Identifying the performance and losses of a scroll compressor with vapour injection and R1234ze(E)

This work investigates a vapour injection scroll compressor integrated in heat pump using the refrigerant R1234ze(E). The water-to-water was tested under wide temperature range at evaporator and condenser sides. test results revealed that performance is significantly reduced for lifts of over 30 K with coefficient being even below 2 maximum 2nd law efficiency just 28%. In order to enlighten reasons behind such significant underperformance, semi-empirical model has been extended include injection, new improved modelling approach suction pressure drop developed implemented considering both turbulent laminar inlet flow regimes. Once accuracy verified, then adjusted account R1234ze(E) operation, by fine-tuning its parameters based on data. main loss mechanism identified high drop, due friction factor, possibly instead turbulent. This resulted reduction mass rate volumetric efficiency, while standard not able capture this effect.