International Journal of Refrigeration 29 (2006) 789–798

www.elsevier.com/locate/ijrefrig

Performance of a domestic refrigerator under influence

of varied expansion device capacity,
refrigerant charge and ambient temperature
Erik Björk*, Björn Palm
Department of Energy Technology, Royal Institute of Technology, SE 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
Received 19 September 2005; received in revised form 18 November 2005; accepted 22 November 2005
Available online 13 March 2006

Abstract

This paper reports experimental results of an on/off cycling domestic refrigerator at varied expansion device capacity (EDC),
quantity of charge and ambient temperature. It was found that the energy consumption is insensitive to varied EDC and charge
within a wide range of settings. For the charge this is explained by the low side accumulator, which buffers over- and
undercharge. It was also found that the optimum charge increased at lower ambient temperature. The paper describes an
experimental procedure on how to determine the capillary tube length and the quantity of charge for a domestic
refrigerator/freezer. This procedure is recommended since it takes different thermal masses and loads into consideration and
since the potential for energy saving with a more sophisticated method appears to be limited.
q 2005 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Domestic refrigerator; Experiment; Performance; Parameter; Thermostatic expansion device; Refrigerant charge; Temperature

Performance d’un réfrigérateur domestique muni d’un détendeur à

capacité variable, selon la charge en frigorigène et la température
ambiante
Mots clés : Réfrigérateur domestique ; Expérimentation ; Performance ; Paramètre ; Détendeur thermostatique ; Charge en frigorigène ;
Température

1. Introduction important for devices produced in large numbers, such as

Recent energy price increases have once again put
energy efficiency into focus. This topic is particularly
* Corresponding author. Tel.: C46 86 546449; fax: C46 82
03007.
E-mail address: bjork@energy.kth.se (E. Björk).
domestic refrigerators and freezers. These refrigeration
units are typically characterized by low cooling capacities
(50–250 W), low quantities of charge (20–200 g), an
accumulator positioned at the evaporator outlet, a herme-
tically sealed cooling system, a capillary tube expansion
device which is in heat exchange with the suction line, and a
cooling capacity control by intermittent run.

0140-7007/$35.00 q 2005 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2005.11.008
790 E. Björk, B. Palm / International Journal of Refrigeration 29 (2006) 789–798
Several research papers have provided information about
the characteristics of such cooling systems [1–11]. Attempts
to simulate their behaviour are reported in [12–16]. The
capillary tube expansion device is investigated at adiabatic
[17–20] and diabatic [21–26] conditions. Experimental
charge inventories are reported in [10,11,27,28].
1.1. The on/off cycling
The most common way to control the cooling capacity in
domestic refrigerators and freezers is by intermittent run or
cycling control. The compressor starts as a preset
temperature in the refrigerated space is exceeded (cut-in
temperature) and shuts down as a low temperature (cut-out
temperature) is reached. A typical course of events at
compressor start and stop is as follows: at the moment
before the compressor starts, the evaporator is at its highest
temperature. Most refrigerant, by mass, is accumulated in
the evaporator and compressor whereas the condenser and
the capillary tube contain only superheated gas. As the
compressor starts, the initial compressor mass flow is high
(high evaporation pressure) whereas the capillary tube mass
flow is low (superheated gas). The result is that refrigerant is
displaced towards the condenser. The evaporator becomes
more or less starved with any remaining refrigerant liquid
held up in the accumulator. After a short while a liquid layer
is formed at the condenser outlet and the evaporator starts to
refill with refrigerant liquid. That is, the dry-out point
(position in evaporator where superheat starts) moves
downstream thus gradually ‘activating’ the heat exchanger.
This refilling process is somewhat accelerated as liquid,
backed up in the condenser following the start-up, subcools
and increases the capillary tube mass flow. It is important
that this refilling process is short in comparison to the entire
compressor on-period.
As the compressor stops, the pressure equalises within
the system. The condenser pressure decreases and slowly
approaches the saturation pressure in the evaporator while
refrigerant is pushed into the evaporator.
These charge displacements at start-up and shut-down
affects the performance negatively. Totally, efficiency
losses of 5–37% are reported [4,7,13] due to these
phenomena.
1.2. Capillary tube capacity and quantity of charge
A central issue in the development process of domestic
refrigerators/freezers is to find the right capillary tube
capacity (combination of capillary tube length and diameter)
and quantity of charge. This should be done in such a way
that the lowest possible energy consumption is obtained
while other required performances are fulfilled. Whether
this optimum is found is often questioned. Normally, these
parameters are determined experimentally at a late stage in
the development process after the cabinet, heat exchangers
and compressor have been selected.
1.3. A simple method to determine the capillary tube length
and the quantity of charge
One method [29], based on trial and error, which is
employed at a major manufacturer to find this optimum is
outlined below. It is exemplified for climate class N [30] or
temperate conditions. First, the cabinet is arranged
according to ISO7371 [30] conditions.
(1) The capillary tube dimension is determined in pull
down experiments (start-up from cabinet initially at
ambient temperature) at 25 8C during which the
evaporator dry-out point (position in evaporator where
superheat starts) must reach the low side accumulator
inlet position within 30 min. In this experiment the
charge is guessed.
(2) The charge is determined during continuous running
steady state conditions at 32 8C ambient temperature. In
this condition the dry-out point must just reach the
accumulator inlet. Then, this charge is tested at
continuous running steady state conditions at 25 8C
ambient temperature. In this condition the suction line
downstream the capillary tube heat exchanger must not
be cold (i.e. part of suction line close to compressor).
In case the latter condition is unattainable, the
accumulator volume is too small for the given
configuration.
(3) The capillary tube dimension and amount of charge are
verified at on/off cycling conditions at 25 8C ambient
temperature and 5 8C average cabinet air temperature.
In this test, the evaporator dry-out point should reach
the accumulator inlet within 1–2 min (depending on
evaporator size) after a compressor start. If this
condition is unattainable the capillary tube should be
shortened.
Note that the minimum length of the capillary tube was
selected only to ensure the system operation. A condenser
subcooling was not a required condition in the outlined
method.
Why is then the outlined procedure used instead of a
more scientific approach based on correlations for void
fraction and capillary tube mass flow? The answer probably
lies in the complexity of the problem. For the capillary tube,
not only the influence of the suction line heat exchanger
must be included but also the transient conditions with
varied inlet conditions. For the void fraction, correlations
are yet not available for the internal geometries that are
common in domestic refrigerators and freezers (vertical
bends, odd cross section shapes and low side accumulator).
1.4. Reported work with relevance to the current study
For steady state conditions at a component level, the
ASHRAE handbook [31] suggests an experimental method
to help selecting the capillary tube length. A separate test
 E. Björk, B. Palm / International Journal of Refrigeration 29 (2006) 789–798
setup is described to find the capacity balance (combination
of condensation and evaporation pressures that ensures a
saturated liquid condition at the capillary tube inlet for a
given capillary tube length and compressor). However, even
if this characteristic is known, and is used at an early stage of
the development process to size the cooling system, it is
doubtful whether this condition can be maintained for more
than one steady state condition. The same source [31] also
suggests an experimental method that can be used on an
existing system to find the optimum charge: An external
bottle (valved off and sitting on a scale) is heated or cooled
to vary the system charge.
Dmitriyev and Pisarenko [32] suggest a simple corre-
lation to calculate the optimum charge in a domestic
refrigerator in which the evaporator and condenser internal
volumes are the only parameters. They found that the COP
was more sensitive to over than undercharging. They also
found that the optimum charge was independent of the
ambient temperature. Kuijpers et al. [12] theoretically
studied the influence of charge and capillary tube capacity
on the performance of a domestic freezer at varied operating
conditions. They found that the required system charge
(to obtain a small 0.1 K superheat) was less sensitive to
variations in the ambient temperature if a high capillary tube
capacity was selected. Moreover, they pointed out that a
high capillary tube capacity would result in a faster build-up
of the liquid layer in the evaporator after a compressor start-
up. Jakobsen [13] simulated varied capillary tube capacities
and quantities of charge during steady state conditions for a
domestic refrigerator. He found that the efficiency was more
sensitive to a too low charge and a too low capillary tube
capacity than the opposite.
1.5. Motivation for this work
It is well known from experiments and theoretical studies
that a vapour compression cooling machine, at steady state
conditions, has its highest efficiency for a certain expansion
device capacity and quantity of charge [33]. However, to the
Fig. 1. Experimental apparatus (suction line heat exchanger not shown).
791
knowledge of these authors no experimental studies have
been conducted and published for on/off cycling systems
even though this method for capacity control is the most
common in domestic refrigeration. It is the purpose of the
present paper to fill this gap. In particular, it is interesting to
in detail explore the nature of the energy minimum, which
many engineers intuitively believe exists, for certain
combinations of the EDC and the quantity of charge.
2. Methods and material
In order to investigate the energy consumption of a
domestic refrigerator at varied refrigerant charges and EDC
a refrigerator was modified so that these parameters could be
varied. The experimental setup was fully computer
controlled. Hence, no manual intervention was needed
during an experimental run.
2.1. The test object
The test object was an Electrolux ER8893C, single door
and single compartment domestic refrigerator with the
following data:
† Cabinet: (1.75!0.6!0.6 m3), 350 l internal volume,
UA value 2.3 W/K. Declared energy consumption
0.68 kW h/24 h. Energy class B.
† Evaporator: free convection, (0.66!0.49!0.0014 m3),
aluminium, plate type, back wall positioned (20 mm
distance to wall), integrated downstream positioned
accumulator. Refrigerant line length (including accu-
mulator) 6.02 m. Internal hydraulic diameter 3.2 mm.
Total internal volume 114 ml whereof accumulator
volume 46 ml in which approximately half the volume
can store liquid at steady state condition. UA value
3.7 W/K.
† Condenser: free convection, (1.33!0.51!0.008 m3),
steel, wire on tube (53 vertical wires on each side of the
792 E. Björk, B. Palm / International Journal of Refrigeration 29 (2006) 789–798
Fig. 2. Cooling system with thermocouples position.
tubing, each of diameter 1.5 mm) positioned with 25 mm
distance to the cabinet back wall. The refrigerant flow is
horizontally downward. Internal volume 135 ml. Inter-
nal/external tube diameter 3.5/5.0 mm. UA value
7.7 W/K.
† Capillary tube expansion device (2.54 m length and
0.6 mm internal diameter) with coaxial type suction line
heat exchanger of 2 m length. The capillary tube
adiabatic inlet and outlet section is 0.5 and 0.04 m.
† Filter drier: molecular sieve with internal free volume
11.3 ml.
† Piston compressor (ZEM HQY75AA) with low pressure
oil sump and 265 ml mineral oil charge. Cooling
capacity 118 W and COP 1.49 at ASHRAE conditions
(55/K23.3 8C).
† Refrigerant: nominal refrigerant charge 33 g of Iso-
butane (R600a).
† Capacity control by intermittent run (on/off cycling)
with self-defrosting in every off-period.
2.2. Modifications of test object
A drawing of the modified system is shown in
Figs. 1 and 2. Overall, small changes were made to the
original system. All components were at original
positions, connection pipes were kept short and with
internal diameters close to the original system. As a
result, the behaviour of the modified system was close
to the behaviour of the original system. For example,
the cycle length, compressor-on and compressor-off
time differed with less than 5% to the unmodified
system at nominal charge.
The adiabatic inlet part of the capillary tube (0.5 m
between the filter drier and the suction line heat
exchanger) was replaced by a step motor actuated needle
valve (Swagelok L series). By this, the EDC could be
varied with settings higher and lower than the original
configuration. The total length of the remaining capillary
tube was 2.04 m including the 0.04 m adiabatic outlet
section.
A refrigerant tank was connected to the service line of
the compressor via a remotely controlled solenoid valve
(Honeywell MC062). The tank, in turn was sitting on a scale
(Witre PV500) connected to a data logger. Through this
arrangement a measured quantity of refrigerant could
be added to the cooling system. An electric energy meter
(Enermet Y120E), also connected to the data logger,
enabled the compressor energy consumption to be
measured. Thermocouples (T-type) were attached at
different positions of the cooling system.
 E. Björk, B. Palm / International Journal of Refrigeration 29 (2006) 789–798 793

2.3. Information exchange 2.6. Experimental procedure

A computer with software (developed in HP-VEE) Prior to each experimental run the system was carefully
controlled the compressor, the solenoid valve to the evacuated and charged to the lowest quantity that enabled
refrigerant tank, and the step motor actuated needle valve the system to operate at on/off cycling condition at the given
via a relay box (Utronix SwitchBox44) and a step motor cut-out temperature. The configurations to be tested were
controller (Basic stamp II BOE). The data from the entered into the program. After this the experimental
thermocouples, the scale, and the energy meter was apparatus was autonomous. An experimental run started
transferred via a data logger (HP 34970A) to the computer with 20 on/off cycles at the highest EDC (most open valve
where it was recorded for later analysis. setting) to reach steady cycling conditions. Then, the energy
consumption was measured for one complete on/off cycle.
2.4. Expansion device capacity (EDC) Next, the throttling valve was closed stepwise. For each
step, the energy consumption was measured for one on/off
The EDC is presented as the nitrogen vapour flow at the cycle. This was repeated until either the pre set most closed
outlet through the combined needle valve-capillary tube valve opening (lowest EDC) was reached or the cut-out
section, as measured in a separate experiment. In this temperature was unattainable. After this the throttling valve
experiment nitrogen was allowed to expand from 6 bar to was reset to its most open setting, more refrigerant was
atmospheric pressure at normal room temperature. The added, and five on/off cycles were completed (again to reach
original capillary tube capacity measured in this way was steady cycling conditions) before the stepwise valve
2.8 (l N2/min). However, since this capacity is measured closing-energy measurement process was repeated. The
solely with a capillary tube it cannot be directly compared to experimental run was stopped as the desired upper limit of
the EDC presented in this study (which also includes a charge was reached.
needle valve). Because of different flow conditions, at the
same Nitrogen capacity, the two-phase refrigerant flow
through the 0.5 m adiabatic capillary tube (that was 3. Results
removed for the test) is not necessarily the same as through
the needle valve. A total of almost 600 measurements were recorded at
different combinations of charges, EDC and ambient
temperatures. For each ambient temperature (16, 25,
2.5. Experimental conditions, data reduction
31 8C), the results are displayed in a contour map (Figs. 3
and uncertainty estimation
and 4) with the EDC/valve opening on the longitudinal axis
and the quantity of charge on the lateral axis. For the valve
The experimental apparatus was arranged according to
opening, a value of 0.25 (left side of maps) means a quarter
ISO 7371 [30] conditions at three different ambient
temperatures: 16, 25, and 31 8C. Note that, due to limitations
in the experimental facilities, the highest temperature
(31 8C) was one degree lower than what is stipulated by
the ISO 7371 standard.
The cabinet air temperature (averaged over two
positions) was controlled to approximately 5 8C with
cut-out and cut-in temperatures set to 4 and 6 8C,
respectively, (uncertainty in cut-in cut-out temperature
difference G0.1 K). The tested charges and capillary tube
capacities are provided in Table 1. The energy consump-
tion, measured over one on/off cycle, was recalculated to
energy consumption in kW h per 24 h. The estimated
uncertainties (UZ95%) in the presented results are:
energy consumption G5%, EDC G5%, charge G0.5 g
and temperatures G1 8C.

Table 1
Experimental condition

Experimental run 1 2 3
Ambient temperature (8C) 16 25 31
EDC (l N2/min) 0.15–3.1 0.15–3.1 0.15–3.1
Charge (g) 22–50 23–40 22–42
Fig. 3. Energy consumption at ambient temperature 25 8C.
794 E. Björk, B. Palm / International Journal of Refrigeration 29 (2006) 789–798

50 charge is higher in the 16 8C experiment (z38 g) compared to

16°C 48 the 25 and 31 8C experiment (z31 g). In other words, the
46 optimum charge increases with lower ambient temperatures.
44 Tables 2–4 show relevant cycle data, representing the
42
42 corners, the centre and the centre of the sides of the contour
40 31 °C 40
maps from the 16, 25 and 31 8C experiments. Reading from
38
Table 2’s first line, for instance, it is seen that a 22 g charge
charge (g)
0.25-0.30 kWh/24h 38
36
36 and a 3.06 l N2/min EDC give an energy consumption of

charge (g)
34 34 0.39 kW h/24 h, a relative compressor on-time of 23% and a
32 32 total cycle length of 2918 s. The next column (evaporator
1.00-1.05 kWh/24h
0.30-0.35 30 30 activation time) shows the time for the dry-out point to reach
28 28 the accumulator inlet after a compressor start. In this case it
26 26 was not available, meaning that the dry-out point never
0.35-0.40
24 24 reached the accumulator. The six last columns show
22 22 temperatures averaged over the compressor on-period. The
2.4 [9.2
2.7
2.9 [15.2
3.0 [18.2
0.1
0.8 [0.25
1.4 [3.25
2.0 [6.25

2.4 [9.25
2.7 12.2
2.9 [15.2
3.0 [18.2
0.1
0.8 [0.25
1.4 [3.25
2.0 [6.25

temperature drop over the needle valve, which in this case is

1/
3 / .25]
5/
6/
5/
7/
8/
0/

1/
3/
5/
6/
5/
7/
8/
0/

2.6 K, enables future validation by simulation models. The

[

[21 ]

[21
[
1 2

.25

.25
evaporator, the condenser and the suction line temperatures
5]

5]
5
]
]
]

5]
5]
5]
]
]
]
]
]

EDC (l N2/min) / EDC (l N2/min) /
[Valveopening (-)] [Valveopening (-)]
Fig. 4. Energy consumption at ambient temperatures 16 and 31 8C.
of a turn from a fully closed valve. The irregularities in the
maps stem from random variations in the ambient
temperature and in the cycle lengths.
For some of the measurements, representing the corners,
the centre and the centre of the sides of the contour maps
more detailed data is provided in Tables 2–4; one for each
ambient temperature.
As can be seen in Fig. 3, a wide but flat energy minimum
(0.60–0.65 kW h/24 h) exists, stretching over a range of
EDC and charges. This minimum is however open (no
energy increase) for the highest EDC. For higher EDC it
appears that an over- and undercharge is equally detrimental
to the energy consumption. With lower EDC, the minimum
tends to move towards higher charges.
In Fig. 4 the results from the 16 and 31 8C experiments are
shown. As can be seen, energy minima similar to the 25 8C
experiment exist—flat over a wide range of charges and EDC
and open towards the highest EDC. However, the optimum
are K18.2, 29.6 and 21.9 8C, respectively. The superheat
and subcooling (calculated for the evaporator as the
difference between evaporator out and evaporator in and
for the condenser as the temperature difference between
condenser high and condenser out, see Fig. 2 for
thermocouple positions) are 7.5 and 1.1 K, respectively.
4. Analysis
4.1. Expansion device capacity (EDC)
Tables 2–4 show that a lower EDC in general gives
longer evaporator activation time, increased superheat,
subcooling and relative on time and decreased evaporator
and condenser temperatures.
With lower EDC the refrigerant tends to accumulate in
the condenser, which starves the evaporator. As a result, the
evaporation temperature decreases. With a lower evapor-
ation temperature the compressor mass flow (and cooling
capacity) decreases and so the condensation temperature.
However, the total temperature lift always increases with
increased superheat. As a result of lower cooling capacity

Table 2
Experimental data at 16 8C
Charge EDC Energy Relative Cycle Activation Averaged over on-period
(g) (l N2/min) (kW h/24 h) on (–) length (s) time (s) Valve Dt Evap. Cond. Suction Superheat Sub-cooling
(K) (8C) (8C) (8C) (K) (K)
22 3.06 0.39 0.23 2918 n.a. 2.6 K18.2 29.6 21.9 7.5 1.1
22 2.00 0.39 0.24 3007 n.a. 4.6 K18.7 29.6 20.6 7.6 1.2
22 0.15 0.48 0.33 3252 n.a. 7.8 K22.8 28.2 17.2 9.0 2.2
36 3.06 0.27 0.13 2636 142 4.8 K10.6 32.9 19.1 3.4 2.0
36 2.00 0.28 0.14 2667 198 6.4 K11.9 32.4 17.5 4.4 2.5
36 0.15 0.40 0.24 3035 n.a. 3.3 K20.6 31.2 14.5 8.5 11.2
50 3.06 0.32 0.15 2537 112 5.9 K9.5 34.7 4.0 1.4 3.5
50 2.00 0.32 0.15 2615 136 6.5 K10.2 34.8 6.1 2.0 4.7
50 0.15 0.31 0.16 2554 215 3.7 K12.2 34.4 14.6 3.8 11.6
 E. Björk, B. Palm / International Journal of Refrigeration 29 (2006) 789–798 795

Table 3
Experimental data at 25 8C
Charge EDC Energy Relative Cycle Activation Averaged over on-period
(g) (l N2/min) (kW h/24 h) on (–) length (s) time (s) Valve Dt Evap. Cond. Suction Superheat Sub-cooling
(K) (8C) (8C) (8C) (K) (K)
23 3.06 0.76 0.41 1627 n.a. 2.4 K16.3 41.9 33.7 6.3 1.0
23 2.28 0.78 0.43 1683 n.a. 4.4 K17.2 42.0 32.4 6.5 1.0
23 0.15 0.87 0.54 2060 n.a. 9.6 K21.2 41.5 28.6 7.8 1.2
31 3.06 0.62 0.28 1453 68 3.5 K10.6 44.8 30.8 0.6 1.5
31 2.28 0.61 0.28 1494 92 5.3 K10.9 44.7 29.4 1.3 1.6
31 0.15 0.76 0.42 1830 479 5.5 K17.7 43.3 24.6 6.7 9.4
40 3.06 0.87 0.36 1571 47 6.5 K9.6 48.5 7.9 0.0 2.3
40 2.28 0.80 0.34 1554 88 9.3 K9.9 48.2 10.6 0.1 2.6
40 0.15 0.71 0.36 1672 272 3.6 K14.6 46.8 23.7 5.2 15.2

and larger temperature lift, the relative on-time and the
energy consumption increase. This explains the energy
increase seen in Figs. 3 and 4 at lower EDC.
The flat or unchanged energy consumption that is seen
for higher EDC may be explained by a shorter evaporator
activation time (faster evaporator refilling) that counter-
balances a throttling loss from increasing vapour quality at
the condenser outlet (little or no subcooling was observed
during the later on-period). However, it is also possible that
the condenser outlet condition is more or less unchanged
(nearly constant throttling loss) and that the losses due to
varied activation time are small at wider valve openings.
The fact that the energy consumption is unchanged at higher
EDC for all tested ambient temperatures, each with different
compressor on-time, indeed indicates this. At the lowest
ambient temperature the compressor on-time is short and
a relatively large influence of a changed activation time
would have been expected. On the other hand, at the highest
ambient temperature the compressor on-time is longer,
which makes the influence of a varied activation time small.
As a result, a relatively large influence of a throttling loss
would have been expected. It is possible that the EDC is
extremely sensitive to the inlet vapour quality so that an
increased inlet quality sharply reduces the mass flow, which
results in more condensate. As a result the condenser outlet
condition remains at a nearly saturated liquid condition.
In fact, the experimental method (Section 1.3) on how to
determine the capillary tube length and quantity of charge
gave no recommendation for the minimum length of the
capillary tube. It may be that within certain limits of the
capillary tube length and condenser pressure the capillary
tube inlet conditions remains at a nearly saturated liquid
condition. Further research in this area may be needed. It
should, however, be kept in mind that the 2.04 m long
capillary tube, which was not removed for the experiments,
limited the highest EDC. Hence, if an even higher EDC had
been possible an energy increase from a throttling loss
seems likely. This throttling loss stems from gas being
passively transported around the system without contribut-
ing to the cooling capacity thus reducing the system
efficiency.
4.2. Quantity of charge
Tables 2–4 show that increased charge in general gives
shorter activation time, lower superheat, lower suction line
temperature, increased subcooling and higher evaporator
and condenser temperatures.
The evaporator activation time is shortened with
increased charge due to increased subcooling soon after

Table 4
Experimental data at 31 8C
Charge EDC Energy Relative Cycle Activation Averaged over on-period
(g) (l N2/min) (kW h/24 h) on (–) length (s) time (s) Valve Evap. Cond. Suction Superheat Sub-cooling
Dt (K) (8C) (8C) (8C) (K) (K)
22 3.06 1.13 0.58 1644 n.a. 2.5 K15.4 50.2 41.9 6.1 0.8
22 2.00 1.18 0.66 1809 n.a. 5.8 K17.0 50.3 39.7 6.4 0.9
22 0.15 1.33 0.88 5518 n.a. 12.4 K24.7 48.4 33.5 9.6 1.9
32 3.06 1.02 0.45 1375 51 3.1 K11.6 53.0 39.9 K0.4 1.3
32 2.00 1.01 0.46 1375 74 5.8 K11.8 53.2 37.8 0.2 1.5
32 0.15 1.09 0.56 1688 699 7.8 K15.8 51.9 33.0 5.9 6.8
42 3.06 1.51 0.60 1742 35 3.1 K10.4 56.2 16.4 0.1 1.8
42 2.00 1.35 0.55 1534 33 5.8 K10.9 56.1 17.5 0.1 1.9
42 0.15 1.09 0.48 1491 299 7.8 K13.8 54.7 31.4 2.3 12.3
796 E. Björk, B. Palm / International Journal of Refrigeration 29 (2006) 789–798

compressor start-up (as the low side charge is displaced cold suction line is significantly reduced, as the refrigerant is
towards the condenser). This start up subcooling increases held up in the condenser (15.2 K subcooling). Apparently,
the capillary tube mass flow, which accelerates the the cold suction line is more detrimental to the energy
redistribution process. As a result, the on-period averaged consumption than a liquid level in the condenser reducing
evaporation temperature increases whereas the averaged the condensation area.
superheat and suction line temperatures decrease. However,
with a too large charge, the evaporator overflows, which
gives a cold suction line (cooling capacity outside the
cabinet). The result is higher energy consumption. With a 5. Discussion
too low charge, the explanation for increased energy
consumption is similar as for lower EDC; an undercharged
5.1. Comparison to earlier results
evaporator gives a large superheat, a low evaporation
temperature and so a large temperature lift, which reduces
With one exception the results qualitatively are in
the system efficiency. The evaporator accumulator explains
agreement with the steady state simulations carried out by
the rather flat energy minimum in between these two
Jakobsen [13]. For higher charges his model did not indicate
extremes. For a range of charges, this device acts as a buffer
an efficiency drop due to a cold suction line. The reason for
that protects the system from either superheat or a cold
this is not clear. Since his model did not include a low side
suction line.
accumulator the effect of a cold suction line would have
been expected.
4.3. Ambient temperature
The simple charge correlation proposed by Dmitriyev
and Pisarenko [32] based only upon the evaporator and
With increased ambient temperature (Tables 2–4), the
condenser volume is:
energy consumption, the condenser temperature and the
compressor running time increase whereas the activation
Gr Z 0:41Ve C 0:62Vc K38 (1)
time decreases. While most of these effects seem plausible,
the decreased activation time is not obvious. Two factors
In which Gr is the charge in grams, Ve the evaporator
may explain this. First, the increased condenser pressure at
internal volume in ml and Vc the condenser internal volume
increased ambient temperature most likely accelerates the
in ml. The correlation was originally designed for
evaporator refilling. Second, at increased ambient tempera-
refrigerant R12. However, using the input data from the
ture the compressor and its oil sump are at a higher
current system and multiplying the result with the density
temperature, which means that less refrigerant is dissolved
ratio of Isobutane to R12 (0.41 liquid/liquid), the correlation
into the compressor oil [11].
suggests 38 g as optimum charge. This is an overcharge of
This may also explain the result of increased optimum
only 15% to the nominal 33 g charge.
charge at lower ambient temperature. For lower ambient
The findings by Dmitriyev and Pisarenko [32] and
temperature, more refrigerant is dissolved into the
Kuijpers et al. [12] that the optimal charge was nearly
compressor oil and the activation time increases. As a
independent of the ambient temperature could only partly be
result, a higher charge is promoted. The short compressor
verified: At the two higher ambient temperatures tested (25
running time (to reach the cut-out temperature) at a low
and 31 8C) the optimum charge was approximately constant.
ambient temperature prevents an overflowed evaporator and
However, at the low (16 8C) ambient temperature the
a cold suction line even at higher quantities of charge. That
optimum charge increased. This difference can be explained
is, the redistribution process is uncompleted. However, with
by the solubility of the refrigerants. While this study uses
a larger thermal mass (food stored in the cabinet), the
Isobutane, which is a highly soluble refrigerant, previous
compressor running time will increase, the compressor will
studies used other refrigerants.
be warmer and an overflowed evaporator seems likely.
Another, but minor factor contributing to the increased
optimum charge at lower ambient is the increasing liquid 5.2. Comparison to original configuration
density.
The nominal 33 g charge in the investigated refrigerator
4.4. Combined effect of low EDC and high charge is apparently close to optimal (Figs. 3 and 4). At the 25 and
31 8C ambient temperatures it is, according to this study,
In Fig. 3 it was seen that the energy minimum tends to approximately a 2 g overcharge. At the 16 8C ambient
move towards higher charges with lower EDC. Table 3 temperature it is approximately an undercharge of 5 g.
explains this. For the highest charge (40 g), the suction line For the capillary tube length, the experimental results
temperature is colder than the ambient temperature for (Figs. 3 and 4) suggest that the 0.5 m long capillary tube that
higher EDC (2.28 and 3.06 l N2/min), in other words a loss was removed for the experiments could be removed at the
of cooling capacity. With lower EDC, the energy loss of a original configuration without any loss of efficiency.
 E. Björk, B. Palm / International Journal of Refrigeration 29 (2006) 789–798
5.3. Influence from suction line heat exchanger
Suction line heat exchangers (SLHX) are typically used
in domestic refrigeration. They increase the total efficiency
and prevent external condensation on the suction line
between the slhx and the compressor. The overall influence
from slhx is that it increases the capillary tube capacity,
lowers the evaporator inlet quality and increases the suction
line temperature (at compressor inlet). As a result the
optimum capillary tube length needs to be longer and the
charge possibly a little higher (the slhx allows the dry-out
point closer to the evaporator outlet.)
5.4. Limitations
It should be noted that this study has examined only
one type of domestic refrigerator with its highest EDC
limited by the capillary tube length of the suction line
heat exchanger. Furthermore, the experiments were
conducted with an empty (low thermal mass) cabinet,
as stipulated by the ISO7371 standard [30], which gives
relatively short cycle lengths. With higher thermal mass
(i.e. food stored in cabinet) the cycle length and so the
compressor on-time will be longer. With longer com-
pressor on-time the evaporator will contain more
refrigerant at the end of the on-period [10,11]. In fact,
in order to ensure that the system not will be over
charged it appears wise to select the system charge at
steady state conditions as was described in the
experimental procedure outlined in the introduction
(Section 1.3).
6. Conclusions
This study offers some insight into the question of
optimum capillary tube capacity and quantity of charge for
small, capillary tube throttled, on/off cycling vapour
compression systems. It was found that the energy
consumption had a minimum for certain combinations of
EDC and charges and that this minimum was flat and wide.
Overall, the lowest energy consumption was obtained with
charge and EDC selected in such a way that properly
charged heat exchangers, without superheat or subcooling,
was reached within a short time after a compressor start in
the regular on/off cycle.
With a too low charge, the evaporator superheat
increased. With a too high charge, the suction line became
cold. Both cases leading to increased energy consumption.
In between these extremes, the evaporator accumulator
buffered the charge, giving as a result a flat energy
minimum.
With a too low EDC the evaporator superheat increased;
as a result, increasing the energy consumption. However,
with a high EDC the energy consumption was unchanged.
This was explained by a quicker redistribution process that
797
offsets an increased throttling loss or a capillary tube inlet
condition that was nearly constant in spite of increased valve
opening.
For an altered ambient temperature, it was found that
the optimum charge increased at a low ambient
temperature. This was explained by a slower redistribu-
tion process and by more refrigerant held up in the
compressor oil at lower ambient temperature, both
increasing the optimum charge.
The method outlined in the introduction (Section 1.3) on
how to determine the capillary tube length and quantity of
charge can be recommended as it takes different thermal
loads and thermal masses (food in cabinet) into consider-
ation. The possible energy saving with a more sophisticated
method appears to be limited. The empirical charging
correlation from Dmitriyev and Pisarenko [32], corrected by
a density conversion may be used as a first estimation of the
optimum charge.
In order to make the optimisation procedure faster more
accurate correlations for void fraction are needed (appli-
cable at the internal geometries that are common in
domestic refrigerators and freezers; vertical bends, odd
cross section shapes and low side accumulator). Also there
may be a need for more accurate capillary tube capacity
correlations (applicable at two-phase inlet conditions).
Acknowledgements
The Swedish National Energy Administration and
Electrolux AB provided support for this work.
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