Theoretical investigation on the performance of an ejector enhanced refrigeration cycle using hydrocarbon mixture R290/R600a

This paper proposes an ejector enhanced vapor compression refrigeration cycle (EVRC) using zeotropic hydrocarbon mixture R290/R600a for applications in domestic refrigerator/freezers. An internal heat exchanger and a phase separator are utilized in EVRC to improve the system performance. An ejector is adopted to further enhance the cycle performance. The energy and exergy analysis of EVRC are performed to evaluate the system operating characteristics and compared with the Lorenz-Meutzer vapor compression refrigeration cycle (LVRC) and the traditional vapor compression refrigeration cycle (TVRC). The results indicate that EVRC can provide the uppermost advantages over both TVRC and LVRC under the operating conditions. Compared with TVRC, the EVRC can significantly improve the coefficient of performance, volumetric refrigeration capacity and exergy efficiency by 13.5%, 19.3%, and 13.4%, respectively. The performance characteristics of the proposed cycle demonstrate its potential advantages for application in domestic refrigerator/freezers.