Carbon dioxide evaporation heat transfer coefficient prediction in porous media using Machine learning algorithms based on experimental data

The prediction of the internal heat transfer coefficient during evaporation is vital for vapor-compression refrigeration and closed-loop power cycles. Accurate measurements and understanding of CO₂ heat transfer in porous evaporators are essential for optimal system design across various operating conditions. This study utilizes a reference dataset derived from previous experiments that investigated the impact of porous evaporators on CO₂′s internal heat transfer coefficient under sub-critical conditions, employing gravel sand as the porous medium. The dataset encompasses key factors: gravel sand porosities ranging from 39.8 % to 44.5 %, evaporator inlet pressures between 3700 and 4300 kPa, CO₂ mass flow rates from 10.7x10^-5–18x10^-5kg.s⁻¹, and porous tube effective diameters spanning 1.53 x10^-3 –3.4x10^-3 m. Employing three machine learning techniques (SVM, GPR, OBEM), the study predicts the internal heat transfer coefficient using regression models. The models’ predictions are analyzed and compared to expected values for validation, evaluating their performance using four statistical criteria. Results indicate SVM, GPR, and OBEM models achieved RMSEs of 1.5471, 1.8212, and 3.6978, respectively, while MAE errors were 1.1479, 1.2418, and 2.9787, respectively. Comparison with the dimensional analysis method reveals the effectiveness of the proposed models in accurately predicting internal heat transfer coefficients. The models exhibit low uncertainty and maintain prediction quality on an extended dataset without overfitting concerns. Overall, this research contributes valuable insights for designing heat exchangers and systems in vapor-compression refrigeration and closed-loop power cycles.