Accepted Manuscript

Research Paper

Optimal Thermodynamic Parameters of Two-Phase Ejector Refrigeration Sys-

tem for Buses

aban nal, Mehmet Tahir Erdin, ar Kutlu

PII: S1359-4311(17)32182-8
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.06.115
Reference: ATE 10634

To appear in: Applied Thermal Engineering

Received Date: 1 April 2017

Revised Date: 19 June 2017
Accepted Date: 22 June 2017

Please cite this article as: S. nal, M.T. Erdin, C. Kutlu, Optimal Thermodynamic Parameters of Two-Phase Ejector
Refrigeration System for Buses, Applied Thermal Engineering (2017), doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.applthermaleng.2017.06.115

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 Optimal Thermodynamic Parameters of Two-Phase Ejector

Refrigeration System for Buses

aban NAL*, Mehmet Tahir ERDN, ar KUTLU

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, 80000 Osmaniye, Turkey

Abstract

Air-conditioning is necessary for the comfort of passengers in commercial buses.

However, installing an air-conditioning system can add extra load on the engine and result

in extra fuel cost. Therefore, an improvement in the air-conditioning system can lower the

fuel consumption of the buses and reduce the size of the evaporator and the condenser. It is

known that using two-phase ejector as an expansion valve in the air-conditioning system

can improve the system performance. This study offers a model to predict the optimal

thermodynamic parameters for a two-phase ejector refrigeration system for buses using

R134a under various operating conditions. An empirical correlation is derived to determine

the optimal thermodynamic parameters of the system. The effect of evaporation and

condensation temperatures on the heat transfer surface area are discussed and graphically

illustrated. Moreover, an experimental study to validate the developed model has been

carried out in a midibus air-conditioning system. The study findings revealed that the heat

transfer surface area can be reduced by about 4% and 55% in the condenser and

evaporator, respectively.

Key Words: Ejector, Refrigeration, Evaporator, Condenser, Heat Transfer Surface Area
*
Corresponding author. Tel.:+90 328 827 1000 (Ext:3454); Fax: +90 328 825 0097;

E-mail address: saban.unal@osmaniye.edu.tr

1
Nomenclature

heat transfer surface area [m2]

spacing between tubes in face [m]

boiling number [-]

spacing between tubes in rows [m]

specific heat [J kg-1 oC-1]

distance between the fins [m]

diameter [m]

hydraulic diameter [m]

enhancement factor [-]

mass flux [kg m-2 s-1]

height [m]

enthalpy [J kg-1]

heat transfer coefficient [W m-2 oC -1]

latent heat [J kg-1]

thermal conductivity [W m-1 oC -1]

length [m]

molecular weight [kg kmol-1]

mass flow rate [kg s-1]

number [-]

Nusselt number [-]

wetted perimeter [m]

Prandtl number [-]

pressure ratio [-]

2
 heat [W]

heat flux [W m-2]

heat transfer resistance [m2 oC W-1]

Reynolds number [-]

suppression factor [-]

wall thickness of the tube [m]

temperature [oC]

fin thickness [m]

total heat transfer coefficient [W m-2 oC -1]

velocity [m s-1]

width [m]

Greek symbols

efficiency [-]

dynamic viscosity [kg m-1 s-1]

kinematic viscosity [m2 s-1]

density [kg m-3]

quality [-]

difference [-]

Subscripts

air

bare tube or nucleate pool boiling

condenser

evaporator

primary evaporator

3
secondary evaporator

fin or fouling

gas

inlet

inside

liquid

mean or mixture

outlet

outside

air pass

refrigerant

total or tube

wall

4
1. Introduction

Comfort of passengers is the priority of commercial transportation companies. It is crucial

to provide air-conditioning systems in almost all the buses and midibuses, as passengers of

land transportation prefer to ride in air-conditioned vehicles. However, adding a

compressor to the air-conditioning system, which is driven by a pulley connected to the

engine shaft, would generate an extra load on the engine. Therefore, the fuel consumption

of the engine increases with this extra load. The empty weight of the vehicle is another

major issue to be considered. There are obligatory standards regarding the weight of buses.

For instance, the gross vehicle weight of a bus with two axles must not exceed 18 tons, and

the rear axle load must not be greater than 11.5 tons [1]. The passenger and baggage

capacity of the bus increases when the empty vehicle weight of the bus decreases.

Installing a cooling system using a two-phase ejector can be beneficial, as the coefficient

of performance (COP) of the bus air-conditioning system can be increased while the fuel

consumption and empty vehicle weight can be reduced. Additionally, it is possible to

install smaller-sized air-conditioning elements, such as the condenser, evaporator, and

compressor with a two-phase ejector.

The focus of most of the research in this field is on reducing throttling losses in the

expansion valve. For this purpose, the ejector is used as an expansion valve. When the

throttling losses are regenerated, the compressor work decreases and the COP of the

system increases. The two-phase ejector was first used by Kornhauser [2] as an expansion

valve in a vapor compression refrigeration system. He introduced numerical analysis using

R12 as a refrigerant. The study reported 21% improvement in COP. Thereafter, various

ejector refrigeration systems using different substances have been reported. Takeuchi et al.

[3] indicated that an increase in COP of 45% to 65% can be obtained for a vehicle

5
refrigeration system. Ersoy and Bilir [4] investigated the standard ejector cycle using

R134a and observed COP improvement in the range of 614% at matched capacity. They

also noted that although the drop in the refrigerant pressure in the ejector system

evaporator was almost negligible, the refrigerant pressure was reported to be as high as 133

kPa in the conventional system. Wang et al. [5] investigated the effect of the mixing

pressure on the performance of the ejector and the hybrid system. An optimum value of the

ejector mixing pressure has been obtained. Lin et al. [6,7] examined the optimum

geometric parameters of the ejector, which is used in variable cooling loads conditions,

using both experimental and numerical approaches. Sarkar [8] analyzed the optimum

performance of four novel layouts of ejector driven by multi-compression three-evaporator

refrigeration system using R32 as refrigerant.

Furthermore, ejector refrigeration systems with two evaporators have been studied. Vapor

compression cycle with ejector to improve the refrigeration cycle performance was

developed and patented by Oshitani et al. [9-11]. Lawrence and Elbel [12] investigated the

first and second law analysis and performance characteristics of the two evaporator ejector

cycle with R134a and R1234yf refrigerants. Lawrence and Elbel [13] also performed an

experimental investigation of the two evaporator ejector system with refrigerants R134a

and R1234yf. They found that R134a and R1234yf achieved COP improvements of 5%

and 6%, respectively. In addition, Boumaraf et al. [14] investigated the two evaporator

ejector refrigeration cycle and found that R134a achieved a slightly higher COP than

R1234yf. nal and Ylmaz [15] performed a thermodynamic analysis of the system with

two-phase ejector and two evaporators with R134a refrigerant in bus refrigeration system.

They reported that the COP can be increased by 15% using the two-phase ejector as an

expansion valve in the bus air conditioning system. nal [16] also experimentally

6
investigated the performance of the bus refrigeration system and revealed that the COP of

the vapor-compression system can be increased by 8% when the two-phase ejector is used

as an expansion device.

In order to find the optimal thermodynamic parameters of the system, heat exchanger

analyses also must be performed. Many studies have been conducted on the design of heat

exchanger of the refrigeration systems. Yu and Chan [17] explained how the COP of

chillers can be improved by a new condenser design using evaporative pre-coolers and

variable-speed fans. The study findings revealed that the optimum set-point condensing

temperature is a function of the chiller load and the wet-bulb temperature of the outdoor

air. Granryd [18] analytically expressed the optimum flow rates in the evaporators and

condensers of heat pumping systems. The obtained expressions can be used for design

purposes as well as for checking the suitable flow velocities in existing plants. Sanaye and

Dehghandokht [19] performed thermal modeling of parallel flow condenser. The modeling

results were validated using the experimental data. Shen and Lu [20] established a

theoretical model for automotive air-conditioning system evaporators and conducting

simulations to evaluate the effect of operation parameters, environmental conditions, and

design parameters on the performance of evaporator. Castro et al. [21] characterized the

compact heat exchangers used in automotive air-conditioning systems. Mathematical

models of an automotive air-conditioning evaporator and condenser were developed for the

prediction of their performance under operating conditions. Hyun and Pit [22] carried out a

thermal fluid flow analysis for the multi-flow channel condenser of automotive air-

conditioning systems using the R134a.

7
When designing a two-phase ejector refrigeration system for buses, it is critical to

minimize the size of the condenser and evaporator of the system. Thus, both the total

weight and cost of the system can be decreased. To the best of the authors knowledge,

there are no studies in the open literature to determine the optimal thermodynamic

parameters for the two-phase ejector refrigeration system. Therefore, the purpose of the

present study is to examine the optimal thermodynamic parameters and determine the

appropriate size of evaporator and condenser of two-phase ejector refrigeration system

used for buses to be compared with the experimental results obtained for the 14 kW

cooling capacity of minibuses air-conditioning system. Similar models have been used for

both systems, in order to reveal the significance of reducing the size and weight of the

ejector refrigeration system. Thus, the comparison between conventional and ejector

refrigeration system can be applied properly. EES (Engineering Equation Solver) is used to

solve the governing equations. The outside design condition, in terms of temperature and

relative humidity values are based on the Mediterranean climate zone.

2. Theoretical Analysis

2.1. Conventional and Two-Phase Ejector Bus Refrigeration Systems

Fig.1 is a schematic illustration of conventional bus refrigeration system. The main

components of the system are a compressor, a condenser, a liquid tank, two expansion

valves (LH & RH), and two evaporators (LH & RH).

8
 Figure 1. Conventional refrigeration system for buses

Fig.2 is a schematic diagram of the two-phase ejector refrigeration system used for buses,

while Fig.3 is a pressure-enthalpy (P-h) diagram of the system. The main components of

this system are a compressor, a condenser, a liquid tank, two expansion valves, an ejector,

and four evaporators. The refrigerant that is collected in liquid tank is divided into the

ejector and expansion valve. The refrigerant, which leaves the expansion valve, first enters

the secondary evaporator (marked as Evaporator 2 or low temperature evaporator), and

then it enters the ejector as the secondary flow. The primary flow passes through the

ejector under high pressure and expands through a converging-diverging nozzle. The

refrigerant pressure in the nozzle is reduced to the evaporation pressure. The primary flow

has a supersonic velocity at the nozzle outlet, and then it passes through the mixing

section. Meantime, the secondary flow is fed into the mixing section. Next, the mixture

passes into the diffuser and its kinetic energy is converted to the pressure in the diffuser

section. After the mixing process, the refrigerant enters the primary evaporator (marked as

Evaporator 1 or high temperature evaporator) and then goes to the compressor.

9
 Figure 2. Two-phase ejector refrigeration system for buses

Figure 3. P-h diagram of the two-phase ejector refrigeration system

2.2. Thermodynamic Analysis of Two-Phase Ejector Refrigeration System

Thermodynamic analysis of the two-phase ejector refrigeration system is carried based on

the following assumptions:

a) The condensation, evaporation, sub-cooling, and superheating temperatures are known.

b) Pressure losses of the system are neglected.

10
c) The throttling process in expansion valve is isenthalpic.

d) Isentropic efficiencies of the nozzle and diffusor are known.

e) Efficiency of the mixing section of the ejector is known.

f) The process in the mixing section takes place at constant pressure and constant cross-

sectional area.

g) For condenser and evaporators, fin and tube heat exchangers are used in all calculations.

Details of the thermodynamic analysis of the system that based on these assumptions are

given by nal and Ylmaz [15]. This theoretical study is based on one-dimensional

homogeneous equilibrium model with fixed isentropic efficiencies of nozzle and diffuser.

Figure 4. Schematic view of the ejector

Schematic view of the two-phase ejector is shown in Fig.4. Refrigerant coming from the

condenser enters the ejector as the primary flow. The refrigerant coming from the

evaporator is referred to as the secondary flow. The secondary flow enters the ejector by

two lines that are connected to the evaporators located at the left and right side of the bus

air-conditioner. The throat diameter is denoted as for the nozzle. The converging and

11
diverging lengths between this point and the nozzle inlet and outlet are shown as and

, respectively. Additionally, the lengths of mixing section and diffuser are expressed as

and , respectively. In the conventional system, the refrigerant passes into the

compressor at point (8), while it enters the compressor at point (1) when using the two-

phase ejector system. Thus, for the same cooling capacity, the energy consumed by the

compressor in the two-phase ejector cooling system is reduced and therefore the COP of

the system is increased.

2.3. Determining the Dimensions of Condenser and Evaporator

Fin-and-tube type heat exchangers are currently used as the condenser and evaporator in

the buses and midibuses, as shown in Fig.5. The overall heat transfer surface areas of

condenser and evaporator are calculated according to Fig.5.

Figure 5. Schematic view of fin-and-tube type condenser or evaporator

12
The aim of selecting this type of heat exchanger for the condenser and evaporators is to

easily determine and compare the impact of the different condenser and evaporator sizes

used in the currently existing system and the ejector air-conditioning system.

The heat rejected from the condenser can be obtained by Eq. (1), as follows:

(1)

Eq. (2) can be used to determine the overall heat transfer surface area of the condenser.

(2)

Fig.6 illustrates the temperature distribution in the condenser.

Figure 6. Temperature distribution along the condenser

Hence, the logarithmic mean temperature of the condenser can be calculated using Eq.(3).

(3)

In addition, the overall heat transfer coefficient of the condenser is calculated by Eq.(4), as

follows:

(4)

13
where the total outside heat transfer surface area and the mean surface area of the tube wall

are obtained by Eqs.(5) and (6), given below:

(5)

(6)

Areas of bare tubes and fins can be calculated using Eqs. (7) and (8) given below,

respectively.

(7)

(8)

In Eq.(4), and refer to the wall thickness and thermal conductivity of the condenser

tube, respectively. Additionally, the fouling resistance for the inside of the tube can be

assumed as for R134a with copper tubes, and the fin efficiency

can be used as [23]. The total number of tubes and fins can be obtained by

Eqs.(9) and (10).

(9)

(10)

In the condenser, the refrigerant flows through the tubes while air flows over the finned

tubes. The forced convection heat transfer coefficient for the air-side depends upon the

type of fins, fin spacing, fin thickness, tube diameters, etc. Air-side heat transfer coefficient

of the finned tube can be calculated by Eq. (11) [24].

(11)

Reynolds number is expressed by Eq. (12).

(12)

14
where is the air velocity between fins, is hydraulic diameter, and is kinematic

viscosity of air passed through the condenser. The hydraulic diameter is calculated by Eq.

(13).

(13)

The air pass area can be obtained by Eq. (14).

(14)

In Eq.(13), wetted perimeter is defined as Pc=(total heat transfer surface area)/(length in

flow direction). Therefore, the wetted perimeter, Pc can be expressed by Eq. (15), as

follow:

(15)

According to definition of the Nusselt number, the outside heat transfer coefficient is

calculated by Eq. (16).

(16)

In order to calculate the heat transfer coefficient between the refrigerant and the inside

surface of the condenser tubes ( ), Nusselt number expressed by Eq.(17) can be used

[25].

(17)

where is two-phase flow Reynolds number, which is calculated by Eq. (18) [25].

(18)

where, , and are the Reynolds number, density of liquid, and gas phase of the

refrigerant, respectively. Thus, the inside heat transfer coefficient is calculated using Eq.

(19).

15
 (19)

Ejector refrigeration system for buses has two evaporators that work at different pressures,

as shown in Fig.2 and Fig.3. The cooling load of the evaporators can be obtained by Eq.

(20), as follows:

(20)

The cooling loads of the primary and secondary evaporators are expressed by Eqs. (21) and

(22), respectively.

(21)

(22)

In order to determine the overall heat transfer surface areas of the evaporators, Eqs. (23)

and (24) are used.

(23)

(24)

The temperature distribution in the evaporators is shown in Fig.7.

Figure 7. Temperature distribution along the evaporators

16
Hence, the logarithmic mean temperatures of the primary and secondary evaporators can

be calculated using Eqs.(25) and (26).

(25)

(26)

Additionally, the overall heat transfer coefficients of the primary and secondary

evaporators are expressed by Eqs. (27) and (28), as follows:

(27)

(28)

The expressions of heat transfer surface areas for fin-and-tube type evaporators are similar

to the previously given equations for the air-cooled condensers. Therefore, the total outside

heat transfer surface areas and the mean surface areas of the evaporator tube walls are

calculated by the equations below:

(29)

(30)

(31)

(32)

17
Surface areas of bare tubes and fins of primary and secondary evaporators can be

calculated by Eqs.(33)(36).

(33)

(34)

(35)

(36)

In addition, total number of tubes and fins of the primary and secondary evaporators can be

obtained by Eqs.(37)(40).

(37)

(38)

(39)

(40)

The expression of the overall heat transfer coefficient is similar to the fin-and-tube

condenser as long as no phase change takes place. In this study, it is assumed that the fluid

that passes the external side of evaporators does not undergo any phase change. Thus, the

air-side heat transfer coefficient of the finned tube of the primary and secondary

evaporators can be calculated by Eqs. (41) and (42) [24].

(41)

(42)

Reynolds numbers are calculated by Eqs. (43) and (44).

18
 (43)

(44)

Hydraulic diameters are calculated by Eqs.(45) and (46).

(45)

(46)

Air pass areas and can be calculated by Eqs. (47) and (48).

(47)

(48)

Wetted perimeter of the primary and secondary evaporators can be calculated as follows:

(49)

(50)

Outside heat transfer coefficients of the primary and secondary evaporators are calculated

by Eqs.(51) and (52).

(51)

(52)

The heat transfer includes both the convective and nucleate boiling contribution to the

evaporation under forced-flow conditions. The boiling heat transfer coefficient is primarily

19
a function of vapor quality, refrigerant velocity, heat flux, flow channel geometry, two-

phase flow pattern, and refrigerant properties. In order to calculate the heat transfer

coefficient between the refrigerant and inside surface of the evaporator tubes, Gungor and

Winterton [26] correlation can be used. According to this correlation, the inside heat

transfer coefficients for the primary and secondary evaporators are obtained by Eqs.(53)

and (54).

(53)

(54)

where and are the liquid phase heat transfer coefficients that can calculated by

Eqs.(55) and (56) [27].

(55)

(56)

The nucleate pool boiling coefficients and are obtained by Eqs.(57) and (58)

[28].

(57)

(58)

This correlation expresses the heat transfer coefficient in . The heat flux must be

entered as input in . M and indicate the molecular weight and the reduced

pressure, respectively. The reduced pressure is defined as the ratio of evaporator pressure

to the refrigerant pressure at the critical point. In the enhancement factors and are

calculated using Eqs.(59) and (60) given by Gungor [29].

20
 (59)

(60)

Also, the suppression factors and can be obtained by Eqs. (61) and (62) given

below [26].

(61)

(62)

where is the quality, and and indicate the density of the saturated liquid and

saturated vapor refrigerant, respectively. Also, and are the boiling number and

Reynolds number of liquid phase, respectively. They can be calculated as follows [26]:

(63)

(64)

(65)

(66)

where is the mass flow rate per cross sectional area and is inside diameter of the tube.

and indicate the latent heat and liquid phase dynamic viscosity of refrigerant,

respectively.

21
3. Results and Discussions

In this study, the optimal thermodynamic parameters are examined for two-phase ejector

refrigeration system for buses to determine the minimum heat transfer surface area of the

condenser and evaporators. The ambient temperature is considered as 35 for the

Mediterranean climate zone [30]. The condenser temperature is assumed to be ranging

between 40-60 based on the ambient temperature. There are two separate evaporators in

the two-phase ejector refrigeration system for buses. The temperature range for the primary

evaporator is considered as 10-20 , while that for the secondary evaporator is 2-8 . It is

found that the superheating and sub-cooling temperatures of the refrigerant do not result in

a significant change in the heat transfer surface areas of the evaporators and condenser.

Thus, the superheating temperatures of the refrigerant at the primary and secondary

evaporator outlet are calculated as . In addition, the sub-cooling

temperature at the condenser outlet is set as . As mentioned before, similar

types of heat exchangers are used for comparison.

Figure 8. The effect of condensation temperature on total heat transfer surface areas

22
The effect of the condenser temperature on the total heat transfer surface areas of

condenser and evaporators is investigated and the results are shown in Fig.8. The heat

transfer surface area of the condenser is inversely proportional to the condensation

temperature. As the condensation temperature increases, the primary evaporator heat

transfer surface area decreases and the secondary evaporator heat transfer surface area

increases. The surface areas of primary evaporator and secondary evaporator are equal

when the condensation temperature is about 48.5 .

Figure 9. The effect of primary evaporation temperature on total heat transfer surface areas

Fig.9 shows the effect of the primary evaporation temperature on the total heat transfer

surface areas of the condenser and evaporators. It can be seen that the primary evaporation

temperature slightly affects the condenser surface area. Based on the given parameters, the

calculated total heat transfer surface area of the condenser is approximately 45 . On the

other hand, the primary evaporation temperature has a significant effect on the primary and

secondary evaporator surface areas. As the primary evaporation temperature increases, the

secondary evaporator heat transfer surface area decreases; however, the primary evaporator

23
heat transfer surface area increases with respect to the conservation of total cooling

capacity. Fig.9 clearly indicates that when the primary evaporation temperature is about

13 , the primary and secondary evaporators have nearly the same heat transfer surface

areas. This finding enhances the applicability of the developed system as the standard sized

evaporators can more practically be used in the system.

The effect of the secondary evaporation temperature on the total heat transfer surface areas

of the condenser and evaporators is shown in Fig.10. Similar to the primary evaporation

temperature, the secondary evaporation temperature slightly affects the condenser surface

area. While the secondary evaporation temperature increases, the primary evaporator

surface area decreases. Unlike the primary evaporation temperature, the secondary

evaporation temperature has a significant effect on the secondary evaporator heat transfer

surface area. It is found that the surface areas of the primary and secondary evaporators are

equal when the secondary evaporator temperature is about 7.5 .

Figure 10. The effect of secondary evaporation temperature on total heat transfer surface

areas

24
In order to reduce the weight of the condenser and evaporators, the heat transfer surface

areas of these components should be minimized. There are many parameters to design the

condenser and evaporators as previously discussed in Section 2. However, the

condensation, primary, and secondary evaporation temperatures have significant effect on

the design of the condenser and evaporators. The condensation and secondary evaporation

temperatures can be predicted based on the outside and inside air temperatures,

respectively. However, the primary evaporation temperature of the refrigerant should be

determined to minimize the heat transfer surface areas according to the condensation and

secondary evaporation temperatures of the refrigerant.

Figure 11. Variations in total heat transfer surface areas of the condenser and evaporators

with the primary evaporation temperature

Fig.11 illustrates that the total heat transfer surface area of the condenser and evaporators

vary with the primary evaporation temperature. In the calculations, the midibus cooling

25
load is assumed as 14 kW and the inside air temperature and relative humidity to achieve

comfort conditions are considered as 25 and 50% , respectively. While the outside air

temperature and relative humidity are considered as 35 and 45%, respectively.

In order to determine the effect of the primary evaporation temperature on the total heat

transfer surface area of the condenser and evaporators, the condensation temperature is

varied between 40-50 and the secondary evaporation temperature is assumed as 2-8 .

The obtained theoretical results based on these parameters are shown in Fig.11 regarding

the total heat transfer surface area of the condenser, primary evaporator, and secondary

evaporator. As shown in Fig.11, there is an optimal point for each operating conditions.

This optimal point rises as the secondary evaporation temperature increases. When the

condensation temperature drops, the total heat transfer surface area increases because of

the increment in condenser surface area. Hence, this figure indicates that it is necessary to

select the appropriate design criteria. The primary evaporation temperatures reported at the

minimum total heat transfer surface area of the condenser and evaporators are listed in

Table 1.

Table 1. Primary evaporation temperatures at the minimum total heat transfer surface area

of the condenser and evaporators according to the present study

Secondary Primary Evaporation Temperature, ]

Evaporation Outside Air Temperature, Outside Air Temperature,
Temperature

2 11.7 12.6 13.8 12.8 13.8 15.0

4 12.7 13.6 14.7 13.8 14.8 15.9
6 13.8 14.7 15.7 14.8 15.8 16.9
8 14.8 15.7 16.7 15.8 16.8 17.8

26
In this study using the given data in Table 1, an empirical correlation is derived for the

optimal evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the primary evaporator as shown Eq.

(67).

(67)

Table 2. Primary evaporation temperatures according to the empirical correlation Eq.(67)

Secondary Primary Evaporation Temperature, ]

Evaporation Outside Air Temperature, Outside Air Temperature,
Temperature

2 11.6 12.7 13.8 12.7 13.8 14.8

4 12.6 13.7 14.8 13.7 14.8 15.9
6 13.7 14.7 15.8 14.7 15.8 16.9
8 14.7 15.7 16.8 15.7 16.8 17.9

As seen in Table 2, Eq. (67) can be used to calculate the optimal primary evaporation

temperature with an error margin of 1%. Hence, this empirical equation can be used to

determine the optimal value of the primary evaporation temperature, which is one of the

most important parameters in a two-phase ejector cooling system. Therefore, both the size

and the weight of the condenser and the evaporators of the bus air conditioning system can

be reduced. According to the specified optimal design criteria considering the

Mediterranean climate zone conditions (

, the heat transfer surface area of the condenser and evaporator for a

midibus air conditioner, which has 14 kW cooling capacity, can be reduced by 4% and

55% compared to the conventional system, respectively. According to the theoretical

results, the total heat transfer surface area for the condenser to achieve 14 kW cooling

capacity is . In addition, heat transfer surface area is needed for the

27
evaporator. However, the total heat transfer surface areas of the condenser, primary and

secondary evaporators required for the two-phase ejector refrigeration system are ,

and , respectively. Therefore, the weights of these components are

significantly reduced. Details of the weight and cost analysis were provided in [16].

4. Validation

An experimental setup was constructed for the tested two-phase ejector refrigeration

system for buses (shown in Fig.2) to validate the obtained theoretical results. An air

conditioner currently used in midibuses was turned into a two-phase ejector air

conditioning system. Fig.12 is a schematic diagram that illustrates the experimental setup.

Figure 12. Schematic illustration of experimental setup for ejector bus refrigeration system

28
A midibus without the driveline was used in the experimental study as shown in Fig.13.

The experimental setup has the same dimensions as the currently used midibuses of 7.04 m

in length and 2.22 m in width, and a seating capacity of 28 passengers with one employee.

The maximum cooling load was calculated as 13.8 kW according to the previously

discussed design criteria. Thus, an air-conditioner with the two-phase ejector installed as

an expansion device with 14 kW cooling capacity was used in the experimental setup. For

the purpose of this experiment, the experimental setup was exposed to the sun for a long

time until the inside temperature of the bus reached about 60oC before testing.

Figure 13. Experimental setup and measuring devices

29
Temperature and pressure data of the experimental setup were measured and collected

using measuring devices, as shown in Fig.13. Piezo-resistive pressure transmitter and K

type thermocouples were used to measure pressure and temperature, respectively. Air

velocity and relative humidity at the evaporator inlet and outlet were measured using the

transmitters of hotwire and hygrometer. The measured values were recorded periodically

using a data logger. The specifications of the measuring devices used in the experiments

are provided in Table 3.

Table 3. Specifications of the measuring devices

Measured Variable Measuring Device Range Accuracy

Pressure Piezo-resistive pressure transmitter 0/25 bar 1.0%
Temperature Type-K thermocouple -50/100 oC 0.3oC
Flow meter Turbine type 1.5/10 lt/min 1.0%
Relative Humidity Hygrometer transmitter 5/95 %rh 0.1%rh
Air Velocity Hotwire transmitter 0/30 m/s 3.0%

The compressor of the conditioning system used in the experimental setup shown in Fig.13

is driven by a three-phase electric motor. The A/C compressor was set to 2900 rpm, just as

the case scenario when a midibus is travelling at 90 kmh-1. The power consumption of the

compressor was also measured by a power analyzer. The refrigerant pressure and

temperature values were measured at the compressor, condenser, evaporator, expansion

valve, and ejector inlet and outlet. Additionally, the refrigerant flow rate was measured in

two separate positions, at the outlet of the liquid tank and at the inlet of the ejector. The air

temperature and relative humidity as well as the air velocity were measured at the inlet and

outlet of the evaporator. The data obtained from the measurements was used to determine

the cooling capacity and COP of the system.

30
It is very important to determine the cooling load of the inter-city buses to appropriately

design and select each of the system components. Hence, the radiant time series (RTS)

method was used to determine the cooling load of the midibus [31]. The air conditioning

system to be used in the experimental setup was chosen in case the midibus has full

passenger capacity (28 person). However, since the experiments are not performed with

full passenger capacity, cooling load calculations have to be done according to the case of

having 1 person in the midibus. Therefore, cooling load calculation was made for two

different situations. In the first case, it was made according to the full passenger capacity

of the midibus. It is also assumed that the midibus is running at a constant speed of 90

kmh-1 in this case. In the second case, cooling load calculation was made according to the

situation of having 1 person in the midibus, that is, the situation in which the experimental

work was done. Due to the structure of the experimental setup, the midibus is stable during

the experimental study. Therefore, the midibus speed is taken as 0 kmh-1 in this case. The

values to be used in the cooling load calculation and the results obtained according to these

values are given in Table 4.

Table 4. The model input and output data for the cooling load calculation

Calculated cooling loads for full passenger

Input Data capacity and one person
28 Person 1 Person
Outside Temperature 35oC Surfaces 4.590 kW 5.612 kW
Outside Relative Humidity 45% Roof (16 m2) 0.223 kW 0.913 kW
Inside Temperature 25oC Right side (14 m2) 2.239 kW 2.633 kW
Inside Relative Humidity 50% Left side (14 m2) 0.600 kW 0.651 kW
Heat Gains Front (3.92 m2) 0.457 kW 0.429 kW
People (sensible) 75 W Rear (2.51 m2) 0.634 kW 0.618 kW
People (latent) 55 W Floor (16 m2) 0.437 kW 0.368 kW
People (clothes) 10 W Infiltration 2.149 kW 2.149 kW
Ventilation Rate 15 m3 h-1 Ventilation 3.206 kW 0.115 kW
People 3.064 kW 0.109 kW
Lighting 0.159 kW 0.159 kW
Equipment 0.666 kW 0.666 kW
TOTAL 13.834 kW 8.810 kW

31
In the calculations, the external temperature and relative humidity were taken as 35 oC and

45%, respectively. Also, according to the comfort conditions for the summer season given

by ASHRAE [32], the internal temperature and relative humidity were taken as 25oC and

50%, respectively. Sensible and latent heat gain for people given by ASHRE [31] were

taken as 75W and 55W per one person, respectively. In addition, 10W cooling loads per

one person were added because of their clothes. Also, fresh air requirement for ventilation

of the bus was assumed as 15 m3h-1 per one person according to the ASHRAE [33]. The

values of the surface area used in the calculation of the cooling load and the experimental

setup are the same. The variations in the calculated cooling loads during the day are shown

in Fig.14. The maximum cooling loads obtained for the midibus with 28 people and one

person are 13.8 kW and 8.8 kW, respectively.

Figure 14. Variations in cooling loads during the day

The system has two separate evaporator units on the left and right hand side of the

experimental setup. Furthermore, each evaporator has two separate inlet and outlet

32
working at different evaporation pressures. The temperatures and relative humidity values

were measured at the primary evaporator inlet and secondary evaporator outlet that is

located at left and right hand side of the experimental setup. The detected variation in the

mean temperatures and relative humidity values of the air at the inlet and outlet of the

evaporator units are shown in Fig.15. It is reported that the system reached the steady state

condition after about 70 minutes.

Figure 15. Variation in temperature and relative humidity in relation to time

The two-phase ejector air conditioning unit has a total of four air blowers for the

evaporators and each one has 1020 m3 h-1 flow rate. Therefore, the total air flow rate of the

air conditioning system is 4080 m3h-1. This flow rate is valid without any counter pressure.

During the testing, the air velocity values passing through the evaporator fins were

measured at the different locations. Thus, the total air flow rate was determined about 2600

m3 h-1. The instantaneous cooling load of the experimental setup was calculated considering

the measured values of the temperatures and relative humidity at the evaporator inlet and

33
outlet, and the air flow rates of the evaporators. The variation in the cooling load in relation

to time during the experiment is shown in Fig.16.

Figure 16. Variation in the instantaneous cooling load in relation to time

Moreover, it is reported that the system reached steady state conditions after 70 minutes.

According to the experimental results, the instantaneous cooling load sharply increased and

reached the maximum value. It can be seen that the experimental setup air conditioning

system has reached a cooling capacity of approximately 15 kW in the first two minutes.

The cooling load obtained in the experimental study, which conducted with one person,

was about 8.6 kW after the system reached steady state. Accordingly, it is clear that the

obtained theoretical and experimental results regarding the cooling load of two-phase air

conditioning system show good agreement.

The variation in the temperatures of the outside, inside, condenser, and evaporators in

relation to time during the experiment are given in Fig.17. When the change in temperature

values over time is examined, it is found that the system reaches the steady state conditions

34
after about 70 minutes. Experimental apparatus designed and manufactured according to

optimal results from the model. So, when the experimentally obtained temperature values

of the refrigerant in the condenser and the secondary evaporator are applied to equation

(67), it is found that the measured temperature values of the refrigerant in the primary

evaporator are in good agreement with the temperatures obtained from the empirical

equation.

Figure 17. Variation in temperatures in relation to time during the experiment

According to the theoretical results given in Table 1, the evaporation temperature of the

refrigerant in the primary evaporator is when the outside temperature is and

the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the secondary evaporator is . It is also

found that the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the primary evaporator is

when the outside temperature is , the condensation temperature is , and

the secondary evaporation temperature is Furthermore, as shown in Fig.17, the

measured temperature of the refrigerant in the primary evaporator is about , the

condensation temperature is , and the secondary evaporation temperature is

35
after reaching the steady state conditions. Hence, the method developed in this study can

be used to determine the optimal thermodynamic parameters to get the minimum total heat

transfer surface area of the condenser and evaporator of the two-phase ejector refrigeration

system for buses.

5. Conclusions

This study examines the optimal thermodynamic parameters and determines the

appropriate size of condenser and evaporator of ejector refrigeration systems used for

buses. Theoretical and experimental studies have been performed on the two-phase ejector

used in the vapor-compression refrigeration system as an expansion valve. In order to

examine the differences between the air-conditioner with two-phase ejector and the

conventional system, finned and tube heat exchangers are used in calculations. The effects

of different parameters on the heat transfer surface areas are discussed. The following

conclusions can be drawn:

1) Both the primary and secondary evaporation temperatures have significant effect on

the heat transfer surface area of first and second evaporator. However, they slightly

affect the heat transfer surface area of condenser.

2) The heat transfer surface area of the condenser is inversely proportional to the

condensation temperature. As the condensation temperature increases, the primary

evaporator heat transfer surface area decreases and the secondary evaporator heat

transfer surface area increases.

3) According to the theoretical results, there are optimal points for the heat transfer

surface areas of the condenser and evaporators of two-phase ejector refrigeration

system for buses.

36
4) The condensation and both evaporation temperatures affect the optimal points. Thus,

an empirical equation is derived to calculate the primary evaporation temperature.

5) Based on the calculations, the total heat transfer surface areas of condenser and

evaporators for the midibus air-conditioner with two-phase ejector can be reduced by 4

% and 55 % compared to the conventional system, respectively.

6) The two-phase ejector refrigeration system not only improves the system performance

but also reduce the total weight of the bus. Hence, fuel saving can be achieved.

7) The experiments are performed for an air-conditioner with constant speed compressor.

Further experiments can be performed with variable speed compressor at real road

conditions.

Acknowledgements

This study is part of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of

Turkey(TBTAK) Project No. 112M167. The project is also supported by TEMSA

Global and SAFKAR companies. The authors would like to thank to TBTAK, TEMSA

Global, and SAFKAR for their contributions.

37
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41
Table captions

Table 1. Primary evaporation temperatures at the minimum total heat transfer surface area

of the condenser and evaporators according to the present study

Table 2. Primary evaporation temperatures according to the empirical correlation Eq.(67)

Table 3. Specifications of the measuring devices

Table 4. The model input and output data for the cooling load calculation

42
Figure captions

Figure 1. Conventional refrigeration system for buses

Figure 2. Two-phase ejector refrigeration system for buses

Figure 3. P-h diagram of the two-phase ejector refrigeration system

Figure 4. Schematic view of the ejector

Figure 5. Schematic view of fin-and-tube type condenser or evaporator

Figure 6. Temperature distribution along the condenser

Figure 7. Temperature distribution along the evaporators

Figure 8. The effect of condensation temperature on total heat transfer surface areas

Figure 9. The effect of primary evaporation temperature on total heat transfer surface areas

Figure 10. The effect of secondary evaporation temperature on total heat transfer surface

areas

Figure 11. Variations in total heat transfer surface areas of the condenser and evaporators

with the primary evaporation temperature

Figure 12. Schematic illustration of experimental setup for ejector bus refrigeration system

Figure 13. Experimental setup and measuring devices

Figure 14. Variations in cooling loads during the day

Figure 15. Variation in temperature and relative humidity in relation to time

Figure 16. Variation in the instantaneous cooling load in relation to time

Figure 17. Variation in temperatures in relation to time during the experiment

43
Highlights:
Optimal thermodynamic parameters of two-phase ejector refrigeration system.
Empirical correlation for primary evaporator temperature.
Calculation of optimal condenser and evaporator dimensions.
Comparison of calculated values with experimental study.

44