• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.592-598
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• 2015

In this study, we experimentally investigate the performance characteristics of a high-performance summer-cooling heat pump for an R410A by applying an air-cooled-type vapor-injection (VI) cycle. The devices used for the experiment consist of a VI compressor, condenser, oil separator, plate-type heat-exchanger, economizer, evaporator, and re-cooler. The experimental conditions employed for the cooling performance were divided into three cycles. First, in Cycle A, we apply a VI cycle and with no heat exchange between the evaporator outlet refrigerant and the VI cycle suction refrigerant in the re-cooler. For Cycle B, there is heat exchange, and for Cycle C, there is neither a VI cycle nor heat exchange between the evaporator outlet refrigerant and the VI cycle suction refrigerant. From the analysis results, we observe that the performance was highest in the VI cycle with heat exchange between the evaporator outlet refrigerant and the VI cycle suction refrigerant (Cycle B), while it was lowest in Cycle C without application of the VI cycle. Moreover, the cooling coefficient of Performance ($COP_C$) averaged 3.5 in Cycle B, which was 8.6% higher than the corresponding value in Cycle A, and 33% higher than that in Cycle C.