Abatract
In this paper, an experimental vapour compression cycle (VCC) prototype is developed.The VCC
system composes of a high performance 300W linear compressor with variable capacity control, expansion valve, air-cooled condenser, and two microchannel plate heat exchangers acting as evaporator and recuperator. Wide range of experimental characterization is performed to investigate the influence of changing the compressor capacity, evaporating temperature and expansion valve opening position on the VCC performance.
The prototype unit is able to achieve a high coefficient of performance (COP) of 4.5. Component and refrigeration cycle models are developed and validated with the experimental data. The proposed cycle model provides the insight to guide energy-efficient compact cooling system design and operation.