IRCC 2021 Lecture 8a – Hot-Gas

Bypass Load Stands for Compressor

Testing
Craig R. Bradshaw, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Integrated Building Systems (CIBS)
Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Oklahoma State University
craig.bradshaw@okstate.edu

Learning Objectives:
1. Introduce the Hot-gas bypass method for compressor testing
2. Describe variations and best practices
3. Analyze sample data from a test
 Overview
 Hot-gas Bypass Principles of Operation
 Variations of the Load Stand
» “Full-pressure”
» Discharge throttled
 Performance analysis
 Our best practices
» Oil separation/Oil carryover
» Subcooler
» Instrument redundancy
 Summary
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 Principles of Operation
 Simulate a vapor compression cycle without evaporator
» Gas flow out of compressor discharge is split
» One flow is condensed and expanded to suction pressure
» One flow is expanded to suction pressure
» Two flows mixed to achieve desired suction condition
» Condenser used to regulate discharge pressure

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Principles of Operation

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Principles of Operation

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 Advantage and Disadvantages
 Advantages
» Fewer components
» Less energy use
» Smaller thermal load (Faster to Steady State)
 Disadvantages
» Requires direct massflow measurement
– Expensive sensors
– Oil separation
» Typically less environmental control on ambient conditions

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High-Side Shell Operation

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Low-Side Shell Operation

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Discharge Throttled Configuration

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CO2 Cycle, Discharge Throttled

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 Control of High-Side Cycle

 Controls Available
1. Water-flow valve(s)
2. Hot-gas bypass valve(s)
3. Liquid-line valve(s)
4. Compressor speed (optional)
 Each respective controls adjusts the following:
1. Discharge pressure
Slightly
2. Suction pressure Coupled
3. Suction superheat
4. Massflow (capacity)
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 Control of High-Side, Cont’d
 Oil flow control
– VFD
– Metering valve
 Notes from experience
» Setting ∆P occurs quickly after startup
» After startup, as heat is added to stand, head pressure will rise
and pull suction pressure up
» Adjust superheat after desired PR is achieved
» Compressor discharge temperature will be the bottleneck to
achieving steady state

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 Analysis of Full Pressure Cycle
 Given, cycle from Slide 7 with following
measurements:
T1 P1 T2 P2 T4 τ ω m Vdisp
C bar C bar C N-m rpm g/s cm3
13.30 9.130 61.80 22.80 27.70 8.500 3550. 99.70 54.50
 Find:
» All state points  Assumptions:
» Tcond,Tevap,Tsup,Tsub » SSSF
» Volumetric Efficiency [%] » Massflow measurement is
» Capacity [BTU/hr] pure refrigerant
» EER [Btu/W-hr] » Oil pumping power is
» Adiabatic Efficiency [-] negligible
» Overall Isentropic Efficiency [-]

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 Analysis of Full Pressure Cycle
 Solution:
» State 1 – Enter the Compressor
T1 = Tevap + Tsup ⇒ Tsup = 8.9 K Given P1, can calculate
Tevap from tables, then
P1 = Psat (T = Tevap ) ⇒ Tevap = 4.4C given Tevap, can
=h1 fcn
= (T1 , P1 ) 292.7 kJ calculate Tsup
kg
=s1 fcn
= (T1 , P1 ) 1.076 kJ From superheated
kg − K
tables or EOS, EES,
=ρ1 fcn
= (T1 , P1 ) 33.08 kg 3 REFRPROP, etc.
m

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 Analysis of Full Pressure Cycle, cont.
 State 2 - Exit of Compressor

T2 = 61.8C
P2 = Psat (T = Tcond ) ⇒ Tcond = 37.7C
=h2 fcn
= (T2 , P2 ) 321.2 kJ
kg
=s2 fcn
= (T2 , P2 ) 1.083 kJ
kg − K
=ρ 2 fcn
= (T2 , P2 ) 76.29 kg 3
m
=h2,s fcn
= ( P2 , s1 ) 318.8 kJ
kg

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 Analysis of Full Pressure Cycle, cont.
 State 3 – Exit of Bypass Valves
h3 = h2
P3 = P1
=T3 fcn
= ( P3 , h3 ) 40.64C
=s3 fcn
= ( P3 , h3 ) 1.171 kJ
kg − K
=ρ3 fcn
= ( P3 , h3 ) 28.42 kg 3
m

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 Analysis of Full Pressure Cycle, cont.
 State 4 – Exit of Condenser

T4 = Tcond − Tsub ⇒ Tsub = 10 K

P4 = P2
=h4 fcn
= (T4 , P4 ) 104.0 kJ
kg
=s4 fcn
= (T4 , P4 ) 0.3867 kJ
kg − K
=ρ 4 fcn
= (T4 , P4 ) 1048 kg 3
m

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 Analysis of Full Pressure Cycle, cont.
 State 5 – Exit of Liquid Expansion Valve

h5 = h4
P5 = P1
=T5 fcn
= ( P5 , h5 ) 4.319C
=s5 fcn
= ( P5 , h5 ) 0.3959 kJ
kg − K
=ρ5 fcn
= ( P5 , h5 ) 173.2 kg
m3

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 Analysis of Full Pressure Cycle, cont.
 Adiabatic Efficiency
h2,s − h1
=ηis = 0.916
h2 − h1

 Capacity
Q cap= m *(h1 − h5= = 64200 BTU
) 18.8kW
hr
NOTE: When comparing to calorimeter data, must
ensure h5, is calculated with the same subcooling

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 Analysis of Full Pressure Cycle, cont.
 Volumetric Efficiency

0.0997 kg
m m s 0.933
η= = = =
m th ρ1Vdispω 0.1068 kg
vol

 EER
Q cap Q cap 64200 BTU hr BTU
EER
= = = = 20.3

Win τω 3160W W − hr
NOTE: When comparing to calorimeter data, care
must be taken to correctly account for subcooling

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 Analysis of Full Pressure Cycle, cont.
 Overall Isentropic Efficiency

m *(h2,s − h1 ) m *(h2,s − h1 ) 2609W

=ηo ,is = 
= = 0.826
W in τω 3160W

 Note: Performance metrics ONLY require state points

1 and 2, with the exception of capacity (which also
requires state 4 and 5) and EER by proxy

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 Summary of Analysis

ηis ηvol Qcap EER ηo,is Tcond Tevap Tsub Tsup

- - BTU/hr BTU/W-hr - C C K K
0.916 0.933 64200 20.3 0.826 37.7 4.40 10.0 8.90

State T P h s ρ
- C bar kJ/kg kJ/kg-K kg/m3
1 13.3 9.134 292.7 1.076 33.08
2 61.8 22.78 321.2 1.083 76.29
3 40.64 9.134 321.2 1.171 28.42
4 27.7 22.78 104 0.3867 1048
5 4.319 9.134 104 0.3959 173.2

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 Best Practices – Oil Separation

Impingement Screen Helical Screen Coalescent

~90% effective1 ~99% effective2 ~99.5% effective1
Pressure Drop

Effectiveness 1 temprite.com, 2 henrytech.com

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 Best Practices – Oil Carryover Est.
 Liquid-line differential mass measurement
» Batch process only
» Slow
» Less experimental uncertainty
 In-line density measurement
» Real-time measurement possible
» Requires detailed information on fluid properties (density,
solubility, etc.)
» Higher experimental uncertainty

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 Liquid-Line Differential Mass

1. Sample liquid mixture from load stand and measure mass

2. Heat enclosure and exhaust refrigerant through metering valve
3. Measure mass left in container Assumption: Mass
fraction of oil in liquid
line is the same as
the gas-bypass

m3
xoil =
m1

1 2 3

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 In-Line Density Measurement
 Requires a density measurement device such as
Coriolis meter and additional pressure and
temperature measurements
 Assumes homogenous mixture
1 1 1
= xoil + (1 − xoil )
ρ ρoil ρg

Pure Refrigerant Vapor

Liquid Oil/Refrigerant Mixture

Measured Mixture Density

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 In-Line Density Measurement, Cont.
 Where:
» ρ g is calculated using an equation of state or table
» ρoil is calculated using the same relationship as before:
1 1 1
xoil , L + (1 − xoil , L )
ρoil ρoil , pure ρv
Pure Refrigerant Liquid

Pure Oil

Oil/Refrigerant Mixture

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 In-Line Density Measurement, Cont.
xoil , L = fcn( P, T )
 The oil mass fraction is calculated using PVT data
specific to the oil/refrigerant combination

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Best Practices - Redundancies

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Best Practices - Subcooler

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Best Practices – Other Additions

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Light-commercial Compressor Load Stand
Mass Flow Meter

HX’s

Receiver Mass Flow Meter

Subcooler
Compressor

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 OSU Load Stand

Compressor load stand schematic Schmidt et al. (2019)

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 Independent Oil Management

 2 separate circuits
» Oil injection line
» Suction return line

 Why?
» Maintain oil circulation
rate
» Oil injection common in
screw compressors
» Can be modified for oil
flooding
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 Liquid/Vapor Injection

 Economizer circuit for liquid or vapor injection

 Similar working principle as main loop
 Ability to precisely control intermediate pressure
 Common feature in screw compressors
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Predicted Compressor Size Limitations

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Completed Load Stand

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 Load Stand Control Optimization
 12 control loops on load stand implemented a PI
control scheme, tuned with a modified Zeiger-Nichol’s
tuning scheme (Tyreus and Luyben, 1992)
 Results from Singleton et al. (2019),

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 Load Stand Control Optimization
 Using the influence of random  Test time is reduced with a
uncertainty, 𝑠𝑠𝑥𝑥̅ (ASME PTC confidence in the test quality
19.1) by keeping influence of
𝑠𝑠𝑥𝑥 random uncertainty to less
𝑠𝑠𝑥𝑥̅ =
𝑁𝑁 than 5% of total
» Where N is the sample length
and 𝑠𝑠𝑥𝑥 is sample standard
deviation given by,

𝑁𝑁
𝑥𝑥𝑗𝑗 − 𝑥𝑥̅
𝑠𝑠𝑥𝑥 = �
𝑁𝑁 − 1
𝑗𝑗=1

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 Summary
 Principles of operation
 Variations based on compressor configuration and
working fluids
 Thermodynamic analysis of cycle
» Calculation of state points
» Calculation of relevant performance metrics
 Some best practices
 Sample of OSU Light-Commercial Hot-Gas Bypass Load
Stand
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