SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project is the research and analysis of critical two-phase flow in condensing ejectors.. This proposal takes a novel and broad-based approach to analyzing the two-phase flow processes and brings about the possibility of substantial improvement in design methodology for various components of energy systems. In particular, the application of critical two-phase flow devices will lead to development of more efficient thermodynamic cycles for refrigeration and A/C and in the future possibly also for propulsion and energy production. Use of a condensing ejector as a second step compression in a reverse-Rankine thermodynamic model has demonstrated that by using, the efficiency of vapor compression refrigeration cycle can be improved by as much as 40%. Considering $40 Bln per year spent for refrigeration and A/C in US, this can translate into an annual savings of $8 Bln even if only half of this efficiency improvement is realized in practice

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project seeks to continue the research and analysis of condensing ejectors for second stage compression in a refrigeration cycle. A condensing ejector is a two-phase jet device that produces outlet pressure higher than either of inlet pressures. The project combines theoretical and experimental models in order to design the condensing ejector for use in more efficient refrigeration systems. The results thus far show that the new design is capable of improving the efficiency of vapor compression refrigeration cycle by approximately one-third with R22 refrigerant. The goal is to draw closer to this ideal value with environmentally friendly refrigerants like R410A. The application of critical two-phase flow devices will lead to development of more efficient thermodynamic cycles for refrigeration and A/C and in the future possibly for propulsion and power generation. The broader impact/commercial potential from this project will bring considerable economic and societal benefits by reducing our nation's dependence on foreign oil, improving safety of nuclear reactors and natural gas pipelines, and better understanding of phenomena of two-phase flow. Applications of the condensing ejector theory in heat pumps might promote use of renewable geothermal energy sources in the remote communities with limited energy choices. This project leads to enabling technologies by providing the technology platform for a new approach to evaluating two-phase flows. The capability to handle rapid phase change simulations has generated interest from the automotive industry to simulate flash boiling in automotive fuel injection. This project also provides the basis for establishing fundamentally new engineering and designing methods for equipment operating on two-phase flow