Thermally driven refrigerators: Equivalent low-dissipation three-heat-source model and comparison with experimental and simulated results

In order to investigate the performance of a class of thermally driven refrigerators, usually driven by low-grade thermal energy, a generic thermodynamic model of three-heat-source refrigerator without involving any specific heat-transfer law is put forward by adopting low-dissipation assumptions. Based on the proposed model, the analytical expressions for the coefficient of performance (COP) and cooling power of the system are derived in terms of well-defined dissipation parameters and contact time durations between the system and heat reservoirs. One essential parameter accounting for the size ratio of the two coupled subsystems inside the overall system is introduced in light of the practical meaning of the reversible entropy change. With the help of the aforementioned parameter, the optimal relation between the COP and cooling power is obtained. The optimal operation region and optimal construction of the overall system are further determined for the first time. In addition, the influences of the dissipation and temporal symmetries are discussed in detail, according to which the upper and lower bounds of the COP at maximum cooling power are firstly obtained under two extreme situations. Experimental and simulated data from previous reported works are collected to illustrate the validity and practical significance of the proposed model and associated results. A limit case is presented to highlight the generality of the model.