Study of

Household Refrigerators
&
Window Air Conditioner

Compiled By:Aman Mittal

What is Refrigeration ???

Refrigeration is a process in which work is done
to move heat from one location to another. The
work of heat transport is traditionally driven by
mechanical work, but can also be driven by heat,
magnetism, electricity, laser, or other means.

Household Refrigerators

History..Evolution !!!

The Early Refrigeration Systems

Todays Refrigerators

Problems Faced in Developing Early Domestic

refrigerators

Unavailability of small compressors

Unavailability of reliable Refrigerants
No Automatic refrigerant controls
Poor shaft seals
Unreliable Relays
Underdeveloped electrical power systems and
induction motors

 The first cooling system for food involved using ice.

Artificial refrigeration began in mid 1750s and got developed in the early
1800s.
Before the invention of refrigerants, ice houses were used to provide cool storage.
1755- William Cullen designed a small refrigerating machine, which used a
pump to create a partial vacuum over a container of diethyl ether, which then
boiled absorbing heat from the surrounding air. It also created some ice.
In 1805, Oliver Evans described a closed vapour-compression refrigerant cycle
for the production of ice by ether under vacuum.
In 1820, scientist Michael Faraday liquefied ammonia and other gasses by
using high pressure and low temperatures.

Refrigeration began in the year 1755,

when the Scottish professor William
Cullen made the first refrigerating
machine, which could produce a small
quantity of ice in the laboratory.

William Cullen
Oliver Evans in his book in 1805
published about a closed refrigeration
cycle to produce ice by ether under
vacuum.

Oliver Evans

John Perkins in 1834 used volatile fluids for the

purpose of producing the cooling or freezing of
fluids, and yet at the same time constantly
condensing such volatile fluids, and bringing
them again into operation without waste.

 In 1834 an American expatriate to Great Britain, Jacob Perkins built the first
working vapour-compression refrigerant system in the world. It was a closed cycle device
that could operate continuously.
1913, refrigerators for home and domestic use were invented by Fred. W. Wolf of
Indiana with models consisting of a unit that was mounted on top of an ice box.
In 1927, General Electric manufactured over a million units of refrigerators, major
drawback was that they emitted sulphur dioxide and methyl formate which were toxic.

The invention of freons in 1930s brought a major change in the industry of

refrigerants.
From 1950s to 1960s defrosting and automatic ice making kicked in and
hence made the refrigeration process easier.
In 1980s usage of freons was banned due to the environmental harm it was
causing in account to depletion of ozone.

But..Now
The refrigerators are very common and have advanced
technologies, with separate compartment for freezing
ice and one for vegetables, adjustable temperatures and
moisture balance in accordance to the surroundings.
Common refrigerants used these days are nonhalogenated hydrocarbons such as propane.
Modern refrigerators are made from steel, copper,
polystyrene, ABS, and polypropene plastic.

Classification

Classification of
Refrigerators
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

POWER STAR RATING

MULTI DOOR / SINGLE DOOR
INTERNAL TEMPERATURE RANGE
TYPE OF USE ( COMMERCIAL / HOUSEHOLD)
TYPE OF CYCLE
A. VAPOUR COMPRESSION CYCLE
B. VAPOUR ABSORPTION CYCLE
6. ON THE BASIS OF REFRIGERANTS

Classification of Air
Conditioners
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

TYPE OF FUNCTION
BASED ON ENERGY CLASSES
WINDOW / SPLIT
TYPE OF COMPRESSION
AMOUNT OF COOLING REQUIRED

Working/Principle

Condenser

Suction Tube
Evaporator

Temperature
Control

Capillary Tube

Condenser

Text

Electric Motor Compressor

The Inside, What you've probably not seen..

COMPRESSOR
It is a mechanical device(similar to
a pump) that increases the
pressure of a gas (Refrigerant) by
reducing its volume, and
consequently heating it up.

Condenser
It is that mechanical device which
changes the state of the hot high
pressurised gas / vapour to high
pressurised liquid.

An Image of a Wire Mesh type of Condenser

Filter/Restrictor
Something that restricts the
flow of a gas or liquid and
also Collects it.

Capillary Tube
It is a narrow tube connected along the line
between the condenser and the evaporator with
diameters ranging from 1 to 2 mm and lengths
ranging between 1 and 2 m and it also allows
the adjustment of the amount of gas fed to
the evaporator.

Expansion Valve

To control the volume of

the working substance
into the Evaporator.

Sound
Deadeners..
It is to minimise the sound
produced due to sudden
expansion of high pressurised
liquid into low pressure
liquid.

Evaporator
It is a device that changes the state
from solid or liquid to gas or vapour by
absorbing heat. It occurs when some
molecules of a liquid have enough
energy to escape into the gas phase
and this has an overall cooling
effect on the liquid.

 Comparing it to the Working of a Window

Air conditioner

Window Air Conditioner

History..Evolution !!!

Todays Air Conditioners

The Early Air Conditioning Systems

History of Air conditioners

The basic concept behind air conditioning is said to have been applied in
ancient Egypt, where reeds were hung in windows and were moistened with
trickling water.
The evaporation of water cooled the air blowing through the window. This
process also made the air more humid, which can be beneficial in a dry desert
climate.
InAncient Rome, water from aqueductswas circulated through the walls of
certain houses to cool them.
Other techniques in medievalPersiainvolved the use ofcisternsandwind
towersto cool buildings during the hot season.
Modern air conditioning emerged from advances inchemistryduring the 19th
century, and the first large-scale electrical air conditioning was invented and
used in 1902 byAmerican inventorWillis Carrier.
The residential air conditioning systems were introduced in the 1920s.

Analytics/Case Study

SPECIFICATIONS OF
A REFRIGERATOR

CAPACITY 725 LITRES

C OOLING T YPE H YGIENE
COOLING
TYPE MULTI DOOR
STAINLESS STEEL EXTERIOR
TEMP. RANGE - -5 DEGREE TO
+5 DEGREE

An Image of a refrigerator
from the Dining Hall

POWER CONSUMPTION &

RATINGS

12.2 KW.
3 STAR RATING.
USES REFRIGERANTS
SUCH AS NH3, R11,
R12.

SPECIFICATIONS OF AN AIR

CONDITIONER

COOLING CAPACITY 5000 WATTS

COMPRESSOR TYPE ROTARY
AIR CIRCULATION 450
DISPLAY LED

POWER CONSUMPTION &

RATINGS

POWER SOURCE 230V

FREQUENCY 50 HZ
STAR RATING EER 3.3 OR
ABOVE
INPUT VOLTAGE 130 300 V
OUTPUT VOLTAGE 200 240
V

Advantages and
Limitations

Advantages of Refrigerators..
They are used to store food for long time and
protects the food from microbes.
They keep the objects cool and thus protects the
food from heat and direct sun light.
They stop the spoilage of food and they also protect
them from insects and rodents .
Freezing stops the multiplying of microorganisms.

Disadvantages of Refrigerators..

They use large amount of electricity .

Freon(a harmful pollutant gas) is used in the
refrigerators which causes global warming .
The food which is stored in the refrigerator , when
kept outside for long time helps for the multiplication
of microorganisms.

Advantages of Air Conditioner..

Increased comfort level.
In extreme heat, air-conditioning can be a
life saver.
Most air conditioners also reduce the
humidity level, which helps both comfort,
and reduces mold growth.

Disadvantages of Air Conditioner..

Most air conditioners use a substantial amount of energy,
costing money and contributing to pollution from power
plants.
Older models contain chemicals that can damage the
environment if they escape.
Too cool temperatures will lead to improper blood
circulation
Effects the environment by releasing the CFC's

Capacity Ratings

The measured capacity of refrigeration is always dimensioned in

units of power (kJ/s, or Btu/h) .

Typically, commercial and industrial refrigeration systems are rated

in TONS OF REFRIGERATION (TR). Historically,
1 TR was defined as THE ENERGY REMOVAL RATE THAT WILL FREEZE
ONE SHORT TON OF WATER AT 0 C (32 F) IN ONE DAY.
1TR = 12,000 Btu/hr (3.517 kW)
In British system 1 TR = 288000 Btu/day or 12000Btu/Hr
In M.K.S System 1 TR = 72000 Kcal/day or 3000Kcal/Hr
In SI, 1 TR = 302400 kJ/day or 12600kJ/Hr or 210 kJ/min or 3.5 kW

Must Know !!!

All about
Refrigerants

 Thank You..