Hydrocarbon Refrigeration

Status, Challenges & Opportunities

TieJun (TJ) Zhang
tjzhang@masdar.ac.ae
Tuesday, September 10, 2013

MASDAR INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ADAirport

PVPlant

Masdar
Institute

Aresearchdrivengraduateuniversityinscienceandtechnologies
Focusedonadvancedenergy,waterandsustainabilityresearch
Over80professorsand400PhD/MScstudentsfrom50countries
1PhDand9MScprogramscoveringvariousengineeringfields
IncollaborationwithMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT)
LocatedincarbonneutralMasdarCityinAbuDhabi,UAE
2

DR. TJ ZHANG BIO & RESEARCH LAB

ResearchExperience:
20112012,VisitingFacultyatDRL,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT),USA
20082011,PostdoctoralResearchAssociate,RensselaerPolytechnicInstitute(RPI),USA
HonorsandAwards
PrincipalInvestigator,MasdarInstitute MITFlagshipSolarResearchProject,2013
AlienofExtraordinaryAbilityinScience,U.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecurity,2012
ProfessionalActivities
K18TechnicalCommitteeMemberofASMEHeatTransferDivision
SessionOrganizer/ChairofmanyASME/IEEEInternationalConferences
InvitedReviewerforover20InternationalJournalsandNumerousConferences

5PhD&6MScstudents
2PostdocResearchers
1VisitingScientist
3

COOLING DEMAND IN ABU DHABI, UAE

CoolingRepresents~HalfofUAEElectricalLoad
ADWEA2008dailyloadsforAbuDhabiIsland:WeatherSensitivity
Providedby
Dr.PeterArmstrong

VAPOR COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION COOLING CYCLE

Thermo
Physical
Property
Heat
Transfer
Diagramoftypicalrefrigerationcoolingcycle
withaircooledcondenser

Compactrefrigerationcoolingcycleresearchtestbed
atRTRL MasdarInstitute(beforeinsulation)

J.Catano,T.J.Zhang,etal.,VaporCompressionRefrigerationCycleforElectronicsCoolingPartI:Dynamic
ModelingandExperimentalValidation&PartII:gainschedulingcontrolforcriticalheatfluxavoidance,
InternationalJournalofHeatandMassTransfer,inpress.
5

ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE REFRIGERANTS

Pressure P (kPa)

6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
-20

20

40

60
80 100 120
Temperature T ( C)

140

Pressurelevelofdifferentrefrigerants
Conclusions

1)
2)
3)
4)

160

180

R134a
R1234yf
R1234ze
R290 (Propane)
R600a (Isobutane)
R600 (Butane)
R601 (Pentane)
R744 (CO2)

7000

3
Volumetric Cooling Capacity qv (kJ/m )

R134a
R1234yf
R1234ze
R290 (Propane)
R600a (Isobutane)
R600 (Butane)
R601 (Pentane)
R744 (CO2)

8000

x 10

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
-20

20

40

60
80 100 120
Temperature T ( C)

140

160

180

Volumetriccoolingcapacityofdifferentrefrigerants

Atcertainoperatingtemperature,thepressureofCO2 ismuchhigherthanotherrefrigerants
Inanominaloperatingtemperaturerange(080C),thecoolingcapacityofPropaneishigher
Athightemperature(80120C),thecoolingcapacityofisobutane/butaneiscomparable
Atveryhightemperature(>120C),thecoolingcapacityofpentaneisalsocomparable

T.J.Zhang,S.Mohamed,ConceptualDesignandAnalysisofHydrocarbonbasedSolarThermalPower
andEjectorCoolingSystemsinHotClimates,ASMEJournalofSolarEnergyEngineering,underreview.

LINEAR COMPRESSOR WITH ALTERNATIVE REFRIGERANTS

Mass Flow Rate (g/s)

1.5

0.5

0
1

1.5

Propane (R290)
500

Cooling Capacity (W)

450

Sat. Vapor
Sat. Liquid
VCC Cycle

400

Pressure (kPa)

350
300
250
200

200

100

0
1

R134a
R1234ze
R290 (Propane)
R600a (Isobutane)
1.5
t/t

150
100
50
0

300

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Atthesameinlet/exitcondition&pistonvelocityprofile:
1) Thecoolingflowrate ofR1234zeishigher
2) ThecoolingcapacityofPropaneishigher

Enthalpy (kJ/kg)

M.Alzoubi,T.J.Zhang,TransientThermalFluidModelingofaLinearMicroCompressorinCompactRefrigeration
CoolingSystemsASME2013InternationalMechanicalEngineeringCongress&Exposition,SanDiego,USA,2013.
7

HEAT TRANSFER ON NANOSTRUCTURED SURFACES

ThinLiquidFilmEvaporationonSuperhydrophilic NanostructuredCuO Surfaces

JumpingDropCondensationonSuperhydrophobic NanostructuredCuO Surfaces

Vaporcondensationonsuperhydrophobic nanostructured coppersurfaces

inEnvironmentalScanningElectronMicroscopy(tobeappliedtohydrocarbon)
8

COMPACT SOLAR THERMAL POWER & EJECTOR COOLING

Pentane
1600
g

p
1400

Stand-Alone

Hydrocarbon
Refrigerant as
Working Fluid

Pressure P (kPa)

1200
1000
800
600
m

400
200

er

-200 -100

e ey
100

power
cooling
sat.vap.
sat.liq.

f
d
x

200 300 400

Enthalpy h (kJ/Kg)

my
500

600

700

800

Pentane
180
160

Ejector
vs.
Compressor

Temperature T (C)

140

power
cooling
sat.vap.
sat.liq.
amb.T

m
f
d

120
100

my

80

60

er

p
c

40

ey

20
0
-0.4 -0.2

v
0

0.2

0.4 0.6 0.8

1
Entropy s [kJ/(kg*K)]

1.2

1.4

T.J.Zhang,S.Mohamed,ConceptualDesignandAnalysisofHydrocarbonbasedSolarThermalPower
andEjectorCoolingSystemsinHotClimates,ASMEJournalofSolarEnergyEngineering,underreview.

1.6

WORKING FLUID SELECTION IN EJECTOR COOLING CYCLE

R134a
R1234yf
R1234ze
R290 (Propane)
R600a (Isobutane)
R600 (Butane)
R601 (Pentane)
R744 (CO2)

Temperature T (C)

150

Pentane
4500
4000

amb. T

100

spinodal
sat.vap.
sat.liq.
Tt=131C

Isotherm T

3500
Pressure P (kPa)

200

50

Tn=110C

3000
2500
Metastable
Supersat.
Vapor Zone

2000

Ejector
Motive
Flow

1500
1000

500

0
1.2

1.4

1.6
1.8
2
Entropy s [kJ/(kg*K)]

2.2

2.4

Temperaturespecificentropylinesofdifferent
refrigerants(saturatedvapor):ambientT=40C

2.6

0 -3
10

-2

f d n

-1

10
10
3
Specific Volume v (m /kg)

my x
0

10

Pressurespecificvolumespinodal linesandmetalstable
regionofpentane(o:ejectormotiveflowPvdiagram)

T.J.Zhang,S.Mohamed,ConceptualDesignandAnalysisofHydrocarbonbasedSolarThermalPower
andEjectorCoolingSystemsinHotClimates,ASMEJournalofSolarEnergyEngineering,underreview.
10

(S&K)
Hydrocarbonrefrigerantgasejector
(top:diagram;bottom:automaticejectorphoto)

Pentane
400

Motive
Entrain

200
0
m

n(e)

150
100
Motive
Entrain

50
0
m
Mach Number M

Temperature T (C) Pressure P (kPa)

HYDROCARBON REFRIGERANT GAS EJECTOR

n(e)

3
Motive

2
1
0
m

Axialpressure/temperature/velocitydistributions
insideapentanegasejector

T.J.Zhang,S.Mohamed,ConceptualDesignandAnalysisofHydrocarbonbasedSolarThermalPower
andEjectorCoolingSystemsinHotClimates,ASMEJournalofSolarEnergyEngineering,underreview.
11

COMBINED SUPERCRITICAL CO2 BRAYTON & ORC CYCLE

SupercriticalCO2 Brayton Cycleunderdevelopment

(Infinity
SCO2
Turbine)

OrganicRankine CycleTestbed underdevelopment

12

PROPANE VS. R410A IN VRF SPLIT SYSTEM DR. ARMSTRONG

Differencemostpronouncedathighambient,highloadconditions!

Annual energy savings wrt R410A (Zakula 2012)

w/night precooling
Conventional plant
Propane versus R410A
2.4 %
7.8%
Ammonia versus R410A
8.7 %
14.0%

T.Zakula,P.Armstrong&L.Norford,Optimalcoordinationofheatpumpcompressorandfanspeedsand
subcooling overawiderangeofloadsandconditions,HVAC&RResearch,18(6),pp.11531167,2012

13

OTHER COOLING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES DR. ARMSTRONG

AppliedResearchinCoolingEfficiencyandAdvancedControl
(Dr.PeterArmstrong)
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

A/CandChillercomponentbasedmodelforoptimalequipmentdesignandcontrol(MIMIT)
Aircooled,watercooledchillerandDXequipmentincludingBPHX
Anycompressortechnology(recip,scroll,screw,centrifugal,economized)
AnyrefrigerantsupportedbyREFPROP
GCCChilleroptimaldesign&efficiencystandard(ADGov. ExecutiveAffairsAuthority)
OversizeEXV,combinedcondenserandevaporatorcircuits
OptimalcoordinationoffanandcompressorspeedsandSC
GCCDehumidificationdesign&efficiencystandard(ADGov. ExecutiveAffairsAuthority)
Enthalpywheel,runaroundheatexchangeroptimizedforlowSHR
DXcoil,variablespeedcondensingunit,subcooling/reheatHX
DistrictCoolingVFDretrofitandoptimalcontrol(NationalCentralCoolingCo. Tabreed)
VariablespeedCWpumpretrofits
Optimalcoordinationofpumps,CTfan,CTcells,andcompressors
Hydrocarbonrefrigerationsystemsafetycontrolsystem(CollaboratingwithDr.TJZhang)
14

Thank You !
Q&A

15

3D IMAGE OF CUO NANO-NEEDLES FOR REFRIGERATION

Thursday, September 05, 2013

16

THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF REFRIGERANTS

3.5

Kinematic Viscosity v (cSt)

2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5

0.014
Surface Tension (N/m)

R134a
R1234yf
R1234ze
R290 (Propane)
R600a (Isobutane)
R600 (Butane)
R601 (Pentane)
R744 (CO2)

0
-20

R134a
R1234yf
R1234ze
R290 (Propane)
R600a (Isobutane)
R600 (Butane)
R601 (Pentane)
R744 (CO2)

0.016

0.012
0.01
0.008
0.006
0.004
0.002

20

40

60
80 100 120
Temperature T ( C)

140

160

180

Kinematicviscosityofdifferentrefrigerants(saturatedvapor)
(SimilartoSaturatedliquid/vapordensityratio)

0
-20

20

40

60
80 100 120
Temperature T ( C)

140

160

180

Surfacetensionofdifferentrefrigerants

17