Novel Compact Flooded Evaporators for Commercial Refrigeration

Flooded evaporators are an integral part of commercial refrigeration and large cooling systems. Compared with a direct-expansion evaporator, the flooded evaporator design has multiple advantages, including a higher heat transfer rate from the boiling refrigerant and a higher evaporating temperature that avoids additional superheating. However, the larger size of the equipment is a major disadvantage, which not only results in excessive refrigerant charge but also increases the pumping work. Porous metal foam on the shell-side of a flooded evaporator resolves these issues. The project team will design and analyze the performance of a novel flooded evaporator design that can lead to an increase in the coefficient of performance (COP) of commercial refrigeration systems. This project will address design concerns while considering several working fluids including conventional refrigerants, recently emerging hydrofluoroolefin refrigerants, and natural refrigerants.

Project Impact

This project will support the Building Technologies Office (BTO) goal of 30% energy savings by 2030 by increasing the COP of commercial refrigeration systems by at least 40%, with a 35% reduction in total system refrigerant charge.