VCL Version 3.0

Vapor Cycle Library 3.0 is part of Modelon's May 2025 release. New versions of Modelon's libraries are sold and distributed directly from Modelon, as well as approved resellers.

Version 3.0 contains the changes described below.

New features

This version of VCL focuses on simplifying finding the right component to use and setting its parameters for heat exchanger, compressor and turbine. Most changes are made to this end. 

  • Added new "MinimalGeometry" heat exchanger components under each  fluid combination sub-package for heat exchangers. These components offer a dynamic, discretized heat exchanger model with the least possible required geometry information. The component require the user to give nominal conditions for fluid pressure loss, as well as heat transfer coefficients.
  • Added new "Sizing" heat exchanger components under each fluid combination sub-package for heat exchangers. These components offer a dynamic, discretized heat exchanger model with performance connected to typical reduced geometrical measures: wall - fluid heat exchange area, free flow area and hydraulic diameter. These components require providing the core size, the type of fluid channel, for each side and its dimensions. Performance is computed from correlations with broad application range. It is not based on measurements on the specific heat eachanger type.
  • The remaining heat exchangers in heat exchanger package are for predicting the performance of specific heat exchanger designs. These components require specifying detailed geometrical information and uses correlations based on measurements on the specific heat exchanger type to predict its performance. Only correlations relevant for the heat exchanger type in question will be shown in drop-downs.

Improvements

  • All heat exchanger components that did not fall in any of the above three categories have been moved to VaporCycle.BaseClasses.HeatExchangers instead.
  • All classes in the HeatExchangers, Pipes, Valves and FlowResistances packages which are not intended for direct use by end-users have been moved to corresponding locations in VaporCycle.BaseClasses instead.
  • For all heat exchanger components, many rarely used advanced parameters have been removed from the Advanced parameter tab and can be accessed on the individual sub-componets instead if needed. The discretization number parameter n has been moved to the Advanced tab.
  • On the sub-components, parameters from the main dialog are are assigned with "final" prefix, making them not appear in the sub-component dialogs (unless the tool option Show final parameters is enabled).
  • All correlation selections and other drop-down choices have improved descriptions focusing on the intended use. Correlations also have basic validity information integrated directly in the parameter dialog.
  • For heat exchangers there is now only one heat transfer calibration factor. Previously there were one for each fluid convection model. The new calibration parameter applies to convection in both fluids. Individual factors can be accessed on the individual sub-components if needed.
  • For two-phase fluid heat transfer, the ConstantCoefficient and TwoConstantCoefficients options have been removed. Instead a CoefficientsPerPhase option is added, which allow giving separate coefficients for the liquid, two-phase and vapor regions. ConstantCoefficient can be reproduced by giving the same values to all three regions, and TwoConstantCoefficients can be reproduced by giving identical values to the liquid and vapor regions
  • The SinglePhase heat transfer correlation (predictive in single phase regions, inaccurate in two-phase region) has been removed. As replacement it is adviced to use the SimpleTwoPhase correlation. This is identical in the single phase regions, and takes a user-defined heat transfer coefficient in the two-phase region.
  • The EvaporationArima correlation was renamed EvaporationAmmonia
  • The capillary tube component icon has changed to separate it from the standard pipe.
  • In the CapillarySuctionLine heat exchanger component, the default correlation for suction line side convection was changed from a capillarty tube correlation to a standard pipe correlation

Improved Compressors and Turbines

  • Significant improvements have been made to the structure and parameterization of compressor and turbine models to enhance the overall user experience. Key enhancements include:
    1. All map-based parameterization has been moved to an external Excel file, allowing easier and more transparent data entry using named ranges.
    2. New, more explicit compressor and turbine variants have been introduced to simplify model configuration and reduce setup time.
    3. The package structure has been reorganized for better clarity. User-relevant components are now more accessible, while lower-level utility classes have been moved to BaseClasses.
  • New compressor variants:
    PositiveDisplacement_FixedEfficiency
    PositiveDisplacement_FixedVolume
    PositiveDisplacement_VariableVolume
    Dynamic_FlowfromPR
  • New turbine variants:
    Turbine_FlowfromPR
  • Note: The previous compressor and turbine implementations has been moved to the Deprecated package. Users are strongly encouraged to manually migrate to the latest compressor and turbine versions in VaporCycle.Compressors and VaporCycle.Expanders to benefit from improved usability and future maintenance support.

Fixed issues

  • Corrected errors in the test bench for two-phase - two-phase heat exchangers, VaporCycle.HeatExchangers.TwoPhaseTwoPhase.Experiments.HeatExchangerTestbench:
    • The setting of copper as wall material was applied to the constraining class of the heat exchanger, causing it to be not possible to change. This was removed.
    • The initialization option setting (for selecting steady-state or fixed point initialization) on the "init" component was not applied to the heat exchanger, and thus had no effect. This has been fixed and the selection is now made at the "init" component.

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