JYOTHY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Answer Bank : K. V . M Sharma RAC

Q1. Define refrigeration and refrigerator and how refrigeration differs from cooling.

Ans:- refrigeration is the process of cooling or reducing the temperature of a substance below that of the
surrounding atmosphere and maintaining within the boundary of a given space by continuously abstracting
the heat.

 Refrigerator is the machine that produces the refrigeration

 Cooling is a method of NATURAL refrigeration.
 Cooling is a spontaneous natural process without any external aid.
 Refrigeration is an artificial cooling that is cooling with an external aid (help). Heat is extracted from
the cooler body with the help of external work.

Q2. List and explain the use of refrigeration.

Ans:- various application can be broadly grouped as

a. Food processing, preservation and distribution

 Storage of raw fruits, vegetables.
 Storage of meat and poultry.
 Processing and distribution of frozen foods.
 Production and cooling of fruit juice and wine beer etc….
b. Chemical and process industry
 Petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants.
 Paper and pulp industries.
 Separation and liquefying gases and vapours in chemical industry.
 For chilling the oil to remove wax in oil refineries.
c. Dairy products
 Storage of dairy products like milk, butter
 Preparing, storage, transport of ice creams.
d. Industries air conditioning
 Printing and textiles.
 Pharmaceuticals and mechanical industries
 Power plants
 Steel plants
 Cold treatment of metals.
e. Transport facilities
 Car air condition and bus air condition.
 Railways, ships and aircrafts.
f. Household and public amenities
 House/rooms air conditions.
 Office air conditions.
 Hospitals, theaters, malls.
g. Medical and laboratory applications
 Operation Theater.
 Pathological and advanced testing
 Medical workings
 Blood storage and transportation
 Organs storage and transportation
 Processing, preservation and storage of medicines
h. Water and ice
 Desalination of water, ice making
i. Cryogenic applications.

Q3. What is refrigeration? Name some important refrigeration where they are used?

Ans:- refrigeration is a working fluid or a medium which continuously extracts heat from the refrigerated
space and rejects it to the surroundings.

Sl Name Chemical Used in Commercial application

no formula
1 Ammonia NH3 Ice manufacturing plants ,cold storage Vapors absorption
Packaging plants Large commercial plants
2 Carbon Co2 Marine refrigeration, theaters, air Large capacity
dioxide conditioning, dry ice making.
3 Methyl CH3Cl Domestic and industrial refrigeration Small capacity equipment
chloride (not much in use) obsolete
4 Freon 12 CCl2F2 / R12 Domestic refrigeration , Small capacity.
water cooler ,Automobile
5 Freon 22 CHClF2 / R22 Air conditioning plants food freezing Low and medium
cold storage temperature, large capacity.
6 Sulphur SO2 Earlier domestic application (no longer Domestic (Earlier)
dioxide in use) Now Obsolete

Q4 What are the different Ideal properties of refrigerants

Thermodynamic properties

 Boiling point – low

 Freezing point –low
 Latent heat of evaporation - Very high

Physical properties

 Specific volume – low

 Specific heat – low
 Viscosity – low
Safety working properties

 Toxity-non toxic – Eg Ammonia is highly toxic

 Flammability-non flammable
 Corrosiveness-non corrosive
 chemical stability - non reactive
 Leakages if any should be easily locatable.

Other properties

 C O P – high
 Action with lubricating oil - non reactive
 Available at an affordable cost /low cost
 Odorless

[Q5] Compare VCR and VAR

 Principle Chemical Mechanical

 Concept Endothermic& Exothermic Alter saturation temp by altering pressure
 Mode of refrigerant circulation Pump Compressor
[Q6] Explain the following terminologies

1. REFRIGERATION EFFECT ,2. TON OF REFRIGERATION ,3. C O P,4. Relative coefficient of

erformance ,5. REFRIGERANT

1. REFRIGERATION EFFECT

In a refrigeration system, the rate at which the heat is absorbed in a cycle from the interior space to
be cooled is called refrigerating effect.

Capacity of refrigeration system is expressed in tons of refrigeration (unit of refrigeration)

2. TON OF REFRIGERATION

A ton of refrigeration is defined as the quantity of heat absorbed in order to form one ton of ice in 24 hours
when the initial temperature of the water is 0°c.

1 ton of refrigeration= 210 KJ/min = 3.5 KW

Note: one American ton (2000 pounds) is taken as the standard in refrigeration practice.

3. C O P

The performance of a refrigeration system is expressed by a factor known as the co-efficient of

performance

It is the ratio of heat absorbed in a system to the work supplied

Q=Heat absorbed or removed (KW)

W=Work supplied (KW)

COP=Q/W

4. Relative coefficient of Performance

The ratio of actual COP to the theoretical COP is known as Relative COP.

Relative COP= Actual COP/ Theoritical COP

5. REFRIGERANT

In a refrigerator, a medium which continuously extracts the heat from the space within the
refrigerator which is to be kept cool at temperatures less than the atmosphere and finally rejects that heat
to the atmosphere itself is called a refrigerant.

[Q7] What is the principle of refrigeration?

It is based on 2nd law of thermodynamics. As per Clausius Statement, heat cannot flow from a body at
lower temperature to a body at higher temperature unless assisted by some external means.

In refrigeration, heat is continuously removed from the system at a lower temperature and same heat is
rejected to the surroundings at a higher temperature. This is done by using an external source like a
compressor (or) a pump.

[Q8] Explain the working of VAR with a neat sketch

 The vapour absorption refrigerator is a heat operated system.

 It differs from the vapour compression system only in the manner by which the circulation of the
refrigerant is achieved.
 In the vapour absorption system, the compressor is replaced by an absorber, a generator and a pump.
 The refrigerant used in this system must be highly soluble in the solution known as 'absorbent'.
 The system uses ammonia as the refrigerant and water as absorbent.
 The liquid refrigerant (ammonia) in the evaporator absorbs the heat from the medium that is to be cooled
and it undergoes a change of phase form liquid to vapour. The low pressure vapour is then passed to the
absorber.
 In the absorber, the low pressure ammonia vapour is dissolved in the weak ammonia solution producing
strong ammonia solution at low pressure. The strong ammonia solution is then pumped to a generator
through the heat exchanger at high pressure. While passing through the heat exchanger, the strong
 ammonia solution is warmed up by the hot weak ammonia solution flowing from the generator to the
absorber.
 The warm strong ammonia solution is heated by an external source in the generator. Due to heating, the
vapour gets separated from the solution. The vapour which is at high pressure and high temperature is
condensed to low temperature in a condenser by cold water circulation.
 The high pressure liquid ammonia then passes through the expansion valve where it is expanded to low
pressure and temperature. The low pressure-low temperature ammonia liquid again enters the evaporator
where it absorbs the heat from the medium (cools the medium) and the cycle repeats.

[Q9] Explain the working of VCR with a neat sketch

 The vapour compression refrigerator operates on MECHANICAL principle.

 Heat extraction is is achieved though evapotaion and condensation in evaporator and condenser and the
compressor and expansion valve helps in modifieng the evaporation and condensation tempeatures.
 Refrigerant is cyclically circulate between Evaporator, compressor, condenser and expansion
valve.
1. EVAPORATOR

 It is the heart of the refrigerator.

 The function of the evaporator is to reduce the temperature of the refrigerator cabinet.
 The low temperature two phase mixture of refrigerant passing through the evaporator coils absorbs
heat from the cabinet and changes into vapour phase.
 Here the liquid refrigerant is evaporated by the absorption of heat from refrigerator cabinet.

2. COMPRESSOR (OR) PUMP

 To compress low temperature and low pressure working fluid into high temperature and high-
pressure and circulate the same to undergo the refrigeration cycle.
 They are power absorbing mechanical devices and need input power. An electrical motor supplies
power to these drives.
 Compressor Circulate the refrigerant to undergo the refrigeration cycle and Increase the pressure
and therefore the temperature of the refrigerant.

3. CONDENSER

 The high pressure, high temperature refrigerant from the compressor enters condenser
 Where the refrigerant rejects its heat to the surrounding atmosphere.
 The latent heat of the refrigerant is given to the surrounding atmosphere, which results in change
of phase of the refrigerant.
 The latent heat comprises of:
o Heat absorbed in the refrigerator &
o Heat developed due to compression

 Heat from the refrigerant is rejected to atmosphere. Hence refrigerant gets cooled i.e. refrigerant
gives off its latent heat and condenses into liquid.

4. EXPANSION DEVICE / VALVE

 The high pressure and temperature liquid refrigerant expands in the expansion valve to low
pressure & low temperature two-phase mixture.

 The temperature of the refrigerant drops in the expansion valve due to partial evaporation

 Expansion Device reduce the pressure and temperature of the liquid before it passes to the
evaporator.

[Q10] Explain the working of room air conditioning with a neat sketch