Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2023
27th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
Improving Thermal Insulation of Compressor Cooling Capacity Measurement Vessel through Heat Leakage Factor Reduction
Submission Author:
Luiz Hegele , SC
Co-Authors:
Raul Gilmar de Carvalho, Luiz Hegele
Presenter: Raul Gilmar de Carvalho
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2023.COB2023-1673
Abstract
The measurement of compressor cooling capacity using a vessel is common practice in the industry. However, measurement errors can occur due to heat exchange between the vessel and the environment. To ensure accuracy, the heat exchange, known as the heat leakage factor (W/°C), must be measured and reduced. The vessel must be thermally insulated and installed in an environment with controlled temperature and ventilation to minimize external heat exchange. This work aims to reduce the heat exchange by measuring the surface of the vessel and environment using calibrated thermocouples to identify factors contributing to the increase of the heat leakage factor. A measurement was performed to characterise the current loss factor, and a new proposal for enclosing the vessel was designed based on the results obtained. The proposed design improved thermal insulation, reduced heat exchange by conduction outside the vessel, decreased the external speed of the air, and homogenised the temperature of the airflow using a system of perforated plates. The new design resulted in a significant reduction of approximately 83% in the loss factor, demonstrating its effectiveness. The measurement loop around the vessel was also improved to ensure a smaller, more stable, and reliable calibrated loss factor.
Keywords
calibration, Heat leakage factor, Compressor cooling capacity, Thermal Insulation, Vessel measurement
