Evaluation of Various Ejector Profiles on CO2 Transcritical Refrigeration System Performance.

This study examines the potential impact of the different ejector profiles on the CO2 transcritical cooling system to highlight the contribution of the multi-ejector in the system performance improvement. The research compares the implementation of an ejector-boosted CO2 refrigeration system over the second-generation layout at a motive flow temperature of 35 °C and discharge pressure of 90 bar to account for the transcritical operation mode. The result revealed a significant energy saving by reducing the input power to the maximum of 8.77% when the ejector was activated. Furthermore, the multi-ejector block could recover up to 25.4% of the expansion work losses acquired by both ejector combinations VEJ1 + 2. In addition, the behavior of the multi-ejector geometries and operation conditions greatly influence the system exergy destruction. The analysis shows a remarkable lack of exergy destruction during the expansion process by deploying the ejector in parallel with the HPV.

Heat Transfer Analysis between R744 and HFOs inside Plate Heat Exchangers.

Plate heat exchangers (PHE) are used for a wide range of applications, thus utilizing new and unique heat sources is of crucial importance. R744 has a low critical temperature, which makes its thermophysical properties variation smoother than other supercritical fluids. As a result, it can be used as a reliable hot stream for PHE, particularly at high temperatures. The local design approach was constructed via MATLAB integrated with the NIST database for real gases. Recently produced HFOs (R1234yf, R1234ze(E), R1234ze(Z), and R1233zd(E)) were utilized as cold fluids flowing through three phases: Liquid-phase, two-phase, and gas-phase. A two-step study was performed to examine the following parameters: Heat transfer coefficients, pressure drop, and effectiveness. In the first step, these parameters were analyzed with a variable number of plates to determine a suitable number for the next step. Then, the effects of hot stream pressure and cold stream superheating difference were investigated with variable cold channel mass fluxes. For the first step, the results showed insignificant differences in the investigated parameters for the number of plates higher than 40. Meanwhile, the second step showed that increasing the hot stream pressure from 10 to 12 MPa enhanced the two-phase convection coefficients by 17%, 23%, 75%, and 50% for R1234yf, R1234ze(E), R1234ze(Z), and R1233zd(E), respectively. In contrast, increasing the cold stream superheating temperature difference from 5 K to 20 reduced the two-phase convection coefficients by 14%, 16%, 53%, and 26% for R1234yf, R1234ze(E), R1234ze(Z), and R1233zd(E), respectively. Therefore, the R744 is suitable for PHE as a driving heat source, particularly at higher R744 inlet pressure and low cold stream superheating difference.

Optimisation and Efficiency Improvement of Electric Vehicles Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Modelling.

Due to the rise in awareness of global warming, many attempts to increase efficiency in the automotive industry are becoming prevalent. Design optimization can be used to increase the efficiency of electric vehicles by reducing aerodynamic drag and lift. The main focus of this paper is to analyse and optimise the aerodynamic characteristics of an electric vehicle to improve efficiency of using computational fluid dynamics modelling. Multiple part modifications were used to improve the drag and lift of the electric hatchback, testing various designs and dimensions. The numerical model of the study was validated using previous experimental results obtained from the literature. Simulation results are analysed in detail, including velocity magnitude, drag coefficient, drag force and lift coefficient. The modifications achieved in this research succeeded in reducing drag and were validated through some appropriate sources. The final model has been assembled with all modifications and is represented in this research. The results show that the base model attained an aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.464, while the final design achieved a reasonably better overall performance by recording a 10% reduction in the drag coefficient. Moreover, within individual comparison with the final model, the second model with front spitter had an insignificant improvement, limited to 1.17%, compared with 11.18% when the rear diffuser was involved separately. In addition, the lift coefficient was significantly reduced to 73%, providing better stabilities and accounting for the safety measurements, especially at high velocity. The prediction of the airflow improvement was visualised, including the pathline contours consistent with the solutions. These research results provide a considerable transformation in the transportation field and help reduce fuel expenses and global emissions.