Design and simulation of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle for a micro refrigerator

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Mühendislik Fakültesi, Makina Mühendisliği Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2010

Öğrenci: SEYFETTİN YILDIZ

Danışman: HANİFE TUBA OKUTUCU ÖZYURT

Özet:

Cooling of electronic equipments has become an important issue as the advances in technology enabled the fabrication of very small devices. The main challenge in cooling is the space limitation. The use of miniature refrigerators seems to be a solution alternative for the cooling problem. The objective of this study is to design and simulate a vapor compression refrigeration cycle for a micro-scale refrigerator. A MATLAB code is developed for the simulations. The four components of the refrigerator, namely, the condenser, evaporator, compressor and the capillary tube are designed separately. The cycle is successfully completed nearly at the same point where it begins. The cold space temperature, ambient air temperature, condensation and evaporation temperatures, and the evaporator heat load are the predetermined parameters. A fan is used to cool the condenser, and the compressor is selected as isentropic. R-134A is selected as the refrigerant and a simple interpolation code is developed to obtain the thermophysical properties of R-134A. The original design is carried out with an isentropic compressor. For the purpose of comparison, a cycle with a polytropic compressor is also considered. Similarly, two alternative designs for the evaporator are developed and simulated. A second law analysis is performed at the end of the study.