Performance Enhancement of Air Conditioning System Using Nanofluid-Based Liquid-Cooled Condenser with R32 Refrigerant

Department of Mechanical Engineering, G H Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur, India

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Published online: 1 July 2026

Abstract

The current research examines the improvement in performance of a vapor compression air conditioning system with a liquid-cooled condenser employing nanofluids and R-32 refrigerant. The air-cooled condenser is replaced with a counterflow tube-in-tube heat exchanger where the refrigerant is flowing through the inner tube and the cooling medium through the annulus. Water and nanofluids with copper oxide (CuO) and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) as base fluids at volume concentrations of 1% and 2% are used as cooling media at 10, 15 and 20 LPM. The performance is assessed based on the compressor work, refrigeration effect, condenser capacity and coefficient of performance (COP). The experimental results show a substantial improvement in system performance using nanofluids. The highest COP (4.20) is observed with CuO nanofluid at 2% concentration and a flow rate of 20 LPM, which is about 31.25% higher than the conventional air-cooled system. The refrigeration effect and condenser capacity are also improved by 15.6% and 9.05%, respectively. The compressor work is reduced by approximately 12% due to enhanced heat dissipation. The findings indicate that the application of nanofluid-based liquid cooling in air conditioning systems substantially improves the thermal performance and presents a potential solution for energy-efficient cooling.