Introduction to Vapour

Compression Chillers
Shengwei Wang
Chair Professor, Department of Building Services Engineering
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
beswwang@polyu.edu.hk

1
Agenda
o Background
o Reversed Carnot cycle
o Ideal vapour compression system
o Real vapour compression system
o Summary
Why vapour compression system?
Able to transfer heat from low temperature environment to
high temperature environment
◦ By consuming power
◦ By circulating refrigerant in a cycle

Commonly used in refrigeration systems

◦ Air conditioners
◦ Chillers (both air-cooled and water-cooled)
◦ Heat pumps
Applications with different types of
compressors
 What is a vapour compression
system?
System circulating refrigerant in 4
components to transfer heat Heat to a hot environment
against the temperature gradient

Power
consumption

Refrigerant
But what are being done in these
circulation
four components?
direction

Heat from a cold

environment
 Reversed Carnot cycle
Proposed by French engineer Sadi Carnot in 1824
Define the theoretical efficiency limit of vapour compression
systems using four reversible thermal processes of refrigerant
connected in a cycle
• 1 -> 2: adiabatic (絕熱) and reversible
compression
• 2 -> 3: isothermal (等溫) heat dissipation
to a hot environment
• 3 -> 4: adiabatic and reversible expansion
• 4 -> 1: isothermal heat absorption from a
cold environment
s, Entropy
 Reversed Carnot cycle

Performance indices of the Carnot cycle

Temperature of hot environment = 𝑇𝐻

Temperature of cold environment = 𝑇𝐶

Heat dissipation rate in 2→3 𝑄ሶ 𝐻 = 𝑚𝑇

ሶ 𝐻 (𝑠𝑎 − 𝑠𝑏 )

Heat absorption rate in 4→1 𝑄ሶ 𝐶 = 𝑚𝑇

ሶ 𝐶 (𝑠𝑎 − 𝑠𝑏 ) s, Entropy
Cycle power consumption 𝑊ሶ = 𝑄ሶ 𝐻 − 𝑄ሶ 𝐶

Entropy (熵) : a thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system's

thermal energy for conversion into mechanical work, often interpreted as the degree of
disorder or randomness in the system.
Theoretical maximum COP
calculation
Defined by the operation temperature of the vapour compression
system
Desired output
Coefficient of performance (COP) =
Required input
For air conditioners

𝑄ሶ 𝐶 𝑇𝐶
Maximum COP = =
𝑊ሶ 𝑇𝐻 − 𝑇𝐶

For heat pumps All temperature values here

should be in absolute scale (K)
𝑄ሶ 𝐻 𝑇𝐻
Maximum COP = =
𝑊ሶ 𝑇𝐻 − 𝑇𝐶
s, Entropy
 Ideal vapour compression system
Solve some unrealistic issues in vapour compression systems
◦ No more compression of liquid vapour mixture
◦ No more reversible expansion of liquid
◦ No more isothermal heat transfer processes
Pcond
T 2●
• 1 -> 2: adiabatic and reversible
compression from saturated vapour Saturated
• 2 -> 3: isobaric heat dissipation to a hot Liquid 3
TH ●
environment Constant
• 3 -> 4: isenthalpic expansion from Constant entropy Pevap
saturated liquid enthalpy
• 4 -> 1: isobaric heat absorption from a TC ● ● Saturated
cold environment 1 vapor
4
Entropy
Ideal vapour compression system
 Performance analysis
Too difficult to use Temperature-entropy (T-s) diagram for analysis

Use Pressure-enthalpy (P-h) diagram

𝑄ሶ 𝐻 = 𝑚ሶ (ℎ2 − ℎ3 )

𝑄ሶ 𝐶 = 𝑚ሶ (ℎ1 − ℎ4 ) 𝑊ሶ = 𝑚ሶ (ℎ2 − ℎ1 )

𝑄ሶ 𝐶 ℎ1 − ℎ4
For air conditioners COP = =
𝑊ሶ ℎ2 − ℎ1

𝑄ሶ 𝐻 ℎ2 − ℎ3
For heat pumps COP = =
𝑊ሶ ℎ2 − ℎ1
Real vapour compression system
Include:
◦ Irreversible compression
◦ Superheated vapour at state 1 to avoid any wet compression
◦ Subcooled liquid at state 3 to avoid expansion of any vapour
◦ Pressure drop across the heat exchanger
◦ Temperature differences with the environment at both hot and cold sides

P
Irreversible P2 2
P3 3

P4 4
P1 1

Entropy h
Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of Reversed Carnot cycle
We have a chiller using Refrigerant 134a operating with the following condition
◦ Chiller evaporating temperature: 5°C
◦ Chiller condensing temperature: 30°C

To calculate its theoretical maximum COP, we assume a Reversed Carnot cycle

𝑇𝐶
Maximum COP = (Chiller provides cooling but not heating)
𝑇𝐻 − 𝑇𝐶

5 + 273.15 [𝐾]
= (Temperature in absolute scale)
30 + 273.15 [𝐾] − 5 + 273.15 [𝐾]

= 11.13
Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of Ideal Refrigeration cycle
using R134a
In reality, our system cannot be so efficient. To have a more realistic
analysis, we need the following information.
◦ Chiller evaporating temperature (Tevap) = 5°C
◦ Chiller condensing temperature (Tcond) = 30°C

Then we can calculate the COP by assuming an ideal vapour compression system

ℎ1 − ℎ4
COP = (Chiller provides cooling)
ℎ2 − ℎ1

We can get these enthalpy values of refrigerant from its Pressure-Enthalpy (P-h)
diagram
Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of Ideal Refrigeration cycle
using R134a
First let’s consider state 1 – compressor inlet condition
For ideal vapour compression system, we have saturated vapour at
state 1. Evaporating temperature is given at 5°C, hence from the P-h
diagram, State 1

Constant pressure line

for evaporating
temperature at 5°C

Saturated
vapour line Enthalpy at state
1 is 400kJ/kg
Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of Ideal Refrigeration cycle
using R134a
Now let’s consider state 2 – compressor outlet condition
For ideal vapour compression system, entropy of state 2 equals to
that of state 1. Its pressure is given by the condensing temperature at
30°C. Let’s find the constant entropy lines first.

Constant entropy lines

Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of Ideal Refrigeration cycle
using R134a
Now let’s consider state 2 – compressor outlet condition
For ideal vapour compression system, entropy of state 2 equals to
that of state 1. Its pressure is given by the condensing temperature at
30°C.
State 2
Constant pressure line
Constant entropy lines for saturation
temperature at 30°C
State 1

Approximate constant
entropy lines

Enthalpy at state 2 is
around 420kJ/kg
Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of Ideal Refrigeration cycle
using R134a
Now let’s consider state 4 – evaporator inlet condition
For ideal vapour compression system, enthalpy of state 3 equals to
that of state 4, and the evaporating temperature of state 4 is 5°C. This
means that we need to find state 3 first
Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of Ideal Refrigeration cycle
using R134a
At state 3 – condenser outlet condition, the condensing temperature
of state 3 is 30°C. The ideal vapour compression system assumption
considers state 3 as a saturated liquid. This gives us

Constant pressure line

for saturation
State 3 temperature at 30°C

Saturated liquid
line Since enthalpy at state 4
equals to that of state 3, so
enthalpy at state 4 is also
Enthalpy at state 3 is240kJ/kg
around 240kJ/kg
Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of Ideal Refrigeration cycle
using R134a
Then we can calculate the COP of the ideal vapour compression system

ℎ1 − ℎ4
COP =
ℎ2 − ℎ1

400[kJ/kg] − 240[kJ/kg] 3 2
=
420[kJ/kg] − 400[kJ/kg] 4 1

=8

which is much smaller than the Reversed Carnot COP at 11.13

Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of real refrigeration cycle
using R134a
How about the real cycle?
Let’s consider irreversible compression, temperature difference for heat transfer,
sub-cooling and superheat, but neglecting pressure drops. This results in
◦ State 1: pressure at 0.3MPa (corresponding to 0°C evaporating temperature) and
temperature at 5°C (around 5°C superheat)
◦ State 2: pressure at 0.9MPa (corresponding to a 35°C condensing temperature) and
temperature at 55°C
◦ State 3: pressure at 0.9MPa and temperature at 30°C (around 5°C sub-cooling)
◦ State 4: pressure at 0.3MPa

Formula of COP for the real cycle is the same as that of the ideal cycle
ℎ1 − ℎ4
COP = (Chiller provides cooling)
ℎ2 − ℎ1
Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of real refrigeration cycle
using R134a
With temperature and pressure values at all points and h3=h4, we can mark all
points on the P-h diagram

5°C of subcooling
3 2
Increasing entropy
4
1
5°C of superheat
Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP of real refrigeration cycle
using R134a
The COP of the real cycle is

ℎ1 − ℎ4
COP =
ℎ2 − ℎ1

405[kJ/kg] − 240[kJ/kg]
=
435[kJ/kg] − 405[kJ/kg]

= 5.5
 Case study on the effects of non-ideal
processes – COP Comparison between cycles
using R134a
◦ Now we have the COP of vapour compression systems with different
assumptions (Tevap) = 5°C, Tcond = 30°C)

Type COP Difference with

Carnot COP
Reversed Carnot cycle 11.13 0%
Ideal cycle 8 -28.1%
• Compression and expansion of pure vapour or liquid
• Isobaric heat transfer processes
Real cycle 5.5 -50.6%
• With irreversible compression (compression ending 55°C)
• With temperature difference to the hot and cold
environment (5K)
• With subcooling and superheat (5K)
Where are the origins of inefficiency or
losses relative to Reversed Carnot cycle?

Non-isothermal
heat transfer
processes

Irreversible Irreversible
expansion compression

s
Summary
After this lecture, you should be able to

◦ Describe how vapour compression (Carnot, ideal and actual) transfers heat
against temperature gradient by consuming power by 4 processes

◦ Describe 3 features that make ideal vapour compression system less efficient
than the theoretical Carnot cycle

◦ Describe 5 features that make real vapour compression system less efficient
than the ideal vapour compression system

◦ Calculate theoretical maximum COP and performance indicators of real

vapour compression system