Portable Refrigerator and gas stove using Propane-Butane

A Research Project

Presented to the Faculty of the

Engineering Program

College of Mechanical Engineering

Technological University of the Philippines Visayas

Talisay City, Negros Occidental

By

Ariel P. Lopez

Eric A. Serazo

Cesar S. Magallanes

John Rey Razonable

Joseph Gil Salcedo

In Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements of the Degree

Bachelor of Science Major In

Mechanical Engineering

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Septmber 2019
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Supply of continuous electricity is still not available in several areas of the country and the world. Also the
Philippines is facing electrical power crisis. The country is an emerging economy and its economy has greatly
shifted from agriculture to industry. In terms of energy use, electricity is much more in demand to lit buildings and
to give electrical power in new infastractures. The Philippine economy has been expanding for more then 5%
annual clip. Demand power is expected to reach 30 million kilowatts in 2030, but the current capacity is just 17
million kilowatts.

As of now, there are existing solution in this particular problem suchas solar powered energy, windmills, generator
using flowing water as in hydroelectric systems. Such conventional designs suffer several disadvantages. On
disadvantages of such conventional designs is that they often rely on weather conditions to generate powers.
Weather conditions can be unpredictable and often unreliable.

In many households, Air conditioners consume the largest portion of electricity, amounting to 1470 kWh
for each household and accounting for 26.81% except for lighting. Refrigerators and rice cookers follow,
consuming 815.83 kWh (14.88%) and 343.85 kWh (6.27%) of electricity. Refrigerator is the 2nd heaviest
consumer of power among household appliances. It is one of the few appliances that is running 365 days
a year, Also conventional refrigerator uses refrigerant such as Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and
Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC).

Zainal Zakaria & Zulaikha Shahrum, (2016) had performed experiments on Domestic refrigerators which
annually consume approximately 17,500 metric tons of traditional refrigerants such as
Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) which contribute to very high Ozone Depletion
Potential (ODP) and Global Warming Potential (GWP). HFC 134a and the HC blend have been reported
to be substitutes for CFC 12, but they have their own drawbacks in energy efficiency, flammability and
service ability aspects of the systems. HFC 134a is not miscible with mineral oil, and hence polyol ester
oil is recommended, which is highly hygroscopic in nature.

Refrigerators are one of the biggest energy consumers among all your appliances. Older fridges in
general use more electricity than the newer models. And when a fridge stops working, it will use more
electricity as it struggles to maintain a cool temperature despite a malfunctioning compressor, a tired
motor and leaky seals. One of the components of refrigerator that consumes high electricity power is
the compressor. This is because a higher cabin temperature results in a higher refrigerant pressure,
which in turn makes the compressor work harder.

This portable refrigerator and gas stove does not use compressor and it can reduce electrical
consumption and at the same time, will recover the energy which is spent but did not utilized further
more, Also you can use this portable refrigerator and gas stove in some outdoor activities like picnics
and family outings.
INTRODUCTION
Objective of the study
The general objective of this study is to develop a refrigerator that consume less electricity with the use
of propane-butane that act as a cooling effect without using compressor at the same time act

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SCOPE AND LIMITATION

This study aims to refrigerate food and medicines with less electrical consumption and to use refrigerant
with no Global Warming Depletion (GWP).The beneficiaries of this device are the community in rural
areas where electricity are still not available sufficiently. And also people having some outdoor activities
like picnics or overnight family outing.

The basic idea behind LPG refrigeration is to use the evaporation of a LPG to absorb heat. LPG is stored
in the LPG cylinder under high pressure When the gas tank of regulators is opened then high pressure
LPG passes in gas pipe. This LPG is going by high pressure gas pipe in capillary tube. It works on the
principle that during the extraction of heat the LPG expanded there is a pressure drop and increase in
volume of LPG that results in the drop of temperature and a cooling effect. In a water-lithium bromide
vapor absorption refrigeration system, water is used as the refrigerant while lithium bromide (Li Br) is
used as the absorbent. In the absorber, the lithium bromide absorbs the water refrigerant, creating a
solution of water and lithium bromide. This solution is pumped by the pump to the generator where the
solution is heated. The water refrigerant gets vaporized and moves to the condenser where it is cooled
while the lithium bromide flows back to the absorber where it further absorbs water coming from the
evaporator.

This device will be using a propane-butane as refrigerant The properties of LPG (propane and butane)
include: LPG is liquid under pressure but becomes gaseous in ambient conditions. LPG vapour is about
1.55 (propane) to 2.08 (butane) times heavier than air. LPG boiling point is between -42°C to -0.4°C,
depending on the propane to butane constituent ratio in the LPG gas mixture.The properties of LPG
(propane) are -42°C boiling point, -188°C freezing point, heavier than air density, C3H8 chemical
formula, 1967ºC flame temperature, 470°C auto ignition temperature, -104°C flash point, temperature
based pressure, Ethyl Mercaptan odour, 2.15% to 9.6% LPG/air limits of flammability and more. It is
cheaper and possesses an environmental friendly nature with no Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and
no Global Warming Potential (GDP). It will also use lithium bromide as absorbent and water as
refrigerant.Lithium bromide___________________________________________________

This portable refrigerator and gas stove can have positive effect in the field of refrigeration. This device
can store up to 40 liters so that it can carry into outdoor activities and it can cool up to -18 degree
celcius.
INTRODUCTION

Objective of the Study

Specific Objective of the Study

To answer the questions, the researcher s need to:

1. Design the prototype.

2. Fabricate and develop the prototype using

3. Test and evaluate the prototype using appropriate statistical tools.

4. Gather data, analyze, and interpret results.

Methodology

From the LPG gas cylinder, LPG flows through the pipe and reaches to the capillary tube. 2.Capillary
Tube: As the capillary tube, capillary tube downs the pressure Evaporator: The evaporator is an
important part of the refrigeration system, which produces the cooling effect in the vapour form at low
pressure and temperature. Instruments used to measure pressure are called pressure gauges or vacuum
gauges.High Pressure pipes The range of high pressure pipes covers most application where there is a
requirement to transfer gas at high pressure. They consist of a steel pipe with a steel ball fitted to both
ends.Burner serves as source of heat, heating the water and lithium bromide. Lithium bromide serves as
an absorbent of heat and vaporized water serves as refrigerant. IN ABSORBER AND GENERATOR The
evaporator and absorber are inter-connected. So the refrigerant vapor formed in the evaporator is
absorbed by the absorbent in the absorber thereby maintaining the refrigerant vapor pressure in the
evaporator at the low level required for continuous vaporization of liquid refrigerator to obtain
refrigeration. To recover the refrigerant from the absorbent it is pumped from the absorber to the
generator, where it is heated using steam or hot water. On getting heated the absorbent releases the
refrigerant vapor as a high temperature/pressure vapor. It passes to the comparatively cooler condenser
where it is condensed. The liquid refrigerant then passes on to the evaporator thus completing the
refrigerant cycle. The absorbent flows back from the generator to the absorber Here the condenser is
replaced by the radiator of the vehicle . When the air cooler is not switched on the hot coolant water
flows into it, when the AC is switched on it acts as a condenser for the unit Contd. In condensor and
evaporator