Thermodynamics-II Lab

“Refrigeration Process”

Group No.3
2016-CH-417
2016-CH-420
2016-CH-431
2016-CH-432
2016-CH-434

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 Refrigeration
Basic Principle:
Refrigeration is a process of removing heat from a low-temperature reservoir and transferring
it to a high-temperature reservoir.
A heat pump is a machine or device that moves heat from one location (the "source") at a lower
temperature to another location (the "sink" or "heat sink") at a higher temperature using
mechanical work or a high-temperature heat source.

Refrigerant:
A refrigerant is a substance or mixture, usually a fluid, used in a heat pump and refrigeration
cycle. In most cycles it undergoes phase transitions from a liquid to a gas and back again.
Examples:
1. CFC = Chloro Fluoro Carbons
2. HCFC = Hydro Chloro Fluoro Carbons
3. HFC = Hydro Fluoro Carbons
4. FC = Fluoro Carbons
5. HC = Hydro Carbons
6. NH3 = Ammonia

REFRIGERATION SYSTEM COMPONENTS

The main components of a refrigeration system are the condenser, the compressor, the
evaporator and the expansion valve.
1. Evaporator
An evaporator is used to turn any liquid material into gas. In this process, heat is absorbed. The
evaporator transfers heat from the refrigerated space into a heat pump through a liquid
refrigerant, which boils in the evaporator at a low-pressure. In achieving heat transfer, the liquid
refrigerant should be lower than the goods being cooled.
2. Compressor
The compressor’s use is to pull the low-temperature and low-pressure vapor from the
evaporator, through a suction line. Once the vapor is drawn, it will be compressed. This will
cause the vapor’s temperature to rise. Its main function is to transform a low-temperature vapor
in to a high-temperature vapor, to increase pressure. Vapor is released from the compressor
into a discharge line.

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3. Condenser
Condensation changes gas to a liquid form. Its main purpose is to liquefy the refrigerant gas
sucked by the compressor from the evaporator. As condensation begins, the heat will flow from
the condenser into the air, only if the condensation temperature is higher than that of the
atmosphere. The high-pressure vapor in the condenser will be cooled to become a liquid
refrigerant again, this time with a little heat. The liquid refrigerant will then flow from the
condenser to a liquid line.

4. Expansion Valve
Commonly placed before the evaporator and at the end of the liquid line, the expansion valve
is reached by the liquid refrigerant after it has been condensed. Reducing the pressure of the
refrigerant, its temperature will decrease to a level below its atmosphere. This liquid will then
be pumped into the evaporator.
In order for the refrigeration cycle to operate successfully each component must be present within the
refrigeration system.

COP of Refrigeration
Equation:
The equation of COP is:
𝑄
𝐶𝑂𝑃 =
𝑊
Where
 Q is the useful heat supplied or removed by the considered system.

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  W is the work required by the considered system.

Derivation:
According to 1st Law of thermodynamics, in a reversible system we can show that QH=QC+W
and W=QH-QC, where QH is the heat transferred to the hot reservoir and QC is the heat collected
from the cold reservoir.
Therefore, by substituting for W,

For a heat pump operating at maximum theoretical efficiency (i.e. Carnot efficiency), it can
be shown that

Where TH and TC are the temperatures of the hot and cold heat reservoirs respectively.
Note: These equations must use an absolute temperature scale, for example, Kelvin or
Rankine.
At maximum theoretical efficiency,

Which is equal to the reciprocal of the ideal efficiency for a heat engine, because a heat pump
is a heat engine operating in reverse. Similarly,

Note that the COP of a heat pump depends on its duty. The heat rejected to the hot sink is
greater than the heat absorbed from the cold source, so the heating COP is 1 greater than the
cooling COP.

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PV diagram of Refrigerator:

HS diagram of Refrigerator:

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 Pros and Cons of Refrigerators:
Advantages
They are used to store food for long time
It protects the food from microbes
They keep the objects cool
It protects the food from heat and direct
sunlight
They stop the spoilage of food
It stops the multiplying of microorganisms
They also protects food from insects and
rodents
Disadvantages
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.
Large energy consumption some need
manually defrosting encourages buying
more food than needed, which increases
waste expensive takes up room