Improving the energy efficiency of a vapor compression system using a phase change material
Amélioration de l'efficacité énergétique du cycle à compression de vapeur par l'utilisation de matériaux à changement de phase.
Résumé
When heat transfer between an evaporator and the refrigerated area is unusually low (a typical example is by natural convection) and the vapor compression system is on/off regulated, adding a planar PCM to an existing evaporator allows to improve the global efficiency. In this paper, the case of a household refrigerator is simulated as an example. Compared to the classical vapor compression system, the new design shows a significant increase of the coefficient of performance, but also a limitation of the maximum refrigerating capacity transmitted to the refrigerated area. Other benefits and limits of this technology are discussed.