Finned-tube condenser design optimization using thermoeconomic isolation

Using a detailed system model as a comparison, this study shows that isolating the condenser component and optimizing it independently by minimizing the entropy generation in the condenser component alone, also known as thermoeconomic isolation, can be a practical way to design the condenser for optimum air-conditioning system efficiency. This study is accomplished by comparing the optimum design determined by maximizing the entire system’s COP, an undisputed method, with the optimum design determined by minimizing the entropy generation in the isolated condenser component, with consistent constraints used for the two methods. The choice of component junction constraints used in the isolated model is critical and discussed in detail. The resulting optimum designs from the isolated model produced a COP within 0.6%–1.7% of the designs found by optimizing the COP using an entire system model. Additionally, a 65% reduction in computation time was achieved.