Efficiency of an Indirect Expansion Cooling Simulator: Performance study of an indirect expansion cooling simulator using an Arduino microcontroller

In this final paper, a superficial analysis of the performance of a large refrigeration simulator was carried out for the Mechanical Engineering course at UEMA. Initially, a historical and thermodynamic approach is taken to refrigeration cycles, refrigerants, the equations and diagrams characteristic of the subject, as well as describing the operation of the various mechanical and electrical components and their importance for the proper functioning of the installation. Data was collected using an open-source electronic platform based on software and hardware (Arduino), with an interface using the EXCEL programming language, VBA, in the laboratory. Vacuuming and refrigerant gas recharging procedures were carried out on the installation to ensure better machine performance. At the end of the study, we found that there were possible refrigerant leaks, which resulted in low machine performance, with little capacity to absorb heat in the evaporator.