Rapid pulse width modulated co2 ejector for small-scale vapour-compression systems
Small-scale Refrigeration, Cooling&Heating (RC&H) sector plays a vital role in modern life promoting health, comfort and economic prosperity. On the other hand, it is also responsible for a considerable contribution to global warming. The urgent need for an eco-friendlier future has forced the European Union (EU) to implement stringent energy and environmental policies, affecting this sector significantly. These have led such a large and ever-growing industry to suffer for the lack of a long-term solution complying with safety and EU’s requirements.
This project aims at filling the aforementioned technological gap by studying an innovative and future-proof small-scale vapour-compression RC&H unit relying on: (1) CO2, being a non-flammable, non-toxic and climate-friendly refrigerant, as the sole working fluid and (2) a two-phase ejector with a novel capacity control technique. The core of the work is to establish the experimental evidence and expertise regarding the innovative capacity control methodology for CO2 two-phase ejectors. At present, two-phase ejectors cannot readily be capacity controlled without penalizing ejector and system efficiency in small-scale RC&H units. As concrete value and impact, this project will lay robust foundations for a significantly more sustainable future and thus pave the way for remarkable enhancements for business and society concerning the RC&H sector.
The fellow is a proficient researcher with a strong background in large-scale CO2 refrigeration systems using two-phase ejectors. The results and the experience that the applicant has obtained make him the ideal candidate for successfully achieving the project objectives. This work is a unique opportunity for the fellow to become an independent scientist, enhancing and developing new skills in a leading research field, such as the eco-friendly RC&H sector. These competences are highly valued in academia and industry in the context of the EU policies and the Paris climate agreement.