PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT OF VAPOUR COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS USING NANOPARTICLES: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

In recent years, the development and characterization of new refrigerants with higher energetic efficiency have gained considerable interest [1], with a particular emphasis on the energetic performance of suitable replacements. Nanofluids have been proposed as possible alternative due to their role in enhancing the thermophysical proprieties of traditional refrigerants [2]. The comprehensive review in [2] suggests that thermal conductivity of nanofluid increases with temperature and volume concentration but it is dependent on nanoparticle size distribution; specific heat is also increased if nanoparticles are added to the refrigerant. As consequence, the improved heat transfer coefficients lead to COP improvements for the same cooling capacity. Recently, the addition of nanoparticles to the compressor oil from a refrigerator has been found to reduce the friction coefficient up to 90% [3]; this suggests that nanoparticles migrating to the lubricant oil can also contribute to improve efficiency and reliability of the system. Findings from the literature are however contradictory at times [2]; it is therefore necessary to further explore the benefits of using nanoparticles dispersed in refrigerants. The present work focuses on a quantitative analysis of the performance enhancement for a vapour-compression refrigeration system due to addition of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) nanoparticle to a commercially available refrigerant, tetrafluoroethane (R134a).