THERMAL SCIENCE

International Scientific Journal

Mohamed Boufarh

,

Rabah Touaibi

ENERGY AND EXERGY ANALYSIS OF A RENEWABLE ENERGY-DRIVEN EJECTOR-COMPRESSOR CYCLE WITH OPTIMAL REFRIGERANT SELECTION

ABSTRACT
The growing demand for sustainable cooling technologies has intensified the need to develop energy-efficient refrigeration systems that minimize environmental impact. This study investigates the thermodynamic performance of a renewable energy-driven ejector-compressor refrigeration cycle, with an emphasis on energy and exergy analyses and optimal refrigerant selection. A comprehensive parametric study is conducted using a numerical model to evaluate the cycle’s behavior under varying operating conditions, particularly focusing on vapor generator temperatures (75-120°C) and evaporator temperatures (–15-12°C). Four refrigerants are considered three wet fluids (R134a, R152a, and R290) and one dry fluid (R600) to determine the most effective and eco-friendly working fluid. Results indicate that operating temperature significantly influences the ejector’s entrainment ratio and the system’s COP. Among the refrigerants analyzed, R290 demonstrates superior thermodynamic properties, achieving a COP approximately 23% higher than its counterparts at a vapor generator temperature of 95°C. These findings under¬score the potential of R290 in improving the efficiency and economic viability of ejector-based refrigeration systems, offering valuable insights for the design and implementation of sustainable cooling technologies. The novelty of this work lies in its integrated energy-exergy assessment of a hybrid refrigeration cycle combined with refrigerant optimization, providing a robust framework for advancing low carbon cooling systems.
KEYWORDS
Ejector-Compressor system, renewable energy, Energy and exergy analysis, Ecological Refrigerants
PAPER SUBMITTED: 2024-11-24
PAPER REVISED: 2025-04-14
PAPER ACCEPTED: 2025-04-22
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2025-11-01
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI241124168B
CITATION EXPORT: view in browser or download as text file
THERMAL SCIENCE YEAR 2025, VOLUME 29, ISSUE No. 6, PAGES [4801 - 4812]
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Energy and exergy analysis of a renewable energy-driven ejector-compressor cycle with optimal refrigerant selection

© 2026 Society of Thermal Engineers of Serbia. Published by the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International licence