Centrifugal Compressors Gas-Dynamic Characteristics Influence on the Refrigerating Machines Efficiency

The article is devoted to the study R134a refrigerating machine efficiency and consisting of a centrifugal compressor, a condenser, a temperature-regulating valve and an evaporator. The main purpose of the work is to analyze the centrifugal compressor gas dynamic characteristics effect on the refrigeration machine vapor-compression cycle efficiency. This goal is achieved through the study by actual working process numerical experiment in the refrigeration machine centrifugal compressor with an idealized process for other elements. The object of the study are the refrigeration machine characteristics, expressed by the theoretical refrigeration coefficient COPRt. Single-stage centrifugal compressors with the design conditional flow coefficient in the range from 0.035 to 0.12 are considered. The design of centrifugal compressors was carried out according to a new calculation method to the flow part efficiency increase. The method comprehensively combines the inviscid and viscous flow calculations with the use of the single-criteria and multiparametric optimization. Previously, the method was tested and compared with experimental data. The most important result is the results of the refrigeration cycle efficiency evaluating through the centrifugal compressors highly efficient flow parts design methodology application. An increase in COPRt was obtained taking into account the centrifugal compressor actual process in the range from 2.6% to 7.2%. The significance of the results obtained lies in the possibility of using high-efficiency centrifugal compressors gas dynamic characteristics for the chillers refrigeration cycles analysis and calculation. The level of the compressors isentropic efficiency ranges from 0.80 to 0.85, depending on the design conditional flow coefficient.