Basic Mechanical Vapor

Compression Refrigeration
(MVCR) Cycle
Vapor Compression Refrigeration System

• In 1834 an American inventor named Jacob

Perkins obtained the first patent for a vapor-
compression refrigeration system, it used ether
in a vapor compression cycle.
• Joule-Thomson (Kelvin) expansion
• Low pressure (1.5 atm) low temperature (-10 to
+15 ) inside
• High pressure (7.5 atm) high temperature (+15
to +40 ) outside
 Components
• Refrigerant
• Evaporator/Chiller
• Compressor
• Condenser
• Receiver
• Expansion device
(Thermostatic
expansion valve-
TXV)
 Circulation of Refrigerant
• Compressor - cold vapor from the evaporator is
compressed, raising it temperature and boiling
point adiabatic compression, work done on the
gas
• Condenser - hot vapor from the compressor
condenses outside the cold box, releasing latent
heat, isobaric condensation
• Expansion valve (throttling valve) - hot liquid from
the condenser is depressurized, lowering its
temperature, isochoric expansion
• Evaporator - cold liquid from the expansion valve
boils inside the cold box, absorbing latent heat,
isobaric boiling
 REFRIGERATORS
AND HEAT PUMPS
The transfer of heat from a low-temperature
region to a high-temperature one requires
special devices called refrigerators.
Refrigerators and heat pumps are essentially
the same devices; they differ in their
objectives only.

for fixed values of QL and QH

The objective of a refrigerator is to remove heat

(QL) from the cold medium; the objective of a heat
pump is to supply heat (QH) to a warm medium.
The reversed Carnot cycle is the most efficient
refrigeration cycle operating between TL and TH.
THE REVERSED
However, it is not a suitable model for refrigeration CARNOT CYCLE
cycles since processes 2-3 and 4-1 are not practical
because
Process 2-3 involves the compression of a liquid–vapor
mixture, which requires a compressor that will handle
two phases, and process 4-1 involves the expansion of
high-moisture-content refrigerant in a turbine.
Both COPs increase
as the difference
between the two
temperatures
decreases, that is, as
TL rises or TH falls.

Schematic of a
Carnot refrigerator
and T-s diagram
of the reversed
Carnot cycle.
THE IDEAL VAPOR-COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION CYCLE
The vapor-compression refrigeration cycle is the ideal model for refrigeration
systems. Unlike the reversed Carnot cycle, the refrigerant is vaporized completely
before it is compressed and the turbine is replaced with a throttling device.

This is the
most widely
used cycle for
refrigerators,
A-C systems,
and heat
pumps.

Schematic and T-s diagram for the ideal

vapor-compression refrigeration cycle.
The ideal vapor-compression refrigeration cycle involves an irreversible (throttling)
process to make it a more realistic model for the actual systems.
Replacing the expansion valve by a turbine is not practical since the added
benefits cannot justify the added cost and complexity.
Steady-flow
energy balance

An ordinary
household
refrigerator.
The P-h diagram of an ideal vapor-
compression refrigeration cycle.
 Vapor-Compression Refrigeration Cycle

►Most common refrigeration cycle in use today

►There are four principal
control volumes involving
these components:
►Evaporator
►Compressor
►Condenser
►Expansion valve Two-phase
liquid-vapor mixture

All energy transfers by work and heat are taken as positive in

the directions of the arrows on the schematic and energy
balances are written accordingly.
 The Vapor-Compression
Refrigeration Cycle
►The processes of this cycle are
Process 4-1: two-phase liquid-vapor
mixture of refrigerant is evaporated
through heat transfer from the
refrigerated space.
Process 1-2: vapor refrigerant is
compressed to a relatively high
temperature and pressure requiring
work input. Two-phase
Process 2-3: vapor refrigerant liquid-vapor mixture

condenses to liquid through heat

transfer to the cooler surroundings.
Process 3-4: liquid refrigerant
expands to the evaporator pressure.
 The Vapor-Compression
Refrigeration Cycle
►Engineering model:
►Each component is analyzed as a control
volume at steady state.
►Dry compression is presumed: the
refrigerant is a vapor.
►The compressor operates adiabatically.
►The refrigerant expanding through the
valve undergoes a throttling process.
►Kinetic and potential energy changes are
ignored.
 The Vapor-Compression
Refrigeration Cycle
►Applying mass and energy rate balances
Evaporator Q in
 h1  h4 (Eq. 1)
m

►The term in is referred to as the
Q
refrigeration capacity, expressed in kW
in the SI unit system or Btu/h in the
English unit system.
►A common alternate unit is the ton of
refrigeration which equals 200 Btu/min
or about 211 kJ/min.
1 TOR = 1000 kg of ice / day
= (1000kg/24hr)*144Btu/lb*2.0lb/kg
= 12,000 Btu/hr /60min
= 200 Btu/min
 The Vapor-Compression
Refrigeration Cycle
►Applying mass and energy rate balances
Compressor Wc
 h2  h1 (Eq. 2)
Assuming adiabatic m
compression
Condenser Q out
 h2  h3 (Eq. 3)
m
Expansion valve
Assuming a throttling h4  h3 (Eq. 4)
process
 The Vapor-Compression
Refrigeration Cycle
►Performance parameters
Coefficient of Performance (COP)

Carnot Coefficient of Performance

This represents the maximum theoretical
coefficient of performance of any
refrigeration cycle operating between
cold and hot regions at TC and TH,
respectively.
Ƞr = Refrigerating Efficiency
= (COP)sys / (COP)rc
 The Vapor-Compression
Refrigeration Cycle
►Performance parameters
Horsepower/Ton Another measure of the
effectiveness of the refrigeration
HP/ton cycle is how much input power to
= 4.715 / (COP)sys the compressor, in horsepower, is
required for each ton of cooling.

Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER)

EER = (COP)sys, measured in
terms of kJ/hr/W or Btu/hr/W