2 DESIGN ASPECTS OF DEFROSTING REFRIGERATORS

This paper shows that the intermittent operation of a defrosting vapou r-compression-cycle refrigerator can be optimized with respect to: (1) the frequency of on/off operation, and (2) the way in which the suppl y of heat exchanger surface is divided between evaporator and condense r. The method used is that of thermodynamic optimization (or entropy g eneration minimization, or finite-time thermodynamics), in which heat transfer and thermodynamic aspects are accounted for simultaneously to produce a realistic description of the in-time operation of the insta llation. The optimal on/off frequency and surface allocation ratio are reported in non-dimensional charts, which show the effect of the heat exchanger size, cycle temperature ratio, defrosting time, compressor efficiency, and refrigerant type. The charts are based on the real pro perties of refrigerants R12 and R134a. The heat exchanger equipment co nstraint is that of fixed total heat transfer surface. It is shown tha t, under certain conditions, the optimization conclusions reached in t his study are similar to those that would be obtained based on other c onstraints proposed in the literature.