Experimental results for a hydraulic refrigeration system using n-butane

The hydraulic refrigeration system (I-TRS) is a vapor-compression system that accomplishes the compression and condensation of the refrigerant in a unique manner, by entraining refrigerant vapor in a down-flowing stream of water and utilizing the pressure head of the water to compress and condense the refrigerant. A multi-stage HRS was designed, fabricated, and tested using tl-butane as the refrigerant. In general, both the refrigeration rate and the coefficient of performance (COP) increased with a corresponding decrease in the compression fluid temperature of the third and final stage. The refrigeration rate and COP were also found to increase with a corresponding increase in evaporator temperature. The predictions of an enhanced model incorporating two-phase hydraulic losses show excellent agreement with the experimental data with a maximum error of +/- 20%. The results of the experimental investigation indicate that the HRS offers an attractive and feasible alternative to conventional vapor-compression systems, especially in applications where direct-contact heat exchange in the evaporator is desirable. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.