Wet Compression of Pure Refrigerants

Compression of pure refrigerants in the two-phase flow region has a number of advantages for the performance of vapor compression systems. Compressors may be lubricated by liquid refrigerant so that the process side of the cycle is not contaminated by lubricant. The compression process can be realized in the two-phase region preventing superheating with its associated irreversibility losses. The compression work is removed by the latent refrigerant heat so that discharge temperatures remain low even at large compression ratios. The effect and requirements for wet compression of pure refrigerants are investigated. The perspectives of oil-free compressors in ammonia vapor compression are investigated with a simulation model. The performance of wet compression systems is compared to the performance of conventional dry compression systems. An overview is given of the requirements imposed to wet compressors and vapor compression systems that make use of wet compression.