OBJECTIVES

1. To determine the Coefficient of Performance (COP) of a refrigeration unit.

2. To study the effect of evaporating and condensing temperature on the refrigeration rate

and condenser heat output.

3. To investigate the effect of compressor pressure ratio on system performance.

4. To determine the overall heat transfer coefficient between R141b and water in the

evaporator and condenser.

INTRODUCTION

In this experiment of refrigeration cycle, the mechanical heat pump is used to study the

vapor compression cycle. This mechanical heat pump has been designed to demonstration of the

vapor compression cycle which is consists of a compressor, a water cooled condenser, a

thermostatically controlled expansion valve and an air heated evaporator. The arrangements of

the components are in manner similar to that used for many domestic air-water heat pumps

where they are visible from the front of the unit. For further basic knowledge, the functions of

each components is compressor (uses work input to reduce pressure in evaporator and increase

pressure of vapor being transferred to condenser), condenser (where high pressure vapor

condense, rejecting heat to its surroundings), expansion device (controls flow of liquid

refrigerant and reduces pressure) and evaporator (heat is taken from low temperature region as

liquid evaporates at low pressure). (Wikipedia)

During the operation, slightly superheated refrigerant (R141b) vapor enters the

compressor from the evaporator and its pressure is increased. Thus, the temperature rises and the

hot vapor then enters the water cooled condenser. Heat is given up to the cooling water and the

refrigerant condenses to a liquid before passing to the expansion valve. When passing through

the expansion valve the pressure of the liquid refrigerant is reduced. This causes the saturation

temperature to fall to below that of the atmosphere. Thus, as it flows through the evaporator,

there is a temperature difference between the refrigerant and the air being drawn across the coils.

The resulting heat transfer causes the refrigerant to boil and when leaving the evaporator it has

become slightly superheated vapor, ready to return to the compressor. The temperature at which

heat is delivered in the condenser is controlled by the water flow rate and its inlet temperature.

The evaporating temperature is highly determined by the ambient conditions.

 However, this can be control either by cut down the air intake to the evaporator or by

directing warmed air towards the intake. Instrumentations are all provide for the measurement of

flow rates of both the refrigerant and cooling water, power input to the compressor and all

relevant temperatures.

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the four essential mechanical components in the cycle.

Figure 2 is a refrigeration cycle demonstration unit R633.

THEORY

Refrigerators and heat pumps are devices that absorb heat at a low temperature and reject

heat at a higher temperature. Both refrigerators and heat pumps operate in the same way using a

reversed heat engine cycle but are labeled separately according to their purpose. Devices that are

used to maintain a temperature below ambient are known as refrigerators (or air conditioners)

while devices that are used to supply heat at a higher temperature than ambient are known as

heat pumps. Some devices, in particular those used for space cooling, may be as both a heat

pump and a refrigerator. (Wikipedia)

The vapor compression cycle is the most commonly used refrigeration/ heat pump cycle

and involves the same four processes as a heat engine cycle but in reverse order

(e.g. evaporation-compression-condensation-expansion).

Figure 3 shows the ideal cycle on a pressure-enthalpy diagram.

 From Figure 3, in ideal vapor compression cycle the refrigerant vapor is compressed

isentropically to a higher temperature and pressure (1 2). The compressed vapor is then

condensed isobarically which results in heat rejection to the surroundings (2 3). The next step

is the adiabatic expansion of the refrigerant to the low temperature and pressure (3 4). The

final step is where the refrigerant is evaporated isobarically at low temperature and pressure,

which results in the absorption of the heat from its surrounding (4 1). In an actual cycle states

1 and 3 should not lie on the saturation line as there is subcooling (to obtain state 3 in the

diagram) and superheating (necessary to avoid droplets of two phase region in the compressor).

The Coefficient of Performance (COP) is an indicator of performance of a refrigeration cycle:

Refrigeration effect
COP =
Compressor work

h1h4
=
h2h1

The coefficient of performance or COP of a heat pump is a ratio of heating or cooling provided

to electrical energy consumed. Higher COPs equate to lower operating costs. The COP may

exceed 1, because, instead of just converting electricity to heat (which, if 100% efficient, would

be a COP of 1), it pumps additional heat from a heat source to where the heat is required.

COP is highly dependent on operating conditions, especially absolute temperature and relative

temperature between sink and system, and is often graphed or averaged against expected

conditions.
 While the COP is partly a measure of the efficiency of a heat pump, it is also a measure

of the conditions under which it is operating: the COP of a given heat pump will rise as the input

temperature increases or the output temperature decreases because it is linked to a warm

temperature distribution system like underfloor heating.

The equation is:

where

Q is the heat supplied to or removed from the reservoir.

W is the work consumed by the heat pump.
REFERENCES

1. Cengel, Yunus A., and Micheal A. Boles., (2011). Thermodynamics An Engineering

Approach (7th ed.). Mc-Graw-Hill Book Company.

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vapor-compression_refrigeration .Vapor-compression

refrigeration. Retrieved on 17 October 2015.

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_pump_and_refrigeration_cycle .Mechanical heat

pump. Retrieved on 16 October 2015.

4. Cengel, Yunus A., and Michael A. Boles., (2008). Thermodynamics: An Engineering

Approach (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

5. Moran, M. J., and Shapiro, H. N. (2004). Fundamental of Engineering Thermodynamics.

Appendices. John Wiley and Sons.