Experimental Increase in the Efficiency of a Cooling Circuit Using a Desuperheater

Abstract

Waste heat from cooling circuits can be a useful source of energy for other applications, such as domestic hot water heaters. Furthermore, by removing waste heat from the cooling circuit, its effectiveness can theoretically be enhanced. A number of previous studies have shown that waste heat can be effectively harvested by installing a desuperheater in the cooling circuit between the condenser and compressor. More recently, studies have concentrated on applying heat pumps in conjunction with desuperheaters in low energy houses. In this study, we describe an experimental laboratory-scale cooling circuit with a serially connected desuperheater for heating domestic hot water. We were able to verify that installation of a desuperheater between the compressor and condenser significantly increased the energy efficiency ratio of the experimental cooling circuit, thereby confirming the hypothesis that simultaneous use of waste heat increases the efficiency of cooling circuits.