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Efficiency enhancement of a refrigerator integrated with auxiliary nanofluids

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Abstract

The current work investigates a unique methodology for externally cooling a refrigerator’s condenser using nanofluids. Experiments were conducted to determine the influence of aluminum and copper nanofluids on the efficiency of a refrigerator. The cooling jacket comprising of nanofluids resulted in an increase in heat transmission across the condenser. Two nanofluids namely, copper nanofluid and alumina nanofluid were prepared in volume concentrations in the range of 1–5%. The base fluid was distilled water. The refrigerator's performance was assessed by computing the coefficient of performance with two separate jacket configurations, namely nanofluid and pure water. According to the experimental results, it is reported that the employment of copper and aluminum nanofluids leads in a considerable increase in efficiency. Additionally, it was noticed that the refrigerator's performance augmented as volume fraction of nanofluid increased. The efficiency of refrigerator was augmented by 23% with alumina nanofluid jacket, whereas the efficiency was increased by 31% with copper nanofluid jacket.

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Data availability

Data will be made available on request to the author.

Abbreviations

C :

Heat capacity, kJ Kg−1 K−1

COP:

Coefficient of performance

d :

Diameter, m

K B :

Boltzmann constant, J K−1

k :

Thermal conductivity, W m−1 K−1

l :

Mean free path, m

MWCNT:

Multi-wall carbon nano tube

m :

Mass, kg

nm:

Nanometer, m

Pr:

Prandtl number

Q :

Rate of heat transfer, kW

Re:

Reynolds number

T :

Temperature, K

u :

Experimental uncertainty

VCR:

Vapor compression refrigeration

V B :

Brownian velocity of nanoparticles

Δ :

Difference

Φ :

Volume fraction

ρ :

Density, kg m−3

μ :

Dynamic viscosity, kg m−1 s−1

δ :

Distance between particles, m

α :

Thermal diffusivity, m2 s−1

bf:

Base fluid

c:

Condenser

e:

Evaporator

eff:

Effective

HP:

Heat pump

np:

Nanoparticle

nf:

Nanofluid

p:

Constant pressure

R:

Refrigeration

s:

Solid

t:

Total

w:

Water

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge the support and lab facilities provided by Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University to carry out this research project.

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No special funding was received for this project.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar, 31952, Saudi Arabia

    Faizan Ahmed

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Ahmed, F. Efficiency enhancement of a refrigerator integrated with auxiliary nanofluids. J Therm Anal Calorim 147, 10613–10623 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-022-11316-5

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