An examination of the application of microfilms to increase refrigeration systems' heat exchanger efficiency

Abstract

This study investigates three types of porous media to improve heat exchanger performance: copper foam, ceramic foam, and a third medium that was a composite medium. The results showed that ceramic foam provided low pressure loss and a slight improvement in heat transfer, while copper foam achieved a greater increase in heat transfer, about 50%. The composite medium showed balanced performance with a PEC value of about 1.5, making it the optimal choice for low-power applications. Numerical simulation of the experimental results confirmed that porous media improve heat exchanger efficiency without causing a significant increase in energy consumption.