Transient and steady-state experimental investigation of flash tank vapor injection heat pump cycle control strategy

Recent research on vapor injection technique has been mostly focused on performance improvement using different system configurations. The flash tank cycle typically shows better performance than the internal heat exchanger cycle. However, the flash tank cycle control strategy is not yet clearly defined. In this study, a novel cycle control strategy is proposed for an R-410A vapor injection flash tank heat pump system and its feasibility was experimentally investigated. The proposed novel cycle control strategy utilized an electronic expansion valve (EEV) for the upper-stage expansion and a thermostatic expansion valve for the lower-stage expansion, and applied an electric heater in the vapor injection line to introduce superheat to the injected vapor by providing a control signal to the upper-stage EEV. Both transient and steady-state system behaviors were studied. The proposed cycle control strategy was found to be able to provide reliable control to the system.