Experimental COP evaluation of a 65-litre household refrigerator running with R600a

Abstract

A household refrigerator is a major energy consumer in all homes. The paper aims to evaluate based, on experimental data, the COP of a 65-liter household refrigerator operating with R600a. The main components and instrumentation of the experimental setup are presented. A mathematical model based on the energy balance of the refrigerated enclosure is developed in order to evaluate the COP. Three experimental data sets have been obtained in quasi-steady-state operating conditions. The results point out that the compressor power absorbed from the grid was 60 [W]. The maximum value for the cooling capacity is 81.73 W while the minimum value is 80.24 W. In terms of COP, the maximum value obtained is 1.362, while the minimum one is 1.337. The COP values obtained in the present study are in good agreement with the ones displayed by the manufacturer in the compressor datasheet. Future development is discussed.