Project BriefGeneral Competition (July 1995)Development of Closed Cycle Air Refrigeration Technology for Refrigeration MarketsDesign, fabricate, and pilot test a new form of industrial refrigeration equipment using dry air as the working fluid in a closed cycle at high pressures. Sponsor: Air Products And Chemicals, Inc.7201 Hamilton BoulevardAllentown, PA 18195-1501
Worldwide concern over the environmental consequences of widespread use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons has sparked an international race to develop replacements for these gases in the refrigeration industry. Current solutions are not wholly satisfactory: some replacements such as ammonia and propane are toxic and/or flammable; more inert replacements are mixtures of two or more ingredients that have problems with stability and cost more in power consumption. Air Products and Lewis Energy Systems propose a joint research project to develop a commercially viable refrigeration technology based on air--the ultimate in environmentally benign refrigerants. Using air as a refrigerant gas is not novel. The first refrigeration systems in the 19th century were based on air, and they still are used in special applications such as aircraft air-cooling systems. However virtually all such systems, including several new ones under development in Europe, are so-called "open cycles": in the last stage of the cooling cycle, compressed air is blown into the space to be cooled, which is at or under atmospheric pressure. The rapid expansion of the compressed air provides the cooling. Open cycle refrigeration systems are not particularly efficient, hence the development of liquid/vapor systems using refrigerants like CFCs. Air Products and Lewis Energy Systems observe, however, that if air-based refrigeration systems are operated as closed cycles (the cooling air is not released into the atmosphere but recycled back through the system), they can be operated at much higher pressures, and theoretical efficiency increases dramatically at higher pressures. No such systems have ever been realized, and the project will require R&D for all of the individual components, including the compressor, expander, and heat exchanger. The joint venture partners propose to develop the basic technology for all of the components of a practical high-pressure, closed-cycle refrigeration system, suitable for scaling up to meet commercial demands. For pilot tests, the initial R&D effort will target a 250 kilowatt refrigeration unit operating at -40 to -80 degrees Celsius. This operating range is typical of 200 kilowatt to 35,000 kilowatt equipment used in food processing and petrochemical industries.
|
|
ATP website comments: webmaster-atp@nist.gov
Privacy Statement / Security Notice • NIST Disclaimer • NIST Information Quality Standards NIST is an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department |