Thermosyphon-assisted cooling system for refrigeration applications

• Published in: International journal of refrigeration 2017-02, Vol.74 (C), p.165-176
• Main Authors: He, Tao, Mei, Chunlei, Longtin, Jon P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ambient cooling; Appliance energy efficiency; Appliance energy savings; Commercial refrigeration; Cooling; Cooling systems; Efficacité énergétique des appareils; Energy consumption; Energy efficiency; Froid commercial; Froid domestique; Methanol; Microclimat; Microclimate; Refrigeration; Refroidissement ambiant; Residential energy; Residential refrigeration; Test chambers; Thermosiphon; Thermosyphon; Thermosyphons; Working fluids; Économie d’énergie des appareils
• ISSN: 0140-7007; 1879-2081
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2016.10.012

•A thermosyphon-based residential/commercial refrigeration system is proposed.•Cold outside temperatures are used to provide low-cost cooling for energy savings.•Tests were done on a residential refrigerator with a finned copper tube thermosyphon.•Viable temperatures were achieved with outside temperatures as high as −0.8 °C.•The micro-climate concept that can manage refrigerator's temperature locally is proposed. Residential refrigeration is one of the largest contributors to home appliance energy consumption in the U.S. This energy use is nearly doubled if commercial refrigeration is included. By using cold outside temperatures for cooling, however, energy savings can be realized. In this work, a thermosyphon-assisted cooling system for a household refrigerator is presented. A single finned copper-tube thermosyphon with methanol as the working fluid is used. An environmental chamber that can reproduce outside ambient temperatures to −5 °C is located above the refrigerator. Results are presented for different outside temperatures, fan speeds, and filling ratios in the thermosyphon. The electricity use for both the original equipment refrigeration and the thermosyphon system is reported. The interior temperature is found to vary depending on the number of fans that are used to blow air over the thermosyphon evaporator in the refrigerated space. This can be used to produce localized micro-climates within the refrigerated space for further energy savings.