Analysis of an Innovative Microchannel Condenser Design for Modular Chillers and Unitary Rooftop Air Conditioners

An innovative way of integrating microchannel condensers in modular chillers and rooftop air conditioners is presented in this paper. The geometrical characteristics of the heat exchanger and how it can be incorporated into commercial air conditioners is discussed. Details are given on the performance analysis of the heat exchanger under at typical chiller operating conditions. Effect of multiple factors such as air entrance losses, fan performance and refrigerant/air mal distribution is analyzed. Analysis shows that the new heat exchanger increases the capacity of a typical chiller condenser by 20%. At same capacity the new heat exchanger resulted in around 2K drop in condensing temperature thereby increasing the chiller efficiency by 5.5%