Numerical Simulations of a Micro-Channel Wall-Tube Condenser for Domestic Refrigerators

In recent years, microchannel heat exchangers have begun to be used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems. This paper introduces a microchannel condenser for domestic refrigerators with a theoretical model to evaluate its performance. The model was used to obtain the optimal design parameters for different numbers of tubes and tube lengths. The results show that the needed tube height of the downward section decreases with the number of tubes and the tube diameter. Compared with the original condenser, the present optimal design parameters can reduce the total metal mass by 48.6% for the two wall two side design and by 26% for the two wall one side design. Thus, the present condenser is much better than the condensers usually used in actual domestic refrigerators.