A Multi-objective optimisation of vapour-compression refrigeration systems using Microsoft Excel

Multi-objective optimisation analyses using Microsoft Excel

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology for using a general-purpose spreadsheet application, which is Microsoft Excel, as an effective modelling platform for multi-objective optimisation analyses of vapour-compression refrigeration (VCR) systems. Since Excel itself does not provide functions for determining the thermodynamic properties of the refrigerants, the VBA programming language that comes with Microsoft applications has been used for developing such functions for various conventional and alternative refrigerants. The other limitation of Excel regarding the intended purpose is that the solver that comes with it (Frontline’s Solver) is not suitable for multiobjective analyses. Fortunately, the developers of the MIDACO solver have made a limited version of this multi-objective solver available for Excel users for free. The paper demonstrates the capability of Excel with these additional capabilities for exergetic, economic, and environmental (3E) analyses of VCR systems by considering a simple system with the environment-friendly R-152a as the refrigerant.