p-H Diagrams

The pressure enthalpy (p-H) diagram is a useful way to show changes in system
pressure and energy changes.

The refrigerant exists as a mixture of vapour and liquid under the Saturated Liquid
and Saturated Vapour line.
To the left of the Saturated Liquid line the refrigerant exists as a liquid.
To the right of the Saturated Vapour line the refrigerant exists as a superheated
vapour.
On the diagram, the refrigeration cycle is represented by the line 1-2-3-4.
1-2 is where the gas is compressed causing a rise in pressure and enthalpy which
equals
the energy put into the gas by the compressor, all in the superheat region.
2-3 is where the gas is condensed to a liquid.
3-4 is where the liquid / vapour is passed through an expansion device, the pressure is
reduced without any enthalpy change.
4-1 is where the liquid / vapour is evaporated completely to a gas and where enthalpy
is extracted from surroundings. This is theREFRIGERATION or COOLING effect as
shown below.





























Line 2-2 represents cooling of the superheated gas in the condenser down to the
saturated vapour temperature.
The remainder of the condensing takes place from 2-3 where latent heat is removed.
If the condenser can sub-cool the refrigerant to a temperature less than saturation
vapour temperature then extra Cooling Effect will result as shown below.
The work input at the compressor can also be determined from the p-H diagram as
shown below.

























A typical p-H diagram can be shown for refrigerant R134a.































Compressor Work

It can be seen from the above diagram that the compressor compresses refrigerant
from 3.5 bar to 10 bar.
The suction pressure is therefore 3.5 bar.
The delivery pressure is 10 bar.
The Work Input to the compressor is 315 kJ/kg - 242 kJ/kg = 73 kJ/kg.
The Compressor Work can be calculated as follows;

W
comp
= m
ref
(h
2
- h
1
)

Where;
W
comp
= Compressor work (kW)
m
ref
= Mass flow rate of refrigerant (kg/s)
h
2
= Specific enthalpy at point 2 (kJ/kg)
h
1
= Specific enthalpy at point 1 (kJ/kg)

If the refrigerant flow rate in the above example is 0.3 kg/s then the compressor work
is;

W
comp
= m
ref
(h
2
- h
1
)
W
comp
= 0.3

(73)
W
comp
= 21.9 kW

Refrigeration Effect

The Refrigeration Effect can also be determined from the above diagram by using the
following formula;

RE = m
ref
(h
1
h
4
)
Where;
RE = Refrigeration or Cooling Effect (kW)
m
ref
= Mass flow rate of refrigerant (kg/s)
h
1
= Specific enthalpy at point 1 (kJ/kg)
h
4
= Specific enthalpy at point 4 (kJ/kg)

RE = 0.3

(242 68)
RE = 0.3 ( 174)
RE = 52.2 kW.


Coefficient Or Performance

The Coefficient of Performance is an indication of how efficient a refrigeration system
is.

COP = Refrigeration Effect / Work Input
or
COP = RE / W
comp



In this example the COP is;

COP = 52.2 / 21.9 = 2.38


Efficient Running

For efficient running the Evaporator temperature should be as high as possible. This
is restricted by the dew-point temperature in an air conditioning application. The
Condenser temperature should be as low as possible. Maximum cooling is generally
required in the hottest summer weather when the condensing arrangements are least
efficient and caution is thus necessary in selecting an appropriate temperature.

Further Examination of p-H Diagram

A p-H diagram with some more detail is shown below.

























The stages in the cycle are as follows:
Stage 1 to 2: the superheated vapour is compressed.
Stage 2 to 3: the hot superheated vapour enters the condenser where the first part of
the process is desuperheating.
Stage 3 to 4: the hot vapour is condensed back to a saturated liquid.
Stage 4 to 5: the liquid is subcooled before it enters the expansion valve (this may
occur in the condenser, a second heat exchanger or in the pipework connecting the
condenser with the expansion valve).
Stage 5 to 6: the high pressure liquid passes through an expansion device.
Stage 6 to 7: low pressure liquid refrigerant in the evaporator absorbs heat from the
air or water being cooled and evaporates to become dry saturated vapour.
Stage 7 to 1: the refrigerant vapour absorbs more heat while in the evaporator and
while in the pipework joining the evaporator to the compressor, to become a
superheated vapour.