Abstract: As one of the core components in the refrigerator refrigeration system, the condenser plays an important role in the energy consumption of the refrigerator. At present, there are few studies on the microchannel heat exchanger as the refrigerator condenser. Taking a refrigerator as the test target, the effects of two different condensers of the rotary fin heat exchanger and the microchannel heat exchanger on the energy consumption of the refrigerator were tested. It is verified that compared with the traditional tube-fin heat exchanger, the microchannel heat exchanger reduces the energy consumption of the refrigerator by 1.43% at 32 °C and 3.12% at 16 °C. Through the analysis of the dynamic operation data of the refrigerator, compared with the tube-fin heat exchanger, the application of the microchannel heat exchanger in the refrigerator condenser reduces the flow resistance of the refrigerant in the condenser by 82.94% on average during the operation cycle, and the operating power is reduced by 0.9% on average. Studies have shown that compared with the traditional rotary fin condenser, the microchannel condenser enhances heat transfer, reduces energy consumption, and also greatly reduces the refrigerant flow resistance. It provides a reference for the application of microchannel heat exchanger in refrigerator condenser and the optimization of structural parameters.

Key words: Condenser, Micro-channel heat exchanger, Refrigerator refrigeration system, Operating energy consumption