ADVANCED REFRIGERATION CYCLE FOR SHIPBOARD USE

REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS FOR SHIPBOARD USE MUST BE EFFICIENT, MECHANICALLY SIMPLE, RELIABLE, SAFE, SMALL, AND LIGHTWEIGHT. CURRENT SYSTEMS MEET ALL OF THESE CRITERIA BUT USE CHLOROFLUROCARBONS (CFCS). THE MANUFACTURE OF CFCS IS BEING PHASED-OUT BECAUSE OF THEIR OZONE-DEPLETION POTENTIAL. TDA RESEARCH, INC. PROPOSES A SAFE, NON-TOXIC, NON-FLAMMABLE, NON-OZONE DEPLETING REFRIGERANT WHICH IS EASILY HANDLED IN RELIABLE, OFF-THE-SHELF HARDWARE. PREVIOUS APPLICATIONS OF THE REFRIGERANT HAVE HAD UNACCEPTABLY LOW EFFICIENCY AS A RESULT OF THE WORK REQUIRED TO COMPRESS THE REFRIGERANT TO HIGH PRESSURES AND THE LARGE, IRREVERSIBLE LOSSES INVOLVED IN THROTTLING TO THE LOW-PRESSURE EVAPORATOR. TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF LOW EFFICIENCY, TDA MODIFIED THE CYCLE TO RECOVER THE WORK WITHIN THE CYCLE IN A SIMPLE AND MECHANICALLY RELIABLE DEVICE. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE NEW DEVICE, ALL PARTS OF THIS SYSTEM CAN BE PURCHASED OFF THE SHELF. IT IS THE DESIGN AND TESTING OF THIS CRUCIAL COMPONENT WHICH IS THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I RESEARCH. A SIMPLE FORM OF THE NEW CYCLE HAS AN EFFICIENCY WHICH IS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THAT OF CURRENT CFC-BASED REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS, BUTGREATER THAN THAT OF ANY SYSTEM REPORTED TO-DATE WHICH DOES NOT USE CFCS. AN ADVANCED VERSION OF THE CYCLE CAN ACHIEVE AN EFFICIENCY WHICH CAN EXCEED THAT OF EVEN TODAY-S WELL-DEVELOPED CFC-BASED VAPOR-COMPRESSION SYSTEMS.