[pt] O setor da refrigeração possui um papel essencial e crescente na economia global, com um aumento na quantidade de sistemas operantes. A necessidade de desenvolver novos refrigerantes tem sido cada vez mais frequente, a fim de atender a legislações ambientais cada vez mais rigorosas. Igualmente, medidas envolvendo a introdução de novos materiais, como os nanofluidos, tem sido uma constante. Neste trabalho, um sistema de refrigeração usando uma mistura nanolubrificante POE-diamante e refrigerante R410A foi simulado. Dados experimentais cedidos pela Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU) foram usados para a elaboração e validação do modelo. O simulador utiliza a equação de Peng-Robinson para o cálculo das propriedades termodinâmicas e o método de fronteira móvel para a modelagem dos trocadores. O impacto das nanopartículas em relação aos parâmetros críticos foi avaliado a partir do princípio do isomorfismo e da natureza de ambos os materiais: fluido base e nanopartículas. A convergência da simulação do ciclo de refrigeração foi obtida com o método do simplex modificado, que mostrou-se adequado para tal aplicação, apresentando convergência satisfatória em todos os casos. As temperaturas de evaporação, condensação e de descarga do compressor são obtidas a partir das condições de operação do compressor, dos dois fluidos de transferência de calor, do grau de superaquecimento no evaporador e também do grau de subresfriamento no condensador. Superfícies de resposta foram criadas a fim de avaliar o efeito de cada uma das variáveis (temperatura de evaporação, frequência do compressor e concentração de nanopartículas) utilizadas no estudo do coeficiente de performance (COP), da capacidade frigorífica e da potência do compressor. A temperatura de evaporação possui um impacto significativo sobre a capacidades frigorífica e o COP, enquanto que a potência é mais afetada pela frequência do compressor. A concentração de nanopartículas, apesar de possuir um efeito marginal, não deve ser desprezada, devido à modificação que causa sobre as propriedades termofísicas da mistura. / [en] The refrigeration sector has an essential and growing role in the global economy, with an increase in the number of operating systems. The need to develop new refrigerants has been increasingly frequent, in order to meet increasingly stringent environmental legislation. Equally, measures involving the introduction of new materials, such as nanofluids, have been a constant. In this work, a cooling system using a POE-diamond nanolubricant mixture and R410A refrigerant was simulated. Experimental data provided by the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) were used for the elaboration and validation of the model. The simulation uses the Peng-Robinson equation to calculate thermodynamic properties and the moving-boundary method for modeling the heat exchangers. The impact of the nanoparticles in relation to critical parameters was evaluated based on the principle of isomorphism and the nature of both materials: base fluid and nanoparticles. The convergence of the refrigeration cycle simulation was obtained with the modified simplex method, which proved to be adequate for such application, presenting satisfactory convergence in all cases. Evaporation,condensation and discharge temperatures are obtained from the operating conditions of compressor and both heat transfer fluids, the degree of superheating in the evaporator and also the degree of subcooling in the condenser. Response surfaces were created in order to evaluate the effect of each of the variables (evaporation temperature, compressor frequency and nanoparticle concentration) used in the study of the performance coefficient (COP), refrigeration capacity and compressor power. Results have shown that the evaporation temperature has a significant impact on the cooling capacity and the COP, while the power is mainly affected by the compressor frequency. The nanoparticles concentration, despite having a more attenuated effect, should not be neglected, due to the change it causes to the mixture thermophysical properties.

Eco-friendly non-CFC refrigerants were introduced in the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration industry during the last few years to reduce damage to the stratospheric ozone layer. The HFC refrigerant R-134a, which has zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP), is being used extensively as a replacement for R-12 and also in some centrifugal chillers as a replacement for R-11. However, the disadvantage of R-134a is its comparatively high global warming potential (GWP). Owing to energy crisis and also to reduce the indirect warming impact resulting from electrical energy usage, the new refrigeration systems should be operated at the lowest possible condensing temperatures. In view of this, several active and passive techniques for augmentation of condensation heat transfer and reduction of condensation temperature are gaining increasing attention. Passive augmentation methods are more popular than active ones. To this end, micro-finned tubes of various geometrical shapes are being explored for compact heat exchangers in the refrigeration industry as the best choice. Towards understanding the enhancement in condensation heat transfer coefficients in micro-finned tubes, a test facility has been fabricated to measure the condensing coefficients for R-134a refrigerant. Condensation experiments have been conducted on single plain and finned tubes of outer diameter 19 mm with a refrigerant saturation temperature of 400C and tube wall temperatures 350C, 320C, 300C and 280C respectively. Water is used as the cooling medium inside the tubes with the flow rate varying from 180 lph to 600 lph. The condensing coefficient typically ranged from 0.9 – 1.4 kW/(m2 K) for plain tubes and from 4.2 to 5.8 kW/(m2 K) for the finned tubes. The results of the plain v tube are found to compare favourably with the Nusselt’s theory, leading to a validation of the experimental procedure. Upon comparing the results of finned and plain tubes, it is found that provision of fins result in an enhancement factor of 3.6 to 4.6 in the condensation heat transfer coefficients. This level of enhancement is larger than that resulting from the enhanced surface area of the finned tube surface, suggesting that, apart from the extended area, the surface tension forces play an important role in the augmentation process by driving the condensate from the fin crests to the valleys in between the fins. The measured augmentation factors have also been cross-checked using the Wilson plot method. Detailed error analysis has been performed to quantify the uncertainty in the condensation heat transfer coefficient. The performance of a bank of tubes has been determined based on the measurements carried out on practical condensers of two large chillers with refrigerating capacities of 500 TR and 550 TR. On comparing the finned tube bank results and the single finned tube results, it is found that the average condensation heat transfer coefficient in a bank of tubes having N rows varies as N ¯1/6. The deterioration is in agreement with the relation proposed by Kern.