Vol 90, No 1 (2001)

Peculiarities and prospects for use of vacuum-evaporative cooling have been considered. Potentials of use ofvacuum for producing refrigeration are shown. Comparative characteristics of traditional and vacuum-evaporative milk coolers are given. Main directions of use of vacuum for foods storage are enumerated.

The paper is devoted to rhe operation of three-flow vortex tubes (TVT) which not only provide cold generation required for a low temperature process of gas purification and drying, hut simultaneously have the function of high-efficiency separating devices. As a rule TVT have a separation clearance in the immediate vicinity of the nozzle section. In the experiments under production conditions it was shown that when TVT work on the associated gas of oil production the refrigerating capacity is maximum with the share of the cold flow equal to unity', when all the gas goes through the diaphragm as a cold flow. In this case a significant increase in the gas refrigeration effect in TVT as compared to the effect of Joule- Thomson effect is observed.

In the Russian market in 2000, household refrigeration equipment of all standard sizes was introduced - from mini-refrigerators (with a capacity of about 1 liter) to multi-chamber cabinets (more than 800 liters). The nomenclature of the market is such that the needs for such equipment of all segments of the population, from the poor to the very rich, can be satisfied. The market is developing in accordance with world laws and market demand, with the displacement of weaker ones and the strengthening of the positions of stronger manufacturers and sellers. At the same time, national characteristics and trends in the development of demand are revealed, reflecting the social structure of society and the life of Russians.

At the end of August 2000, YORK International Corporation opened in Zelenograd (Moscow) a plant for the production of central air conditioners and supply and exhaust ventilation units (“Refrigerating Equipment” No. 9/2000). The first step has been taken in the implementation of the project to create a network of production facilities of this corporation in Russia. According to Alexander Pronin, Director General of ZAO YORK International, “the goal of this project is to bring Western production closer to the Russian consumer”.

A number of technological processes require year-round cooling. However, during cold periods of the year, the ambient temperature may be lower than the required cooling temperature. In these cases, it is advisable to provide refrigeration by using the natural cold of atmospheric air, without turning on the refrigeration machine, which saves both electricity consumption and machine life. In most Russian regions, such periods can be quite long.

Currently, in vapor compression freon refrigeration units, air coolers based on evaporators with forced airflow and electric defrost are most widely used.