Study on the effective refrigeration mechanism of mixed refrigerant components and system experiments

WANG Yunxiao; ZHAO Yanxing; CHEN Hailong; PEI Binbin; WANG Haocheng; GUO Hao; GONG Maoqiong

doi:10.11949/0438-1157.20260042

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Study on the effective refrigeration mechanism of mixed refrigerant components and system experiments

更新时间：2026-05-15

- Study on the effective refrigeration mechanism of mixed refrigerant components and system experiments
- CIESC Journal (2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  1.中国科学院理化技术研究所, 北京 100190
  2.中国科学院大学, 北京 100049
  3.青岛海尔空调电子有限公司，山东青岛 266101
  4.兰州大学氢能与低碳中心，甘肃兰州 730000
- 作者简介：
- 基金信息：
- DOI：10.11949/0438-1157.20260042
  CLC： TB 61
- Received：09 January 2026，
  
  Revised：2026-05-11，
  
  Accepted：12 May 2026，
- 稿件说明：
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WANG Yunxiao, ZHAO Yanxing, CHEN Hailong, et al. Study on the effective refrigeration mechanism of mixed refrigerant components and system experiments[J/OL]. CIESC Journal, 2026.
DOI：

WANG Yunxiao, ZHAO Yanxing, CHEN Hailong, et al. Study on the effective refrigeration mechanism of mixed refrigerant components and system experiments[J/OL]. CIESC Journal, 2026. DOI： 10.11949/0438-1157.20260042.

摘要

混合工质节流制冷是80–230 K温区的主流制冷方式，在天然气液化、低温存储等领域具有广泛而重要的应用。其中，混合工质组成是决定系统效率和性能的关键因素。作者前期研究提出以偏摩尔焓差表征组元有效制冷效应，并基于此提出了混合工质优化方法，但相关优化结果尚缺少真实系统的实验验证，实际系统效率与理论值之间差异的来源也有待进一步分析。为此，本文搭建了无油压缩机驱动的小型低温混合工质节流制冷实验系统，并通过连接大容积储罐减弱运行过程中浓度变化的影响。对面向100 K、120 K、140 K、160 K和180 K温区优化得到的5种氮烃类混合工质进行了制冷性能测试。结果表明，系统在160 K时取得最高㶲效率24.5%，在110–170 K温区内，该系统实现了公开文献中同类小型实验系统的最高㶲效率。此外，定量评估了实际制冷量、压缩机功耗与理论值之间的差异，为低温混合工质制冷机理的研究和工程应用提供了参考。

Abstract

Mixed-refrigerant Joule-Thomson throttling refrigeration(MJTR) is the predominant cooling method in the 80–230 K temperature range and is widely used in fields such as natural gas liquefaction and cryogenic storage. The composition of the mixed refrigerant is a key factor determining system performance and efficiency. In the authors’ previous studies

a method based on partial molar enthalpy difference was proposed to characterize the effective refrigeration effect of each component

and a corresponding optimization method for mixed-refrigerant composition was established. However

the optimized compositions still lack experimental validation in a real system

and the origins of the discrepancy between actual and theoretical system efficiency remain to be further clarified. To address this issue

an experimental system for small-scale cryogenic mixed-refrigerant throttling refrigeration driven by an oil-free compressor was constructed

and a large-volume storage tank was connected to eliminate the influence of concentration variation during operation. Refrigeration performance tests were carried out for five nitrogen-hydrocarbon mixed refrigerants optimized for the temperature levels of 100 K

120 K

140 K

160 K

and 180 K. The system achieved the highest exergy efficiency of 24.5% at 160 K. Within the 110–170 K range

it also attained the highest exergy efficiency reported in the open literature for small-scale experimental systems of this type. Furthermore

this study quantitatively evaluates the deviations between the actual refrigeration capacity

compressor power consumption

and their theoretical values. The results provide useful insights for further research on the mechanism of low-temperature mixed-refrigerant refrigeration and for practical engineering applications.

关键词

Keywords

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