Abstract
This paper investigates the effect of heat exchanger allocation on overall system performance using both reverse Carnot and vapor compression refrigeration cycle models to calculate system performance and entropy generation rate. The algebraically simple constraints applied in previous studies are shown to be justifiable. The vapor compression model considers non-ideal compressor performance, compressor volumetric efficiency, refrigerant properties, and throttling in addition to mechanistic heat exchanger models. The results support the conclusions of previous studies in that maximum performance is observed when the condenser and evaporator sizes are approximately equal. However, it is found that minimizing the entropy generation rate does not always result in the same design as maximizing the system performance. This conclusion opens to question the utility of minimizing entropy generation rate as a general technique for optimizing the design of refrigeration cycles.
