporary heat source for the heat pump’s operation during the discharging mode. Since the recovered heat has a higher temperature than ambient. The resultant flexible trans-critical CO2 heat pump (FlexiCO2-HP) reduces throttling losses and the compressor’s power consumption, leading to a higher average COP (Coefficient of Performance). The obtained results of the FlexiCO2-HP are compared against a single-stage trans-critical CO2 heat pump. For gas cooler temperatures ranging from 35 °C to 60 °C and across various discharge pressures, its COP is potentially 10 % to 40 % higher than the standard cycle under ideal conditions. In addition, the proposed system demonstrates a lower optimal gas cooler pressure across different gas cooler temperatures. Furthermore, this study compares the FlexiCO2-HP with other trans-critical CO2 systems, including those with expansion work recovery and two-stage configurations. The results demonstrate that the FlexiCO2-HP offers improvements in COP for most conditions, though not all. It has the potential to achieve a comparable COP when compared with ejector-based and expander-based heat pumps or two-stage systems, but it is much simpler in design without introducing an extra expander or compressor.

A mass-coupled hybrid absorption-compression heat pump with output temperature of 200 °C

Heat pump technology is a promising solution for energy saving and emission reduction in industry. However, current technologies with limited temperature lift are not sufficient to meet the industrial heat demands. Aiming at efficient heat supply over 200 °C, this work proposes a hybrid absorption-compression heat pump cycle with mass coupling between LiBr-water type II absorption heat pump and water vapor compression heat pump, which could reduce the working pressure of compressor. Water injection is applied in the compressor for performance improvement. Detailed performance analysis is carried out for the hybrid heat pump cycle, showing an optimized COP of 3.01 under the temperature lift from 150 °C to 200 °C. Besides, the proposed system is capable of achieving temperature lift of 50 °C for heat source between 100 °C and 164 °C. Greater application superiority occurs at higher temperature output. The proposed cycle broadens the working domain of heat pump.

Energy and Economic Analysis of a New Combination Cascade Waste Heat Recovery System of a Waste-to-Energy Plant

Waste incineration has become the main treatment method for urban household waste, and it can produce a large amount of electricity. The efficiency of waste incineration plants is reduced due to the large amount of waste heat carried away by the flue gas. Recycling and utilizing the waste heat from flue gas are important in improving the economic benefits of waste incineration, which is necessary for energy conservation and emission reduction. Based on the principle of cascade waste heat recovery from waste incineration flue gas whilst considering system safety and efficiency, this study proposed a new combination cascade waste heat recovery system consisting of a Rankine cycle, an organic Rankine cycle and a heat pump cycle. Thermodynamic and economic analyses of the combined system were conducted in detail. The results indicated that the energy efficiency of the combined system could reach up to 73%. The maximum net present value of the system was million USD 1.59 million, and the dynamic investment payback period was about 6.5 years. The isentropic efficiency of the combined system’s pumps and turbines had a significant impact on the system’s performance. A higher isentropic efficiency resulted in better system performance. The exergy analysis showed that the evaporator of the heat pump system had the highest irreversible loss.

Comparison with Carnot battery of an alternate thermal electricity storage charged by concentrated photovoltaic thermal system and resistance heater

In Carnot Batteries (pumped thermal electricity storage), which is known as a low-cost electricity storage method, electrical energy is stored as thermal energy and then converted back into electrical energy using a heat pump and a heat engine, respectively. In the studies carried out to date, different heat source scenarios, heat storage methods, and methods to improve heat pump and heat engine cycles have been applied to increase efficiency and reduce the cost of the Carnot Battery. This study’s novelty was using a concentrated photovoltaic thermal system and resistance heaters instead of a heat pump for the charge cycle in thermal electricity storage. This novel thermal electricity storage design aimed to reduce the levelized cost of storage of the system by eliminating the need for a heat pump and reducing the volume of the water storage tank. First, parametric analyses were performed for the specific variables of both energy storage systems. Afterward, the Carnot Battery and the proposed system were compared for the same electricity storage capacity. For charge/discharge times ranging from 4 h to 8 h and electricity storage capacities ranging from 0.5 MW to 2 MW, a 31.8 % to 58 % increase in round-trip efficiency and a 7.13 % to 20.67 % decrease in levelized cost of energy storage were achieved with the novel design.

Water heater storage heat pump cycle for higher operating range

Heat pumps for water heating have become increasingly attractive. However, the achievable water temperature using a vapor compression heat pump water heater (HPWH) is often constrained by the compressor operating envelope. To address this challenge, HPWHs typically employ two-stage compression with complex system architecture or rely on back-up electric heating. This work introduces an alternate storage heat pump concept to improve the operating temperature range of an R134a HPWH system. The developed system operates in two modes: Mode I functions as a typical wrap-around condenser HPWH, while Mode II splits the wrap-around coil to use the top portion as a condenser and the bottom portion as evaporator. System modeling consisting of a vapor compression cycle and water tank sub-models was conducted to study the performance. The model was validated experimentally. The storage heat pump system could achieve an additional increase of 12 °C beyond the maximum possible water temperature of 46 °C which was achieved using the baseline conventional HPWH system. In Mode II, the system exhibits a 20% higher average heating capacity and a 15% lower average pressure ratio compared to the conventional system operating at a 27 °C ambient temperature. Compared to usage of electric heating elements, storage heat pump system showed a longer recovery time with a 50% lower energy consumption for a similar increase in water temperature.

Techno-economic analysis and optimisation of Piperazine-based Post-combustion carbon capture and CO2 compression process for large-scale biomass-fired power plants through simulation

This study aims to investigate a cost-effective and energy-efficient amine-based post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) process for large-scale supercritical biomass-fired power plants (SC BFPP). Thus, we have quantified the energy and economic performance of the PCC process with different configurations and solvents. Three process configurations which included the standard configuration, the absorber intercooler (AIC) with the advanced flash stripper (AFS) and the AIC, AFS and side stream extraction (SSE) were simulated in Aspen Plus® V11 using 30 wt% and 40 wt% piperazine (PZ) as solvent. In addition to this, CO2 compression trains using the heat pump (HP) and supercritical CO2 cycle (s-CO2) were also simulated. Sensitivity analysis of the PCC process was carried out to investigate the impact of important parameters on the energy performance of the process. Furthermore, energy analysis shows that a minimum energy consumption of 2.78 GJ/tCO2 was achieved with the PCC process using 40 wt% PZ, a combination of the AIC, AFS and SSE for capture and s-CO2 for compression. This achieved a significant energy saving of 1.01 GJ/tCO2 compared with the standard PCC process using 30 wt% monoethanolamine that is used as the benchmark in this study. The economic analysis results showed that the minimum CO2 capture cost of 55.70 $/tCO2 was achieved using the AIC-AFS-SSE-sCO2 configuration and 40 wt% PZ as solvent. This represents a 19.5 % reduction in cost compared with the standard 40 wt% PZ process with a cost of 69.18 $/tCO2. The optimisation of the PZ-based PCC process was carried out to determine the optimal solvent concentration with the minimum carbon capture cost. It was found that the optimal PZ concentration for the PCC process based on standard and AFS configurations were 37.5 wt% and 32.5 wt%, respectively. The optimisation of the stripper pressure for the minimum carbon capture cost was conducted. As a result, compared with the standard PCC process using 40 wt% PZ, the energy consumption and CO2 capture cost of the optimised process at the suggested pressure of 7 bar were reduced by 41.6 % and 32.4 %, respectively.

Numerical modeling of heat transfer mechanism in remote sensing bulb of thermal expansion valves

Thermal management of automotive systems has garnered a lot of focus in recent times to improve the energy efficiency of vehicles and address the challenge of global warming. In combustible fuel vehicles, the heat pump compressor is driven by the engine power which leads to changes in operating condition of the cycle while the vehicle is in motion. In electric vehicles, a combined thermal management strategy handles both cabin and battery pack cooling/heating depending on the ambient conditions and power requirements by adjusting refrigerant flow rates and flow directions with sophisticated valves. Irrespective of the vehicle type, effective variable refrigerant flow control is prerequisite to ensure optimum thermal comfort with minimum energy. Thermal expansion valves (TXV) are the most widely used method for regulating mass flow rate of refrigerant during the expansion step of the vapor compression cycle based on the principle of trying to maintain a fixed degree of superheat at the evaporator outlet. Conventional models of the thermal expansion valve ignore the time lag between fluctuation of temperature at the evaporator outlet and the corresponding change in pressure of the TXV remote sensing bulb, treating the valve as an instantaneous element during transient operation. This paper presents a novel method for determining the temperature profile and time constant of the remote sensing bulb response using numerical methods, in an attempt to capture the dynamics of thermal expansion valve in active heat pump cycle. Finite difference method was used to solve for the conduction heat transfer between the bulb and the heat exchanger outlet tube in perfect thermal contact applying the necessary boundary conditions. This improved modeling approach will be helpful in better prediction of the dynamic behavior of thermal expansion valves and how it influences the evaporative heat exchanger performance during transient operations to determine control algorithm and strategies.

Theoretical analysis of the optimal ejector operation and design within an ejector-based refrigeration system

Optimal operation and design of ejectors are the subject of recent concerns, especially for the enhancement of refrigeration and heat pump cycles based on natural refrigerants like carbon dioxide. In this study, a thermodynamic analysis of an ejector-based refrigeration cycle is performed to determine both what operating pressures lead to the highest physically possible performance depending on the ambient conditions, and what are the main dimensions of the ejector leading to the best performance at a given ambient temperature. A state-of-the-art thermodynamic model for the prediction of the ejector performance is for the first time utilized to generate reliable operation and performance maps of the ejector cycle. Most notably, it is found that the optimal coefficient of performance is not necessarily found when the ejector operates at critical conditions but mostly when the device is under off-design regime, depending on the ejector internal efficiency and the hot side temperature. In addition, the analysis reveals that the performance of the cycle is not highly sensitive to the throat area ratio of the ejector given that the latter lies within an acceptable range. Those findings contribute to getting a better understanding of how the cycle benefits from the ejector and define design and control strategies for the cycle.