Testing on condenser heat exchange and pressure properties

Abstract

This report is a documentation of my experience while undergoing my final year project. The project explains the performance testing of vapor compression cycle (VCC) and includes the analytical view on the data acquisition.

A working refrigerant, R134a is used in the project integrated with the concept of multi-evaporators and EEVs. Tests were conducted and analyzed so as to determine the range of COP values. Researchers have shown that the on-off cycling of the system causes coefficient of performance (COP) to be below the 75% steady-state threshold. During the cycles, transient losses during the cycling are mainly attributed to two different phenomena; thermodynamic losses (heat exchangers mass) and start/stop losses (refrigerant migration). The multi-evaporator air conditioner (MEAC) consists of one compressor, one condenser, several evaporators and the same number of expansion values [1]. In this project, the MEAC uses one compressor to drive several evaporators simultaneously therefore, its dynamics are more complicated than the single machine [1].