Refrigeration and air conditioning

Air conditioning

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• INTRODUCTION to Air conditioning
• Definition -Air conditioning is the process of altering the properties of air
(primarily temperature and humidity) for the human comfort or to meet the
industrial air requirements, irrespective of the external climatic conditions
• TYPES OF AIR-CONDITIONING
• 1) Window air-conditioning system
• 2) Split air-conditioning system
• 3) Centralised air-conditioning system
• 4) Package air-conditioning system
• 5) Summer winter or year round air conditioning
1) Windows Air-conditioning
System
2) commonly used and cheapest
3) Needs just a slot in the wall and
some open space behind the
wall
4) Reliable, simple-to-install ,
avoids costly construction of a
central air system
• 2) Split Air-Conditioning System
• Two parts: the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.
• The outdoor unit, fitted outside the room, houses components like the
compressor, condenser and expansion valve
• The indoor unit comprises the evaporator or cooling coil and the cooling fan.
No need to make any slot in the wall of the room
• Split units have aesthetic looks and add to the beauty of the room
• Can be used to cool one or two rooms
• 3) Centralised Air-Conditioning System
• The central air conditioning plants or the systems are used when large
buildings, hotels, theaters, airports, shopping malls etc. are to be air
conditioned completely.
• The window and split air conditioners are used for single rooms or small
office spaces.
• If the whole building is to be cooled it is not economically viable to put
window or split air conditioner in each and every room.
• Further, these small units cannot satisfactorily cool the large halls,
auditoriums, receptions areas etc.
• 4) Packaged Air-Conditioning System
• The window and split air conditioners are usually used for the small air
conditioning capacities up to 5 tons
• The central air conditioning systems are used for where the cooling loads extend
beyond 20 tons.
• The packaged air conditioners are used for the cooling capacities in between
these two extremes.
• The packaged air conditioners are available in the fixed rated capacities of 3,5, 7,
10 and 15 tons.
• These units are used commonly in places like restaurants, telephone exchanges,
homes, small halls, etc.
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ATE July -Dec 2020, Div C and Dic D
ATE July -Dec
Psychrometry:
Atmospheric air: mixture of dry air, pollutants and water vapour
Concentration of water vapour and pollutants decrease with altitude Above an
altitude of about 10 km, it consists of only dry air
The mixture is known as moist air
composition of dry air is constant, the amount of water vapour present in the air
may vary from zero to a maximum depending upon the temperature and
pressure of the mixture
A standard composition of dry air by the International Joint Committee on
Psychrometric data is given below
Important psychrometric properties:
• Dry bulb temperature (DBT) is the temperature of the moist air as
measured by a standard thermometer or other temperature
measuring instruments
• Saturated vapour pressure (psat): It is saturated partial pressure of
water vapour at the dry bulb temperature. This is readily available
in thermodynamic tables and charts.
• Relative humidity ( Φ ): It is the ratio of the mole fraction of water
vapour in moist air to mole fraction of water vapour in saturated
air at the same temperature and pressure.
• Expressed as %. When Φ is 100 %, the air is saturated.
Dew-point temperature: If unsaturated moist air is cooled at constant pressure,
then the temperature at which the moisture in the air begins to condense is
known as dew-point temperature (DPT) of air. n approximate equation for dew-
point temperature is given by: oC

where Φ is the relative humidity (in fraction). DBT & DPT are in oC.
Dew point temperature is the saturation temperature corresponding to the
vapour pressure of water vapour
Degree of saturation μ: The degree of saturation is the ratio of the humidity
ratio W to the humidity ratio of a saturated mixture Ws at the same
temperature and pressure
Enthalpy of moist air (h):
Sum of the enthalpy of the dry air and the enthalpy of the water vapour
Reference values:
The enthalpy of dry air = 0, at 0oC
The enthalpy of saturated water= 0, at 0oC.

where cp = specific heat of dry air at constant pressure, kJ/kg K

cpw = specific heat of water vapor, kJ/kg K
t = Dry-bulb temperature of air-vapor mixture, oC
W = Humidity ratio, kg of water vapor/kg of dry air
ha = enthalpy of dry air at temperature t, kJ/kg
hg = enthalpy of water vapor at temperature t, kJ/kg
hfg = latent heat of vaporization at 0oC, kJ/kg
 Substituting the approximate values of cp and hg

Humid specific heat: From the equation for enthalpy of moist air, the
humid specific heat of moist air can be written as:

where cpm = humid specific heat, kJ/kg K

cp = specific heat of dry air, kJ/kg K
cpw = specific heat of water vapor, kJ/kg
W = humidity ratio, kg of water vapor/kg of dry air
Since the second term in the above equation (w.cpw) is very small compared
to the first term, for all practical purposes, the humid specific heat of moist air,
cpm can be taken as 1.0216 kJ/kg dry air.K