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373 Cool1 PDF
373 Cool1 PDF
SOURCES
(Part 1)
The Active
Cooling
Question
How do you get heat to
flow “backwards” –
from a cool interior to
a warmer exterior?
1
from ARCH 273
Natural Heat Sinks
(Potential Passive Coolth Sources) Are:
none of these permit cool-to-warm heat flow; all have limited applicability
Ball State Architecture | ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 2 | Grondzik 3
2
Let’s Start With
Vapor-Compression Refrigeration
• The most commonly used coolth source for
active HVAC systems–found in the vast
majority of cooling systems
• Available in a wide range of capacities–from
small to huge
• Usually driven by an electric motor (other
options are possible, but not as common)
• A fairly noisy process (and produces vibration)
• Available for use in local, central, and district
HVAC systems
Ball State Architecture | ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 2 | Grondzik 5
The Vapor-Compression
Refrigeration Cycle
schematic diagram
Refrigerant
3
Compressor
• This component drives
the system (it circulates √
the refrigerant) refrigerant
• Increases the pressure
of the refrigerant
• Several compressor
types are used (choice
is a function of capacity
and cost)
• Consumes energy
(usually electricity) and
as a result produces
waste heat (a good deal
of which goes into the
refrigerant)
Condenser refrigerant
• Is a refrigerant-to-air
(or refrigerant-to-
water) heat exchanger
• Is a coil (if air) or a
cylinder (if water) air
• Is located “outdoors”
(or connected to an
outdoor device)
• Warm refrigerant
passes through the
condenser tubes
• Outdoor air passes
over fins (or water
passes among tubes)
• Dumps heat from the
refrigerant outdoors
Ball State Architecture | ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 2 | Grondzik 8
4
Evaporator refrigerant
• A refrigerant-to-air
(or to-water) heat
exchanger
• A coil (or cylinder) air
• Located “indoors”
• Refrigerant passes
through coil tubes
• Room air passes
over fins that are
cooled by cold
refrigerant (or water
among tubes)
• Produces a cooling
effect in air or water
5
How Vapor Compression Works – 1
6
How it Works – 3
• Liquid, but still hot,
refrigerant reaches the
expansion valve
• The expansion valve (a flow
restriction point) imposes a
pressure drop on refrigerant
• The pressure drop (lowering
refrigerant pressure) causes
some of the liquid refrigerant
to boil (evaporate)
• The energy “consumed” to
enable the evaporation
process causes the
refrigerant temperature to
drop
• A cool, gas/liquid refrigerant
mixture flows toward the
evaporator
expansion valve
7
Boiling Points of Water & Stuff
31 in. Hg: 214 °F (at approx -1000 ft below sea level)
30 in. Hg: 212.15 °F (at approx sea level)
29 in. Hg: 210.3 °F (at approx 1000 ft above sea level)
28 in. Hg: 208.44 °F (at approx 2000 ft above sea level)
27 in. Hg: 206.59 °F (at approx 3000 ft above sea level)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_point
25 in. Hg: 202.89 °F (at approx 5000 ft above sea level)
23 in. Hg: 199.19 °F (at approx 7000 ft above sea level)
21 in. Hg: 195.48 °F (at approx 10,000 ft above sea level)
19 in. Hg: 191.78 °F (at approx 12,000 ft above sea level)
17 in. Hg: 188.07 °F (at approx 15,000 ft above sea level)
10 in. Hg: 175.11 °F (at approx 27,000 ft above sea level)
5 in. Hg: 165.85 °F (at approx 42,000 ft above sea level)
8
How it Works – 5
• Warm refrigerant gas from the
evaporator enters the
compressor
• The compressor pressurizes
the refrigerant (and warms it a
bit by friction)
• The refrigerant leaves the
compressor for another loop
through the cycle
• Room heat has been dumped
outdoors (into high or warm
temperature air) through this
ongoing relay process
• The room is cooled (by air
flowing across the low
temperature evaporator coil)
• Isn’t science great?
Refrigerants
A refrigerant is a fluid (typically manufactured) that has/is:
Many, many refrigerants are used today (many others are now
history)
9
Refrigerants and
the Environment
Ozone Depletion
Refrigerants and
the Environment
Greenhouse Gases
10
Refrigerants and
the Environment
GWP
Gas or Life GWP at 20 GWP at GWP at 500
Refrigerant yrs 100 yrs yrs
CO2 variable 1 1 1 *
11
Expressing Cooling System
“Efficiency”
COP coefficient of performance
place the components in a sheet metal box, add bells and whistles, and …
Ball State Architecture | ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 2 | Grondzik 24
12
You have a Window Air Conditioner
(a local system)
This one has seen better days, but is ready for deconstruction
evaporator coil
indoor air fan
fan motor
compressor
expansion valve
13