THERMAL SCIENCE

International Scientific Journal

Thermal Science - Online First

online first only

Effect of mixed refrigerant composition on performance of an auto-cascade refrigeration system using R600a/R1150/R14

ABSTRACT
A mathematical model based on energy and exergy methods is established to analyze the performance of an auto-cascade refrigeration system at varying compositions of the mixed refrigerants, condensation temperature, evaporation temperature, and vapor quality at the condenser outlet. Furthermore, grey correlation theory is employed to assess the correlation degrees between refrigerant mass fractions and system performance, enabling the identification of the state that has the greatest impact on the output parameters. It has been concluded that while maintaining a constant mass fraction of R600a, an increase in the mass fraction of R1150 (state 1) leads to a higher cooling capacity but a decrease in exergy efficiency. The performance decreases with the increase of the R600a mass fraction (state 2) as the R1150 mass fraction is unchanged. When the component of R14 is constant while the other two components R600a/R1150 vary (state 3), and the COP exists as the optimal value. The mixture of R600a/R1150/R14 with a mass fraction of 0.5:0.2:0.3 has better performance at COP of 0.5027 and exergy efficiency of 29.43 % under a condensation temperature of 30℃. Based on the results of the grey correlation degree, the greatest factor in cooling capacity is state 1, while the COP and exergy efficiency are primarily controlled by state 3.
KEYWORDS
PAPER SUBMITTED: 2024-01-23
PAPER REVISED: 2024-04-07
PAPER ACCEPTED: 2024-04-11
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2024-06-22
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI240123136Y
REFERENCES
  1. Johnson, N., et al., Design and control of a cryogenic multi-stage compression refrigeration process, Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 121 (2017), pp. 360-367
  2. Pan, Z., et al., A Review of the Cascade Refrigeration System, Energies, 2254 (2020), 13, pp. 3-26
  3. Zhang, Y. Q., et al., Experimental investigation of the performance of an R1270/CO2 cascade refrigeration system, International Journal of Refrigeration, 114 (2020), pp. 175-180
  4. Sholahudin, S., Giannetti, N., Optimization of a cascade refrigeration system using refrigerant C3H8 in high temperature circuits (HTC) and a mixture of C2H6/CO2 in low temperature circuits (LTC), Applied Thermal Engineering, 104 (2016), pp. 96-10
  5. Xu, X. W., et al., Mixed refrigerant composition shift due to throttle valves opening in auto cascade refrigeration system, Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 23 (2015), pp. 199-204
  6. Liu. Y., et al., Theoretical analysis of a double ejector-expansion auto-cascade refrigeration cycle using hydrocarbon mixture R290/R170, International Journal of Refrigeration, 94 (2018), pp. 33-39
  7. Cheng, Z., et al., Performance evaluation of novel double internal auto-cascade two-stage compression system using refrigerant mixtures, Applied Thermal Engineering, 168 (2020), 114898
  8. Wang, Q., et al., Numerical investigations on the performance of a single-stage auto- cascade refrigerator operating with two vapor-liquid separators and environmentally benign binary refrigerants, Applied Energy, 112 (2013), pp. 949-955
  9. Sivakumar, M., Somasundaram, P., Exergy and energy analysis of three stage auto refrigerating cascade system using zeotropic mixture for sustainable development, Energy Conversion and Management, 84 (2014), pp. 589-596
  10. Rui, S., et al., Experimental investigation of the performance of a single-stage auto-cascade refrigerator, Heat Mass Transfer, 52 (2016), pp. 11-20
  11. Qin, Y. B., et al., Thermodynamic performance of a modified -150 ◦C refrigeration system coupled with Linde-Hampson and three-stage auto-cascade using low-GWP refrigerants, Energy Conversion and Management, 236 (2021), 114093
  12. Liu, J. R., et al., Thermodynamic analysis of a novel ejector-enhanced auto-cascade refrigeration cycle, Applied Thermal Engineering, 200 (2022), 117636
  13. Rodríguez-Jara, E. A., et al., Thermodynamic analysis of auto-cascade refrigeration cycles, with and without ejector, for ultra-low temperature freezing using a mixture of refrigerants R600a and R1150, Applied Thermal Engineering, 200 (2022), 117538
  14. Liu, F. Z., et al., Performance evaluation of an auto-cascade refrigeration system using grey correlation theory and response surface methodology, Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 0 (2023), pp. 1-17
  15. Ye, W. L., et al. Application of response surface methodology and desirability approach to optimize the performance of an ultra-low temperature cascade refrigeration system, Applied Thermal Engineering, 239 (2024), 122130
  16. Elakdhar, M., et al., Analysis of a compression/ejection cycle for domestic refrigeration, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 46 (2007), 130, pp. 4639-4644
  17. Li, M., Grey correlation analysis of low-carbon governance in Yangtze River delta cities, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, (2022), 2029087
  18. Li, C., et al., Multi-objective optimization strategy based on entropy weight, grey correlation theory, and response surface method in turning, International Journal of Industrial Engineering, 28 (2021), 5, pp. 490-507