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ELSEVIER

Int J. Refrig. Vol. 20, No. 5, pp. 352-358, 1997


1997 Elsevier Science Ltd and IIR
All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain
PII:SO140-7007(97)00008-X
0140-7007/97/$17.00 + .00

A small capacity steam-ejector refrigerator: experimental


investigation of a system using ejector with movable
primary nozzle
Satha Aphornratana
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sirinthorn International
I n s t i t u t e o f T e c h n o l o g y , T h a m m a s a t U n i v e r s i t y , P.O. B o x 22
T h a m m a s a t R a n g s i t P o s t Office, P a t u m t h a n i 12121, T h a i l a n d

lan W. Eames
I n s t i t u t e o f Building T e c h n o l o g y , D e p a r t m e n t o f A r c h i t e c t u r e a n d
Building T e c h n o l o g y , T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f N o t t i n g h a m , U n i v e r s i t y P a r k ,
Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Received 22 July 1996; revised 6 January 1997; accepted 6 February 1997
This paper describes an experimental study of a steam-ejector refrigerator using an
ejector with a primary nozzle that could be moved axially within the mixing chamber
section. The effects on coefficient of performance and cooling capacity produced by
adjusting the position of the nozzle were studied. The experimental rig and method are
described and results are presented which clearly show the benefit of using such a primary
nozzle. Copyright Elsevier Science Ltd and IIR.

(Keywords:refrigeratingmachine;ejector;design;performance)

R6frig6rateur de petite puissance 5. ejection de vapeur:


Etude exp6rimentale d'un syst6me utilisant un 6jecteur
buse primaire mobile
Cet article ddcrit l'~tude exp~rimentale d'un r~frig~rateur it ~jection de vapeur utilisant un
~jecteur it buse primaire qui peut se dkplacer dans l'axe de la chambroe de m~lange. On a
~tudi~ les effets de la position de la buse sur le COP et la puissance frigorifique. On d~crit le
banc d'essai et la m~thode ; on pr~sente les r~sultats qui mettent en ~vidence les avantages de
l'utilisation d'un tel systbme. Elsevier Science Ltd et IIR.
(Mots cles: machine frigorifique;6jecteur; conception; performance)

its capital cost and maintenance should make it


become a serious competitor with any other cycle 1.
Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an ejector
refrigeration cycle. High pressure and high temperature refrigerant vapour is evolved in a boiler to
produce the primary (motive) fluid. This enters the
primary nozzle of the ejector, where it expands to
produce a supersonic flow that creates a low pressure
region within the mixing chamber. This region of low
pressure draws vapour from the evaporator (secondary flow). The primary and secondary fluids are
combined in the mixing chamber of the ejector. At
the mixing chamber's throat, a transverse shock-wave

An ejector refrigerator is similar to an absorption


refrigerator, since both can be powered by low grade
heat energy, with the addition of a small quantity of
work input required to circulate the working fluids.
Therefore, both systems can convert waste heat to
useful refrigeration and may be cheaper to operate
than conventional vapour compression cycles whose
energy input is entirely in the form of mechanical
work. When compared with an absorption system,
an ejector system is relatively simple to construct,
operate and control; it also uses only single component working fluid (refrigerant only). Even its
coefficient of performance (COP) is relatively low but

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352

A small capacity steam-ejector refrigerator


boiler

Figure l A steam ejector refrigeration cycle


Figure 1 Cvcle JHgor(fique g~~jection de vapeur

is induced to create a compression effect. The mixed


stream is then discharged, via a diffuser, to a
condenser, where the vapour is condensed. The
liquid refrigerant accumulated in the condenser is
returned to the boiler via a pump whilst the remainder
is expanded through the throttling valve to the
evaporator, thus completing the cycle. As the work
input required to circulate the fluid is typically < 1%
of the heat supplied to the boiler, the COP may be
given as:
COP -

heat input at the evaporator


heat input at the boiler

Theoretical and experimental studies of a small


capacity steam-ejector refrigerator have been presented previously 1. These studies showed that COP
and cooling capacity are both dependent on the
operating temperatures. The area ratio of the primary
nozzle throat to the diffuser throat was also important. For fixed boiler and evaporator temperatures,
when the condenser pressure is allowed to be
decreased below a certain critical value the COP and
cooling capacity were found to be constant and the
ejector entrained the same amount of the secondary
fluid. This phenomenon may occur due to the flow
choking within the mixing chamber. Therefore, an
increase in boiler pressure or a reduction in condenser
pressure may not always increase the COP and
cooling capacity. Furthermore, if condenser pressure
is increased to a value greater than a certain critical
value, the ejector m a r lose its function completely,
causing the COP and cooling capacity to drop sharply
to zero. In a previous paper ~, it was concluded that,
for a given condenser pressure (limited by the cooling
water temperature) and evaporator temperature
(limited by the cooling application heat source
temperature), a steam ejector refrigerator will provide
its maximum performance when the boiler pressure is
adjusted in order to allow the ejector to operate
precisely at its critical condenser pressure condition.
Also, when the geometry of the ejector is fixed,
cooling capacity can only be increased by reducing the
boiler temperature as the condenser pressure falls or
I JR 20-5-

353

by allowing the evaporator temperature to rise, which


may not be possible.
From the literature, the performance of an ejector
has been shown to be dependent on the position of the
primary nozzle2'3. The effect of the nozzle position on
ejector performance has not been clearly explained. In
practice, ejectors are usually designed with a fixed
primary nozzle position. The optimum position of the
nozzle within the mixing chamber being experimentally determined. The ESDU design guide2 suggests
that the nozzle should be placed at a distance of 0.5
1.0 length of the mixing chamber's throat diameter
upstream of the mixing chamber inlet. However,
because of the complex nature of the flow structure,
it is difficult to give precise recommendations for
the optimum nozzle position. In this current paper,
the ejector used was designed so that the primary
nozzle exit position, relative to the mixing chamber,
could be adjusted in order to maximize the system
performance when the operating conditions were
difference from the design point. Tests were conducted with various boiler, evaporator and condenser
saturation temperatures.

An experimental refrigerator
An experimental refrigerator with a cooling capacity
of 2kW was constructed. Water was used as the
refrigerant. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the
system. The boiler design was based on the thermosyphon principle. Its maximum heating capacity was

super heater

evaporator

steam boiler

Y-

condenser

to drain

cooling water
solenoid valve

Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the experimental steam


ejector refrigerator
Figure 2 Schema du r{jHg~rateur experimental h ~/ection de
vapeur

354

S. Aphornratana and I. W. Eames


primary nozzle
throat diameter (mm)
exit diameter (mm)
40ram I_

............
-~

2.0
8.0

100ram

_,40mm ,_

210mm

Lm-; ..................Lm-; ....................................................- - - 2 ] ..........


! [

~_~-

40mm~]

nozzle exit position (NXP)


Figure 3 Flow boundaries of the experimental steam ejector
Figure 3 Lirnites d'~coulement de l'gjecteur de vapeur experimental
20

15

~"

~"

evaporator cooling load 685 W


"1 Tboiler = 120C, Peon = 30 mbar
Tboiler = 120C, Peon = 35 mbar
O Tboiler= 130C, Peon = 35 mbar
Tboiler = I30C, Pcon = 40 mbar

~
~

10

NXP (mm)

m i x i n g c h a m b e r inlet
I

-30

-10

10

30

50

Figure 4 Variations of the evaporator temperatures with the NXP


Figure 4 Variations de temperatures h l'~vaporateur en fonction de la position de la
buse (NXP)

7 kW, provided by two 3.5 kW electric heaters. The


evaporator was based on a flash type design. A single
3.25kW electric heater was used to simulate the
evaporator heat load. All the electric heaters were
controlled using variable transformers. A shell and
coil condenser was used, cooled by water taken from
the laboratory's cooling tower. The boiler was
covered with a 30 mm thickness of glass fibre wool
with aluminium foil backing. The evaporator was
covered with a 20mm thickness of neoprene foam
rubber. The average boiler heat loss was estimated to
be 25% of the electrical power input and the average
evaporator unwanted heat gain was found to be ca
12% 1.
Two circulation pumps were employed in the
system; a pneumatic diaphragm pump was used to
return the liquid water collected in the condenser to
the boiler and evaporator, and a magnetically coupled
centrifugal pump was used to circulate water through
the evaporator.
Figure 3 shows a sectional drawing of the test

ejector. It was designed based on methods provided in


the literature I-3. The nozzle was mounted on a
threaded shaft which allowed the distance between
the nozzle exit and the mixing chamber inlet to be
adjusted in order to determine the influence of the
nozzle position on the performance of the ejector. The
nozzle exit position (NXP) was defined as the distance
between the nozzle exit and the mixing chamber inlet
planes as shown in Figure 3. The NXP has a positive
value when the nozzle is placed inside the mixing
chamber, and is negative when outside the mixing
chamber.
The boiler, condenser and evaporator were charged
with deionized water. The performance of the
experimental refrigerator was obtained by measuring
the time averaged electric power input to the
evaporator and generator heaters over a steady state
running time of 30-60 min.

Optimum nozzle position


These tests were conducted by setting the evaporator

A small capacity steam-ejector refrigerator

355

20
evaporator cooling load 685 W
boiler temperature
140C
condenser pressure
~7
35 mbar
+
40 mbar
A
45 mbar
0
50 mbar
[]
55 mbar

60 mbar

c,._..
a......~....~

.,:-d
i.

mixingchamberinlet
o

-30

-10

10

NXP (ram)
f

30

50

Figure 5 Variations of the evaporator temperatures with the NXP


Figure 5 Variations de tempdratures h l'~vaporateur en fonction de la position de la
buse (NXP)

heat load constant at 685 W (110 4-0.5 V across the


heater). At each setting of the boiler and condenser
conditions, the primary nozzle position was varied
and the evaporator temperature was measured. If the
compression ratio (condenser to the evaporator
pressures) increased while the entrained fluid flow
was fixed (fixed cooling capacity), it was indicated
that the ejector performance was improved. The
optimum nozzle position was thought to be at the
point where the minimum evaporator temperature
was achieved. The results of these experiments are
shown in Figure 4 and 5. It was found that:
For fixed boiler and condenser pressures, the
evaporator temperature decreased as the primary
nozzle position was moved into the mixing
chamber. The temperature can be reduced to a
minimum level at some nozzle positions. Further
movement of the nozzle into the mixing chamber
caused the evaporator temperature to rise.
-- For a fixed nozzle position, the evaporator
temperature dropped when the condenser pressure was reduced or when the boiler pressure was
increased. However, the effect of the condenser
and boiler pressures were reduced when the NXP
was large.
The optimum nozzle position was shown to
depend on the boiler and condenser pressures.
Increasing the condenser pressure or reducing the
boiler pressure moved the optimum nozzle position into the mixing chamber, and vice versa.
According to the tests' results, a single optimum
nozzle position cannot be defined to meet all
operating conditions. Each operating condition
required a particular nozzle position. Similar experiments were conducted by Hamner 4 using RII as
the working fluid and with zero secondary flow

(the evaporator was isolated from the ejector). In


Hamner's case, the optimum nozzle position was
determined by measuring the minimum pressure in
the mixing chamber. However, the pressure varied
only very slightly with the nozzle position. According
to Zeren 5, the pressure in the mixing chamber was not
only a function of the boiler and condenser pressures
but also the mass flow rate of the secondary fluid.
From Figures 4 and 5, the optimum NXP was
found in the range of 0-15ram within the mixing
chamber inlet section. This is in contrast to the
recommendation from ESDU 2 which suggested placing the nozzle exit 0.5-1.0 length of the mixing
chamber's throat diameter upstream of the start of
the mixing chamber (equivalent to an NXP of - 9 to
- 1 8 m m ) . This may be due to the fact that the
primary steam pressure used is relatively low compared with the pressure that is commonly used
in industrial applications (2-3.6 bar compared with
5-20 bar).

Effect of the nozzle position on the system performance


These tests were conducted by setting the evaporator's thermostat at 5C and the boiler's thermostat
at 130C. For each NXP, the condenser pressure was
varied from below to above the critical value. During
the tests, the electric power input to the boiler and the
evaporator were measured. Refrigerator COP based
on electric power input, to both the boiler and
evaporator, is a measure of overall performance and
includes all the unwanted heat losses and gains to the
system.
Figure 6 (see also Table 1) shows the effect of the
nozzle position on COP. For fixed boiler and
evaporator temperatures, the COP and cooling
capacity can be varied as much as 100% by changing
on the nozzle position. Moving the nozzle into the

S. Aphornratana and I. W. Eames

356
25
0.30

31

28
I

__

34

~__L~__

37

Tcon (C)
e~

0.24

tt

boiler temperature
130C
boiler pressure
2.7 bar
evaporator temperature 5C
A
NXP = 4 mm
o
NXP = 11 mm
V
NXP = 26 mm
[]
NXP = 41 mm
O
NXP = 56 mm

zx

0.18
--

0. t2

0.06

0.00

30

Pcon (mbar)

4O

60

50

Figure 6 Variations of experimental performance (COP) with N X P and


condenser pressure for the evaporator temperature of 5C and the boiler
temperature of 130C
Figure 6 Variations de la performance exp~rimentale (COP) on fonction de la
position de la buso ( N X P ) et de la pression au condenseur, pour une temperature h
lYvaporateur de 5 deg C et une tempOrature au bouilleur de 130 deg C

Table 1 Performance of the experimental refrigerator at

m i x i n g c h a m b e r c a u s e d t h e C O P to fall a n d c o o l i n g
c a p a c i t y to d e c r e a s e w h e n t h e boiler i n p u t w a s
m a i n t a i n e d c o n s t a n t . H o w e v e r , t h e cycle c o u l d be
o p e r a t e d a t a h i g h e r critical c o n d e n s e r p r e s s u r e . By
retracting the nozzle from the mixing chamber, the
C O P a n d c o o l i n g c a p a c i t y c a n be i n c r e a s e d at t h e
e x p e n s e o f t h e critical c o n d e n s e r p r e s s u r e .

critical condenser pressure operation with various NXPs


Tableau 1 Performance du r~frig~rateur expdrimental fonctionnant en pression critique au condenseur, avec diff~rentes
positions de la buse
Condenser
N X P (mm)

Temp. (C)

Pressure
(mbar)

Qevap (W)

COP

-4
11
26
41
56

29.5
29.8
30.8
31.2
31.9

41
42
44
45
47

754
650
528
458
372

0.2238
0.1929
0.1567
0.1360
0.1104

Operation and control of a steam ejector refrigerator


T h i s s e c t i o n gives m e t h o d s o f o p e r a t i n g a n d c o n t r o l ling a s m a l l scale s t e a m ejector r e f r i g e r a t o r u s i n g a n
ejector w i t h a m o v e a b l e p r i m a r y n o z z l e p o s i t i o n .
P e r f o r m a n c e m a p s were c o n s t r u c t e d so t h a t t h e
e j e c t o r c o u l d be t u n e d b y v a r y i n g t h e boiler t e m p e r a -

Evaporator temperature, 5C; boiler temperature, 130C;


boiler pressure, 2.7 bar; boiler heat input 3369 W.
22
0.6

0.5

e~

26
I

30
I

34
I

38

Tcon (C)
Tboiler = 120 C

0,4

-- /

- NXP = 26 mm
........ NXP = I 1 mm
125C

,
03

130C

. /

0.2

- ' - ~ ~ a

-g~..

/~Teva

p = 10.0oc

~ - - /

"':-~-~_2,'

01

,-140oc

! :/i

50oc
Peon (mbar)

0,0

25

35

i i

45

55

65

Figore 7 Performance characteristic (COP) o f the experimental steam ejector


refrigerator
Figure 7 Caract~;ristique de performance (COP) du r~frig~rateur exp~;rimental ?t
~!jection de vapeur

A small capacity steam-ejector refrigerator


22
,

26
i

30

357

34

38

1400

Tcn (C)
Tboiler = 120C 125oc

130oC
135C
,

- , ~ - __/_. __ ,"
1000
.

--7---

f 140C

t--~ .....

f-

k,\

I I

Z;--

Tevap = 10.0C

600

- NXP = 26 mm
........ NXP = 1 l mm

~k~-...5.0o C
~

Pcon (mbar)

200

35

25

45

55

65

Figure 8 Performance characteristic (cooling capacity) of the experimental steam


ejector refrigerator
Figure 8 Caractkristique de performance (puissance frigorifique) du r~frig~rateur
experimental h ~jection de vapeur
Table 2 Performance at off design operations of the steam ejector refrigerator as shown in Figures 7 and 8*
Tableau 2 Performance du rOfrigOrateur ~ djection de vapeur en cas de fonctionnement hors des normes de conception, selon les
figures 7 et 8
Heat input (W)

Temperature (C)

Operating point
on the figures

NXP (mm)

COP

Evaporator

Boiler

Evaporator

Boiler

Condenser
pressure (mbar)

a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i

26
26
26
26
26
26
26
I1
11

0.210
0.210
0.210
0.225
0.240
0.278
0.197
0.210
0.261

710
710
710
710
752
936
690
710
850

3369
3369
3369
3160
3138
3369
3510
3369
3257

7.5
7.5
7.5
7.0
7.5
10.0
7.5
6.0
7.5

130.0
1300
130.0
127.2
126.9
130.0
131.7
130.0
128.5

45.7
42.5
25.0
42.5
42.5
47.6
47.6
42.5
42.5

* The data provided in this table are obtained graphically from the figures

ture a n d pressure or N X P in order to o b t a i n the


m a x i m u m p e r f o r m a n c e w h e n the c o n d e n s e r pressure
is changed due to the variation of the e n v i r o n m e n t
temperature
The experiments showed that, for given e v a p o r a t o r
a n d c o n d e n s e r pressures, m a x i m u m C O P a n d cooling
capacity were o b t a i n e d when the cycle was o p e r a t e d
at a boiler t e m p e r a t u r e t h a t allowed the ejector
to operate at its critical c o n d e n s e r pressure The
p e r f o r m a n c e m a p s in Figures 7 a n d 8 were constructed from d a t a t a k e n at critical c o n d e n s e r pressure
operation for the N X P s o f 11 a n d 26 m m . The boiler
a n d e v a p o r a t o r isotherm lines s h o w n in the figures
can be used only when the ejector was o p e r a t e d at its
critical condenser pressure. A n example o f using these
figures is now given.
Referring to Figures 7 a n d 8 (data for each
operating point on these figures are p r o v i d e d in
Table 2); It is assumed that, the cycle is normally
designed to operate at p o i n t a (referenced to solid

line curves) with a N X P o f 2 6 m m a n d critical


c o n d e n s e r pressure of 4 5 . 7 m b a r . If the c o n d e n s e r
pressure falls to 42.5 m b a r , due to a reduction o f its
cooling water temperature, while the boiler a n d
e v a p o r a t o r temperatures are held constant, the cycle
will then operate at point b with the C O P with the
cooling capacity essentially remaining the same*. As
the boiler t e m p e r a t u r e is fixed, for any condenser
pressure < 45.7 m b a r , the C O P a n d cooling capacity
essentially remain c o n s t a n t as shown by the horizontal line a - b - c , b u t the ejector is no longer operating at
its critical c o n d e n s e r pressure. In order to improve
cycle p e r f o r m a n c e when the c o n d e n s e r pressure is
* For this case, the evaporator and boiler isotherm lines can
not be used to indicate the evaporator and boiler temperatures as it does not operate with critical condenser pressure
(see Table 2 for operating conditions). It must be noted that
the boiler and evaporator temperatures given by the
iostherm lines can be used only when the ejector is operated
with critical condition.

3,58

S. Aphornratana and I. W. Eames

reduced from 45.7 to 42.5mbar, the ejector must


be allowed to operate at a new critical condenser
pressure (42.5mbar) by using one of the following
methods (see Figures 7 and 8):
Constant cooling capacity, lower evaporator
temperature
Point d with NXP of 26 mm (referenced to solid line
curves). If the boiler temperature is reduced to
127.2C when the condenser pressure is decreased
to 42.5 mbar, the cycle operating point will move to
point d with the critical condenser pressure of
42.5 mbar. This produces a constant cooling capacity
at a lower evaporator temperature (7.0C). The COP
is also increased as the primary nozzle is always
choked, reducing the boiler temperature automatically reduces heat input to the boiler.
Point h with NXP of 11 mm (referenced to dotted line
curves): If the boiler temperature is maintained at
130.0C and the nozzle is retracted to NXP of
l l m m when the condenser pressure falls to
42.5mbar, the cycle operating point will be moved
to point h with the critical condenser pressure of
42.5 mbar (from the figures, point h and b are shown
to be the same, however, point h is operated with
critical condition and referenced to the dotted line
curves while point b is not operated with critical condition). This causes the COP and the cooling capacity to remain constant, but at a lower evaporator
temperature (6C).
Constant evaporator temperature, higher cooling
capacity
Point e with N X P of 26mm (referenced to solid line
curves): If the cycle is already operating at point d,
and the boiler temperature is slightly further reduced
from 127.2 to 126.9C, the evaporator temperature
will return to 7.5C and the cycle operating point
will move to point e with the critical condenser pressure of 42.5 mbar. The COP and the cooling capacity
will rise.
Point i with N X P of l l mm (referenced to dotted line
curves): If the cycle is already operating at point h
with an NXP of 11 mm and the boiler temperature
is reduced from 130.0 to 128.5C, the evaporator temperature will increase back to 7,5C and the cycle can
be operated at point i with the critical condenser pressure at 42.5 mbar. This causes the COP and cooling
capacity to be increase.
If the condenser pressure is increased higher than
the design point such as on a hot day points f and g
show the possible operating conditions when the

condenser pressure is increased to 47.6mbar. As


the condenser pressure is increased higher than the
critical value, in order to establish a new critical
condenser pressure, the cycle must operate with a
higher boiler pressure and fixed evaporator temperature (which reduces cooling capacity and COP) or a
higher evaporator temperature and fixed boiler
temperature (which increases cooling capacity and

coP).
Conclusions

This paper describes the experimental studies of a


small scale steam ejector refrigerator using ejector
with adjustable primary nozzle position. The test
showed that a single optimum primary nozzle
position cannot be defined to meet all operating
conditions. Each operating condition requires a
particular optimum nozzle position. The COP and
cooling capacity can be varied as much as 100% by
changing the nozzle position. Moving the nozzle into
the mixing chamber caused the COP and cooling
capacity to decrease when the boiler input and
temperature was maintained constant. However, the
cycle could be operated at a higher critical condenser
pressure. When the nozzle was retracted from the
mixing chamber, the COP and cooling capacity was
found to increase, but the critical condenser pressure
was reduced.
The use of an ejector with movable primary nozzle
provides a more flexible operation than a totally fixed
geometry unit. An increase in the cooling capacity can
be achieved by retracting the nozzle from the mixing
chamber as the condenser pressure falls without
changing either the evaporator or boiler temperatures. In practice, the nozzle position may be
automatically controlled by monitoring the saturated
temperatures and pressures in the boiler, evaporator
and condenser.

References
1

2
3

Eames, I. W., Aphornratana, S., Haider, H. A theoretical and experimental study of a small scale steam
jet refrigerator. Int. J. Refrig. (1995) 18 378-386
ESDU, Ejector and jet pump, data item 86030, ESDU
International Ltd, London, UK, (1985)
Keenan, J. H., Neumann, E. P., Lustwerk, F. An investigation of ejector design by analysis and experiment.
ASME J. Appl. Mech., (1950), Sept. 299-309
Hamner, R. M. An investigation of an ejector-compression refrigeration cycle and its applications to
heating, cooling, and energy conservation. Ph.D. thesis, The University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA
(1978)
Zeren, F. Freon-12 vapor compression jet pump solar
cooling system. Ph.D. thesis, Texas A&M University,
USA (1982)

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