Optimization and Validation of Novel Designs for Air-to-Refrigerant Heat Exchangers

This work presents a comprehensive optimization and validation of air-to-refrigerant heat exchangers based on novel shapes.  The tube hydraulic diameters investigated in this work range from 0.5 to 3 mm. The designs include round as well as non-round tubes.  Several optimal designs are prototyped using conventional and additive manufacturing techniques and their performance is measured and compared with the current state-of-the-art heat exchangers.  It is shown that for the same performance, the novel designs exhibit significant reductions in heat exchanger size and refrigerant charge.  Several manufacturing and application challenges are identified to improve the commercial viability of such novel designs.