The effect of subcooling, superheating, and desuperheating parameters on energy and exergy analysis in a compressor cooling system

Refrigerators are used to prevent our products from becoming unusable due to heat gained from the external environment, and they consume a certain amount of electrical energy to do so.With the rapid increase in global warming around the world, efforts for energy efficiency have gained momentum. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the refrigerant used, along with the electrical energy consumption of the refrigerator, are evaluated, and compliance with specific articles of established standards is required for the most efficient production.In this study, an energy and exergy analysis was conducted on a single-door refrigerator used as a vertical freezer. The system efficiency was examined by observing the parameters of superheating, subcooling, and desuperheating. Energy and exergy analyses were performed using parameters such as the amount of refrigerant, mass flow rate, and water temperature in the vapor chamber. Test results showed that increasing the degree of superheating decreased the system efficiency, while increasing subcooling and desuperheating improved it. A 36–80% reduction in superheating led to a 0.08–5.1% decrease in power consumption, whereas a 2.6–22% increase in subcooling reduced power by 0.4–8.5%. Similarly, an increase in desuperheating reduced power by 5–9% and raised the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) from 1.5–2.0 to 2.8–3.1. Overall, the system achieved the highest energy and exergy efficiency under conditions of low superheating (2–3 K), high subcooling, and effective desuperheating.