Research on a novel implementation of an Ericsson cycle heat pump for near ambient refrigeration applications was performed. The concept, termed a liquid-flooded Ericsson cooler (LFEC), uses liquid flooding of the compressor and expander to approach isothermal compression and expansion processes. A numerical simulation of the cycle was developed and parametric studies were performed to explore the sensitivity of the cycle to changes in various system parameters such as, pressures, heat exchanger effectiveness and working fluids. The goal of the study was to assess the viability of the technology for vending machine applications. It was found that the target cooling coefficient of performance (COP) of 1.25 could be attained if the adiabatic efficiency of the compressor and expander were 85%.

Units: Dual