Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

QBD Cooling Systems Inc. (QBD), a leading modular refrigeration and beverage cooler manufacturer, would like to optimize thedesign of their new and innovative modular beverage cooling unit by increasing the thermodynamic efficiency of their cycle, andthereby reducing the power consumption in their refrigeration system. It is hypothesized that a suboptimal equipment layout leadsto the compressor overheating and system inefficiencies, hence the need to optimize the equipment layout. To achieve this, QBDhas proposed a collaborative project with Sheridan College to complete a series of computational flow dynamics (CFD) of theairflow in the existing design of modular refrigeration units. The focus of the initial CFD study is on the circulation of the condenserairflow within the cooling deck, as well as various heat transfer mechanisms between various process equipment (compressor,condenser, enclosure, etc.). The proposed project provides a systematic approach to conduct these CFD studies and, moreimportantly, experimentally validate the CFD results, and ultimately implement design changes to the cooling deck design.Moreover, a preliminary analysis on the effect of thermodynamic conditions used in the refrigeration cycle (Fig. 1) will beconducted. The goal of this thermodynamic analysis is to investigate potential suboptimal pressures in the evaporator (lowpressure side) and compressor (high pressure side).