CHAPTER THREE

1. AIR REFRIGERATION
SYSTEM/CYCLE
Content
 Introduction
 Assumptions for air refrigeration system
 Energy balance
 Application
 Problems
 INTRODUCTION
 VCR cycle is essentially a modified Rankine cycle operating in
reverse
 It is known as reversed Brayton cycle, but better it is known as the
gas refrigeration cycle.
 refrigeration is accomplished by means of a noncondensing gas
(e.g., air)
 Air cycle refrigeration systems belong to the general class of gas
cycle refrigeration systems, in which a gas is used as the working
fluid.
 The gas does not undergo any phase change during the cycle,
consequently, all the internal heat transfer processes are sensible
heat transfer processes.
 Gas cycle refrigeration systems find applications in air craft cabin
cooling and also in the liquefaction of various gases.
 ASSUMPTIONS
 Air cycle refrigeration system analysis is considerably simplified if
one makes the following assumptions:
i. The working fluid is a fixed mass of air that behaves as an ideal
gas
ii. The cycle is assumed to be a closed loop cycle with all inlet and
exhaust processes of open loop cycles being replaced by heat
transfer processes to or from the environment
iii. All the processes within the cycle are reversible, i.e., the cycle
is internally reversible
iv. The specific heat of air remains constant throughout the cycle

 An analysis with the above assumptions is called as cold Air

Standard Cycle (ASC) analysis.
❑ Yields reasonably accurate results for most of the cycles in air
refrigeration systems.
 Principle of working
Consider the gas refrigeration cycle
 The surroundings are at T0, and the refrigerated space is to be
maintained at TL.
 The gas is compressed during process 1-2.
 The high-pressure, high-temperature gas at state 2 is then
cooled at constant pressure to T0 by rejecting heat to the
surroundings.
 Followed by an expansion process in a turbine, during which
the gas temperature drops to T4.

Can we achieve the cooling effect by using a throttling valve

instead of a turbine?

 Finally, the cool gas absorbs heat from the refrigerated space
until its temperature rises to T1.
.
 The temperature of an ideal gas can be reduced either
by making the gas to do work in an isentropic process or
by sensible heat exchange with a cooler environment.

 This systems are of great interest in applications where

the weight of the refrigerating unit must be kept to a
minimum
 The utilization of air as a refrigerant becomes more
attractive when a double purpose is to be met.
✓ when the air can be both the refrigerating and the air
conditioning medium.
Energy analysis
 Process 1-2:
Gas at low pressure is compressed isentropically from state 1
to state 2.

 Process 2-3:
Hot and high-pressure gas flows through a heat exchanger
and rejects heat sensibly and isobarically to a heat sink.
 Process 3-4:
High pressure gas from the heat exchanger flows through a
turbine, undergoes isentropic expansion and delivers net
work output.

Process 4-1:
Cold and low pressure gas from turbine flows through the
low temperature heat exchanger and extracts heat sensibly
and isobarically from a heat source, providing a useful
refrigeration effect.
Principle of working
Cont.
 All the processes described are internally reversible, and the
cycle executed is the ideal gas refrigeration cycle.
❑ In actual gas refrigeration cycles,
 the compression and expansion processes deviate from the
isentropic ones, and
 T 3 is higher than T0 unless the heat exchanger is infinitely
large.
❑ The gas refrigeration cycle deviates from the reversed Carnot
cycle because the heat transfer processes are not isothermal.
 The gas refrigeration cycles have lower COPs relative to the
VCR cycles or the reversed Carnot cycle.
 The reversed Carnot cycle consumes a fraction of the net
work (rectangular area 1A3B) but produces a greater amount
of refrigeration (triangular area under B1).
So WHY it is NEEDED?
 Despite their relatively low COPs, the gas refrigeration cycles
have two desirable characteristics:

1. They involve simple, lighter components, which make

them suitable for aircraft cooling, and

2. they can incorporate regeneration, which makes them

suitable for liquefaction of gases and cryogenic
applications.
3.
 ADVANTAGES OVER OTHERS
i. Air is cheap, safe, non-toxic and non-flammable.
✓ Leakage of air is not a problem

ii. Cold air can directly be used for cooling thus eliminating the
low temperature heat exchanger (open systems) leading to
lower weight

iii. The aircraft engine already consists of a high speed turbo-

compressor,
✓ hence separate compressor for cooling system is not
required. This reduces the weight per kW cooling
considerably. Typically, less than 50% of an equivalent
vapour compression system
iv. Design of the complete system is much simpler due to low
pressures. Maintenance required is also less.
 APPLICATION AREA
1. AIR CRAFT COOLING SYSTEM

 Atmospheric air is compressed by a compressor, cooled by the

surrounding air, and expanded in a turbine.

 The cool air leaving the turbine is then directly routed to the
cabin.
Heat load inside the aircraft
i. Large internal heat generation due to occupants, equipment
etc.
ii. Heat generation due to skin friction caused by the fast
moving aircraft
iii. Solar radiation
Why cooling is necessary at high altitude?
At high altitudes, the outside pressure will be sub-atmospheric.
When air at this low pressure is compressed and supplied to the cabin at
pressures close to atmospheric, the temperature increases significantly.

✓ For example, when outside air at a pressure of 0.2 bar and temperature of
223 K (at 10000 m altitude) is compressed to 1 bar, its temperature
increases to about 353 K.
✓ If the cabin is maintained at 0.8 bar, the temperature will be about 332 K.

✓ This effect is called as ram effect. This effect adds heat to the cabin,
which needs to be taken out by the cooling system.
 REGENERATION
2. WHERE EXTREMELY LOW TEMPERATURES IS REQUIRED
 Regenerative cooling is achieved by inserting a counter-flow
heat exchanger into the cycle.

 Without regeneration, the lowest turbine inlet temperature is

T0, the temperature of the surroundings or any other cooling
medium.
 With regeneration, the high-pressure gas is further cooled to
T4 before expanding in the turbine.

 Lowering the turbine inlet temperature automatically lowers

the turbine exit temperature, which is the minimum
temperature in the cycle.
 Extremely low temperatures can be achieved by repeating this
process
Using Regeneration
Example 1
A refrigeration system using air as the working fluid, consists of
an ideal Brayton cycle run in reverse with a temperature and
pressure at the inlet of the compressor of 37 oC and 100 kPa. The
compressor has a compression ratio of 15:1 and air must be
supplied to the conditioned space at 17 oC. The heat load on the
system is 10 kW. (Cp air=1.005 KJ/Kg.K )
Calculate
a) required mass flow rate of air.
b) the required net-work input.
c) the COP for this refrigeration system.
Example 2
Air enters the compressor of a gas refrigeration system with a
regenerator at -20 ◦C at a flow rate of 0.45 kg/s. The cycle has a
pressure ratio of 4. The temperature of the air decreases from 16
to -30 ◦C in the regenerator. The isentropic efficiency of the
compressor is 82% and that of the turbine is 84%. Determine
the rate of refrigeration and the COP of the cycle.
Use constant specific heat for air at room temperature with cp =
1.005 kJ/kg·K and k = 1.4.
Example 3
Air enters the compressor (isentropic efficiency of 80%) of gas
refrigeration cycle at 12°C and 50 kPa and the turbine (isentropic
efficiency of 85%) at 47°C and 250 kPa. The mass flow rate of air
through the cycle is 0.08 kg/s. Assuming variable specific heats
for air, determine
a) the rate of refrigeration,
b) the net power input, and
c) the coefficient of performance
Example 4
A gas refrigeration system using air as the working fluid has a
pressure ratio of 4. Air enters the compressor (isentropic
efficiency of 75%) at -7°C. The high-pressure air is cooled to 27°C
by rejecting heat to the surroundings. It is further cooled to -
15°C by regenerative cooling before it enters the turbine
(isentropic efficiency of 80%). Using constant specific heats at
room temperature, determine
a) the lowest temperature that can be obtained by this cycle,
b) the coefficient of performance of the cycle, and
c) The mass flow rate of air for a refrigeration rate of 12 kW.