Modeling and Optimization of a Micro-Channel Gas Cooler for a Transcritical CO₂ Mobile Air-Conditioning System

This study focuses on developing and optimizing of a microchannel gas cooler model for evaluating the performance of a transcritical CO₂ mobile air-conditioning system. A simulation model is developed with the aid of MATLAB R2022a. A segment-by-segment modeling approach is utilized by applying the effectiveness-NTU method. State-of-the-art heat transfer and pressure drop correlations are used to obtain air and refrigerant side heat transfer coefficients and friction factors. The developed model is validated through a wide range of available experimental data and is able to predict a gas cooler capacity and pressure drop within an acceptable range of accuracy. The average errors for a gas cooler capacity and pressure drop are 3.79% and 10.24%, respectively. Furthermore, a parametric optimization method is applied to obtain optimal microchannel heat exchanger dimensions, including the number of tubes, microchannel ports, and passes. Different combinations were selected within the practical range to obtain optimal dimensions while keeping the total core volume constant. The simultaneous effect of the number of tubes, the number of ports in each tube, and the number of passes is determined. The objective of the current optimization technique is to minimize the pressure drop for the specific design capacity under different operating conditions without changing the overall volume of the gas cooler. The average pressure drop reduction for the optimal geometry as compared with the baseline geometry under all operating conditions is about 15%. The results from this study can be used to select an optimal geometric design for the required design capacity with a minimal pressure drop without the need for expensive prototype development and testing.