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TITLE:
Refrigeration Unit
NAME
: TIVAKAR NYANASEGARAM
STUDENT NUMBER
: 40136986
GROUP
:C
DATE OF EXPERIMENT CONDUCTED : 29TH OCTOBER 2015
NAME OF DEMONSTRATOR
: RONAN DOHERTY

Title

Summary

Experimental
Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusions

References

Overall
Presentation

Total

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Table of Contents
1.0

Summary

2.0

Experiment Methods

3.0

Discussion

4.0

Conclusions

13

5.0

References

14

1.0 SUMMARY
Refrigeration implies the maintenance of a temperature below that of the
surroundings. This requires continuous absorption of heat at a low temperature level
usually accomplished by evaporation of a liquid in a steady-state flow process. The
vapour reformed to liquid state for re-evaporation generally by compressing and
then condensing by rejecting heat at a higher temperature consecutively
Refrigeration cycle is a sequence of thermodynamic processes whereby heat is
withdrawn from a cold body and expelled to a hot body, which is a reversed heatengine cycle. After conducting the experiment, it was found out that when the
refrigeration load is decreased, the evaporator pressure decreases as well. This
gives rise to the decrease in temperature as well. Lowering the pressure reduces
the temperature at which the condenser operates and increases the efficiency of
the refrigeration system. By minimising the pressure, the systems cooling capacity
is maximised. Simultaneously, the power absorbed by the motor driving the
compressor decreases with pressure. The decrease on the refrigeration load have a
direct effect on the decrease of coefficient of performance of the system.

2.0 EXPERIMENT METHODS

2.1 EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION

Figure 1: Hilton Bench Mounted Refrigeration Unit

Figure 2: Components of the Refrigeration Unit

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Figure 3: Components of the Refrigeration Unit

Figure 4: Digital Hand Tachometer

The simple vapour compression cycle has four main components.
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EVAPORATOR: Heat is taken in at a low temperature as the liquid evaporates at relatively

low pressure.
COMPRESSOR: Uses work input to increase the pressure of the vapour formed in the
evaporator and then transports it to the condenser at constant entropy
CONDENSER: Heat is rejected at a "high" temperature as the superheated high pressure
vapour is cooled and then condensed back to a liquid as the latent heat is removed
EXPANSION VALVE: Controls the flow of high pressure liquid from the condenser to the
evaporator and also brings about the reduction of pressure at constant enthalpy.
The compressor is a two cylinder "open" type, belt driven from an electric motor mounted
in such a way that its torque and speed can be measured. High pressure vapour
delivered by the compressor enters the inner tube of a coiled, concentric tube;
counter flow condenser and changes to a liquid as heat is transferred from it to water
flowing in the annular spaces. The pressure in the condenser is determined by the
cooling water flow rate and its temperature. R 12 liquid flows from the condenser,
through a liquid receiver/drier and flow meter, to a thermostatically controlled
expansion valve. This valve controls the flow of liquid into the evaporator at a rate,
which is proportional to the heat input. On leaving, the vapour, which then has a few
degrees of superheat, enters the compressor. The evaporator incorporates an electric
heating element, which is controlled by a variable transformer. The voltage and
current taken by the element are indicated so that the heat transfer (duty) can be
accurately measured. A switch enables the same voltmeter and ammeter to be used
to measure the power input to the compressor motor.
SPECIFICATION:
REFRIGERANT
: R12.
REFRIGERATION RATE
: 1400 W maximum but varies with evaporating and
condensing pressure.
EVAPORATION TEMPERATURE
: -40 C to +10 C.
CONDENSING TEMPERATURE : 50 C maximum.
ELECTRIC MOTOR
: Rated at 370 W output swinging field type fitted with
dynamometer 1450 RPM
(50 Hz)
COMPRESSOR
: Belt driven. Two cylinders. Swept volume approximately
75.6 cm3/rev.
CONDENSER
: Coiled, concentric tube, contra flow type with water in
annulus. Cooling surface = 0.2 m2.
EVAPORATOR
: Single tube of special design with a 1400 W electrical
element.
VARIABLE TRANSFORMER
: To control evaporator element.
EXPANSION VALVE
: Thermostatically controlled with manual adjustment of
superheat.
INSTRUMENTS:
TEMPERATURE
: Six glass thermometers fitted in pockets.
PRESSURE : Two bourdon tube gauges to indicate pressure in condenser (range 0 to 200
KN) and evaporator (range 0 to 600 KN).
FLOW
: Two variable area flow meters to indicate water flow (6 to 50gm/s) and R12
(1 to 14 gm/s).
SPEED
: Hand held tachometer for measurement of compressor and motor
rotational speeds.
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VOLTMETER
: To indicate motor or evaporator EMF, 0 to 250 V (220V) 0 to 120 V (110
V).
AMMETER : To indicate motor or evaporator current 0 to 10 A (220 V) 0 to 15 A (110 V).
TORQUE
: Dynamometer fitted to motor to indicate 0 to 20 N at 150 mm radius.

2.2 Experimental Procedures

1. The refrigeration unit experiment on the lab manual was studied before starting
the experiment. All equipment in the refrigeration unit were identified.
2. The cooling water supply was turned on to allow water to flow through the
condenser at 20gm/s.
3. Ensure the evaporator heat input control is adjusted to the minimum value. This
is done by setting the Regavolt knob to zero.
4. The electrical supply was switched on. Ensure the compressor has started and
that the refrigerant flow meter is specifying flow. Wait for the refrigerant flow to
stabilise.
5. After about 10 minutes, gradually increase the evaporator heat input to about
1200W by setting the
Regavolt to 105. This part was conducted slowly over a period of 4-5 minutes.
Ensure the equipment is stabilised after running at these conditions for about 15
minutes.
2
6. Reduce the cooling water flow rate until a condensing pressure of 750kN m

is

obtained, and
allow to stabilise for about 10 minutes.
7. The following was noted:
(a) Regavolt Setting; (Rs)
(b) Condensing Pressure; (Pc)
(c) Evaporator Pressure; (Pe)
(d) Evaporator Current; (Ce)
(e) Evaporator Voltage; (Ve)
(f) Refrigerating Load; (R1) = (Ce) x (Ve)
(g) Temperature leaving expansion valve; (T4)
(h) Motor Current; (Cm)
(i) Motor Voltage; (Vm)
(j) Motor RPM; (rpm) (found using digital hand tachometer)
(k) Dynamometer Spring Force; (Fs) (pull the Newton balance until the two red
arrows
are aligned and note this reading; Check scale of Newton balance).
8. The Refrigeration load was set at 1000 W, 800 W, 600 W, 400 W, and 200 W
(approximate values) using the Regavolt settings 96, 87, 74.5, 61.5, and 44,
respectively. At different values of the load, the product of the evaporator Current
and Voltage must be taken.

4.0 DISCUSSION
[1][3]Refrigeration implies the maintenance of a temperature below that of the
surroundings. This requires continuous absorption of heat at a low temperature level
usually accomplished by evaporation of a liquid in a steady-state flow process. The
vapour reformed to liquid state for re-evaporation generally by compressing and
then condensing by rejecting heat at a higher temperature consecutively
Refrigeration cycle is a sequence of thermodynamic processes whereby heat is
withdrawn from a cold body and expelled to a hot body, which is a reversed heatengine cycle. According to the 2nd law of thermodynamics it required an external
source of energy or external work done on the system to transfer heat from a lower
temperature level to a higher one. A refrigerator is shown schematically in Figure 5.
Here QL is the magnitude of the heat removed from the refrigerated space at
temperature, T L .

QH is the magnitude of the heat rejected to the warm space at

temperature T H , and

W net in is the net work input the refrigerator (R).

Figure 5. Schematic diagram of a refrigeration unit

In such a case the performance of refrigerators is expressed in terms of the
coefficient of performance (COP), defined;

COP =

Desired Output
Required Input

Cooling Effect
Work Input

W net ,
QL

[1][2][3]Since energy cannot be destroyed, the heat taken in at low temperature

plus any other energy input must be dissipated to the surroundings. The Clausius
statement of the second law of thermodynamics states that heat will not pass from
a cold to a hotter region without the aid of an external agency. Thus a refrigerator
will require an input of high grade energy for it to operate. The most common type
of refrigerator uses a work input and operates on the Vapour Compression Cycle.
The work input to the Vapour Compression Cycle derives a compressor which
maintains a low pressure on an evaporator and a higher pressure in condenser. The
temperature at which a liquid will evaporate (or a vapour will condense) is
dependent on pressure, thus if a suitable fluid is introduced it will evaporate at a
low temperature in the low pressure evaporator (taking in heat) and will condense
at a higher temperature in the high pressure condenser (rejecting heat). The high
pressure liquid formed in the condenser must then be returned to the evaporator at
a controlled rate. Thus, the simple vapour compression refrigeration cycle has four
main component:
,
(1) An evaporator where heat is taken in at a low temperature as a liquid
evaporator at a low pressure.
(2) A compressor which uses a work input to reduce the pressure in the
evaporator and increase the pressure of the vapour being transferred to the
condenser.
(3) A condenser where the high pressure vapour condenser, rejecting heat to
its surroundings.
(4) A flow control device which controls the fowl of liquid back to the
evaporator and which brings about the pressure reduction.
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[1][3][4]The refrigeration cycle operates on a true thermodynamic cycle and

involves:
(a) Nucleate boiling and film wise condensation.
(b) Steady flow process, i.e. throttling, compression and heat exchange.
(c) Flow control.
(d)

The

thermodynamic

properties,

i.e.

pressure,

specific

volume,

temperature, specific enthalpy and entropy of a pure substance at all

conditions between sub-cooled liquid and super-heated vapour.
The refrigeration cycle can be described by and ideal process operated on a Carnot
cycle and then can be converted to the actual cycle or actual changes in entropy
and enthalpy during the process. The Carnot cycle for refrigeration consists of 4
steps as well similar to heat engine. The phase changes of the refrigerant in the
vapour compression cycle are the main key process of the refrigeration system and
they can be represented by the T-S diagram in Figure 6.
Assumptions for Ideal vapour compression refrigeration cycle;
Irreversibility within the evaporator, condenser and compressor are ignored.
No frictional pressure drops.
Refrigerant flows at constant pressure through the two heat exchangers
(evaporator and
condenser).
Stray heat losses to the surroundings are ignored.
Compression process is isentropic.

11

Figure 6: Schematic and T-s diagram for the ideal vapour compressor
refrigerator cycle.

After conducting the experiment, it was found out that when the refrigeration load is
decreased, the evaporator pressure decreases as well. This gives rise to the
decrease in temperature as well. Simultaneously, the power absorbed by the motor
driving the compressor decreases with pressure. The decrease on the refrigeration
load have a direct effect on the decrease of coefficient of performance of the
system.
The Steps of Ideal Vapour Compression Cycle
[1][3][4]The cycle operates on following four process:
1-2: Isentropic compression
2-3: Constant pressure heat rejection (Condenser)
3-4: Adiabatic expansion in a throttling device
4-1: Constant pressure heat absorption (Evaporator)
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I. (1-2) Isentropic compression in a compressor: A compressor which uses a work

input to reduce the pressure in the evaporator and increase the pressure of
the vapour being transferred to the condenser. External work is done on the
cycle to initiate the cycle to flow heat from lower temperature to higher. The
saturated vapour outlet from evaporator goes in the compressor and is
compressed to superheated vapour. Here the ideal process is an isentropic
process but in actual case the entropy increases due to increase in
temperature. The compression process is represented by line 1-2 in figure 6.

II. (2-3) Constant pressure heat rejection in a condenser: A condenser where the
high pressure vapour condenses, rejecting heat to its surroundings. This is
another isothermal process in which heat QH is rejected at higher
temperature in the condenser. The superheated vapour from the outlet of the
compressor goes in the condenser and cooled to saturated vapour and then
condensed to saturated liquid by rejecting latent heat to the surrounding at
higher temperature (room temperature) The condensation process is a
constant pressure and temperature process which is represented by 2-3 line
in the figure 6.
III. (3-4) Adiabatic expansion in a throttling device: it is an adiabatic process and
also an isenthalpic process of expansion. An expansion device (throttle valve)
is used to get back the refrigerant to its original pressure at the inlet of
evaporator. The pressure drop in this irreversible process results from fluid
friction in the valve. At the inlet of the throttle valve the refrigerant is
saturated liquid and due to expansion, it is converted to a liquid vapour
mixture at outlet. This process is represented by line 3-4 in figure 6.
IV. (4-1) Constant pressure heat absorption in an evaporator: It is an isothermal step
in which heat QL is absorbed at the lower temperature in the evaporator.
Here the liquid refrigerant evaporates at constant pressure and temperature
absorbing the latent heat of vaporization. The inlet of the evaporator is a
liquid-vapour mixture and absorbing heat from air of lower temperature (room
temperature in this case) it becomes saturated vapour. The process in
evaporator is represented by line4-1 in figure 6.

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Figure 7: P-h diagram for the ideal vapour compressor refrigerator cycle
The P-h diagram in Figure 7 is another convenient diagram often used to
illustrate the refrigeration cycle. Where, process 1-2 indicates isentropic
compression process, process 2-3 indicates P = constant heat rejection process,
process 3-4 indicates expansion under throttling process, h = constant, process
4-1 stands for P = constant heat addition process.
Refrigeration units are used in various capacities. Domestic refrigeration is used
for keeping food in dwelling units. Commercial refrigeration functions to hold
and display frozen and fresh food in retail outlets. Food processing and cold
storage are used to preserve, process and store food from its source to the
wholesale distribution point. Industrial refrigeration are large equipment,
typically 25 kW to 30 MW, used for chemical processing, cold storage, food
processing, building and district heating and cooling. Transport refrigeration
functions to preserve and store goods, primarily foodstuffs, during transport
by road, rail, air and sea. Electronic cooling. Refrigeration units are used widely
for medical refrigeration and cryogenic refrigeration. Lastly, low-temperature
cooling of CMOS circuitry and other components in large computers and servers.

5.0 Conclusion
After conducting the experiment, a few conclusions were achieved;

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1. When the refrigeration load is decreases, the evaporator pressure decreases

as well. This gives rise to the decrease in temperature as well. Lowering the
pressure reduces the temperature at which the condenser operates and
increases the efficiency of the refrigeration system. By minimising the
pressure, the systems cooling capacity is maximised.
2. The power absorbed by the motor driving the compressor decreases with
pressure.
3. The decrease on the refrigeration load have a direct effect on the decrease of
coefficient of performance of the system.

6.0 REFERRENCES
[1] Dossat, R.J. (1997). Principles of Refrigeration. Prentice Hall.
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[2] Abbot, M. M., Van Ness, and Smith, J. M., (2001), Introduction to CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING

THERMODYNAMICS,

6th

edition,

Tata

McGraw-Hill

Publishing

Company Limited.
[3] Cengel, Y. A. and Boles, M. A., (2006), THERMODYNAMICS An Engineering
Approach, 5th edition, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited.
[4] Marsh, R.W. (1979). Basics of Refrigeration. Van Nostrand Reinhold.

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