Lecture Notes

on AirConditioning &
Refrigeration
Archibong Eso Archibong
Department of Mechanical
Engineering Cross River
University of Technology
Calabar, Nigeria
Compiled
3rd September, 2016

Basic Concepts and Definitions

Refrigerants
Types: Halocarbons, Ammonia etc.
Properties
Classification (Comfort and Industrial)
Cooling Loads and Heat gains, Load offset, by pass, load diagrams
Applied Psychometrics (Equipment Selection, Automatic Controls)
Refrigeration: Vapour Compression Refrigeration Plant: Components, Types,
COP, Efficiency, Practical Factors.
Absorption refrigeration
Heat pumps

Refrigerants
A substance or mixture (mostly in fluid state) that absorbs heat through expansion
and vaporization can be referred to as refrigerants. Air, Ammonia, Azeotrope,
Freon group, methyl chloride, CO2 and non-halogenated hydrocarbons (e.g.
propane) are some examples of working fluids used as refrigerants. In a broader
sense, secondary cooling mediums such as brine solutions and cold water maybe
considered to be refrigerants.

Properties of Refrigerants
Working fluids used as refrigerants are expected to have the following
characteristics:
Non-poisonous
Non-explosive
Non-corrosive
Non-inflammable
Easy leak detection and location
Function effectively under low pressure (low boiling point)
Stable gas
Easy lubrication of parts in the fluid
Non-toxic
Minimum difference between the vaporising pressure and condensing
pressure is desirable
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE) has a Numbering system used for the identification of refrigerants in the
industry. Generally, the designation deduced is derived from constituents saturated
hydrocarbon thus:
Chemical Formula

Cm H n F p Cl q

Where

( n+ p+q )=2 m+ 2

Designation becomes

R ( m1 )( n+ 1 )( p )

As an example, trichloromonofluro methane (CCl 3F) is designated as R-11.

Refrigerants with bromine atoms are accounted for by adding B and a number to
indicate the number of chlorine molecules replaced by bromine.

For unsaturated refrigerants where

( n+ p+q )=2 m ; 1 is placed before

( m1 )

, example, ethylene is designated R-1150.

For inorganic refrigerants, the molecular weight of the refrigerant is added to 700,
as an example, CO2 is designated R-744

Classification of Refrigerants