Abstract
In a solar vapor ejector refrigeration system, the solar heat supply may vary because of variations in solar irradiation intensity, making it difficult to maintain a steady generator temperature. To improve ejector performance, this study proposes a variable throat ejector (VTEJ) and analyzes its performance using CFD simulations. The following conclusions can be drawn. An ejector with a greater throat area and larger solar collector allows a wider operating range of generator temperatures, but may be overdesigned and expensive. Conversely, decreasing the throat area limits the operating range of generator temperatures. Thus the ejector with a fixed throat area may be unsuitable to use solar energy as a heat source. For a VTEJ, this study derives a curve-fitting relationship between the optimum throat area ratio and the operating temperatures. Using this relationship to adjust the throat area ratio, the ejector can consistently achieve optimal and stable performances under a varying solar heat supply. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1512-1520 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | International Journal of Refrigeration |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): KUK-C1-014-12
Acknowledgements: This publication is based on the work supported by Award No.KUK-C1-014-12, made by King Abdullah, University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia.
This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.