Design and heat transfer enhancement of an integrated compression–heat exchange module for barocaloric refrigeration

Barocaloric refrigeration, as a promising solid-state cooling technology, has attracted increasing attention due to its zero refrigerant leakage risk and high caloric effect. However, the lack of system-level design methodologies, particularly for heat transfer enhancement, has significantly hindered its practical development. In this study, a novel barocaloric refrigeration cycle incorporating an integrated compression–heat exchange module is proposed, and a comprehensive numerical investigation is conducted. The effects of key structural parameters on the heat transfer performance are systematically analyzed, including tube arrangement, material filling ratio, and module length. The results indicate that the hexagonal arrangement exhibits superior heat transfer performance among the three regular tube configurations (triangular, square, and hexagonal) due to the minimization of thermal dead zones. Furthermore, the material filling ratio is found to play a critical role in determining spatial utilization efficiency, with an optimal value of 30% identified based on the maximum volumetric cold-extraction rate (297.3 kW/m3). In addition, the influence of module length is investigated from both thermal and hydraulic perspectives. While increasing length enhances the total cooling capacity, it also leads to higher pressure drop and reduced heat transfer effectiveness per unit length due to the diminishing inlet-region advantage. The trade-off between heat transfer performance and hydraulic loss suggests that a module length of approximately 0.2 m is appropriate for achieving higher overall performance. The findings of this study provide a systematic design framework for barocaloric refrigeration heat transfer modules and offer valuable guidance for the development of efficient and scalable barocaloric refrigeration systems.