Experimental evaluation of the inter-stage conditions of a two-stage refrigeration cycle using a compound compressor

The aim of the present paper is to detail an analysis, based on experimental data, of the inter-stage working conditions of a two-stage vapour compression facility equipped with a compound compressor, which operates with the most usual inter-stage configurations (two-stage with direct liquid injection and two-stage with subcooler) in medium- and low-capacity commercial refrigeration applications. The experimental analysis is performed in an evaporating temperature range between −36 and −20 °C, and in a condensing temperature range between 30 and 47 °C, using one of the fluids most widely-used in Europe for low-temperature applications, the R-404a. The inter-stage working temperature/pressure obtained in the tests has been contrasted with the two usual criterion of the optimum working conditions definition: the arithmetical mean of the refrigerant condensing and evaporating temperatures and the criterion of equal pressure ratios in both stages. This paper presents the differences and affinities with the criterion and analyses the influence of the intermediate systems (direct liquid injection and subcooler) on the inter-stage operating conditions.