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ISBN: 978-1-56700-537-0

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-538-7

ISSN Online: 2377-424X

International Heat Transfer Conference 17
August, 14-18, 2023, Cape Town, South Africa

Numerical analysis on performance characteristics of an ejector

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHTC17.330-60
8 pages

Abstract

A typical air conditioning system uses a large amount of electricity, produced substantially by burning fossil fuels, which is a cause of global warming. The increase in demand for electrical energy also leads to a rise in energy costs. To solve these shortcomings, one alternative is an ejector, which pumps a fluid without any moving parts and is operated by fluid energy to minimize cost and electricity consumption. In an ejector, a higher-pressure fluid compresses a lower-pressure fluid at an intermediate pressure. This study conducts a numerical analysis to investigate the effects of pressure and velocity relative to the mass flow rate of the refrigerant in a specific ejector. A commercially available STAR-CCM+ CFD software with standard k-e turbulence models is considered for this work. Besides, the environmentally friendly refrigerant R-404A is used as a working fluid. Three cases with different refrigerant mass flow rates (194. 4, 210.0, and 237.6 kg/hr) on the motive side and zero static pressure conditions on the suction and discharge sides are investigated. The steady state is reached with two thousand cycles with a SIMPLEC pressure correction method. Based on numerical results, due to changes in the mass flow rate, components such as velocity and pressure notably influenced the flow behavior. The velocity, pressure, Mach number, and density are achieved through calculations, and the mass flow rate is also calculated at each Inlet and outlet of the ejector. Moreover, when the mass flow rate increased, the velocity and pressure decreased, respectively. Overall, it shows that maintaining an appropriate mass flow rate helps to achieve the required flow conditions. Furthermore, using an ejector in a typical air conditioning and refrigeration cycle saves energy, thus increasing the system's performance.