STTR Phase I: Condensing Ejector for Second-Step Compression in Reversed Rankine Cycle

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project is the research and analysis of critical two-phase flow in condensing ejectors.. This proposal takes a novel and broad-based approach to analyzing the two-phase flow processes and brings about the possibility of substantial improvement in design methodology for various components of energy systems. In particular, the application of critical two-phase flow devices will lead to development of more efficient thermodynamic cycles for refrigeration and A/C and in the future possibly also for propulsion and energy production. Use of a condensing ejector as a second step compression in a reverse-Rankine thermodynamic model has demonstrated that by using, the efficiency of vapor compression refrigeration cycle can be improved by as much as 40%. Considering $40 Bln per year spent for refrigeration and A/C in US, this can translate into an annual savings of $8 Bln even if only half of this efficiency improvement is realized in practice.