Lecture # 6 REFRIGERATION AND AIR

CONDITIONING

Dr. Muzaffar Ali

Components of Vapor Compression System

 Basic Components are:

 Compressor

 Condenser

 Evaporator

 Expansion device

A household refrigerator
Components of Vapor Compression System

Condensers
 Analysis of Heat Exchangers Ta
ho
Heat flow out from a condenser tube (or to
Q Tos
evaporator tube), in the simplest possible k Tis
case, may be simulated as shown and its hi Tref
value would be calculated as :

Q = U oa Anet ∆T
Where :

• For heat flow out (condenser)

∆T =(Ta – Tos)+(Tos – Tis) + ( Tis – Tref) = (Ta-Tref ) or (Ta – Ti)
• The overall conductance ( U ) for this assembly is contributed by hi , k and ho, that is,
contributions from three processes ;2 convection and one conduction
• Convective parts of U; (ho and hi ) would be established using Nusselt number definition (Nu
= hD/k) and imperial relation for turbulent flow Nu = C Ren Prm
• Conductive part of U; (k) would depend on the material used for condenser tubes (usually
copper)
The assembly shown here, is a simple case, in reality, the tube will have attached plates or fins
or combination of both or similar other arrangements. Thus the evaluation of U would be
calculated as per actual model, including the knowledge of heat transfer from fins
 Analysis of Heat Exchangers
ho
Q = U oa Anet ∆T ⇒
Q
= (Ti − To ) k
1 1 1
U oa Anet
1 hi
⇒ = + +
U oa Anet hi Ai kAm ho Ao

• Values of ho and hi are calculated using imperial relation; for turb. pipe flow Nu = 0.023
ρVD µC p
Re0.8 Pr0.4 where Re = and Pr = and properties are take at
µ k
Mean Bulk Temperature or LMTD

• For establishing Pressure drop in Heat exchangers (condenser & evaporators), following
are established and then are summed up to get total ∆P:
: ∆P = f l ρV and f = φ  Re D , ε  ; “f “ from Moody
2
• For straight piped
D 2  D
Diagram 1
∆p = K L ρV 2

2
• Minor losses like :
Note that total ∆P calculated is proportional to V2 hence proportional to flow rate.
• Once ∆P for a designed heat exchanger at a known flow rate is established, the ∆P for
other flow rates (or different flow rates) can be calculated for this heat exchanger by an
empirical correlation as:
2
 o 
.  mdesign 
∆pdesign = ∆pc  o 
 m 
 c 
 Condenser: Types
The main types of condensers used in general refrigeration systems are:
• Air Cooled
• Water cooled
• Air-water evaporative
• Earth cooled
(air-cooled)

(water-cooled)
In another configuration,
Water can made to flow
inside of tube and refrigerant
(Air-Water evaporative) in shell; see Ex 12-3
Condenser H.Ex. : Change of Temperature
 Condenser: Types
The construction of each type is different as per its application
 Condenser: Types
Few Industrial and Commercial refrigeration applications
 Condenser Types: Air-cooled
To provide a comparison, some of the characteristics of each
are enumerated:
Air-cooled condenser:
• Usually lowest cost of the three, and least maintenance cost
as well, because no water circulates or evaporates.
Example: condenser of the domestic refrigerator. Above this size, the flow of air over
the condenser surface will be by forced convection, i.e. fans.
• Extended surfaces usage become essential for Ao/Ai = 5 – 10, to ensure adequate
heat transfer.
• Inlet at the top and outlet at the bottom (gravity-assisted flow).
• The flow of air may be vertically upwards or horizontal.
• Where a single fan would be too big, multiple smaller fans give the advantages of
lower tip speed and noise, and flexibility of operation in winter.
• The low specific heat capacity and high specific volume of air implies a large volume
to remove the condenser heat.
• In practice, the temperature rise of the air is kept between 9 and 12 K.
• Materials of construction are aluminium fins on stainless steel tube for ammonia, or
aluminium or copper fins on aluminium or copper tube for the halocarbons.
• Used in desert areas where the supply of cooling water is unreliable.
 Condenser Types: Water-cooled
Water-cooled condenser with cooling tower:
• Lower condensing temperature than with an air-cooled condenser, because the
wet-bulb rather than the dry-bulb temperature of the air is the sink toward
which the condensing temperature drives.
• The higher heat capacity and lower specific volume of water make it an ideal
medium for condenser cooling over smaller area
• General form is shell-and-tube having the water in the tubes.

• Materials can be selected for the application and refrigerant, but all mild steel
is common for fresh water, with cupronickel or aluminium brass tubes for salt
water.
• Some condensers have two separate water circuits (double bundle), using the
warmed water from one circuit as reclaimed heat in another part of the system.
• The supply of water is usually limited and requires the use of a cooling tower.
Optional sources may include ground water or industrial water.
 Condenser Types: Evaporative
Evaporative condenser:
• Compact and provides lower condensing temperatures than the air-cooled
condenser as well as the water-cooled condenser/cooling tower combination
• The mass flow of water over the condenser tubes must be enough to ensure
wetting of the tube surface, and will be of the order of 80–160 times the
quantity evaporated
• Evaporative condensers have a higher resistance to air flow than cooling
towers
• Evaporative condensers may freeze in winter. A common arrangement is to
switch off the fan(s) with a thermostat, to prevent the formation of ice. The
water-collection tank will have an immersion heater or the tank may be located
inside the building under the tower structure
• Materials of construction must be corrosion resistant
• The atmospheric condenser is a simplified form of evaporative condenser,
having plain tubes over a collecting tank and relying only on natural air
draught. This will be located on an open roof or large open space to ensure a
good flow of air. Space required is of the order of 0.2 m2/kW
 Condenser : Basic Analysis
The heat-rejection ratio (HRR) is defined as the ratio of the rate of heat rejected at the
condenser to that absorbed at the evaporator
rate of heat rejected at condenser
HRR =
rate of heat absorbed at evaporator
refrigeration capacity + compressor power
. =
refrigeration capacity

• Ignoring small heat gains and losses,

Condenser load = Evaporator load + Compressor
power
• Condenser rating is stated as the rate of heat rejection and is
always higher than the Evaporator load (or Ref. Capacity;
KW or Ton in BU) by a “Factor” >1. Manufacturers give
ratings in terms of the evaporator load (KW or Ton of
refrigeration)
Condenser load = Evaporator load × factor
= Ref. Rate (in KW) x factor
• Knowing the Q, desired ∆T and overall Conductance (U), one
can estimable the design area of a Condenser ; A = Q/ (U
∆T)
Condenser Load on p-h Diagram
 Example : Condenser Load and mass flow rate

A small water-cooled condenser uses mains water at 13 oC and heats

this to 24 oC before it goes waste. The evaporator duty is 4.2 KW and
motor output is 1 KW. What is the Condenser Load and water flow
rate?

Solution
Condenser Load = Evaporator Load + Compressor load
= 4.2 KW + 1.7 KW = 5.9 KW
Condenser load (q) = (mass flow rate) (Cp) ∆t : Cp = 4.187 KJ/kg.oK
Mass flow = q/(∆TxCp)
= 5.9/[(24-13)x4.187]
= 0.13 Kg/sec
 Condenser (Water Cooled): Basic Design
• Knowing the Q, desired ∆T and overall Conductance (U), one can estimable the
design area of a Condenser ; A = Q/ (U ∆T)
• However, for a new design, U is to established for a suggested configuration to
achieve desired heat transfer rate (q). The eqn for q in this case would be :
   
   
q = UA(LMTD ) = UA c i
(t − t ) − (t c − t )
o 
= UA
t o − ti 
  t c − ti     t − t 
 ln    ln c i  
  tc − to     tc − to  
• Where to and ti are outlet and inlet temperatures of cooling media (water) and
tc is the refrigerant temperature

Actual Temperature Profile

Idealized Temperature Profile to get LMTD
 Condenser : Basic Design
• UA is calculated using eqns. of heat exchangers ⇒ 1 =
1
+
1
+
1
U oa Anet hi Ai kAm ho Ao
• And modifying it for Fouling Factor, that is 1 Ao xAo Ao 1
= + + +
Uo hi Ai kAm h ff Ai ho
where 1/hff is fouling factor (m2 0K/W) which takes care of water impurities
depositing on tube walls through its service life and reducing U compared with new
condenser
• hi and ho are calculated using empirical relations for tubes and straight wall
1
 gρ 2 h fg k3 4
For flow over a flat vertical cold plateh:ff = hct ≅ 0.943 

 µ∆tL  1
 gρ h fg k  4
2 3
For flow over tubes, mean condensation coefficient h; ff = hct = C  
 µ∆tND 
 
where C is used by various researcher as 0.64 to 0.725. We will use the widely
used value as C = 0.725 and ∆t temp. difference in vapour to plate/tube
Condenser : Performance Charts
Components of vapor compression system

Evaporators
 Types of Evaporators
The purpose of the evaporator is to cool area / products of interest. It is done by
receiving low-pressure, low temperature refrigerant from the source and evaporate it to
gas by bringing it in close thermal contact with the load. The refrigerant takes up its
latent heat from the load and leaves the evaporator as a dry gas
Evaporators types are very large and are classified according to Cooling Mode,
Refrigeration Process, types of construction, type of control and application etc. etc.
• Cooling Mode
 Air cooled
 Liquid Cooling
• Refrigeration Process
 Direct Expansion
(Cooling is done by boiling of Refrigerant)
 Dry Expansion
 Flooded evaporator
 Liquid recirculation
 Indirect System (Secondary refrigeration systems)
• Types of Construction
 Bare Tube
 Plate surface
 Finned
 Cooling Mode : Air Cooled Evaporators
Air Cooled
• These uses the air coil assembly for
refrigerant flowing through the tubes and
air passes over the outside of the tubes
• Natural convection or forced convections
methods are used for cooling air
• For increasing the heat transfer rate, fins
are frequently used and are fastened to
the outside of the tubes and the air flows
between the fins.
 Air Cooling Evaporators
• Air cooling evaporators for cold-rooms, air-conditioning, etc., will have finned
pipe coils.
• In all but very small coolers, there will be fans to blow the air over the coil.
• Construction materials will be the same as for air-cooled condensers.
Aluminium fins on copper tube are the most common for the halocarbons, with
stainless steel or aluminium tube for ammonia.
• Frost or condensed water will form on the fin surface and must be drained
away. To permit this, fins will be vertical and the air flow horizontal, with a drain
tray provided under.
• The size of the tube will be such that the velocity of the boiling fluid within it will
cause turbulence to promote heat transfer.
• Typical Tube diameters vary from 9 mm to 32 mm, according to the size of coil.
• Fin spacing depends on factors like compactness and cost and will vary from 2-
12 mm.
• The number of air-cooling coils in operation in industrial refrigeration plants far
exceeds the number of liquid-chilling evaporators installed.
 Cooling Mode : Liquid Cooling Evaporators
Liquid Cooling
• Like Air cooled, the liquid-chilling evaporators
also have different type of construction, like
shell-and tube design, plate-type chiller.
• The refrigerant boils in the shell (or tubes)
while the cooling liquid flows through the tubes
(or shell) for the heat exchange.
 Liquid Cooling Evaporators
Mostly in shell-and-tube or shell-and-coil evaporators.
• In the shell-and-tube type, the liquid is usually in the pipes and the shell is some three-
quarters full of the liquid, boiling refrigerant. A number of tubes is omitted at the top of the
shell to give space for the suction gas to escape clear of the surface without entraining liquid
• Further features such as multiple outlet headers, suction trap domes and baffles will help to
avoid liquid droplets entering the main suction pipe
• Gas velocities are generally less than 3 m/s. In most of the cases, the speed of the liquid
within the tubes is of the order of 1 m/s, to promote internal turbulence and longer time for
adequate heat transfer.
 Liquid Cooling Evaporators
• Evaporators of this general type with dry expansion circuits will have the refrigerant
within the tubes, in order to maintain a suitable continuous velocity for oil transport,
and the liquid in the shell
• These can be made as shell-and-tube, with the refrigerant constrained to a number of
passes, or may be shell-and-coil (see Figure)
• In both these configurations, baffles are needed on the water side to improve the
turbulence, and the tubes may be finned on the outside.

• Liquid cooling evaporators may comprise a pipe coil in an open tank, and can have
flooded or dry expansion circuitry. Flooded coils will be connected to a combined
liquid accumulator and suction separator (usually termed the surge drum), in the form
of a horizontal or vertical drum
 Type by Refrigeration Process : Evaporators
A variety of processes are being used for evaporators and are categorized two main heads:
 Direct Expansion ; Dry Expansion, Flooded evaporator, Liquid recirculation
 Indirect Expansion
Type by Refrigeration Process / Contd.
 Evaporators : Types of Construction
Types of Construction
 Bare Tube
 Plate surface
 Finned

30
 Bare Tube Evaporators
• Bare Tube are generally constructed from Copper tubing or Steel Pipes.
• Steel pipes are used for large evaporators using Ammonia
• Copper tubing are for smaller evaporator and may use any refrigerant
• Bare Tube Coils are available in various sizes, shapes and designs and can be
custom made for specific applications
• Common Shapes of coils are flat zigzag and oval trombone
• Spiral coils are often employed for liquid chilling
• These employ natural or forced convection and are used Frozen Storage Rooms
and Storage Cooler
 Evaporators : Types of Construction
Types of Construction
 Bare Tube
 Plate surface
 Finned
 Plate Surface Evaporators
• Plate evaporators are formed by cladding a tubular coil with sheet metal, welding
together two embossed plates, or from aluminium extrusions.
• The extended flat face may be used for air cooling, for liquid cooling if immersed in a
tank.
• The major use for flat plate evaporators is to cool a solid product by conduction, the
product being in packages and held close between a pair of adjacent plates.
• Has horizontal and vertical types.
• Some of its popularity is attributable to its compactness.
 Evaporators : Types of Construction
Types of Construction
 Bare Tube
 Plate surface
 Finned
 Finned Evaporators
• These are constructed by installing high conductivity metal plates as fins, on bare-
tube coil as shown in fig.
• Fins provides additional heat transfer area to increase overall conductance (UA), thus
improving the efficiency of cooling air or any other gas
• Fins size and shape depends on type of application. The fin spacing generally vary
from 1 to 14 fins per inch and depends on operating temperature of the coil
• Frost accumulation is an area of concern for air – cooling coils operating at low
temperature and must be avoided to ensure proper efficiency of evaporators
 Defrosting
• Air cooling evaporators working below 0°C will accumulate frost which must be
removed periodically, since it will obstruct heat transfer.

• Evaporators of suitable and robust construction can be defrosted by brushing,

scraping or chipping, but these methods are labour-intensive and may lead to
damage of the plant.

• Where the surrounding air is always at + 4°C or higher, it will be sufficient to stop the
refrigerant for a period and allow the frost to melt off.

• For lower temperatures (< 4°C), heat must be applied to melt the frost within a
reasonable time and ensure that it drains away. Methods include electric resistance
heaters, hot gas and reverse cycling.
 Analysis of Evaporator
• Analysis of evaporator is similar to as of condenser, except the heat direction and
boiling of refrigerant during evaporation process
• Heat flow from the cooling media to refrigerant , is expressed as :
q = UA ∆T    
   
q = UA(LMTD ) = UA
( ) (
 ti − t ref − to − t ref )

= UA
 ti − to 
  ti − t ref  

 
 ln ti − t ref  
ln  
  to − t ref     to − tref 
      
Ta Qe
ho Qc
1 Ai xAi 1
= + +
Uo h f Ao kAm hr ( boiling ) Tos
k Tis
hi Tref

• Boiling coefficient ( hr ) changes very rapidly as Ref. evaporates

• Estimation of hr value is done by various existing correlations
 Analysis of Evaporator
• Boiling coefficient ( hr ) changes very rapidly as Ref. evaporates
• Estimation of hr value is done by various existing correlations depending on configuration of
evaporator for Refrigerant Flow arrangements
 Boiling outside tubes (e.g. refrigerant in shells)
(Based on work for pool boiling of water ) ;
 Boiling inside tubes ; note the units oh hr q
hr = = C ∆T 2 to 3
 hr increase as ref. evaporates A ∆T
 hr is higher for higher evaporation temperature (see constant temp. lines)
 Overall System Design Optimization
The performance of Condenser and Evaporator is strongly dependent, thus
matching / optimization of design is done by superimposing the performance
charts of both, e.g the Fig. below
 Thanks
Any Questions…???