Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach

Yunus A. Cengel, Michael A. Boles

McGraw-Hill

Chapter 11
REFRIGERATION CYCLES

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
Objectives
• Introduce the concepts of refrigerators and heat pumps
and the measure of their performance.
• Analyze the ideal vapor-compression refrigeration cycle.
• Analyze the actual vapor-compression refrigeration cycle.
• Review the factors involved in selecting the right
refrigerant for an application.
• Discuss the operation of refrigeration and heat pump
systems.
• Evaluate the performance of innovative vapor-
compression refrigeration systems.
• Analyze gas refrigeration systems.
• Introduce the concepts of absorption-refrigeration
systems.
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 REFRIGERATORS
AND HEAT PUMPS
The transfer of heat from a low-temperature
region to a high-temperature one requires
special devices called refrigerators.
Refrigerators and heat pumps are essentially
the same devices; they differ in their
objectives only.

for fixed values of QL and QH

The objective of a refrigerator is to remove heat

(QL) from the cold medium; the objective of a heat
pump is to supply heat (QH) to a warm medium.
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The reversed Carnot cycle is the most efficient
refrigeration cycle operating between TL and TH.
THE REVERSED
However, it is not a suitable model for refrigeration CARNOT CYCLE
cycles since processes 2-3 and 4-1 are not practical
because
Process 2-3 involves the compression of a liquid–vapor
mixture, which requires a compressor that will handle
two phases, and process 4-1 involves the expansion of
high-moisture-content refrigerant in a turbine.
Both COPs increase
as the difference
between the two
temperatures
decreases, that is, as
TL rises or TH falls.

Schematic of a
Carnot refrigerator
and T-s diagram
of the reversed
Carnot cycle. 4
THE IDEAL VAPOR-COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION CYCLE
The vapor-compression refrigeration cycle is the ideal model for refrigeration
systems. Unlike the reversed Carnot cycle, the refrigerant is vaporized completely
before it is compressed and the turbine is replaced with a throttling device.

This is the
most widely
used cycle for
refrigerators,
A-C systems,
and heat
pumps.

Schematic and T-s diagram for the ideal

vapor-compression refrigeration cycle. 5
The ideal vapor-compression refrigeration cycle involves an irreversible (throttling)
process to make it a more realistic model for the actual systems.
Replacing the expansion valve by a turbine is not practical since the added
benefits cannot justify the added cost and complexity.
Steady-flow
energy balance

An ordinary
household
refrigerator.
The P-h diagram of an ideal vapor-
compression refrigeration cycle.
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ACTUAL VAPOR-COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION CYCLE
An actual vapor-compression refrigeration cycle differs from the ideal one in
several ways, owing mostly to the irreversibilities that occur in various
components, mainly due to fluid friction (causes pressure drops) and heat transfer
to or from the surroundings. The COP decreases as a result of irreversibilities.
DIFFERENCES
Non-isentropic
compression
Superheated vapor
at evaporator exit
Subcooled liquid at
condenser exit
Pressure drops in
condenser and
evaporator

Schematic and T-s diagram for the actual

vapor-compression refrigeration cycle. 8
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10
 SELECTING THE RIGHT REFRIGERANT
• Several refrigerants may be used in refrigeration systems such as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), ammonia, hydrocarbons (propane, ethane, ethylene,
etc.), carbon dioxide, air (in the air-conditioning of aircraft), and even water (in
applications above the freezing point).
• R-11, R-12, R-22, R-134a, and R-502 account for over 90 percent of the market.
• The industrial and heavy-commercial sectors use ammonia (it is toxic).
• R-11 is used in large-capacity water chillers serving A-C systems in buildings.
• R-134a (replaced R-12, which damages ozone layer) is used in domestic
refrigerators and freezers, as well as automotive air conditioners.
• R-22 is used in window air conditioners, heat pumps, air conditioners of commercial
buildings, and large industrial refrigeration systems, and offers strong competition
to ammonia.
• R-502 (a blend of R-115 and R-22) is the dominant refrigerant used in commercial
refrigeration systems such as those in supermarkets.
• CFCs allow more ultraviolet radiation into the earth’s atmosphere by destroying the
protective ozone layer and thus contributing to the greenhouse effect that causes
global warming. Fully halogenated CFCs (such as R-11, R-12, and R-115) do the
most damage to the ozone layer. Refrigerants that are friendly to the ozone layer
have been developed.
• Two important parameters that need to be considered in the selection of a
refrigerant are the temperatures of the two media (the refrigerated space and the
environment) with which the refrigerant exchanges heat. 11
 INNOVATIVE VAPOR-COMPRESSION
REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS
• The simple vapor-compression refrigeration cycle is the most widely
used refrigeration cycle, and it is adequate for most refrigeration
applications.
• The ordinary vapor-compression refrigeration systems are simple,
inexpensive, reliable, and practically maintenance-free.
• However, for large industrial applications efficiency, not simplicity, is
the major concern.
• Also, for some applications the simple vapor-compression
refrigeration cycle is inadequate and needs to be modified.
• For moderately and very low temperature applications some
innovative refrigeration systems are used. The following cycles will be
discussed:
• Cascade refrigeration systems
• Multistage compression refrigeration systems
• Multipurpose refrigeration systems with a single compressor
• Liquefaction of gases
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Cascade Refrigeration Systems
Some industrial applications require moderately low temperatures, and the
temperature range they involve may be too large for a single vapor-compression
refrigeration cycle to be practical. The solution is cascading.

Cascading
improves the
COP of a
refrigeration
system.
Some systems
use three or
four stages of
cascading.

A two-stage cascade refrigeration system

with the same refrigerant in both stages. 13
14
15
Multistage When the fluid used throughout the cascade
Compression refrigeration system is the same, the heat
Refrigeration Systems exchanger between the stages can be replaced
by a mixing chamber (called a flash chamber)
since it has better heat transfer characteristics.

A two-stage compression refrigeration

system with a flash chamber.
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Multipurpose Refrigeration Systems with a Single
Compressor
Some applications require refrigeration at more than one temperature. A
practical and economical approach is to route all the exit streams from the
evaporators to a single compressor and let it handle the compression process
for the entire system.

Schematic and T-s diagram for a refrigerator–freezer unit with one compressor.
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GAS REFRIGERATION CYCLES
The reversed Brayton cycle (the gas
refrigeration cycle) can be used for
refrigeration.

Simple gas refrigeration cycle.

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The gas refrigeration cycles have
lower COPs relative to the vapor-
compression refrigeration cycles or
the reversed Carnot cycle.
The reversed Carnot cycle
consumes a fraction of the net work
(area 1A3B) but produces a greater
amount of refrigeration (triangular
area under B1).

An open-cycle aircraft cooling system.

Despite their relatively low COPs, the gas

refrigeration cycles involve simple, lighter
components, which make them suitable
for aircraft cooling, and they can
incorporate regeneration

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 ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS
When there is a
source of
inexpensive thermal
energy at a
temperature of 100 to
200°C is absorption
refrigeration.
Some examples
include geothermal
energy, solar energy,
and waste heat from
cogeneration or
process steam
plants, and even
natural gas when it is
at a relatively low
price.

Ammonia absorption refrigeration cycle.

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• Absorption refrigeration systems (ARS) involve the absorption of a
refrigerant by a transport medium.
• The most widely used system is the ammonia–water system, where
ammonia (NH3) serves as the refrigerant and water (H2O) as the transport
medium.
• Other systems include water–lithium bromide and water–lithium chloride
systems, where water serves as the refrigerant. These systems are limited
to applications such as A-C where the minimum temperature is above the
freezing point of water.
• Compared with vapor-compression systems, ARS have one major
advantage: A liquid is compressed instead of a vapor and as a result the
work input is very small (on the order of one percent of the heat supplied to
the generator) and often neglected in the cycle analysis.
• ARS are often classified as heat-driven systems.
• ARS are much more expensive than the vapor-compression refrigeration
systems. They are more complex and occupy more space, they are much
less efficient thus requiring much larger cooling towers to reject the waste
heat, and they are more difficult to service since they are less common.
• Therefore, ARS should be considered only when the unit cost of thermal
energy is low and is projected to remain low relative to electricity.
• ARS are primarily used in large commercial and industrial installations.
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Home work

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