Exercise A - Introduction to the Vapour-Compression

Refrigeration Cycle
Objective
To operate the RA1-MKII refrigeration system and understand the relation between
the hardware components and the refrigeration cycle.

Method
Running the RA1-MKII unit at nominal settings and observing the changes in
temperature and pressure around the system.

Equipment Required
RA1-MKII Refrigeration Unit

Compatible PC with Armfield RA1-MKII software

Theory

Schematic Diagram of the RA1-MKII Vapour-Compression Refrigeration Unit

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Ts diagram for the Vapour-Compression Refrigeration Cycle

In this cycle the refrigerant (R134a) enters the compressor as a vapour and is
compressed and superheated (Points T3 to T4) i.e. it is raised above its saturation
temperature.

The superheated refrigerant vapour passes through the condenser which first cools
and removes the superheat and then condenses the vapour into liquid by removing
latent heat at constant pressure and temperature (Points T4 to T5). Heat from the
refrigerant is transferred to the stream of water in the condenser.

The liquid refrigerant then passes through the expansion valve (also called a throttle
valve) where it expands and the pressure abruptly decreases, this results in a
mixture of liquid and vapour at a lower temperature and pressure (Points T6 to T7).

The cold liquid/vapour refrigerant mixture then travels through the evaporator and is
heated and completely vaporized by heat transfer from the water in the evaporator
(Points T7 to T3).

The refrigerant vapour exiting the evaporator returns to the compressor inlet to
complete the thermodynamic cycle.

An important measure of the system performance is the Coefficient of Performance

(COP). This is the ratio of the heat exchanged in the evaporator to the amount of
work put into the system by the compressor. In a refrigeration system this is typically
in the region of 3 to 6 i.e. more heat is exchanged than input by the compressor. The
COP is continuously calculated from the other system variables and displayed on the
mimic diagram.

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 Exercise A

Equipment Set Up
Ensure that the equipment has been installed in accordance with the Installation
section.

Check that the USB connection is made between the RA1-MKII unit and the PC, and
that the RA1-MKII software is installed and running (‘IFD: vCOM (n) m’ displayed in
bottom right hand corner where n is the number of the virtual COM port on the PC).

Check that the combined circuit breaker / RCD on the electrical console is in the ‘On’
(up) position. Turn the unit on by pressing the ON/OFF switch on the console.

Check that sensible ambient values for temperatures, pressures etc are displayed on
the mimic diagram of the software. Do not click ‘Compressor On’ in the software until
instructed.

Procedure
Set the condenser water pump (Pump 1 speed) to 40% and the evaporator water
pump (Pump 2 speed) to 60%.

Check that there is a flow of water through both the condenser and evaporator
indicated by F1 (typically 1.5 l/min) and F2 (typically 5.5 l/min) on the mimic diagram.

Set the compressor motor speed to 50% (typically 3200 RPM) then click
‘Compressor On’ (1). The compressor will run at 3000 RPM for 30 seconds then
change to the set speed. Check that refrigerant flows around the system indicated by
the variable area flowmeter F3 on the RA1-MKII.

Configure the sample options as ‘Automatic / 10 seconds intervals’ and click the
“GO” button to log the readings from the sensors. View the graphs of T1, T3 & T7 on
the primary Y axis and P1 & P2 on the secondary Y axis.

Let the system run until the temperatures and pressures are reasonably stable then
click the ‘Stop’ button to stop data logging and Click ‘Compressor on’ (0) to stop the
compressor.

View the table of results and confirm that a set of readings has been logged then
save the result for future reference.

Results
View the table of results and select a row of results when the process has stabilised.
Observe the changes in pressure and temperature around the process and identify
the changes that take place in the Compressor, the Condenser, the Expansion valve
and the Evaporator identified on the Ts diagram shown in the theory above.

Observe that the calculated Coefficient of Performance (COP) is significantly greater

than unity whereby more useful heat is transferred in the evaporator than electrical
energy is required to run the compressor.

Conclusion
These observations should provide a basic understanding of the refrigeration
process.

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Describe the function of the important parts of the refrigeration process, namely the
Compressor, Condenser, Expansion valve and Evaporator and explain the
temperature and pressure changes associated with each.

Observe the value of the Coefficient of Performance obtained and comment on the
magnitude of this value being greater than unity.

The exercises that follow investigate the vapour-compression refrigeration cycle in

more detail and the effect of changes to individual parts of the refrigeration system.

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