Theoretical study on an innovative ejector enhanced Joule-Thomson cycle

Abstract

SUMMARYThis paper describes an innovative ejector enhanced Joule-Thomson cycle for low-temperature refrigerators. Since an ejector is introduced into the cycle, the cycle performance is profoundly affected by the pressure lift ratio and entrainment ratio of the ejector. As a case study, the performance characteristic of the novel cycle refrigerator using the non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture R14/R23 with the molar fraction of 0.6/0.4 is theoretically investigated in detail. The theoretical results show that in a typical refrigeration temperature range from À651C to À951C, the novel cycle refrigerator has 24.4%-41.5% improvement in coefficient of performance and 60%-220% enhancement in refrigeration capacity when compared to a basic Joule-Thomson cycle low-temperature refrigerator. This achieves a significant advantage as the use of the novel cycle is applied to low-temperature refrigerators for the medical and commercial applications.

Ejector refrigeration: A comprehensive review

“…Using this working fluid, the numerical results showed that this cycle can reach the lowest refrigeration temperature of À 30°C. A Joule-Thompson ERC has been proposed by Yu et al [318] (Fig. 19), improving by 41.5% the performance of the systems, compared to a system without ejector.…”

Progress and challenges in utilization of ejectors for cryogenic cooling

“…Yu et al [36] further analyzed the JT cooler with an ejector by using the exergy method and reconfirmed that applying an ejector was an effective approach to improve the performance of the JT cooler. Moreover, Yu et al [37] theoretically investigated the performance of a JT cooler with an ejector using the non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture R14/R23 and found a COP increase by 24-42% compared to a basic JT cooler. Rashidi et al [38] analyzed the performance improvement of a JT cooler due to the introduction of an ejector into the cycle using a combined first and second law approach.…”

Numerical investigation of ejector transient characteristics for a 130‐kW PEMFC system

“…Sun and Eames investigated the performance of an HCFC‐123 ejector refrigeration cycle and found that HCFC‐123 is more suitable than CFC‐11. Yu et al proposed a novel Joule‐Thomson cycle to improve the performance of low‐temperature refrigerators. Bilir and Ersoy used a two‐phase ejector model to investigate the performance of a vapor compression system.…”