Experimental investigation of the using graphene oxide and titanium dioxide nanolubricant for a refrigeration system operated by mixed refrigerant.

A compressor is the main cause of energy intake in a vapor-compression refrigeration (VCR) system. The potential drop in compression work may improve the performance of the compressor's suction and discharge features of the refrigeration system. The proposed study has obtained VCR system with the hydrocarbon mixture of R290/R600 (50/50) as a refrigerant application to study the compound nanoparticles, such as graphene oxide (GO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the compressor lubricant oil. Also, six concentrations were utilized to test the system, which are MO, mineral oil + 100% GO, mineral oil + 100% TiO2, mineral oil + 75% GO + 25% TiO2, mineral oil + 50% GO + 50% TiO2, and mineral oil + 25% GO + 75% TiO2. The results showed that, compared to a conventional system, the compressor discharge temperatures and suction pressure were decreased when using various mass percentages of nanoparticles in the R290/R600 VCR system. With the addition of compound nanoparticles, mineral oil becomes more viscous. The results show that by 1.0 mass% concentrations of compound nanoparticles, the compressor's energy usage decreased by 8.48%. The addition of compound nanoparticles has raised the COP of the VCR system by a nearly 56%. The nanoparticles made of the 50% GO + 50% TiO2 compound thus performed well in the R290/R600 refrigeration system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]