STUDY MATERIAL UNIT –II Chapter 2 Refrigeration:

ELEMENTS OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Unit-2: Refrigeration: Refrigeration effect, working principle of Vapour Compression
refrigeration systems, ton of refrigeration, COP, refrigerants and their properties.
Refrigeration: meaning: It is a process of lowering the temperature of a space or system below ambient
temperature. In another word, it is a type of artificial cooling in a space. Heat extract from a system
(whose cooling is to be done) at low temperature and discharge to the atmosphere at high temperature. It
is a process in which a device consumes energy for transferring the heat energy from a low temperature
reservoir to high temperature reservoir as show in the fig. below

In older times, main purpose of refrigeration is the production of ice for food and beverages
preservation. Now days it is not only used for food preservation but also for cooling, chemical and
petrochemicals, pharmaceutical, data centers and Other industries. Todays, lots of country tries to make
a central refrigeration system for cities. It also has a great importance for transport industry in the
current and coming scenario for food (vegetable and fruits), essential medicines transportation from one
city to another. Petrochemical industries utilize refrigeration for controlling the necessary reactions in
their field. As the importance of data retention increases continuously in these days. Servers gathering
the data continuously heats up during their operation andincreasing temperature affect the performance
of the servers. For preventing this problem, refrigeration plays an important role.

Introduction: As mentioned refrigeration deals with cooling of bodies or fluids to temperatures lower
than those of surroundings. This involves absorption of heat at a lower temperature and rejection to
higher temperature of the surroundings. Now-a-days refrigeration and air conditioning find so many
applications that they have become very essential for mankind, and without refrigeration and air
conditioning the basic fabric of the society will be adversely affected. Refrigeration and air conditioning
are generally treated in a single subject due to the fact that one of the most important applications of
refrigeration is in cooling and dehumidification as required for summer air conditioning. Of course,
refrigeration is required for many applications other than air conditioning, and air conditioning also
involves processes other than cooling and dehumidification. Figure shows the relation between
refrigeration and air conditioning in a pictorial form.
 Relationbetween refrigerationand airconditioning
The temperature range of interest in refrigeration extends down to about –100oC.. Now-a-days
refrigeration has become an essential part of food chain- from post harvest heat removal to processing,
distribution and storage. Refrigeration has become essential for many chemical and processing industries
to improve the standard, quality, precision and efficiency of many manufacturing processes.
Air-conditioning is one of the major applications of refrigeration. Air-conditioning has made the living
conditions more comfortable, hygienic and healthy in offices, work places and homes. Air- conditioning
involves control of temperature, humidity, cleanliness of air and its distribution to meet the comfort
requirements of human beings and/or some industrial requirements. Air-conditioning involves cooling
and dehumidification in summer months; this is essentially done by refrigeration. It also involves
heating and humidification in cold climates.
Need for refrigeration
1. In hotels and households, food items, both cooked and uncooked, can be preserved for a long
time in low temperatures.
2. Storage of fruits and vegetables makes it possible to add fresh salads to the menu all year round.
3. Storage of fish, meat and other perishables items safely for longer periods is possible due to
refrigeration.
4. Seasonal food items can be bought from the market in bulk quantity at relatively cheaper price,
stored in refrigerated conditions and later used during off season.
5. Cooling of desserts and drinks
Heat Engines, Heat Pumps and Refrigerators
By the end of this lesson you will be able describe the difference between a heat engine and a heat
pump/refrigerator and be able to differentiate between the efficiency and the coefficient of performance.
Basic principle of heat engine
A heat engine is a device that converts heat to work. It takes heat from a high temperature reservoir, then
does some work like moving a piston, lifting weight etc. and finally discharges some heat energy into
the low temperature reservoir.
You may be familiar with the concept of the heat engine, which uses cyclical processes to turn thermal
energy into work. A cyclic process is one in which the system periodically returns to its initial state. The
first practical heat engine was the steam engine, which heralded the beginning of the industrial
revolution. Schematically it can be represented as
Heat Engine Efficiency
Let us derive an expression for the efficiency of a heat engine. We can define heat engine efficiency as:
η=W/Q1
Where,
W = Work done by the engine
Q1 = Heat taken from the source
W=Q1−Q2
Hence the heat engine efficiency is:
η=(Q1−Q2) / Q1
η=1− (Q2/ Q1)
So for Q2 = 0 efficiency will be 100% but, in actual, this is not possible because there will be some loss
of energy in the system. Hence, for every engine, there is a limit for its efficiency.
From here, thermal efficiency representing the amount of heat converted into work done. But in case of
refrigeration, work is not come out as output. Here, thermal efficiency representing the amount of
work required for conversion of mechanical work or electrical work into net heat output. An economic
refrigeration cycle or higher thermal efficiency refrigeration cycle is one that not only removes higher
amount of heat from the colder region but also consumes less amount of work for doing so. So, ratio of
net heat output to work input is refrigeration called coefficient of performance (COP). In case of
heat pumps, COP is the ratio of net heat added (to the hot reservoir) to the work input.
HEAT PUMPS: Heat pumps are designed to move thermal energy opposite to the direction of heat
flow by absorbing heat from a cold space and release it to a warmer one•’
A device which transfers heat from a cooler to a warmer body (by receiving energy) is called a heat
pump. A refrigerator is a special case of heat pump. Just as efficiency was defined for a heat engine, for
a heat pump the coefficient of performance (COP) is a measure of how well it is doing the job
Refrigerator: Refrigeration Cycle: Heat flows in direction of decreasing temperature, i.e., from high-
temperature to low temperature regions. The transfer of heat from a low-temperature to high-
temperature requires a refrigerator and/or heat pump. Refrigerators and heat pumps are essentially the
same device; they only differ in their objectives.
A refrigerator takes out heat from a lower temperature T2 and releases it to a higher temperature T1. For
this process to occur, work must be done on the system. Below is the schematic representation of the
process:

‡ƒ
Comparison of Heat Engine, Heat Pump and Refrigerator

Unit of refrigeration: • Unit of refrigeration is Ton. Amount of heat required to remove

from 1000 Kg (1Ton) of water at 0oC to convert it into ice at 0oC in 24 hours is known as
1Ton of refrigeration or unit of refrigeration.
• In another words amount of heat absorbed during melting of 1000 kg of ice at 0 oC in 24
hours.
• Calculation of unit of refrigeration
• As we know latent heat for 1 kg of ice is 335 KJ
• And from the definition of 1 Ton of refrigeration
• 1 Ton = 1000 Kg of ice * Latent heat of 1 kg of ice / 24 hours
• = (1000×335)/ (24×60) in one minute
• = 232.6 kJ/min However, for actual calculation, it is always taken as 210 kJ/min. • So, 1
Ton ≈ 3.5kW
Power Cycles Most power producing devices operate on cycles. To make simple thermodynamics
analysis possible, we use the concept of ideal cycle. These idealized cycles serve as starting point for
more in-depth studies.
Heat engines are designed to convert thermal energy to work. The thermal efficiency, ηth, defines as:

The thermal efficiency of an ideal cycle, in general, is less than that of a totally reversible cycle
operating between the same temperature limits, i.e., Carnot cycle. Therefore, nobody can develop a
cycle more efficient than the Carnot cycle.
Carnot Cycle: The Carnot cycle is the most efficient power cycle and it is composed of four totally
reversible processes:
 P-v and T-s diagrams for the Carnot cycle (in a cylinder-piston)
Process 2-3, isothermal heat transfer (heat supply): heat is supplied at constant temperature TH
Process 3-4, isentropic expansion (work output): air expands isentropically from the high pressure and
temperature to the low pressure and temperature
Process 4-1, isothermal heat transfer (condenser or heat rejection): heat is rejected at constant
temperature TL
Process 1-2, isentropic compression (work in): the air compresses isentropically to the high pressure and
temperature. Thermal efficiency of the Carnot cycle can be calculated from:

Refrigeration Cycle: Heat flows in direction of decreasing temperature, i.e., from high-temperature to
low temperature regions. The transfer of heat from a low-temperature to high-temperature requires a
refrigerator and/or heat pump. Refrigerators and heat pumps are essentially the same device; they only
differ in their objectives the performance of refrigerators and heat pumps is expressed in terms of
coefficient of performance (COP):

The Reversed Carnot Cycle for refrigeration: Reversing the Carnot cycle does reverse the directions
of heat and work interactions. A refrigerator or heat pump that operates on the reversed Carnot cycle is
called a Carnot refrigerator or a Carnot heat pump.

T-s diagram and major components for Carnot refrigerator.

The reversed Carnot cycle is the most efficient refrigeration cycle operating between two specified
temperature levels. It sets the highest theoretical COP. The coefficient of performance for Carnot
refrigerators and heat pumps are:

The Carnot cycle cannot be approximated in an actual cycle, because:

1- Executing Carnot cycle requires a compressor that can handle two-phases
2- Also process 4-1 involves expansion of two-phase flow in a turbine.
The Ideal Vapor‐Compression Refrigeration Cycle
The vapor-compression refrigeration is the most widely used cycle for refrigerators, air conditioners, and
heat pumps.
 Schematic for ideal vapor-compression refrigeration cycle
Assumptions for ideal vapor-compression cycle:
a. Irreversibility within the evaporator, condenser and compressor are ignored
b. No frictional pressure drops
c. Refrigerant flows at constant pressure through the two heat exchangers (evaporator and
condenser)
d. Heat losses to the surroundings are ignored
e. Compression process is isentropic (An isentropic process is a thermodynamic process in which
the fluid or gas entropy tends to be constant)

T-s and P-h diagrams for an ideal vapor-compression refrigeration cycle

Numerical problems:
1. A refrigeration system produces 40 kg/hr of ice at 0oC from water at 25oC. Find the refrigeration
effect per hour and TR. If it consumes 1 kW of energy to produce the ice, find the COP. Take latent heat
of solidification of water at 0oC as 335 kJ/kg and specific heat of water 4.19 kJ/kg oC.

Example 2:
Example 3:A house hold refrigerator is maintained at a temperature of 2c. Every time the door is
opened, warm material is placed inside, introducing an average of 420kJ. But making only a small
change in the temperature of the refrigerator. The door is opened 20 times a day, and the refrigerator
operates at 15%of ideal COP. The cost of work is 4 Rs per kWhr. What is the monthly bill for this
refrigerator? The atmosphere is at 30C.

So, each time the door is opened, 285.13 kJ of work is to be done by fridge and that much electrical
energy is consumed. The fridge is opened 20 times a day or 600 times a month.
So, monthly consumption = 285.13 x 600 = 171079.4 kJ
Cost = 4 rs/ kWh = 4/3600 rs/kJ
Bill = cost x consumption
= 4/3600 x 171079.4 = 190 rupees
Example.4: Carnot refrigeration cycle absorbs heat at 270 K and rejects heat at 300 K.
(a) Calculate the coefficient of performance of this refrigeration cycle.
(b) If the cycle is absorbing 1130 kJ/min at 270 K, how many kJ of work is required per second.
(c) If the Carnot heat pump operates between the same temperatures as the above refrigeration cycle,
what is the coefficient of performance?
(d) How many kJ/min will the heat pump deliver at 300 K if it absorbs 1130 kJ/min at 270 K.

Example 5:The capacity of a refrigerator is 200 TR when working between – 6°C and 25oC. Determine
the mass of ice produced per day from water at 25°C. Also find the power required to drive the unit.
Assume that the cycle operates on reversed Carnot cycle and latent heat of ice is 335 kJ/kg
Application: The major applications of refrigeration can be grouped into following four major equally
important areas.
1. Food processing, preservation and distribution
2. Chemical and process industries
3. Special Applications
4. Comfort air-conditioning
1. Food processing, preservation and distribution
a) Storage of Raw Fruits and Vegetables b) Fish
c) Meat and poultry d) Dairy Products
e) Beverages f) Processing and distribution of frozen food
2. Chemical and process industries
a) Separation of gases b) Condensation of Gases
c) Dehumidification of Air d) Solidification of Solute
e) Storage as liquid at low pressure f) Removal of Heat of Reaction:
g) Cooling for preservation h) Recovery of Solvents
3. Special Applications
a) Cold Treatment of Metals b) Medical
c) Ice Skating Rink d) Construction
e) Desalination of Water f) Ice Manufacturing
Application of refrigeration in Food processing, preservation and Distribution
Storage of Raw Fruits and Vegetables:It is well-known that some bacteria are responsible for
degradation of food, and enzymatic processing cause ripening of the fruits and vegetables. The growth
of bacteria and the rate of enzymatic processes are reduced at low temperature. This helps in reducing
the spoilage and improving the shelf life of the food.
Fish: In India, iced fish is still transported by rail and road, and retail stores store it for short periods
Meat and poultry: These items also require refrigeration right after slaughter during processing,
packaging. Short-term storage is done at 0oC. Long-term storage requires freezing and storage at -25oC
Dairy Products: The important dairy products are milk, butter, buttermilk and ice cream. To maintain
good quality, the milk is cooled in bulk milk coolers immediately
Beverages: Production of beer, wine and concentrated fruit juices require refrigeration. The taste of
many drinks can be improved by serving them cold or by adding ice to them.
Candy:Use of chocolate in candy or its coating with chocolate requires setting at 5-10oC otherwise it
becomes sticky. Further, it is recommended that it be stored at low temperature for best taste
Processing and distribution of frozen food:Many vegetables, meat, fish and poultry are frozen to
sustain the taste, which nearly duplicates that of the fresh product. Freezing retains the sensory qualities
of colour, texture and taste apart from nutritional qualities.
Supermarket refrigeration: Supermarket refrigeration is gaining popularity all over the world. At
present this constitutes the largest sector of refrigeration in developed countries. In a typical supermarket
a large variety of products are stored and displayed for sale
Applications of refrigeration in chemical and process industries
The industries like petroleum refineries, petrochemical plants and paper pulp industries etc. require
very large cooling capacities. The requirement of each industry- process wise and equipment-wise is
different hence refrigeration system has to be customized and optimized for individual application.
Separation of gases: In petrochemical plant, temperatures as low as –150oC with refrigeration capacities
as high as 10,000 Tons of Refrigeration (TR) are used for separation of gases by fractional distillation.
Condensation of Gases: some gases that are produced synthetically, are condensed to liquid state by
cooling, so that these can be easily stored and transported in liquid state. For example, in synthetic
ammonia plant, ammonia is condensed at –10 to 10oC before filling in the cylinders, storage and
shipment. This low temperature requires refrigeration.
Dehumidification of Air: Low humidity air is required in many pharmaceutical industries. This is also
required to prevent static electricity and prevents short circuits in places where high voltages are used.
The air is cooled, so that some water vapour condenses out and the air gets dehumidified.
Solidification of Solute: One of the processes of separation of a substance or pollutant or impurity from
liquid mixture is by its solidification at low temperature
Storage as liquid at low pressure: Liquid occupies less space than gases.
Removal of Heat of Reaction: In many chemical reactions, efficiency is better if the reaction occurs
below room temperature. This requires refrigeration
Cooling for preservation: Many compounds decompose at room temperature or these evaporate at a
very fast rate. Certain drugs, explosives can be stored for long periods at lower temperatures
Recovery of Solvents: In many chemical processes solvents are used, which usually evaporate after
reaction. These can be recovered by condensation at low temperature by refrigeration system
Special applications of refrigeration: In this category we consider applications other than chemical
uses.
Cold Treatment of Metals: Thehardnessandwear resistance of carburized steel can be increased by this
process. Keeping the cuttingtool at –100oC for 15 minutes can also increase the life of cutting tool
Medical: Blood plasma and antibiotics are manufactured by freeze-drying process and drugs.
Ice Skating Rinks: Due to the advent of artificial refrigeration, sports like ice hockey and skating do not
have to depend upon freezing weather. These can be played in indoor stadium where water is frozen into
ice on the floor.
Desalination of Water: In some countries fresh water is scarce and seawater is desalinated to obtain
fresh water. Solar energy is used in some cases for desalination. An alternative is to freeze the seawater.
The ice thus formed will be relatively free of salt. The ice can be separated and to obtain fresh water
Ice Manufacture: This was the classical application of refrigeration. Ice was manufactured in plants by
dipping water containers in chilled brine and it used to take about 36 hours to freeze all the water in cans
into ice.
TERMS USED IN REFRIGERATION:
REFRIGERANT – It is the substance used for heat transfer in a refrigeration system. It takes up heat
from inside the refrigerator cabinet and releases it to outside atmosphere.
SENSIBLE HEAT – The heat which is used to raise or lower the temperature of a substance.
LATENT HEAT – Latent heat is the energy absorbed or released when a substance changes its
physical state. Latent heat is absorbed upon evaporation, and released upon condensation to liquid (as in
clouds).
EVAPORATION – It is the process of a substance in a liquid state changing to a gaseous state due to
an increase in temperature and/or pressure.
CONDENSATION - It is the change of the physical state of matter from gas phase into liquid phase,
and is the reverse of evaporation.
Desirable properties of refrigerants
1. Low boiling point and Low freezing point.
2. Low specific heat and Its Latent Heat of vaporization should be high so that quantity of high
refrigerant can beminimized
3. High critical pressure and temperature.
4. Low specific volume to reduce the size of the compressor.
5. High thermal conductivity to compact evaporator and condenser.
6. It should be non-poisonous and non-irritant.
7. It should be nonflammable.
8. It should be chemicallystable.
9. It should be non corrosive and should not react with the parts / components of thesystem.
10. It should have no objectionable odour orsmell.
11. It should be easily and reliably detectable in case ofleakage.
12. Its cost should below and It should be easilyavailable
Types of refrigerants and usage
Refrigerants are divided into groups according to their chemical composition. Following the discovery
that some of these chemical compounds may be harmful to the environment, they are being replaced
with more environmentally friendly alternatives. The process is not easy, and although there are
alternatives to old refrigerants, the new ones are usually not flawless.
Here are some types of refrigerants used in refrigerators:
• R-410A: A zeotropic mixture of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in general purpose air
conditioning. It's becoming more popular as R22 refrigerants are being phased out.
• R-407C: A blend of HFC refrigerants used in marine refrigeration systems. It's low toxicity and
flammability, and has a low ozone depletion potential.
• Ammonia (R717): A well-established refrigerant in compression cooling technology.
• Propane (R-290): Used in industrial refrigeration systems. It's an ecological alternative with a
GWP of just 3.
• R-134a and R-438A: Two of the most commonly used refrigerants in refrigeration systems
today.
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Such as R11, R12, and R115, these were once commonly used but
were banned in the early 1990s due to their harmful impact on the environment.
HCFC stands for hydrochlorofluorocarbon
Methods of refrigeration: Basically it is categorized as natural refrigeration and artificial
refrigeration
• Natural refrigeration: In the earlier day, ice or evaporative cooling is used for refrigeration process,
where ice is collected in different ways:
1. Transported from colder areas to nearby regions.
2. Harvested in winter days for storing in insulated ice houses for the use in summer
3. Made up during night (cooling of water by radiation to stratosphere)
Artificial refrigeration: • Refrigeration methods used in these days are comes under the category of
artificial refrigeration. It is know that history of artificial refrigeration process began by a Scottish
professor “William Cullen” in the year 1755. He was able to make a small quantity ice in a laboratory by
making a first refrigeration machine. Based on the working principle, artificial refrigeration classified as:
• Vapour compression systems
Domestic refrigeration systems
Air conditioning systems
• Vapour absorption systems
REFRIGERATION PROCESS: The main components of a refrigeration process are:
1. Evaporator
2. Compressor
3. Condenser
4. Expansion Valve
EVAPORATOR: In the evaporator the Refrigerant absorbs the heat from the object to be cooled and
itgets heated up. The heat absorbed is the latent heat of vaporization of the liquid refrigerant and
therefore the refrigerant under goes a change of state i.e. from liquid to vapours without any change in
temperature. The vapour refrigerant then returns to the compressor.
COMPRESSOR: The vapour refrigerant is compressed at a very high pressure and temperature. It
than passes through the condenser coil.
CONDENSER: While passing through the condenser the refrigerant rejects heat either to air or to
surrounding water which gets heated up. The refrigerant condenses to cold liquid state but at high
pressure. This high pressure colder refrigerant then passes through the expansion valve.
EXPANSION VALVE: The expansion valve cools down the refrigerant to a low temperature and also
reduces the pressure. It can be adjusted to control the temperature and pressure to which the refrigerant
goes to the evaporator. The cool refrigerant is now ready to absorb heat from the hot objects while
passes through the evaporator.
Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle: The Vapor compression refrigeration system is the most
popular and widely used system in refrigeration and air conditioning both for industrial and domestic
applications.
The Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle involves four components: compressor, condenser,
expansion valve/throttle valve and evaporator.
REFRIGERATION CYCLE

Vapor compression refrigeration system:

Part 1: Compression: The refrigerant (for example R-717) enters the compressor at low temperature
and low pressure. It is in a gaseous state. Here, compression takes place to raise the temperature and
refrigerant pressure. The refrigerant leaves the compressor and enters to the condenser. Since this
process requires work, an electric motor may be used.
Part 2: Condensation: The high pressure, high temperature gas releases heat energy and
condenses inside the "condenser" portion of the system. The condenser is in contact with the hot
reservoir of the refrigeration system. (The gas releases heat into the hot reservoir because of the external
work added to the gas.) The refrigerant leaves as a high pressure liquid.

Part 3: Throttling or Expansion Valve:When the refrigerant enters the throttling valve, it expands and
releases pressure. Consequently, the temperature drops at this stage. Because of these changes, the
refrigerant leaves the throttle valve as a liquid vapor mixture, typically in proportions of around 75 %
and 25 % respectively. Throttling valves play two crucial roles in the vapor compression cycle. First,
they maintain a pressure differential between low- and high-pressure sides. Second, they control the
amount of liquid refrigerant entering the evaporator.
Part 4: Evaporation: At this stage of the Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle, the refrigerant is at a
lower temperature than its surroundings. Therefore, it evaporates and absorbs latent heat of
vaporization. Heat extraction from the refrigerant happens at low pressure and temperature. Because a
low pressure is maintained, the refrigerant is able to boil at a low temperature. So, the liquid absorbs
heat from the cold reservoir and evaporates. The refrigerant leaves the evaporator as a low temperature,
low pressure gas and is taken into the compressor again, back at the beginning of the cycle
Construction and working of Domestic Refrigerator

The main components include:

1) Refrigerant: It is a working fluid flow through all working parts or internal parts of the refrigerator.
The main function of a refrigerant is to give the cooling effect in the evaporator. It absorbs heat from the
evaporator and rejects it to the environment.
2) Compressor: It is located in the back of the refrigerator as shown in the figure above. It compresses
the refrigerant (coming from the evaporator) to the high temperature and pressure for rejecting heat from
the refrigerant. It is only part of the refrigerant which consumes energy (electric energy).
3) Condenser: It is copper pipe arrangement (as heat exchanger) commonly located in the back of
refrigerator. It rejects the refrigerant heat to the environment (by air cooling), which is absorbed by the
refrigerant in evaporator and compressor. For increasing the surface area of the copper pipe arrangement
it is finned externally, which ultimately increases the heat transfer.
4) Expansive valve or the capillary: Refrigerant coming from the condenser having high pressure and
for decreasing its pressure, volume of the passage increase by the help of capillary tubes or expansion
value. It is a thin copper pipe with number of turns. When refrigerant passed through capillary tubes,
pressure and temperature drops suddenly.
5) Evaporator or chiller or freezer: It is also a heat exchanger, where refrigerant enters at low pressure
and temperature and absorb the heat from the substance to be cooled. It is made up of copper or
aluminum tubes (plate type of evaporators also used in domestic refrigerator) having number of turn in
it. After evaporator, refrigerant flow to the compressor and repeats the cycle.
6) Temperature control device or thermostat: Thermostat is a device which controls the temperature
inside the refrigerator with the help of a sensor connected to evaporator. Whenever the temperature
inside the refrigerator reaches to set temperature of thermostat, it cut down the electricity supply to
compressor and when temperature goes above to certain level, thermostat resupply the electricity to
compressor.
7) Defrost system: Defrost system available in old or small refrigerators which helps in removing the
excess amount of ice from the evaporator compartment. It can be manually control by the help of
thermostat button or by an automatic system which is a combination of electric heater and timer.
Compressor is the most expensive part of the refrigeration cycle and its repair is difficult. An inefficient
or defective compressor is generally replaced with a new one.
Working of Domestic refrigerator
Before going to the working of domestic refrigerator, one should know that cooling of a space is done by
removing the heat from that space to atmosphere (outside that space). It is not possible without any
external assistance. Here, this external assistance is done with the help of compressor (only element
consuming external energy i.e. electrical energy). Whereas, others component not consuming any type
of external energy.

Heat flows from refrigerating space to refrigerant (flowing in evaporator at low pressure) due to high
temperature of refrigerating space as compare to refrigerant. Heat conducted by the refrigerant has to be
removed to the environment and for this; its temperature should be more than environment. Now,
compressors help in increase the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant (gaseous state). As we know
that, with the increase of pressure, boiling point of the refrigerant also increases. This high temperature
and pressure refrigerant passes through condenser, where it loses its latent heat (changes phase) to the
environment due to its high temperature as compare to the outside (environment) air and convert to
liquid refrigerant. After condenser, refrigerant temperature must be decreases below the temperature of
refrigerating space (for the transfer of heat from refrigerating space to refrigerant) and for this expansion
of refrigerant is required. Expansion value or capillary tube is used for the expansion of
refrigerant;capillary tube is made up of copper tube of thin diameter and longer length. Here, expansion
process is acting as throttling process and decreases the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant.
Majority of cooling of refrigerant is done under this process.
This low temperature and pressure refrigerant passes through evaporator, where refrigerant absorbs
thermal energy in the foam of latent heat from food stuff (available in refrigerating space) and converted
into vapors. Here, boiling point of the liquid refrigerant is -20 degree C and any food stuff having
temperature more than this make the refrigerant to boil. At last this low pressure vapor refrigerant flow
to compressor and cycle continuous till the compressor works.
Note: As the boiling point of refrigerant is the function pressure. This change in boiling point with
pressure is utilizes in compressor and capillary for changing the phase of refrigerant.
Some technical points of a domestic refrigerator
x Reciprocating type of compressor is utilized, which is hermetically sealed (electric motor and
compressor is enclosed in a single container).
x Capillary having very less diameter and longer length, which increases the friction (with the increase
of length of pipe friction increases) in flow of refrigerant and due to this high pressure refrigerant
converted to low pressure refrigerant.
x Except compressor, no other moving parts utilized, this is the reason for higher life of refrigerator.
x In late 90s CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon) were used as refrigerant, which is replaced with HCFCs (hydro
chlorofluorocarbon) in starting of 20s due to its bad effect on environment especially on ozone layer.
Most common HCFC is “R-22”
x Refrigerator capacity is measured in 'Litre', that is why refrigerator volume or storage space measured
in liters.
Principle of Vapor Absorption System
Here is the peculiar property of some substances to have affinity for another substance at some
temperature and pressure conditions and less affinity at another condition.

This idea for the working principle of a vapour absorption system was generated by Michael Faraday in
1824.
• He knew that silver chloride (AgCl) a white powder, had a property of absorbing large amount of
ammonia gas at the normal temperature and pressure.
• Two chambers are combined with the help of a tube.
• The white powder was kept inside the first chamber to which ammonia gas was supplied and sealed.
Liquid ammonia was obtained in the cool end of the apparatus. After stopping heat, it was observed that,
the liquid ammonia instead of sitting there, started boiling (bubbles produced) and vapour was
reabsorbed by the white powder.
• Upon touching the boiling end, it was astonished to find that the vessel was very cold.
• He repeated the experiments and cooling was observed again.
• This led to invention of the intermittent Vapour absorption system having solid as an absorber.
Working of Vapour Absorption Refrigeration System
The Vapour absorption refrigeration systems include all processes in a vapor compression refrigeration
system, such as compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation. The refrigerant used in Vapour
absorption systems as ammonia, water, or lithium bromide.
The refrigerant condenses in the condenser & evaporates in evaporation. The refrigerants produce a
cooling effect in the evaporator & release heat into the atmosphere through the condenser.
The compressor of the Vapour Compression Refrigeration System is replaced by the use of absorber,
pump, and generator.
The major difference between the two systems is the method of suction and compression of refrigerant
in the refrigeration cycle. In a Vapour compression system, the compressor sucks the refrigerant from
the evaporator and compresses it under high pressure.The compressor also enables the flow of
refrigerants through the entire refrigeration cycle. In the vapor absorption cycle, a process of suction and
compression is carried out by two different devices called absorbers and generators.

Vapour absorption refrigeration cycle

Evaporator: The main function of the evaporators is to provide cooling to the area with which it is in
contact. The low pressure liquid refrigerant from the expansion valve will enter inside this evaporator
and absorbs latent heat from the evaporator and converts into vapor. From the evaporator the low
pressure ammonia goes to the absorber.
Absorbers: Absorbers are used to absorb refrigerants. In the absorber, there will be a weak solution of
water and ammonia. When the ammonia Vapour from the evaporator reaches the absorber, the water
present in the absorber will absorb it. As the water absorbs the ammonia, a strong ammonia solution and
water will begin to form.
When the water absorbs ammonia, the water will liberate from the heat, and the absorptive capacity of
the water will be reduced. So, cold water is supplied to the absorber so that the absorptive capacity is
high so that it is continuously absent of ammonia vapor.
Pump: The pump will pump a strong solution of ammonia and water from the absorber to the generator.
Generator & Analyzer:Ammonia and water solutions are used inside this system. Ammonia is used as
a refrigerant; water is used as an absorbent.A solution of these two is formed because water has a strong
affinity for ammonia. Water plus ammonia solutions are present inside the absorber.
The generator is provided with auxiliaries’ heat from outside. This auxiliary can be used to provide heat,
steam or hot water, or any type of heater. Heat is provided so that the solution of ammonia and water is
converted into vapor
The analyzers are placed on top of the generator. Ammonia will convert to Vapour before water, but
some water particles convert to Vapour along with ammonia. This analyzer is used to separate water
particles from ammonia vapor.If water particles move past the generator, it will reduce the efficiency of
the entire system. If the water particles move in large quantities, it can also damagethesystem.So the
analyzer condenses the water’s particles, but the ammonia Vapour will pass through the analyzer and go
further into the system. Some ammonia will also condense in the vapor analyzer, but most of the
ammonia will pass through the Vapour analyzer.After the ammonia Vapour passes through the
analyzers, the weak solution present in the generators will pass through the pressure reducing valve and
reach the absorber again.
Condenser: Condensers are used to convert ammonia Vapour into the liquid phase. These condensers
can be either water-cooled or air-cooled.
Expansion Valve: High pressure liquid ammonia on its way to the evaporator passes through the
expansion valve which reduces its pressure and temperature.
Sl
Vapour Compression Vapour Absorption
No
Vapor compression has high C.O.P It has low C.O.P (Coefficient of
1
(Coefficient of Performance). Performance).
2 The charging of refrigerant is simple. The charging of refrigerant is difficult.
A possibility of leakage of refrigerant is A possibility of leakage of refrigerant is
3
more. less.
Performance is adversely affected by Reduced loads have no effect on its
4
part loads. performance.
It cannot be located outside without
5 It can be located outside without shelter.
shelter.
6 It is less bulky. It is bulky.
Liquid traces in the refrigerant at the exit
Liquid traces in the suction line may
7 of the evaporator are not harmful to any
damage the compressor.
component.
8 Wear and tear is high. Wear and tear is less.
It has a compressor and a motor. It has a pump only a moving part. Hence it
9
Therefore, It is more noise in operation. is quiet in operation.
It uses low-grade heat energy therefore; It
It uses high-grade work energy. It needs
10 can operate on exhaust from I.C engines or
electrical energy for its operation.
on Kerosene lamp or process heat.