EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF MICROCHANNEL CONDENSERS

An example of the introduction of new technologies into the daily practice of refrigeration industry enterprises is the emergence of microchannel air heat exchangers. Compared to devices that have been in operation for a long time, they are distinguished by high energy efficiency, minimal refrigerant content and lower metal consumption. Such features contribute to the development of the refrigeration industry, as well as the introduction of environmental and ecological solutions into the industry. Microchannel technologies are actively used in industrial, automotive, household air conditioning, aerospace industry, actively affecting the refrigeration equipment market. Such heat exchangers allow increasing the intensity of heat exchange, the strength of the device design, and their use in various units makes it possible to significantly reduce the volumes of working fluids in the circuit. The relevance of this work is that such devices are a relatively new technology in refrigeration engineering. Despite the noted advantages, microchannel condensers are currently poorly studied. This work is devoted to the study of these heat exchangers, namely, the experimental determination of heat exchange parameters and comparative analysis of microchannel and plate-and-tube air condensers. A detailed description of the experimental stand with the installed equipment is given, the results of the study are shown - the differences in condensation and ambient temperatures, on which the efficiency of heat exchange processes depends, as well as the values of refrigerant supercooling in the devices. For the options for using microchannel and plate-and-tube condensers, a thermal calculation of the vapor compression refrigeration machine is performed in order to compare the values of its refrigeration coefficient. Based on the analysis of the literature, the results of the study and operating experience, the advantages and disadvantages of the microchannel heat exchanger are described, as well as the prospects for development and wider use in refrigeration technology.