Improving the thermodynamic and economic performance of industrial refrigeration systems is essential for reducing energy consumption and enhancing cold chain sustainability. This study presents an integrated energy, exergy, and exergoeconomic assessment of a full-scale two-stage ammonia (R717) vapor compression refrigeration system operating under real industrial conditions in Türkiye. Experimental data from 33 measurement points were used to perform component-level thermodynamic balances under steady-state conditions. The results showed that the evaporative condenser exhibited the highest heat transfer rate (426.7 kW), while the overall First Law efficiency of the system was 63.71%. Exergy analysis revealed that heat exchangers are the dominant sources of irreversibility (>45%), followed by circulation pumps with a notably low Second Law efficiency of 11.56%. The exergoeconomic assessment identified the circulation pumps as the components with the highest loss-to-cost ratio (2.45 W/USD). An uncertainty analysis confirmed that the relative ranking of system components remained robust within the measurement uncertainty bounds. The findings indicate that, although the existing NH3 configuration provides adequate performance, significant improvements can be achieved by prioritizing pump optimization, maintaining higher compressor loading, and implementing advanced variable-speed fan control strategies.
Aksoy et al. (Fri,) studied this question.