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Experiment T4
Air Conditioning Study
Name
Matric No.
Group
Date of Expt. :
GRADE :
Objectives:
To examine the refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner.
To evaluate the cooling capacity and power consumption under different operating conditions.
Apparatus:
Computer linked air conditioner unit, stop watch and measuring cylinder.
Theory
The basic configuration of the air conditioner unit is shown in Figure1. Air is drawn into a variable
speed centrifugal fan and discharge into a glass fibre duct. Steam can be added at the fan discharge
to provide humidification. The air that can be preheated by two finned electric heating coils flows
through the evaporator of the refrigeration unit and finally passes over two finned electric heating
coils for reheating. Water condensate can be collected and measured. Air conditions at different
stages are determined by wet and dry thermocouples and the mass flow rate is measured by a sharp
edged orifice and differential pressure transducer.
The steam is provided by an atmospheric boiler with three heating elements that can be switched to
create various rates of steam production. The water level is controlled by a float switch and
solenoid valve and observed through a sight glass.
The refrigerator unit consists essentially of a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and a thermal
expansion valve. A propeller fan blows air across the condenser coil. The air is cooled and
dehumidified at the evaporator, where the refrigerant R-134a is allowed to evaporate creating a
cooling effect. An amount of heat equivalent to the heat absorbed by the evaporator and the work
supplied to the compressor is rejected at the condenser to the atmosphere. The process undergone
by the refrigerant is as follows (Figure 2):
High pressure liquid refrigerant flows from the condenser to the evaporator through the thermal
expansion valve. The low pressure refrigerant then evaporates in the evaporator providing the
required cooling effect. The vapour refrigerant thus generated is received by the compressor where,
the vapour pressure is raised and superheated vapour is delivered to the condenser. The vapour is
air cooled at the condenser and liquefied for the beginning of the next cycle.
The saturation temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator is below the dew point of the air.
When air is forced to flow across the evaporator coil, heat is transferred from the air to the
refrigerant which then evaporates. This causes the air temperature and the humidity to be reduced.
The heat absorbed by the evaporator can be calculated as follows:
Sensible heat transfer Qs = ma Cpa (Tai - Tao)
and Latent heat transfer Ql = ma hfg (Wai - Wao)
The sum Qs + Ql is known as the capacity of the air conditioner.
The performance of an air conditioner is measured by
Capacity
Coefficient of Performance (C.O.P.) =
Power consumed
When capacity is expressed Btu/h and the power in kW, this ratio is called the Energy Efficiency
Ratio (EER)
(When boiler and air heaters are used in the experiment, set the fan to the maximum speed and
allow it to run for at least 5 minutes before switching off and turn off the water supply to the
boiler.)
For each measurement (temperature, pressure, power input) note down carefully the accuracy of the
readings e.g. for thermocouple read-out T = 1oC.
Tabulation and Calculations
1) To determine the capacity, the coefficient of performance and EER at each fan speed.
(The properties of moist air can be determined from the psychrometric chart attached).
2) For each of the derived quantities, estimate the uncertainty in the calculated quantity by a
simple error analysis using the instrument's reading accuracies.
e.g.
Qs = ma Cpa (Tai - Tao)
C pa
Qs
ma
Tai Tao
+
+
C pa
Qs
ma
Tai Tao
where Qs is the uncertainty in Qs when those in ma, Cpa and (Tai - Tao) are ma, Cpa and [Tai
- Tao] respectively.
3) Indicate the measured pressures and temperatures on a P-h Chart for the refrigerant R134a.
4) Check the energy and mass balance for the air and refrigerant flowing through the evaporator.
References:
1. Van Wylen, G. J., and Sonntag, R. E., Fundamentals of Classical Thermodynamics, SI Version,
nd
Subscripts:
ai
air inlet
ao
air outlet
Condenser
Expansion
valve
Compressor
Heat rejected
high pressure
low pressure
Work
Heat absorbed
Evaporator