MEC 551

THERMAL ENGINEERING
CHAPTER 6
REFRIGERATION

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Overview - Energy Consumption

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Malaysia (overall)

Educational building

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Review Reversed Carnot Cycle

Carnot (or reversed Carnot) - operates between two constant
temperature reservoirs i.e. heat transfer processes take
place at constant temperature.

2
3

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Review Thermodynamics 1st Law

qnet wnet

Q net W net

V2 V1
g ( z 2 z1 )

h2 h1

2000
1000
2

V2 V1
g ( z 2 z1 )

m h2 h1

2000
1000

Q net W net m

V2 V1
g ( z 2 z1 )

h2 h1

2000
1000
2

(kJ / kg )

( kJ )

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(kW )

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Review Control Volume

Compressors are devices used to increase pressure of a

fluid. Work is supplied to these devices from an external
source through a rotating shaft. Therefore, compressors
involve work inputs.
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Energy balance: for compressor

.

.
.
.

Vin
Vout
hin
gzin Q out W out mout hout
gzout
2
2
out

Q in W in min
in

W in min hin mout hout

.

W in m h2 h1

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Review Isentropic Efficiencies

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Introduction
Refrigeration is defined as a process of making something
cold, and cold can be defined as an absence of heat.

The earliest and most common of the

cold substances used for taking away
heat was ice or snow. The Chinese,
Greeks, Romans etc all use ice for
food preservation.

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Refrigeration Machine in 1834

(B) Evaporator

(H) Valve

(C) Compressor

(D) Condenser
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Refrigeration Machine in 1950s

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Refrigeration Machine at Home

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Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle

The processes in the vapor compression refrigeration
cycle are as per following:
Process

Process Description

1-2

Isentropic compression

2-3

Constant pressure heat rejection

3-4

Throttling process

4-1

Constant pressure heat absorption

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Refrigeration cycle is based on the modification of reversed

Carnot cycle

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The P-h diagram is another convenient diagram often used

to illustrate the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle.

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Components Description
COMPRESSOR: Provide the driving force for the entire
system by drawing low pressure refrigerant in and adding
pressure such that it exits at a higher temperature.
CONDENSER: Exhaust heat from the system by virtue of
heat transfer across a temperature gradient. The
refrigerant in the condenser is at a higher temperature than
the ambient temperature.

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EXPANSION VALVE: Allow the refrigerant to expand

dramatically in a controlled process such that it exits the
valve at a low quality liquid-vapor mixture.
EVAPORATOR: Absorb heat from the cold space by virtue of
a temperature gradient, similar to the condenser.

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Results of First Law

Component
Compressor

First Law Result

.

W in m(h2 h1 )

Condenser

Q H m(h2 h3 )

Expansion
valve

h3 h4

Evaporator

Q L m(h1 h4 )

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Results of Second Law

Cycle

Second Law Result

.

Refrigerator

COPR

QL
.

W in

h1 h4

h2 h1

Heat pump

COPHP

QH
.

W in

h2 h3
h2 h1

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Refrigeration Effect, Load and Capacity

Refrigeration effect qL (kJ/ kg) is the heat extracted by a unit
mass of refrigerant during the evaporating process in the
evaporator.
Refrigeration load QL (kW) is the required rate of heat
extraction by the refrigerant in the evaporator.
Refrigeration capacity, or cooling capacity, QRC (kW) is the
actual rate of heat extracted by the refrigerant in the
evaporator.
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Example #1
A refrigerator uses refrigerant-134a as the working fluid and
operates on an ideal vapor compression refrigeration cycle
between 0.14 and 0.8 MPa. If the mass flow rate of the
refrigerant is 0.05 kg/s, determine (a) the rate of heat
removal from the refrigerated space and the power input to
the compressor (b) the rate of heat rejection to the
environment (c) the COP of the refrigerator.

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Example #2
A refrigerator uses refrigerant-134a as the working fluid. It
enters the compressor as superheated vapor at 0.14 MPa,
-10C and is compressed to 0.8 Mpa and 50 C. The
refrigerant is cooled in the condenser to 0.72 MPa, 26C
and then is throttled to 0.15 MPa. The mass flow rate of the
refrigerant is 0.05 kg/s. Determine (a) the rate of heat
removal from the refrigerated space and the power input to
the compressor (b) isentropic efficiency of the compressor
(c) the COP of the refrigerator.

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Refrigerants
Type of refrigerants:

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Refrigerant Selection
Two important parameters: the temperatures of the refrigerated
space and the environment with which the refrigerant
exchanges heat.
R-134a (replaced R-12, which damages ozone layer) is used
in domestic refrigerators and freezers, as well as automotive
air conditioners.
R-502 (a blend of R-115 and R-22) is the dominant refrigerant
used in commercial refrigeration systems such as those in
supermarkets.
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COP comparison between different refrigerants under the

same operating conditions.

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Cascade Refrigeration Systems

Very low
temperatures
can be achieved
by operating two
or more vaporcompression
systems in
series, called
cascading.
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Applying the first law to the heat exchanger,

.

m A (h5 h8 ) m B (h2 h3 )

(h2 h3 )

m B (h5 h8 )
mA

Then the COP becomes,

QL

COPR ,cascade

W net ,in

m B (h1 h4 )

m A (h6 h5 ) m B (h2 h1 )

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Multistage Compression
Refrigeration System
When the fluid used throughout the cascade refrigeration
system is the same, the heat exchanger between the
stages can be replaced by a mixing chamber (called a flash
chamber).
Flash chamber has a better heat transfer characteristics.
Such system is called multistage compression refrigeration
system.
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Example 3:

Consider a two stage cascade refrigeration system operating

between the pressure limits of 0.8 and 0.14 Mpa. Each stage
operates on an ideal vapor compression refrigeration cycle with
R-134a as the working fluid. Heat rejection from the lower cycle
to the upper cycle takes place in an adiabatic counterflow heat
exchanger where both streams enter at about 0.32 MPa. If the
mass flow rate of the refrigerant through the upper cycle is 0.05
kg/s, determine (a) the mass flow rate of the refrigerant through
the lower cycle. (b) the rate of heat removal from the refrigerated
space and the power input to the compressor (c) the COP of the
cascade refrigerator.

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Example #4
A vapor compression plant uses R-134a and has a suction pressure of 0.14 MPa
and a condenser pressure of 0.8 MPa. The vapor is dry saturated on entering the
compressor and there is no undercooling of the condensate. Part of the
refrigerant evaporates during flashing process and this vapor is mixed with the
refrigerant leaving the low pressure compressor. The mixture is then compressed
to the condenser pressure by the high pressure compressor. The liquid in the
flash chamber is throttled to the evaporator pressure and cools the refrigerated
space as it vaporizes in the evaporator. Assuming the refrigerant leaves the
evaporator as a saturated vapor and both compressors are isentropic. The
compression is carried out isentropically in two stages and a flash chamber is
employed at a pressure of 0.32 MPa. Calculate (a) the amount of vapor bled off
at the flash chamber, (b) the amount of heat removed from the refrigerated
space, (c) the compressor work, and (d) the coefficient of performance.

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Absorption Refrigeration Systems

The most widely used absorption refrigeration system is the
ammonia-water system, where ammonia serves as the
refrigerant and water as the transport medium.
The work input to the pump is usually very small, and the
COP of absorption refrigeration systems is defined as:
Desired output Cooling effect
QL
QL
COPR

Required input
Work input
Qgen Wpump ,in Qgen
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Application of Refrigeration
Food processing, preservation and distribution.

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Application of Refrigeration
Chemical and process industries.

Separation of gases
Condensation of gases
Solidification of solute
Storage of liquid at low pressure
Removal of heat of reaction (exothermic)
Recovery of solvents

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Domestic Refrigerator & Air-Conditioner

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Chiller & Cold Room

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3 compressors
(in standby mode)

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Cooling water flows

Cooling tower

Make-up
water tank
3

Condenser

Expansion valve

Compressor

Refrigerant
R-22 flows

Evaporator
4

Make-up
water flows

1
From heat exchanger

Ethylene glycol flows

To heat
exchanger

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Case Study

Required process
temperature in the
reactor: -80C

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Example 5
Consider a two stage cascade refrigeration system operating
between the pressure limits of 1.2 Mpa and 200 kPa with
refrigerant R-134a as the working fluid. Heat rejection from the
lower cycle to the upper cycle takes place in an adiabatic
counterflow heat exchanger where the pressure at the upper
and lower cycles are 0.4 and 0.5 Mpa, respectively. In both
cycles, the refrigerant is saturated liquid at the condenser exit
and saturated vapor at the compressor inlet, and the
isentropic efficiency of the compressor is 80%. If the mass
flow rate of refrigerant through the lower cycle is 0.15 kg/s,
determine (a) the mass flow rate of the refrigerant through the
upper cycle, (b) the rate of heat removal from the refrigerated
space, and (c) the COP.
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Example 6
Consider a two stage cascade refrigeration system operating between the pressure
limits of 1.2 MPa and 200 kPa with refrigerant R-134a as the working fluid. The
refrigerant leaves the condenser as a saturated liquid and is throttled to a flash
chamber operating at 0.45 MPa. Part of the refrigerant evaporates during the
flashing process and this vapor is mixed with the refrigerant leaving the low
pressure compressor. The mixture is then compressed to the condenser pressure
by the high pressure compressor. The liquid in the flash chamber is throttled to the
evaporator pressure and cools the refrigerated space as it vaporizes in the
evaporator. The mass flowrate of the refrigerant through the low pressure
compressor is 0.15 kg/s. Assuming the refrigerant leaves the evaporator as a
saturated vapor and the isentropic efficiency is 80% for both compressor,
determine(a) The mass flowrate of the refrigerant through the high pressure
compressor, (b) the rate of heat removal from the refrigerated space, (c) COP, (d)
The rate of heat removal and the COP if this refrigerator operated on a single stage
cycle between the same pressure limits with the same compressor efficiency and
the same flow rate as in part (a).

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