35

subsections provide an overview of moving boundary models of an evaporator and a

condenser with receiver. A comprehensive derivation of the models, as well as other heat
exchanger configurations in presented in [63].
3.2.1 Evaporator
The evaporator model assumes a two phase flow condition at the heat exchanger
inlet that transitions to a single phase flow at specific point within the heat exchanger.
The location of the interface between these two phase regions is allowed to be a dynamic
variable. The governing ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are obtained by
integrating the governing partial differential equations (PDEs) (Eqs. 3.1-3.3) along the
length of the heat exchanger and assuming lumped parameters in each fluid region.
Two-Phase Superheat
L
1
(t) L
2
(t)
L
Total
) (t h m
out out
&
in in
h m&
x
in
> 0
P(t)
T
wall,1
(t)
T
wall,2
(t)
x = 1
Two-Phase Superheat
L
1
(t) L
2
(t)
L
Total
L
1
(t) L
2
(t)
L
Total
) (t h m
out out
& ) (t h m
out out
&
in in
h m&
x
in
> 0
in in
h m&
x
in
> 0
P(t)
T
wall,1
(t)
T
wall,2
(t)
x = 1

Figure 3.1 - Diagram of the Evaporator with two fluid regions
Several assumptions are made regarding the lumped parameters of the evaporator
model. The air temperature used to determine the heat transfer between the walls of the
heat exchanger and the air is assumed to be a weighted average of the inlet and outlet air
temperatures, ( ) ( ) + = 1
, , out a in a a
T T T . In the two phase region, the fluid properties are
determined by assuming a mean void fraction, for example ( ) ( )
g f
+ = 1
1
. In
the superheat region, average properties between the inlet and outlet refrigerant state are
used, i.e.
2
2
out g
h h
h
+
= , ( )
2 2
, h P T T
e r
= , and ( )
2 2
, h P
e
= . For the evaporator model,
the time derivative of the mean void fraction is neglected. This assumption is valid not

36
only because the change in mean void fraction tends to be small during transients
considered, but also because its time dependence is related to dynamic modes that are
much faster than the dominant system dynamics. Thus any mean void fraction dynamics
can be replaced with their instantaneous, algebraic equivalents.
The governing partial differential equations for the conservation of refrigerant
mass, refrigerant energy, and heat exchanger wall energy in a fluid region are given by
Eqs. 3.1-3.3.

( ) ( )
0 =

z
m
t
A
cs
&
( 3.1 )

( ) ( )
( )
r w i i
cs cs
T T p
z
h m
t
P A h A
=

&
( 3.2 )
( )
( )
( ) ( )
w a o o w r i i
w
w
p
T T p T T p
t
T
A C + =

( 3.3 )
The integration of Eqs. 3.1-3.3 over the two phase and superheat regions of the
evaporator results in the ODEs given by Eqs. 3.4-3.9.

Conservation of Refrigerant Mass (Two-Phase and Superheat Regions)
( ) ( ) ( )( )
int 1 1
1 1 m m L A P L A
dP
d
dP
d
in cs g f e cs
e
g
e
f
& &
& &
= +
|
|
.
|

\
|
+

( 3.4 )

( )
out g
out
P
e
e
g
P h
e
m m L A
h AL
h
P AL
dP
dh
h P
e e
& &
&
& &
= +
|
|
.
|

\
|

+
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

+
|
|
.
|

\
|

int 1 2
2
2
2
2
2
2 2
2
1
2
1
2


( 3.5 )
Conservation of Refrigerant Energy (Two-Phase and Superheat Regions)

( )
( )
( )
( ) ( )( )
( )
1 1
1
1 int int
1 1
1 1 1
r w
Total
i i in in
cs g g f f e cs
e
g g
e
f f
T T
L
L
A h m h m
L A h h P L A
dP
h d
dP
h d

|
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
+

& &
& &
( 3.6 )

37
( )
( )
2 2
2
2 int int
1 2 2 2 2 2
2
2
2 2 2
2
2 2
2
1
1
2
1
2
1
2
r w
Total
i i out out
cs g g out cs
P
e cs
e
g
P
e
g
h
e
T T
L
L
A h m h m
L A h h h L A h
h
P L A
dP
dh
h
h dP
dh
P
e
e

|
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
+ |
.
|

\
|
(
(

+
|
|
.
|

\
|

+
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|

& &
& &
&
( 3.7 )
Conservation of Wall Energy (Two-Phase and Superheat Regions)
( ) ( ) ( )
1 1 1 1 1 w a o o w r i i w
w
p
T T A T T A T V C + =
&
( 3.8 )
( ) ( ) ( )
2 2 2 2 1
2
1 2
2 w a o o w r i i
w w
w
w
p
T T A T T A L
L
T T
T V C + =
(

|
|
.
|

\
|

& &
( 3.9 )
The resulting six differential equations for conservation of refrigerant mass,
refrigerant energy, and wall energy for the two-phase and superheat regions only contain
five explicit time derivatives:
1
L
&
,
e
P
&
,
out
h
&
,
1 w
T
&
, and
2 w
T
&
. The equations can be combined
to eliminate the variable
int
m& . This results in Eq. 3.10, which is of the ( ) ( ) u x f x u x Z , , = &
form, with states | |
T
w w out e
T T h P L x
2 1 1
= , and where the elements of the ( ) u x Z ,
matrix are given in Table 3.1.
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

|
.
|

\
|
+
|
.
|

\
|
+
=
(
(
(
(
(
(

(
(
(
(
(
(

2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
2 2
2
2
1 1
1
1
2
1
1
55 51
44
33 32 31
23 22 21
12 11
0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0 0
r w i i w a o o
r w i i w a o o
out in
r w
Total
i i out g out
r w
Total
i i g in in
w
w
out
e
T T A T T A
T T A T T A
m m
T T
L
L
A h h m
T T
L
L
A h h m
T
T
h
P
L
z z
z
z z z
z z z
z z

& &
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
( 3.10 )

38
Table 3.1 Matrix Elements of ( ) u x Z , for the Evaporator
11
z ( ) | |( )
cs g f f
A h h 1
12
z ( )
( )
( )
( )
1
1 1 L A h
dP
d
dP
h d
h
dP
d
dP
h d
cs g
e
g
e
g g
g
e
f
e
f f
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|

21
z ( )
cs g
A h h
2 2

22
z
( )
2
2
2
2
2 2
1
2 2
1
2
L A
dP
dh
h h
dP
dh
h P
cs
e
g
g
e
g
P h e
e
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|

23
z
( )
2
2
2
2
2
2 2
1
L A h h
h
cs g
P
e
(
(

|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
.
|

\
|


31
z ( ) ( )( ) | |
cs g f g
A + 1
2

32
z
( ) ( )
cs
e
g
e
f
e
g
P h e
A L
dP
d
dP
d
L
dP
dh
h P
e
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

+
|
|
.
|

\
|

1 2
2
2 2
1
2
1
2

33
z
2
2
2
2
1
L A
h
cs
P
e
|
|
.
|

\
|

44
z ( )
w
p
V C
51
z
( ) |
.
|

\
|
2
2 1
L
T T
V C
w w
w
p

55
z ( )
w
p
V C

The nonlinear model presented in Eq. 3.10 can be linearized around a particular
system operating condition. This results in a linear evaporator model that can be used for
control design and to study the parametric sensitivity of the system. The full derivation of
the linear model is presented in [63].
3.2.2 Condenser with Receiver
The condenser portion of the condenser with receiver model assumes that
superheated vapor enters the condenser and transitions to a two phase mixture. The outlet
from the condenser is assumed to be near the saturated liquid condition, and the mean