16 REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS A itteeation syste lowers the tempertue of a fd below tat posible when using ar or water at ambient conditions. A typical building air conditioner cools air to a temperature of 10-15°C. At the other end of the scale is the liquefaction of helium at ~268°C. The temperature produced de- pends on the process objective. If the objective is to recover marketable liquids (NGLs) from a pro- duced gas stream, basic economics controls the temperature specified. If it is to meet a hydrocarbon dewpoint, that specification and the processing pressure sets the required temperature. Several basic processes will be discussed herein. 1, Mechanical Refrigeration a. compression b. absorption 2. Valve Expansion 3. Turbine Expansion MECHANICAL REFRIGERATION A refrigeration system is a heat pump. Low temperature heat is removed from the process fluid and is “pumped” to high temperature (ambient) where it is rejected to the environment. Energy is required to pump heat. The amount of energy depends on the quantity of heat to be pumped (chiller duty) and how far the heat has to be pumped (temperature difference between the chiller ard the con- denser), Energy used to drive a refrigeration process can be in the form of heat or work. ‘The absorp- tion refrigeration systems use heat to pump heat, compression systems use work. Ammonia Absorption System Figure 16.1 shows a flowsheet for a refrigeration system utilizing using two concertrations of ammonia-water solutions. The basic driving force is the heat input to the generator. Ammonia vapor is stripped from the water solutions in the rectifier or stripper. This ammonia vapor is condensed and passes through a receiver, a heat exchanger (optional) and across an expansion valve into the evapora- tor or chiller. Here it vaporizes while cooling the fluid to be chilled, The ammonia vapor from the evaporator is absorbed in a weak ammonia-water solution. The result is a strong solution. The ammonia is removed from this strong solution in the generator to begin its cycle all over again. CHAPTER 16 213REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS Vapor ia Vapor Rectier ‘Condensor [Seating Fiuid to Water ‘be chilled 3 Nis id z| [NH Vapor ‘Aqua Film —— — Wate ‘Absorber —— RecoWver Sron0 ava Nif-—— Generator strong Waste. Reflux JAcua Heat on ae frank ‘Weak Aqua "aura G song Aaa sroogAma_} Aqua Pump Weak Aga Figure 16.1 Flow Sheet of an Ammonia Absorption System One can write selected energy balances around this system to determine loading at various points. The starting point is the evaporator. First, determine the total duty required to chill the fluid to its desired temperature. This is the heat load in the evaporator. ‘The heat absorbed by the ammonia per unit mass is governed by evaporator pressure or tem- perature. The AH is the enthalpy of a saturated ammonia vapor at evaporator conditions minus the enthalpy of the entering ammonia, which should be a saturated or subcooled liquid A series of such balances, and an overall balance, enable one to determine sizes and energy loads of each component part. Reference 16.1 summarizes the typical loadings for the ammonia sys~ tem in Figure 16.1 The heat for the generator may be obtained from any one of four sources: (1) low pressure steam, (2) fired heater, (3) hot process stream and (4) waste heat, Since heat loads are lange, the availability of (3) or (4) increases the economic attractiveness of this system, Water cooling is shown for the condenser and absorber but air cooling may be used. As with all refrigeration systems, the higher the cooling temperatures the lower the process efficiency and greater the energy input. Units have been designed with capacities to about 35 MW [10 000 tons of refrigeration (TR)]. The unit is simple and has few moving parts to maintain, Ammonia solutions are not difficult to han- dle metallurgically A major psychological problem is ammonia smell. In a confined space this can be a nuisance. However, the pungent odor is a safety item that immediately confirms leaks. ‘Though not widely used in gas processing applications, ammonia systems may be competitive with compression systems, particularly in those situations where significant quantities of waste heat are 218 VOLUME 2: THE EQUIPMENT MODULESCOMPRESSION REFRIGERATION available. Operating cost comparisons are dependent on the source of heat and the cost of cooling. If the economics are competitive, these systems are a viable alternative to compression systems for pro- ducing reftigeration COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION ‘Compression refrigeration is by far and away the most common mechanical refrigeration pro- cess. It has a wide range of applications in the gas processing industry. + Chilling natural gas for NGL extraction + Chilling natural gas for hydrocarbon dewpoint control + LPG product storage + Condensation of reflux in deethanizers/demethanizers, + Natural gas liquefaction (LNG) Figure 16.2 shows a simple single-stage compression refrigeration system. Saturated liquid re- frigerant at Point A expands across a valve (isenthalpically). On expansion some vaporization occurs, The mixture of refrigerant vapor and liquid enters the chiller (sometimes called the evaporator) typi- cally 3-6°C [5-10°F] lower than temperature to which the process stream is to be cooled. The liquid vaporizes. Leaving at Point C is a saturated vapor refrigerant at the P and T of the chiller. This vapor is compressed and then enters the condenser as a superheated vapor. Chiller Expansion $A Valve SS Condenser ‘Accumulator Figure 16.2 Flow Sheet of a Simple Fofrigeration System The refrigerant leaves the condenser as a saturated liquid or slightly subcooled. For air cool- ing, the condenser temperature will usually be 14-16°C [25-30°F] above the air dry bulb temperature, For water cooling the condensing temperature will be 5-10°C [9-18°F] aboye the water temperature, The accumulator, sometimes called a surge tank or receiver, merely serves as a reservoir for reftigerant as levels vary in the chiller(s) and condenser, CHAPTER 16 215