DISCUSSION

Refrigeration process is the transferring energy from a lower energy level to a higher
energy level. Refrigerators operate on vapor-compression cycle which consists of four
processes: evaporation, compression, condensation, and expansion. This cycle absorbs heat in
cold region and rejects heat into hot region to maintain low temperature in the refrigerated
space. Based on the second law of thermodynamics, it states that heat can never be
transferred from a cold region to a hotter region without the addition of work in the process.

The main components of refrigerators are compressor, condenser, expansion valve

and evaporator. According to Figure 1, the refrigerant from the evaporator is compressed by
the compressor which resulted in increasing pressure from state 1 to state 2. Next, the gas is
condensed into liquid in the condenser from state 2 to 3. Then, it passes through the
expansion valve and the pressure becomes lower from state 3 to 4. Lastly, the liquid is
evaporated into gas in the evaporator from state 4 to 1. Figure 1 below visualizes the
refrigeration cycle with the main components.

Figure 1 : Refrigeration cycle

 zA graph of P against h for the refrigeration cycle was plotted using the readings
taken during the experiment. An appendix of pressure-enthalpy diagram for 1,1-dicholoro-1-
fluoroethane (R-141b) was used to find the enthalpy of state 1 until state 4. Figure 2 until
Figure 6 shown below were the graphs obtained from the experiment after repeating it five
times with different condenser water flow rate.

Figure 2: P-h graph of experiment 1

Figure 4: P-h graph of experiment 3

Figure 6: P-h graph of experiment 5

Figure 3: P-h graph of experiment 2

 Figure 5: P-h graph of experiment 4

State 1 is plotted by using evaporator temperature, T5 and absolute evaporator

pressure, Pe. Refrigerant is from the evaporator before entering the compressor. As it was
compressed, the pressure increased to absolute condenser pressure, Pc and the temperature
rises to compressor discharge temperature, T7. At state 2, the gas discharged from the
compressor had become superheated vapor. During compression, the gas did work so the
enthalpy increased too. Hence, the temperature rose as it is proportional to the temperature.
(Thermodynamics - What Happens to the Temperature When an Ideal Gas Is Compressed? -
Physics Stack Exchange, n.d.)Then, the superheated vapor was cooled at constant pressure to
achieve the saturation temperature of the refrigerant and is not isothermal. After it had
reached saturation temperature, it continued to reject heat isothermally and isobarically.
Saturated liquid was achieved at state 3 after being condensed. It later passed through the
expansion valve which reduced the pressure back to the absolute evaporator pressure, T e
under a constant enthalpy process. The usage of expansion valve could cause a sudden drop
in pressure, leading to a liquid flash evaporation and decreased temperature. A saturated
mixture of liquid and vapor is formed at state 4 before entering the evaporator. Evaporation
of liquid are done at constant pressure from state 4 to 1 and the refrigerant absorbed heat
from low temperature region until it reached a saturated vapor form. (Refrigeration Lab
Report[2037] Pages 1 - 4 - Flip PDF Download | FlipHTML5, n.d.) Equation 1 below is to
determine the absolute pressure of condenser and evaporator.
PABS = PGAUGE + PATM (Equation 1)

Figure 7: Refrigeration cycle in P-h graph

1 – 2 : Compression of refrigerant

2 – 3 : Heat rejection at constant pressure

3 – 4 : Expansion of refrigerant

4 – 1 : Heat absorption at constant pressure

Figure 7 above concludes the 5 graphs of P against h of refrigeration cycles in this

experiment. Enthalpy of each state, H1, H2, H3 and H4 were determined. It was observed that
H3 and H4 had the lowest enthalpy while H2 recorded the highest value. Then, coefficient of
performance, COPR for all cycles were calculated using Formula 2 given below.

Cooling effect
COP=
Work input

∆ H evaporation
¿
∆ H compression

H 1−H 4
¿ (Equation 2)
H 2−H 1

The value of COP obtained were compared for each cycle and it showed a decreasing
trend from cycle 1 to cycle 5 due to the decreasing of condenser water flow rate, m c. The
reduction in the flow rates caused the condenser pressure, PC to rise. It caused the elevating of
condenser temperature, T6. Therefore, there were a slightly rise in the amount of heat
rejected from the condenser due to the increasing enthalpy of the state. The total heat
removed from the condenser can be calculated by using the formula:

Q H =H 3−H 2

The pressure change at compressor increases as the pressure at condenser rises.

Therefore, the work done during compression becomes higher throughout cycle 1 to 5. It can
be obtained by using:

W compression =H 2−H 1

The heat absorbed at evaporator lowers caused by the rising in evaporator

temperature. Hence, the cooling effect by the refrigerant reduces as the condensing pressure
increases. This can be computed using:
Q C =H 1 −H 4

From the above outcomes, COPR of the system is greatly influenced by the condenser
mass flow rate. As the cooling effect decreases and the work of compression increases, COP R
of cycle 1 to cycle 5 drops. Based on the calculated COP, the value for cycle 5 is reduced
almost by half compared to cycle 1. The higher the value of COP R, the lesser the work done
by the compressor and more energy is absorbed during evaporation to achieve the cooling
effect of refrigerators. Thus, operation of refrigerators at higher temperature of condenser is
not preferable. It does a lot of work only to achieve a low cooling effect which is a waste of
energy as it consumes a lot of power. (Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning: Lesson 5. Effect of
Change of Operation Conditions on the Working of Vapour Compression Refrigeration
Plant., n.d.)

Next, the heat transfer in evaporator and condenser are determined from the data
obtained of the inlet and outlet of both condenser and evaporator.

1. HEAT TRANSFER IN CONDENSER

CONDENSER (EXP 1)

Q = m Cp (T2 – T1)

Where;

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

Condenser Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 26℃ = 299 K

Condenser Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 28 ℃ = 301 K

g kg
Condenser water Flow Rate, m = 50 = 0.05
s s

kg
Q = (0.05 ) (4.18 kJ/kg.K)( 301 K−¿299 K )
s
 kJ 1000 J
= 0.418 x
s 1 kJ

J
= 148
s

CONDENSER (EXP 2)

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

Condenser Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 29 ℃ = 302 K

Condenser Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 31 ℃ = 304 K

g kg
Condenser water Flow Rate, m = 40 = 0.04
s s

kg
Q = ( 0.04 ¿ ( 4.18 kJ/kg.K ) ( 304 K - 302 K )
s

kJ 1000 J
= 0.3344 x
s 1 kJ

J
= 334.4
s

CONDENSER (EXP 3)

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

Condenser Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 27 ℃ = 300 K

Condenser Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 29 ℃ = 302 K

g kg
Condenser water Flow Rate, m = 30 = 0.03
s s

kg
Q = ( 0.03 )( 4.18 kJ/kg.K ) ( 302 K - 300 K )
s

kJ 1000 J
= 0.2508 x
s 1 kJ
 J
= 250.8
s

CONDENSER (EXP 4)

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

Condenser Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 30 ℃ = 303 K

Condenser Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 33 ℃ = 306 K

g kg
Condenser water Flow Rate, m = 20 = 0.02
s s

kg
Q = ( 0.02 ) ( 4.18 kJ/kg.K ) ( 306 K - 303 K)
s

kJ 1000 J
= 0.2508 x
s 1 kJ

J
= 250.8
s

CONDENSER (EXP 5)

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

Condenser Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 28 ℃ = 301 K

Condenser Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 31 ℃ = 304 K

g kg
Condenser water Flow Rate, m = 10 = 0.01
s s

kg
Q = ( 0.01 ¿( 4.18 kJ/kg.K ) ( 304 K - 301 K )
s
 kJ 1000 J
= 0.1254 x
s 1 kJ

J
= 125.4
s

1. HEAT TRANSFER IN EVAPORATOR

EVAPORATOR (EXP 1)

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

g kg
Evaporator Water Flow Rate, m = 25 = 0.025
s s

Evaporator Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 29 ℃ = 302 K

Evaporator Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 31 ℃ = 304 K

kg
Q = (0.025 )( 4.18 kJ/kg.K)( 302 K-304 K)
s

kJ 1000 J
= - 0.209 x
s 1 kJ

J
= - 209
s

EVAPORATOR (EXP 2)

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

g kg
Evaporator Water Flow Rate, m = 25 = 0.025
s s

Evaporator Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 25 ℃ = 298 K

Evaporator Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 29 ℃ = 302 K

 kg
Q = (0.025 ¿( 4.18 kJ/kg.K)( 298 K-302 K)
s

kJ 1000 J
= - 0.418 x
s 1 kJ

J
= - 418
s

EVAPORATOR (EXP 3)

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

g kg
Evaporator Water Flow Rate, m = 25 = 0.025
s s

Evaporator Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 26 ℃ = 299 K

Evaporator Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 27 ℃ = 300 K

kg
Q = (0.025 ¿( 4.18 kJ/kg.K)( 299 K-300 K)
s

kJ 1000 J
= -0.1045 x
s 1 kJ

J
= - 104.5
s

EVAPORATOR (EXP 4)

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

g kg
Evaporator Water Flow Rate, m = 25 = 0.025
s s

Evaporator Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 29 ℃ = 302 K

Evaporator Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 32 ℃ = 305 K

kg
Q = (0.025 ¿( 4.18 kJ/kg.K)( 302 K-305 K)
s

kJ 1000 J
= -0.3135 x
s 1 kJ

J
= - 313.5
s

EVAPORATOR (EXP 5)

Specific Heat Capacity of Water, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

g kg
Evaporator Water Flow Rate, m = 25 = 0.025
s s

Evaporator Water Outlet Temp, T2 = 25 ℃ = 298 K

Evaporator Water Inlet Temp, T1 = 28 ℃ = 301 K

kg
Q = (0.025 ¿( 4.18 kJ/kg.K)( 298 K-301 K)
s

kJ 1000 J
= -0.3135 x
s 1 kJ

J
= - 313.5
s
H e a t T r a n s fe r o f C o n d e n s e r a n d E v a p o r a to r

Based on the calculation above, the rate of heat transfer for evaporator has a value of
271.9 J/s in average is higher than the rate of heat transfer for condenser which has a value of
221.88 J/s in average. The pressure of both the evaporator and evaporator affect the amount
of heat transferred. In this experiment, the evaporator has a lower pressure compared to the

400

300 Heat Transfer of Condenser and

200 Evaporator (J/s) Vs Pressure Ratio (Pc/Pe)
(J/s)

100

0
3.8 3.9 4.1 5.2 5.8
-10
 -30

-40

-50

pressure of condenser. Hence, higher energy is needed to convert the liquid form into gas
prior to entering the compressor. Pressure ratio (PC/PE) is also calculated to plot graph of heat
Pressure Ratio (Pc/Pe)
transfer of condenser and evaporator against pressure ratio shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8: Graph of heat transfer rate for condenser and evaporator against pressure ratio

REFERENCE

Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning: Lesson 5. Effect of change of operation conditions on the

working of vapour compression refrigeration plant. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2021,
from http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/mod/page/view.php?id=98290

Refrigeration Lab Report[2037] Pages 1 - 4 - Flip PDF Download | FlipHTML5. (n.d.).

Retrieved February 24, 2021, from https://fliphtml5.com/uipxn/ylev/basic

thermodynamics - What happens to the temperature when an ideal gas is compressed? -

Physics Stack Exchange. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2021, from
https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/136408/what-happens-to-the-temperature-
when-an-ideal-gas-is-compressed