3620 -- Testing of Domestic Two-Evaporator Refrigerators with Zeotropic Refrigerant Mixtures ✓ Most Recent

Experimental tests and computer simulation results of Lorenz and Meutzner's two-evaporator refrigerators are reported. Zeotropic refrigerant mixtures were used as working fluids and theoretically shown to increase the coefficient of performance (COP) by 16% to 20% compared to conventional single-evaporator refrigerators. Experimentally, a refrigerator converted to a Lorenz-Meutzner cycle showed a 9% reduction in energy consumption compared to an original production unit of a 557.0-litre (20.0 ft³), side-by-side upright refrigerator. Cycling operation of refrigerators degraded the performance of zeotropic refrigerant mixtures 6% more than R12. With a further optimisation of cycles, heat exchangers, and mixtures, Lorenz and Meutzner's two-evaporator refrigerators can be one of the viable candidates to help alleviate global energy and environmental problems.

KEYWORDS: testing, domestic, evaporators, refrigerators, refrigerators, mixtures, non azeotropic, cyclic, operations, performance, R12, heat exchangers, energy consumption, coefficient of performance, Lorenz cycle