Analysis

Refrigeration and Heat Pump Systems

Refrigeration systems for food preservation and air conditioning play prominent roles in our
everyday lives.

Heat pumps are also being utilised increasingly for heating buildings and for producing industrial
process heat.
The aspects of refrigeration we will be introduced by considering a CARNOT vapor refrigeration
cycle. This is achieved by reversing the CARNOT vapor cycle (previous knowledge)

Carnot Vapour Refrigeration Cycle

Figure below demonstrate the cycle under review
Figure shows the schematic
plus T-s diagram of the Carnot
Refrigeration cycle operating
between a region at temperature
TC and another region at a higher
temperature TH

The refrigerant enters the evaporator as a twoPhase liquid-vapour mixture at stage 4.

In the evaporator some of the refrigerant changes phase from liquid to vapour as a result of
heat transfer from the region at TC to the refrigerant. The refrigerant is then compressed
adiabatically from stage 1, where it is a two-phase liquid-vapour mixture to stage 2, where
it is a saturated vapour. resulting in increase in refrigerant temperature from TC to TH.

Analysis

The area on the T-s diagram 1-a-b-4-1 is the heat added to the refrigerant from the cold region per
unit mass of refrigerant flowing. Area 2-a-b-3-2 is the heat discharged from the refrigerant to the
warm region per unit mass of refrigerant flowing. The enclosed area 1-2-3-4-1 is the net heat
transfer from the refrigerant.
Based on energy analysis, the net heat transfer from the refrigerant = the net work done on the
refrigerant. The net work is the difference between the compressor work input and the turbine
work output.

Coefficient of Performance ()
This is the ratio of the refrigerant effect to the net work input required to achieve that effect. For
the Carnot vapour refrigeration cycle is given by the equation below.

Eq 7.1

The above equation represents the maximum theoretical coefficient of performance of any
Refrigeration cycle operating between region at TC and TH.

Actual vapour refrigeration systems depart significantly from the ideal cycle and have
Coefficient of Performance lower than would be calculated from the equation above.

Actual Vapour Refrigeration systems

One of the most significant departures from ideality is related to the heat transfer between the
refrigerant and the two regions. In actual systems, these heat transfer are not accomplished
reversibly as assumed in the ideal cycle.

To achieve a rate of heat transfer sufficient to maintain the temperature of the cold region at TC
with a practical sized evaporator requires the temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator TC
to be several degrees below TC. This is illustrated by figure below
Similarly, to obtain a sufficient heat transfer rate from
the warm region requires that the refrigerant
temperature in the condenser TH be several degree
above TH as shown the figure provided. In this case the
Coefficient of Performance is given by the equation
below
Eq 7.2
Comparing the areas underlying the expression for
and we conclude that the value of
is less than
. This explains the effect of refrigerant temperature on the coefficient
of performance.

Limitations of Carnot Vapour Refrigeration Cycle

Other features that makes the Carnot Vapour refrigeration cycle impractical as a prototype
Include the fact that
the compression process from stage 1 and stage 2 occurs with the refrigerant as a two-phase
liquid-vapour mixture. This is commonly referred to as wet compression. Wet compression
is normally avoided because the presence of liquid droplets can damage the compressor.

the expansion process from the saturated liquid state 3 to the low-quality, two-phase liquidvapour mixture stage 4 produces a relatively small amount of work compared to the work
input in the compressor process. The work output achieved by an actual turbine would be
smaller yet because turbines operating under these conditions typically have low efficiencies.
As such the work of turbine is sacrificed by substituting a simple throttling valve for the
expansion turbine, with consequently savings in initial and maintenance costs.

Components of a Vapour-Compression Refrigeration System

Figure below demonstrate major components of a vapour compression refrigeration system.
Principal work and heat transfer (energy analysis)
From the figure principal work and heat are positive in the
directions of the arrows. Kinetic and potential energy changes
are neglected during the analysis.

Start with evaporator

For a control volume enclosing the refrigerant side of the evaporator, the mass and energy rate
Balances reduce to give the rate of heat transfer per unit mass of refrigerant flow as below

Equation 7.3

In the SI units the capacity is normally expressed in kW.

Analysis Con
The refrigerant leaving the evaporator is compressed to a relatively high pressure and
temperature by the compressor. Assuming no heat transfer to or from the compressor, the mass
and energy rate balances for a control enclosing the compressor is given as below

Equation 7.4
Where

is the rate of power input per unit mass of refrigerant

The refrigerant then passes through the condenser, where the refrigerant condenses and there
is heat transfer from the refrigerant to the cooler surrounding. For a control volume enclosing
the refrigerant side of the condenser, the rate of heat transfer from the refrigerant per unit mass
of refrigerant is given as below
Equation 7.5
Finally, the refrigerant at state 3 enters the expansion valve and expands to the evaporator
Pressure. This process is usually modeled as a throttling process, for which
Equation 7.6

Analysis Con
The net power input is equal to the compressor power , since the expansion valve involves no
power input or output. Using the quantities and expressions introduced earlier, the coefficient
of performance of the vapour compression refrigeration system is given by the equation below:

Equation 7.7

Provided states 1 through 4 are fixed, equations 7.1 through 7.7 can be used to evaluate the
principal work and heat transfers and the coefficient of performance of the vapour compression
system demonstrated on slide number 7.

Performance of Vapour Compression Systems

If irreversibilities within the evaporator, compressor, and condenser are ignored, there are no
frictional pressure drops, and the refrigerant flows at constant pressure through the two heat
exchangers. If stray heat transfers to the surroundings are also ignored, the compression process
is isentropic. With these considerations, the ideal vapour-compression refrigeration cycle labelled
1-2s-3-4-1 on the T-s diagram below results.
The cycle consists of the following series of processes:
Process 1-2s: isentropic compression of the
refrigerant from state 1 to the condenser pressure
at state 2s
Process 2s-3: heat transfer from the refrigerant as it
flows at constant pressure through the condenser.
The refrigerant exit as a liquid at state 3
Process 3-4: throttling process from state 3 to a twoPhase liquid-vapour mixture at 4.
Process 4-1: heat transfer to the refrigerant as it flows
at constant pressure through the evaporator to
complete the cycle.

Performance of Vapour Compression Systems

The cycle 1-2-3-4-1 illustrates a key departure of
actual system performance from that of the ideal
cycle. This is the departure owing to internal
irrevesibilities present during compression.
The effect of irreversible compression can be
accounted for by using the isentropic compressor
efficiency which is given by the equation below

Equation 7.8

Pressure drops are ignored for simplicity

Question

Refrigerant 12 is the working fluid in an ideal vapour-compression refrigeration

cycle that communicate thermally with a cold region at 20oC and a warm region at
40oC. Saturated vapour enters the compressor at 20oC and saturated liquid leaves
the condenser at 40oC. The mass flow rate of the refrigerant is 0.008 kg/s.
determine the followings:

The compressor power in kW

The refrigeration capacity in tons
The coefficient of performance and
The coefficient of performance of a Carnot refrigeration cycle operating between warm and cold
regions at 40oC and 20oC respectively.

Modify the problem above to allow for temperature differences between the
refrigerant and the warm and cold regions as follows. Saturated vapour enters the
compressor at 12oC, saturated liquid leaves the condenser at a pressure of 1.4 Mpa.
Determine for the modified vapour compression refrigeration cycle the follows:

The compressor power , in kW

The refrigeration capacity in tons
The coefficient of performance