international journal of refrigeration 32 (2009) 800–808

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Performance optimization of a hybrid cooler combining

vapor compression and natural circulation cycles

Sunil Lee, Hoon Kang, Yongchan Kim*

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea

article info abstract

Article history: A hybrid cooler combining vapor compression and natural circulation cycles was devel-
Received 13 November 2008 oped for the cooling of telecommunication equipment in the cabinet-type base station of
Received in revised form mobile communication. This hybrid cooler normally operates in the vapor compression
14 December 2008 mode at high ambient temperatures, but works in the natural circulation mode at low
Accepted 17 December 2008 ambient temperatures by the thermosiphon principle. The performance of the hybrid
Published online 30 December 2008 cooler was measured according to the refrigerant charge, outdoor temperature, heat
exchanger geometry, and the vertical distance between the condenser and the evaporator.
Keywords: The optimum design conditions for these variables are discussed with respect to the
Cooling performance of the hybrid cooler in both operating modes. The difference in the optimum
Component refrigerant charge between the two operating modes was solved by installing a liquid
Electronic receiver. The temperature difference between the indoor and ambient air was introduced
Telecommunications as a control parameter for use when changing the operating mode.
Cooling system ª 2008 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
Compression system
Thermosiphon
Experiment

Optimisation de la performance d’un refroidisseur hybride

alliant les cycles à compression de vapeur et les cycles à
circulation naturelle
Mots clés : Refroidissement ; Composant ; Électronique ; Télécommunication ; Système frigorifique ; Système à compression ; Ther-
mosiphon ; Expérimentation

1. Introduction electronic devices. In addition, since the electronic devices used

in mobile communication are vulnerable to dust and humidity,
The rapid performance enhancement of electronic components a cabinet-type base station, which is generally located
has increased the amount of heat generation per unit area of outdoors, should be tightly sealed and insulated from ambient

* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ82 2 3290 3366; fax: þ82 2 921 5439.
E-mail address: yongckim@korea.ac.kr (Y. Kim).
0140-7007/$ – see front matter ª 2008 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2008.12.008
 international journal of refrigeration 32 (2009) 800–808 801

Nomenclature DH vertical distance between evaporator and

condenser (mm)
DB dry bulb temperature ( C)
DT temperature difference between indoor and
EER energy efficiency ratio
ambient air ( C)
m mass (kg)
NC natural circulation Subscripts
OD outside diameter (mm) a actual
Q cooling capacity (W) comp compressor
RH relative humidity (%) e evaporator
T air temperature ( C) fan fan
VC vapor compression i indoor
W power consumption (W) l liquid
x quality (%) o outdoor, ambient
v vapor

air. Therefore, ambient air cannot be used directly to cool
telecommunication equipment located inside the base station
in the winter season even though the temperature is signifi-
cantly lower than the indoor temperature of the base station.
Therefore, for the cooling of the telecommunication equipment
in the cabinet-type base station of mobile communication,
a hybrid cooler combining vapor compression (VC) and natural
circulation (NC) cycles was developed. The refrigerant flow in
the natural circulation cycle is produced by the temperature
difference between the indoor and ambient air without the
operation of a compressor, and this type of refrigerant flow
yielded high performance and reliability of the system in the
winter season. However, proper system optimization between
the vapor compression and the natural circulation cycle are
essential for developing a high efficient hybrid cooler used in
the cabinet-type base station of mobile communication.
Fig. 1 shows the schematic diagram of a hybrid cooler. The
hybrid cooler has two operating modes of vapor compression
and natural circulation. The hybrid cooler normally operates
in the vapor compression mode in the summer season. The
compressor circulates the refrigerant through a condenser, an
expansion valve, and an evaporator. The evaporator absorbs
the heat from hot indoor air. The heat is rejected to the
ambient in the condenser. On the other hand, the natural
circulation mode activates when the ambient air temperature
becomes lower than a certain limit. The optimum tempera-
ture limit activating the mode change from vapor compres-
sion to natural circulation can be determined by comparing
the actual cooling capacity with the design value. The natural
circulation cycle, which consists of an evaporator, a riser,
a condenser, and a downcomer, is based on the closed loop
two-phase thermosiphon principle. It should be noted that the
condenser is located at higher elevation than the evaporator.
The terms ‘‘riser’’ and ‘‘downcomer’’ describe the flow direc-
tion through the connecting pipes in the natural circulation
mode. The loop flow in the natural circulation mode is driven
by the thermally generated density gradient between the
condenser and the evaporator, generating a continuous
unidirectional flow in the system. The application of the
natural circulation cycle to the hybrid cooler can increase
system performance and reduce the possibility of compressor
failure at low ambient temperatures.

a Hybrid cooler b Hybrid cooler

Condenser Condenser

Hot ambient air Cold ambient air

EEV Comp
Cabinet-type Cabinet-type
base station base station

High High
Power Power
PCB PCB
Indoor air Indoor air
Evaporator Evaporator

VC mode NC mode

Fig. 1 – Schematic diagram of the hybrid cooler.

802 international journal of refrigeration 32 (2009) 800–808

Outdoor chamber
DB WB P DB
P DB

ΔP
Condenser

DB
WB

P : Pressure sensor

Valve 3 ΔP : Differential pressure sensor

DB : Dry-bulb temperature sensor

WB : Wet-bulb temperature sensor

Valve 1 Valve 2

EE V Compressor
P Valve 4
DB

DB WB Indoor chamber

P DB ΔP
Evaporator

DB
WB

Fig. 2 – Schematic diagram of the experimental setup.

The vapor compression system has been studied exten- refrigerant charge, ambient temperature, heat exchanger
sively to find ways for cooling telecommunication equipment. geometry, and the vertical distance between the condenser
Schmidt and Shaukatullah (2003) reviewed the literature and the evaporator. The optimum design conditions for these
dealing with various aspects of telecommunication equip- variables are discussed with respect to the operating charac-
ment by experimental and numerical analysis of cooling teristics of the hybrid cooler in both the vapor compression
schemes, energy saving schemes, and other related areas. In and the natural circulation mode. In addition, the control of
addition, extensive research on the natural circulation system
has been conducted by several researchers. The natural
circulation system was utilized in various engineering Table 1 – Specifications of the heat exchangers.
systems such as a solar water heater (Zvirin et al., 1977),
Parameter Evaporator Condenser
nuclear power plants (Dimmick et al., 2002), a gas-cooled fast
reactor (Malo et al., 2006), and an integral type reactor (Chung Heat exchanger 8 Rows, 2 Steps 8 Rows, 3 Steps
et al., 2006). However, there is no study on hybrid coolers specification Length ¼ 250 mm Length ¼ 280 mm
Transverse tube Transverse tube
combining vapor compression and natural circulation cycles
pitch ¼ 22.2 mm pitch ¼ 22.2 mm
in open literature. In addition, previous studies (Cinato et al.,
Longitudinal tube Longitudinal tube
1998; McGlen et al., 2004) on telecommunication equipment pitch ¼ 25.4 mm pitch ¼ 25.4 mm
concentrated on system performance improvement at hot Tube size OD ¼ 9.52 mm OD ¼ 9.52 mm
ambient conditions. Therefore, the optimization of the hybrid Fin specification Flat fin: Thickness ¼ 0.2032 mm, Pitch ¼ 2.004 mm
cooler should be studied comprehensively to improve the Super slit fin:
performance and reliability of the hybrid cooler system in
both the vapor compression and the natural circulation mode 1.6 mm
for hot and cold climate conditions.
2 mm
The objective of this study is to investigate the perfor-
mance optimization of the hybrid cooler with consideration of
design parameters and operating conditions. The perfor-
mance of the hybrid cooler was measured according to the
 international journal of refrigeration 32 (2009) 800–808
the mode change between vapor compression and natural
circulation is discussed in terms of the design cooling capacity
and the temperature difference between the indoor and
ambient air.
2. Experimental setup and test procedure
2.1. Design of the hybrid cooler
Fig. 2 shows the schematic diagram of the experimental setup.
The hybrid cooler tested in this study consists of an evapo-
rator, a condenser, a compressor, an electronic expansion
valve (EEV), and four solenoid valves. The hybrid cooler was
designed to operate effectively and reliably not only in the
vapor compression mode but also in the natural circulation
mode. A major design concern was the establishment of
stable refrigerant flow in the natural circulation mode by
increase of the refrigerant density gradient between the
condenser and the evaporator and by reduction of the pres-
sure loss in the flow loop. The condenser was installed in the
upper part of the hybrid cooler, while the evaporator was
located in the lower part, to produce unidirectional refrigerant
circulation. The refrigerant in the natural circulation mode
bypassed the compressor and EEV resulting in reduction of the
frictional pressure loss in the flow loop. In addition, the heat
exchanger coil circuitries were modified to increase the
refrigerant flow rate in the natural circulation mode. These
Table 2 – Heat exchanger coil circuitries tested in this study.
Coil no. Evaporator
Coil 1
Coil 2
Coil 3
803
modifications reduced flow restrictions in the refrigerant
path. The inlet port of the condenser was located at higher
elevation than the outlet port, while the inlet port of the
evaporator was located at lower elevation than the outlet port.
The operating mode of the hybrid cooler was switched
from vapor compression to natural circulation by using four
solenoid valves. The evaporator was exposed to indoor air,
while the condenser was exposed to ambient air. In the
vapor compression mode, both Valve 3 and Valve 4 were
opened, and both Valve 1 and Valve 2 were closed. The
refrigerant discharged from the compressor was cooled in
the condenser and then, the condensed refrigerant was
expanded in the EEV. The two-phase refrigerant entering the
evaporator absorbed the heat from the indoor air and then
returned to the compressor. When the operating mode was
changed from vapor compression to natural circulation, both
Valve 3 and Valve 4 were closed, and both Valve 1 and Valve
2 were opened. In the natural circulation mode, the refrig-
erant vaporized in the evaporator rose to the condenser
directly bypassing the compressor. Then, the refrigerant,
which was condensed in the condenser by rejecting the heat
to the cold ambient air, returned to the evaporator directly
bypassing the EEV.
The evaporator was designed to have a cooling capacity of
1.8 kW at an evaporating temperature of 7.2  C and an air
volume of 6.0 m3/min in the vapor compression mode. The
condenser was designed to have a heating capacity of 2.4 kW
at a condensing temperature of 54.4  C and an air volume of
Condenser
804 international journal of refrigeration 32 (2009) 800–808
9 m3/min in the vapor compression mode. Table 1 shows the
specifications of the heat exchangers. Both flat fins and super
slit fins were applied to the heat exchangers. As shown in
Table 2, three evaporator coil circuitries were tested to obtain
the optimum design data in the natural circulation mode. The
air flow direction in the heat exchangers was counter-cross
flow type. The compressor was a reciprocating type with
a rated capacity of 2.1 kW. The EEV was used as a refrigerant
flow control device in the vapor compression mode with an
orifice diameter of 1.4 mm. The refrigerant was R134a and all
tubes used in the system had an outside diameter of 9.52 mm.
2.2. Experimental apparatus and test procedure
As shown in Fig. 2, the hybrid cooler was tested in an air-
enthalpy type psychrometric calorimeter including indoor
and outdoor chambers. Each chamber was designed for
controlled air temperature from 10 to 50  C and relative
humidity (RH) from 0 to 100%. Air temperature, relative
humidity, and air flow rate passing through the heat
exchanger were measured in each chamber. A resistance
temperature sensor (Pt 100 U) was used to measure the dry
and wet bulb temperatures of air to an accuracy of 0.15  C.
The air flow rate was measured by using a nozzle with
a diameter of 76.2 mm according to ANSI/AMCA 210 (1985).
The pressure difference across the nozzle was measured by
using an electronic differential pressure transducer with an
uncertainty of 0.25%. The capacities of the evaporator and
the condenser were calculated by using the air-enthalpy
method according to ASHRAE Standard 116 (1993). The power
inputs of the compressor and fan were measured by using
a power meter with an uncertainty of 0.2%.
The energy efficiency ratio (EER) of the hybrid cooler was
calculated by Eq. (1), in which the cooling capacity is divided
by the power consumption of the compressor and fan. The
estimated uncertainties of the capacity and EER of the system
were 3.72% and 3.73%, respectively, by single-sample analysis
according to ASHRAE Guideline 2-1986 (1986).

increase of the two-phase region in the evaporator reduces
EER ¼ Qe = Wcomp þ Wfan
The performance of the hybrid cooler was measured
according to the refrigerant charge, outdoor air temperature,
heat exchanger geometry including coil circuitry and fin, and
the vertical distance between the condenser and the evapo-
rator. Table 3 shows test conditions used in the present study.
The normalized refrigerant charge into the system was varied
from 0.1 to 0.3 with an interval of 0.025 to investigate optimum
refrigerant charge for each operating mode. The refrigerant
charge amount was normalized between 0 and 1 by the
Table 3 – Test conditions.
Parameter Vapor compression mode
 
Indoor air (DB/RH) 40 C/40%
Outdoor air (DB/RH) 35  C/40%
Normalized charge 0.1, 0.125, 0.15, 0.175, 0.2, 0.225, 0.25, 0.275, 0.3
Vertical distance (mm) 750, 1000, 1250
masses of the saturated vapor and liquid in the system at
room temperature of 25  C.
ma  mv
Normalized charge ¼ (2)
ml  mv
The terms of mv and ml were determined by multiplying the
total volume of the system with the densities of the saturated
vapor and liquid at the room temperature, respectively, which
were calculated by using REFPROP 7.0 (2002).
For all tests, the indoor air was maintained at 40  C DB/40%
RH, which is the maximum temperature for the reliable
operation of electronic devices. The outdoor air in the vapor
compression mode was fixed at 35  C DB/40% RH, while that in
the natural circulation mode was varied from 0 to 15.0  C with
an interval of 2.5  C. The hybrid cooler was also tested by
varying the evaporator coil circuitry, as shown in Table 2,
having both flat fins and super slit fins. In addition, the hybrid
cooler was tested by varying the vertical distance between the
condenser and the evaporator from 750 to 1250 mm.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Effects of refrigerant charge
Fig. 3 shows the cooling capacity and EER of the hybrid cooler
according to the variation of normalized refrigerant charge.
The evaporator used Coil 2 with flat fins, and the vertical
distance between the condenser and the evaporator (DH ) was
750 mm. The outdoor temperature in the vapor compression
(VC) mode was 35  C with 40% RH, while that in the natural
circulation (NC) mode was 5  C with 40% RH. The cooling
capacity and EER of the hybrid cooler in both operating modes
(VC and NC) increased and then decreased slowly after their
peak values with the increase of refrigerant charge. Therefore,
each operating mode had an optimum refrigerant charge that
yielded the maximum cooling capacity and EER. Generally, the
(1)
thermal resistance, resulting in the increase of the cooling
capacity. The cooling capacities in both operating modes
decreased with the decrease of refrigerant charge from the
optimum value due to the increase of the dry-out region at the
evaporator outlet. Especially, the decrease of the cooling
capacity in the natural circulation mode was more significant
as the refrigerant charge decreased from the optimum value
because the refrigerant flow became unstable with lower flow
rate. On the other hand, the cooling capacities in both oper-
ating modes decreased with the increase of refrigerant charge
Natural circulation mode
40 C/40%
15  C/40%, 12.5  C/40%, 10  C/40%, 7.5  C/40%, 5  C/40%, 2.5  C/40%, 0  C/40%
 international journal of refrigeration 32 (2009) 800–808 805

2600 24 receiver was installed at the condenser outlet. Table 4 shows

Q in VC mode EER in VC mode the design process of the liquid receiver. The difference in the
2400
Q in NCmode EER in NC mode
20 optimum refrigerant charge was 187 g, and the required
Cooling capacity, Q (W)

2200
volume to store this refrigerant at liquid state was 172 mL at
2000
16 the condenser outlet temperature of 54.4  C. Therefore, the
1800
volume of the liquid receiver was selected as 344 mL by

1600
1400 VC mode : Ti=40°C,T =35°C
1200 NC mode : Ti=40°C,T =5°C
H=750 mm, Coil 2 with flat fin
1000
800
600
0.10 0.15 0.20
Normalized charge
Fig. 3 – Effects of refrigerant charge on the performance of
the hybrid cooler without a liquid receiver.
from the optimum value due to the increase of the subcooled
liquid region at the evaporator inlet.
In this study, the optimum normalized refrigerant charges
in the vapor compression and the natural circulation mode,
which were determined based on the maximum EER, were
0.125 and 0.175, respectively. At each optimum refrigerant
charge, the optimum capacity and EER of the hybrid cooler in
the vapor compression mode were 2.52 and 1.92 kW, respec-
tively, while those in the natural circulation mode were 19.36
and 1.80 kW, respectively. The natural circulation cycle
showed significantly higher EER than the vapor compression
cycle due to the use of the cold outdoor air as a driving force
for refrigerant circulation instead of the compressor. In addi-
tion, the natural circulation cycle required more refrigerant
charge than the vapor compression cycle to achieve stable
natural refrigerant circulation with an appropriate density
gradient. Therefore, the performance of the hybrid cooler
degraded significantly when it did not operate at the optimum
refrigerant charge in each operating mode. When the hybrid
cooler was operated at the normalized refrigerant charge of
0.125, which was the optimum value in the vapor compression
mode, the cooling capacity and EER of the hybrid cooler in the
natural circulation mode were 1.50 kW and 16.08, respec-
tively, which were 16.9% lower than those obtained when the
hybrid cooler was operated at the optimum refrigerant charge.
In order to compensate the difference in the optimum
refrigerant charge between the two operating modes, a liquid
EER
12 assuming that 50% of the volume was filled with liquid
° refrigerant. It should be noted that the volume of the liquid
3 receiver was approximately 8.4% of the total volume of the
°
hybrid cooler.
Fig. 4 represents the effects of refrigerant charge on the
2
performance of the modified hybrid cooler with the liquid
0.25 0.30 receiver. The modified hybrid cooler showed the optimum
normalized refrigerant charge of 0.2 in both operating modes.
The liquid receiver works like a capacitor in an electronic
circuit. Excessive refrigerant was stored in the liquid receiver.
At the optimum normalized refrigerant charge of 0.2, the
optimum capacity and EER of the modified hybrid cooler in the
vapor compression mode were 2.49 and 1.88 kW, respectively,
while those in the natural circulation mode were 19.42 and
1.77 kW, respectively. In the vapor compression mode, the
cooling capacity of the system remained nearly constant at
the peak value with the increase of normalized refrigerant
charge from 0.2. However, in the natural circulation mode, the
cooling capacity slightly decreased with the increase of
normalized refrigerant charge beyond the optimum value
because excessive refrigerant entered the evaporator without
being stored in the liquid receiver; therefore, this cooling
capacity behavior was very close to the trend observed in the
original system without the liquid receiver.
3.2. Effects of outdoor temperature
Fig. 5 represents the cooling capacity of the modified hybrid
cooler with the variation of the temperature difference
between the indoor and outdoor air (DT ). The tested hybrid
cooler adopted the liquid receiver, and the normalized
refrigerant charge was fixed at the optimum value of 0.2. The
cooling capacity was measured in each operating mode with
the indoor temperature fixed at 40  C and the outdoor
temperature decreased from 15.0 to 0  C. The DT increased
2600 24
Q in VC mode EER in VC mode
2400
Q in NC mode EER in NC mode
20
Cooling capacity, Q (W)

2200
2000
16
1800
EER

Table 4 – Design process of the liquid receiver. 1600 12

1400 VC mode : Ti=40°C,T =35°C
Optimum Optimum charge in VC mode ¼ 467 g °
NC mode : Ti=40°C,T =5°C
refrigerant charge (Normalized charge ¼ 0.125) 1200 ° 3
Optimum charge in NC mode ¼ 654 g H=750 mm, Coil 2 with flat fin
1000
(Normalized charge ¼ 0.175)
800 2
Difference of the optimum charge ¼ 187 g
Density at the Density at T ¼ 54.4  C and x ¼ 0%: 1.082 g/mL 600
0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30
condenser outlet
Size selection Volume of liquid: 187 g/1.082 g/mL ¼ 172 mL Normalized charge
Portion of liquid in the liquid receiver ¼ 1/2
Volume of the liquid receiver ¼ 172  2 ¼ 344 mL
Fig. 4 – Effects of refrigerant charge on the performance of
the hybrid cooler with a liquid receiver.
806 international journal of refrigeration 32 (2009) 800–808
VC mode at H=750 mm
2000
NC mode at H=750 mm, NC mode at H=1000 mm
Cooling capacity, Q (W)
1800
1600
Target capacity
1400
1200
Ti=40°C,Coil 2 with flat fin
1000 Normalized charge = 0.2
T=Ti-T
° outdoor temperature in the vapor compression mode was
800
24 28 32 36 40
Temperature difference, T (°C)
Fig. 5 – Effects of outdoor temperature on the cooling
capacity of the hybrid cooler.
with the decrease of the outdoor temperature. The cooling
capacity in the vapor compression mode decreased slightly
with the decrease of the outdoor temperature. On the other
hand, the cooling capacity in the natural circulation mode
increased significantly with the decrease of the outdoor
temperature due to the increase in refrigerant flow rate. The
maximum cooling capacity in the natural circulation mode
was 1.84 kW at the DT of 35  C and vertical distance (DH ) of
1000 mm; this capacity was consistent with the cooling
capacity of 1.84 kW in the vapor compression mode at the
same DT. However, as the DT increased from 35  C (To ¼ 5  C)
to 40  C (To ¼ 0  C), the cooling capacity decreased slightly due
to the increase of the subcooled region at the evaporator inlet
resulting from excessive liquid return from the condenser.
As shown in Fig. 5, the cooling capacity in the natural
circulation mode was strongly dependent on the DT. When the
DT is large enough, the designed cooling capacity can be
obtained with stable system operations. Therefore, the DT can
be used as a control parameter to determine the switching
point of the operating mode. If the designed cooling capacity is
1.60 kW at DH ¼ 750 mm, DT ¼ 32.5  C (To ¼ 7.5  C) can be the
point for switching the mode from vapor compression to
natural circulation. In addition, as shown in Fig. 5, the
increasing slope of the cooling capacity with respect to DT at
DH ¼ 1000 mm was higher than that at DH ¼ 750 mm. At larger
DH, the DT for the operating mode switch becomes lower and
the operating period of the natural circulation mode
increases, which can reduce system power consumption due
to a significantly higher EER in the natural circulation mode.
Generally, the cooling capacity of the natural circulation mode
is lower than that of the vapor compression mode. The
cabinet-type base station has less internal load in the winter
season (natural circulation mode) than that in the summer
season (vapor compression mode) due to heat loss to the cold
ambient. Therefore, the reduction of the internal load in the
winter season can partially contribute to compensate the lack
of the cooling capacity in the natural circulation mode.
However, it is recommended to optimize the cooling capacity
based on that of the natural circulation mode.
3.3. Effects of heat exchanger geometry
As mentioned, the heat exchangers had unique coil circuit-
ries designed for the natural circulation cycle. Fig. 6 repre-
sents the effects of the tube length per each path on the
cooling capacity of the modified hybrid cooler. Coil 1, Coil 2,
and Coil 3, which are shown in Table 2, had the tube lengths
per each path of 1 m, 2 m, and 4 m, respectively. The hybrid
cooler with the liquid receiver was tested at the normalized
refrigerant charge of 0.2 and DH ¼ 750 mm. The indoor
temperature in both operating modes was fixed at 40  C. The
35  C, while that in the natural circulation mode was 7.5  C.
The cooling capacity in the vapor compression mode
increased slowly with the increase of the tube length per
each path. In the natural circulation mode with the adoption
of flat fins, the cooling capacity increased by 10.7% with the
increase of the tube length per each path from 1 to 2 m
because of the increase of the two-phase region in the
evaporator. However, the cooling capacity decreased by 2.2%
with the increase of the tube length per each path from 2 to
4 m because of the pre-existence of dry-out in the evapo-
rator. There is an optimum tube length per each path that
will yield the optimum cooling capacities, in both operating
modes. Especially, the cooling capacity of the natural
circulation cycle was more strongly affected by the coil
circuitry than that of the vapor compression cycle. There-
fore, the coil circuitry should be optimized as priority based
on the cooling capacity in the natural circulation mode. In
this study, the optimum tube length per each path was 2 m,
which yielded the maximum cooling capacities of 1.61 kW
and 1.71 kW for flat fins and super slit fins, respectively, in
the natural circulation mode.
The super slit fins enhanced the airside heat transfer
coefficient of the heat exchangers, resulting in the increase
of the cooling capacity. The cooling capacities in the vapor
compression and the natural circulation mode increased by
1.7% and 5.9% on average, respectively, when the flat fins
were replaced with super slit fins in the heat exchangers.
Therefore, the performance of the natural circulation cycle
2100
VC mode : Ti=40°C,T =35°C Normalized charge = 0.2
°
2000 NC mode : Ti=40°C,T =7.5°C ΔH=750 mm
°
1900
Cooling capacity, Q (W)
1800
1700
1600
1500 Flat fin in VC mode
Flat fin in NC mode
1400 Super slit fin in VC mode
Super slit fin in NC mode
1300
1m (Coil 1) 2m (Coil 2) 4m (Coil 3)
Tube length per each path (m)
Fig. 6 – Effects of heat exchanger geometry on the cooling
capacity of the hybrid cooler.
 international journal of refrigeration 32 (2009) 800–808
VC mode : Ti=40°C, T =35°C
1900 NC mode : Ti=40°C
° 4.
Cooling capacity, Q (W)
1800
1700
1600
VC mode
NC mode at T =7.5°C
°
1500 NC mode at T =5°C
°
625 750 875 1000
Vertical distance,
Fig. 7 – Effects of vertical distance on the cooling capacity of
the hybrid cooler.
was more strongly dependent on the airside heat transfer
coefficient than that of the vapor compression cycle. In the
natural circulation mode, the refrigerant flow rate was
dominantly determined by the capacities of the evaporator
and condenser; in the vapor compression mode, it was
more strongly affected by the capacities of the compressor
and EEV.
3.4. Effects of vertical distance
In the natural circulation mode, the driving force for the
liquid refrigerant return to the evaporator was gravitational
force. The longer the vertical distance between the
condenser and the evaporator (DH ), the stronger the driving
force. The hybrid cooler having Coil 2 with flat fins was
tested for the variation of the DH from 750 to 1250 mm at the
optimum normalized refrigerant charge of 0.2. The indoor
temperature in both operating modes was fixed at 40  C. The
outdoor temperature in the vapor compression mode was
35  C, and those in the natural circulation mode were 5  C
and 7.5  C.
Fig. 7 shows the effects of the vertical distance DH on the
cooling capacity of the modified hybrid cooler. The cooling
capacity of the vapor compression cycle remained nearly
constant at 1.84 kW regardless of the vertical distance DH.
However, the cooling capacity of the natural circulation cycle
was the maximum at DH ¼ 1000 mm and then rapidly
decreased as DH deviated from the optimum value. The
cooling capacity of the natural circulation cycle at To ¼ 7.5  C
increased by 7.1% with the increase of DH from 750 to
1000 mm due to the rise of the driving force of refrigerant
circulation. However, as DH increased from 1000 to 1250 mm,
the cooling capacity of the natural circulation cycle at
To ¼ 7.5  C decreased by 5.5% due to the rapid increase of the
vapor pressure drop in the riser. Therefore, the optimum
vertical distance for the present system was 1000 mm, which
yielded the optimum cooling capacities of 1.84 kW and
1.67 kW at the outdoor temperatures of 5  C and 7.5  C,
respectively.
807
Normalized charge = 0.2
Conclusions
Coil 2 with flat fin
The performance optimization of the hybrid cooler with
consideration of design parameters and operating conditions
was carried out in this study. The performance of the hybrid
cooler was measured for variations of the refrigerant charge,
outdoor temperature, heat exchanger geometry, and the
vertical distance between the condenser and the evaporator
(DH ). The optimum normalized refrigerant charges in the vapor
compression and the natural circulation mode were 0.125 and
0.175, respectively. The modified system with the liquid receiver
showed the optimum normalized refrigerant charge of 0.2 in
1125 1250 1375 both operating modes because excessive refrigerant was stored
H (mm) in the liquid receiver in the vapor compression mode. The
cooling capacity in the natural circulation mode increased
significantly with the reduction of the outdoor temperature due
to the increase in the refrigerant flow rate. Therefore, the
temperature difference between the indoor and outdoor air (DT )
can be used as a control parameter for the change of the oper-
ating mode. The optimum tube length per each path and the
optimum vertical distance DH for the hybrid cooler to achieve
optimum cooling capacities in both operating modes were 2.0 m
(Coil 2 in Table 2) and 1000 mm, respectively. The performance
of the natural circulation cycle was more strongly affected by
the coil circuitry, fin type, and vertical distance DH than that of
the vapor compression cycle. Therefore, these design parame-
ters should be optimized as priority based on the cooling
capacity in the natural circulation mode. In addition, the natural
circulation cycle showed significantly higher EER than the vapor
compression cycle because natural refrigerant circulation was
used instead of the compressor.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by a grant 2008NBLHME090000
from the Korea Institute of Energy and Resources Technology
Evaluation and Planning.
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