Lecture 11

Complex Cycles Using Pure Refrigerants

L11 – 1 Distillation System Design 2015

 Refrigerant constraints
• Minimum and maximum temperature for a given refrigerant
• Shaft work increases as temperature decreases
Increasing Power
Ambient
Requirement Temperature
Nitrogen 118
77

112 Methane
178
Ethylene
169 264
185 Ethane 286
Propane
231
Propylene
225
261 i-Butane

Heat can be rejected to n-Butane

273
ambient cooling medium Ammonia
240
Chlorine
239

60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320
Temperature (K)

L11 – 2 Distillation System Design 2015

 Typically, simple cycles are used down to –40°C

For lower temperatures (where heat is rejected to

ambient heat sinks) we need to use complex cycles

L11 – 3 Distillation System Design 2015

 Compression power requirements depend on
fluid properties and conditions
During adiabatic compression of an ideal gas

PV = constant
Power requirement: where

  1  W power required for compression (W)

   Pin Fin 1  r  
W   r pressure ratio, Pout/Pin (-)
   1   IS   Pin, Pout inlet and outlet pressure (Pa)
  Fin inlet volumetric flowrate (m3⋅s-1)
γ ratio of heat capacity, CP/CV(-)
ηIS isentropic efficiency (-)

• If volumetric flow rate increases…

Power demand
• If Pout/Pin increases…
increases
• If feed temperature increases…
Smith, 2005, Chemical Process Design and Integration, Wiley, Appendix B
L11 – 4 Distillation System Design 2015
 Outline

1. Cascaded simple cycles

2. Multistage cycles
3. Multi-level cycles
4. Vapour-liquid heat exchange
5. Complex cycle configurations

L11 – 5 Distillation System Design 2015

 1 Cascaded refrigeration cycles
Condenser

8 7

T 7
W

3
Upper cycle 8
5 6
4

4 3
5 6

W 2
1

Lower cycle S
1 2
Evaporator

Two cycles with different refrigerants linked together

L11 – 6 Distillation System Design 2015
 Cascaded cycles

• Two refrigerant cycles linked together

o each cycle uses a different refrigerant fluid
• Low-temperature cycle provides cooling in the
evaporator and rejects heat to the other cycle
• High-temperature cycle rejects heat in the condenser to
cooling water
• Used to provide very low temperature refrigeration
o single fluid would not be suitable to operate across such a wide
temperature range
o i.e. could not satisfy low temperature cooling requirement and
reject heat to ambient cooling medium

L11 – 7 Distillation System Design 2015

 Partition temperature, TP
Usually defined as the evaporation temperature
of the upper cycle

Upper cycle
(higher temperature)

TP

TP + T
Lower cycle
(lower temperature)

L11 – 8 Distillation System Design 2015

 Partition temperature
– a key design variable
• As partition temperature increases, upper
cycle needs less compression work…
• … but lower cycle needs more compression work
Condenser • … and vice versa
8 7 • Partition temperature may be optimised
W
Partition
W Total work
temperature
5 6

4 3

W
Lower cycle

Upper cycle
1 2
Evaporator
Optimum TP TP
L11 – 9 Distillation System Design 2015
 Exercise: Partition temperature
• To meet a process cooling duty of 1 MW, a refrigeration
system evaporator temperature of –90°C (183 K) is required.
• The refrigerant can be condensed at a temperature of 30°C
(303 K).
o Let the minimum temperature approach in the heat exchanger be 5°C
• Apply the simple model for a single cycle.
• Apply the simple model to two cascaded refrigeration cycles.

1. Calculate the shaft work required by a single cycle.

2. Calculate the shaft work required in each cascaded cycle
using the simple model.
3. Identify the partition temperature which minimises the total
shaft work of the cascaded system
4. Compare the performance of the single and cascaded cycles
L11 – 10 Distillation System Design 2015
 Exercise: Simple cycle

Qcond Tcond
Qevap = 1 MW
Tevap = 183 K
W
Tcond = 303 K

Qevap Tevap

Qevap Tcond  Tevap

W 
Qevap = evaporation duty  Tevap
Qcond = condenser duty
Tevap = evaporation temperature 1 303  183

Tcond = condenser temperature 0.6 183
 1.09 MW

L11 – 11 Distillation System Design 2015

 Exercise: Cascaded cycles
Qcond,2 Tcond,2
Qevap Tcond  Tevap
W 
 Tevap
W2

Qevap,2 Tpart
Qevap, 1 = 1 MW
Qcond,1 Tcond,1
Tevap, 1 = 183 K
W1
Tcond, 2 = 303 K
Tcond, 1 = Tpart + 5 K
Qevap,1 Tevap,1

Qevap = evaporation duty

Qcond = condenser duty
Tevap = evaporation temperature
Tcond = condenser temperature
Tpart = evaporation temperature in upper cycle
L11 – 12 Distillation System Design 2015
 Exercise: Solution
Qevap Tcond  Tevap
W 
 Tevap
Tpart Tcond,1 W1 Qcond,1 W2 W1 + W2
= Qevap,2
K K MW MW MW MW
200 205 0.20 1.20 1.03 1.23

220 225 0.38 1.38 0.87 1.25

240 245 0.56 1.56 0.68 1.25

260 265 0.75 1.75 0.48 1.23

Qevap,1 Tcond,1  Tevap,1 1 200  5  183

W1    0.20 MW
 Tevap,1 0.6 183

Qevap,1  W Tcond,2  Tevap,2  1.20 303  200

W2    1.03 MW
 Tevap,2 0.6 200

L11 – 13 Distillation System Design 2015

 Exercise: Solution

• In this case, with this simple model, total shaft work requirement does not
depend significantly on partition temperature
• Note that the simple cycle requires less shaft work than the cascaded cycles
– the T at the partition increases the amount of compression needed
L11 – 14 Distillation System Design 2015
 Example: Cascade system for liquefied
natural gas (LNG)

• Methane
o cools natural gas to
lowest temperature
o rejects heat to propane
and ethylene
Propane Ethylene Methane • Ethylene
o cools the natural gas
o rejects heat to propane
• Propane
Natural o cools the natural gas
Gas
o rejects heat to ambient
LNG to
Storage

L11 – 15 Distillation System Design 2015

 2 Multistage compression
P
6 Condenser

Expansion 5 6
Condenser 5
Valve 4
Inter-cooler
Vapour
Cooling
3 4 3

1 2
Evaporator
W
1
Evaporator 2
H
• High pressure ratio – may need several compression stages
• Intercooler: Reduces the inlet temperature to the next
compression stage
o Lower temperature reduces shaft work
• Note high vapour fraction entering the evaporator
L11 – 16 Distillation System Design 2015
 Multi-stage compression with phase
separation (economiser)
P

Condenser Condenser
6 6 5
5
Expansion
9 4
Valve
Inter-cooler
Economiser 7 9 Vapour cooling
7 8
(Separator) 4 3
Expansion 8 3
Valve
1 2
Evaporator
W 1 Evaporator 2

• Reduce the amount of vapour passing through the evaporator

• Economiser: Reduces the flow of refrigerant that reaches the
lower pressure level.
L11 – 17 Distillation System Design 2015
 Multi-stage compression and
expansion with an economiser (cont’d)
Condenser
6
5
Expansion
9 4
Valve
Inter-cooler
Economiser
7
(Separator)
Expansion 8 3
Valve
1 2
Evaporator
W

• Expansion carried out in two stages

• Vapour from economiser passes to high-pressure compressor
• Economiser reduces vapour flow in low-pressure compressor

L11 – 18 Distillation System Design 2015

 Multi-stage compression with phase
separation (presaturator)
Vapour
P Condenser
Vapour cooling cooling
Condenser 6
(Desuperheating) 5
6
5
Expansion 4
Valve
7 4
8 3
7 Presaturator
3 3
Expansion 8
Valve
1 2
Evaporator 1 Evaporator
W 2

H
• Presaturator: Vapour leaving lower-stage compressor is cooled
by direct contact
• Desuperheater: High pressure refrigerant vapour may be cooled
down by a warmer heat sink before entering the condenser.
L11 – 19 Distillation System Design 2015
 Multi-stage compression and expansion
with a presaturator
Condenser Vapour Cooling
6
5
Expansion 4
Valve
Presaturator
7 (Vapour Cooler) 3

Expansion 8
Valve
1 2
Evaporator
W
• In presaturator, vapour from low-pressure compressor is
cooled by direct contact
• Expansion is carried out in two stages
• Therefore some material bypasses the low-pressure compressor,
reducing its power demand (compared to without a pre-saturator)

L11 – 20 Distillation System Design 2015

 Multi-stage compression and expansion
with a pre-saturator
Economiser Presaturator
Condenser
Condenser
6 6
5 5
Expansion
9 4 Expansion 4
Valve
Inter-cooler Valve
Economiser
7 7 Presaturator 3
(Separator)
Expansion 8 3
Expansion 8
Valve Valve
1 2
1 2
Evaporator
W Evaporator
W

• Compared to an economiser, a presaturator reduces the temperature of

the inlet to higher-pressure compressor (Stream 4)
o The lower temperature of Stream 4 reduces the power requirement of the
high-pressure compressor per unit flow of refrigerant
o However, the liquid entering the low-pressure expansion valve (Stream 8) is
warmer with a pre-saturator, which increases the vapour fraction in Stream 1,
and increases the refrigerant flow rate to the lower-pressure compressor.
L11 – 21 Distillation System Design 2015
 3 Multi-level cycles
P
3
4 Condenser
4 3

Expansion Compressor
Valve
(Throttle)
1 2
Evaporator
1 2

• If temperature difference is large, then power demand is high

o vapour fraction entering evaporator is high
o high compression ratio
• What if some of the cooling could be provided at a more
moderate (warmer) temperature?
L11 – 22 Distillation System Design 2015
 Multi-level cycles
6 Condenser P
5
Expansion 4 5
6
Valve
7
Separator
Level 1 Level 1 4
12 8 3
7
8 3
Expansion Level 2
Valve 1 2
Level 2 W

1 2 H

• Level 1 and Level 2 provide process cooling at different

temperatures
• Using two levels reduces flow rate of refrigerant through low-
pressure compressor (reducing overall power requirement)
L11 – 23 Distillation System Design 2015
 Heat rejection at multiple levels
Level 1 Condenser P
6 5
Level 1 5
6
Expansion W
valve
7 Level 2 Condenser mix Level 2
4 7 3
mix 3 4

Expansion W
valve 1
Evaporator Evaporation 2

1 2
H

• Refrigerant condensing at cooler temperature (Level 2) reduces

power demand and creates a potentially useful heat sink
• Using two levels reduces flow rate of refrigerant through low-
pressure compressor (reducing overall power requirement)
L11 – 24 Distillation System Design 2015
 Vapour–liquid heat exchanger
P
b Condenser

a
c W c a
b
heat exchange
f
e
e d f
d Evaporator

h
• Sub-cooling refrigerant increases liquid fraction entering
evaporator
o decreases refrigerant flow rate …
o but increase power requirement (per mole of refrigerant)
• Warmer feed to compressor may allow cheaper material of
construction
L11 – 25 Distillation System Design 2015
 Vapour-liquid heat exchange –
may be within cycle or between cycles
e.g. Cascaded refrigeration cycle

W
Intercycle

Intracycle

L11 – 26 Distillation System Design 2015

 5 Complex cycle configurations
Complex features may be combined
Condenser

Presaturator
Multilevel with
presaturator and
Economiser economiser

Level 1
Level 2 W

Presaturator
Single level with
presaturator

Level 1
L11 – 27
W
Distillation System Design 2015
 Cascade cycle with multi-stage
compression and expansion
Condenser P
10
10 9
9
Expansion 8
Valve
11
Pre-saturator 12 7
11 8

Expansion 12 7
5 6
Valve
4 3
4 3
W 5 6

Expansion
Valve
W 1 2
1 2
Evaporator
H

L11 – 28 Distillation System Design 2015

 Two-level cascade system with pre-saturators
(only one of the many possible arrangements)
Condenser P

Expansion Condenser
Valve
Pre-saturator 1

Expansion
Pre-saturator 1
Valve Separator

Expansion Level 1 Level 1

W
Valve
Cascade Condenser

Expansion Cascade Evaporator

Valve
Pre-saturator 2 Pre-saturator 2

W
Expansion Level 2
Valve

Level 2
L11 – 29 Distillation System Design 2015 H
 Many configurations…
Simple cycle
Subcooling

Presaturator

Rejection to
Multilevel process

L11 – 30 Distillation System Design 2015

 More configurations…

Desuperheating
Multilevel cycle
/ Subcooling

Intercooling

Presaturator Rejection to
process
L11 – 31 Distillation System Design 2015
 Configurations for cascaded systems
(for very low temperatures)
Economiser

Intercooler

Presaturator

Desuperheater
/ Subcooling

V-L heat exchanger

Multilevel

Rejection to process
..... and the partition temperature is a degree of freedom
L11 – 32 Distillation System Design 2015
 Summary

• Simple compression cycles can be used down to

temperatures of around –40°C.
o Lower temperatures require complex cycles.
• Cascaded systems are used for large temperature ranges
where a single refrigerant is not suitable
• Compression work increases with vapour flow
o Phase separation reduces amount of vapour requiring compression
o Economisers and pre-saturators with multi-stage expansion and
compression can reduce flow to the low-pressure compressor
• Many design options – a challenge and opportunity for
process design

L11 – 33 Distillation System Design 2015