“Compress the vapor, cool it; throttle the

vapor, heat it”

Refrigeration Cycles
Review of Refrigeration Cycles
Lecture 1
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VCC: Reversed Carnot T-s cycle

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VCC: Reversed Rankine cycle

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VCC: Stages of cycle

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VCC: Stages of cycle (contd.)

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Vapor Compression Problem

A commercial refrigerator with refrigerant-134a as
the working fluid is used to keep the refrigerated
space at -35°C by rejecting waste heat to cooling
water that enters the condenser at 18°C at a rate of
0.25 kg/s and leaves at 26°C. The refrigerant enters
the condenser at 1.2 MPa and 50°C and leaves at
the same pressure subcooled by 5°C. If the
compressor consumes 3.3 kW of power, determine
(a) the mass flow rate of the refrigerant, (b) the
refrigeration load, (c) the COP, and (d) the
minimum power input to the compressor for the
same refrigeration load.
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Refrigeration Problem
Solution:
Problem Statement: Find the mass flow rate; refrigeration load; COP;
minimum work input
Data:
TL = -35°C;
Condenser:
State 1: T1 = 18°C or 291K;
State 2: T2 = 26°C or 299K; mc = 0.25 kg/s;
Refrigerant:
State 1: T1 = 50°C or 323K; P1 = 1.2 MPa;
State 2: P2 = P1 = 1.2 MPa; T2 = Tsat - 5K = 41.3°C or 314.3K;
Win = 3.3 kW;

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Refrigeration Problem
Energy balance of the condenser
𝐸ሶ 𝑖𝑛 = 𝐸ሶ 𝑜𝑢𝑡
𝑚ሶ 𝑐 ℎ1 + 𝑄ሶ 𝑐,𝑖𝑛 = 𝑚ሶ 𝑐 ℎ2
𝑄ሶ 𝑐,𝑖𝑛 = 𝑚ሶ 𝑐 ℎ2 − ℎ1 = 8.367 𝑘𝑊
Energy balance of the refrigerant
𝐸ሶ 𝑖𝑛 = 𝐸ሶ 𝑜𝑢𝑡
𝑚ሶ 𝑅 ℎ1 = 𝑚ሶ 𝑅 ℎ2 + 𝑄ሶ 𝑅,𝑜𝑢𝑡
𝑄ሶ 𝑅,𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝑚ሶ 𝑅 ℎ1 − ℎ2

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Refrigeration Problem
Overall energy balance
𝑄ሶ 𝑅,𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝑄ሶ 𝑐,𝑖𝑛
𝑚ሶ 𝑅 ℎ1 − ℎ2 = 𝑚ሶ 𝑐 ℎ2 − ℎ1 ⟹ 𝑚ሶ 𝑅 = 0.0498 𝑘𝑔/𝑠
𝑄ሶ 𝑐,𝑖𝑛 = 𝑄ሶ 𝐻
𝑄ሶ 𝐻 = 𝑄ሶ 𝐿 + 𝑊ሶ 𝑖𝑛 ⟹ 𝑄ሶ 𝐿 = 5.07 𝑘𝑊

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Refrigeration Problem
𝑄ሶ 𝐿
𝐶𝑂𝑃 = = 1.54
𝑊ሶ 𝑖𝑛
1
𝐶𝑂𝑃𝑅,𝑟𝑒𝑣 = = 4.49
𝑇𝐻
ൗ𝑇 − 1
𝐿
𝑄ሶ 𝐿
𝐶𝑂𝑃 = ⟹ 𝑊ሶ 𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 1.13 𝑘𝑊
𝑊ሶ 𝑚𝑖𝑛

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Cascade Refrigeration Systems

o 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.
o A large temperature range also means a large pressure
range in the cycle and a poor performance for a
reciprocating compressor.
o One way of dealing with such situations is to perform
the refrigeration process in stages, that is, to have two
or more refrigeration cycles that operate in series.
o Such refrigeration cycles are called cascade
refrigeration cycles.

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Cascade Refrigeration Systems

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Problem 11-57 [1]

Consider a two-stage cascade refrigeration system
operating between the pressure limits of 0.8 and 0.14
MPa. Each stage operates on the ideal vapor-compression
refrigeration cycle with refrigerant-134a as the working
fluid. Heat rejection from the lower cycle to the upper
cycle takes place in an adiabatic counter-flow heat
exchanger where both streams enter at about 0.55 MPa. If
the mass flow rate of the refrigerant through the upper
cycle is 0.24 kg/s, determine (a) the mass flow rate of the
refrigerant through the lower cycle, (b) the rate of heat
removal from the refrigerated space and the power input
to the compressor, and (c) the coefficient of performance
of this cascade refrigerator.

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Problem 11-57 [1]

Solution:
Problem Statement: Find the mass flow rate; rate of heat removal; COP
Assumptions: Steady flow conditions exist
Schematic:

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Problem 11-57 [1]

Data:
The enthalpies of the refrigerant at each state point is determined from
Tables A-11 thru A-13
State 1: Saturated vapor; P1 = 0.14 MPa; state 1 is completely defined.
h1 = hg@0.14MPa = 239.19 kJ/kg; s1 = sg;
State 2: P2 = 0.55 MPa; s2s = s2 = s1; state 2 is completely defined.
h2 = 267.37 kJ/kg;
State 3: P3 = 0.55 MPa; saturated liquid; state 3 is completely defined.
h3 = hf@0.55MPa = 77.54 kJ/kg;
State 4: P4 = 0.14 MPa; Liquid-vapor mixture;
h3 = h4 = 77.54 kJ/kg;

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Problem 11-57 [1]

State 5: P5 = 1.4 MPa; Saturated vapor; state 5 is
completely defined.
h5 = hg@1.4MPa = 260.98 kJ/kg;
State 6: P6 = 0.8 MPa; s6s = s6 = s5;
h6 = 268.71 kJ/kg;
State 7: P7 = 0.8 MPa; Saturated liquid; state 7 is
completely defined.
h7 = hf@0.8MPa = 95.48 kJ/kg;
State 8: P8 = 0.55 MPa; Liquid-vapor mixture;
h8 = h7 = 95.48 kJ/kg;

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Problem 11-57 [1]

State 5: P5 = 1.4 MPa; Saturated vapor; state 5 is
completely defined.
h5 = hg@1.4MPa = 260.98 kJ/kg;
State 6: P6 = 0.8 MPa; s6s = s6 = s5;
h6 = 268.71 kJ/kg;
State 7: P7 = 0.8 MPa; Saturated liquid; state 7 is
completely defined.
h7 = hf@0.8MPa = 95.48 kJ/kg;
State 8: P8 = 0.55 MPa; Liquid-vapor mixture;
h8 = h7 = 95.48 kJ/kg;

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Problem 11-57 [1]

෍ 𝑚ሶ 𝑒 ℎ𝑒 = ෍ 𝑚ሶ 𝑖 ℎ𝑖

𝑚ሶ 𝐴 ℎ5 − ℎ8 = 𝑚ሶ 𝐵 ℎ2 − ℎ3 ⟹ 𝑚ሶ 𝐵
= 0.2092 𝑘𝑔/𝑠
𝑄ሶ 𝐿 = 𝑚ሶ 𝐵 ℎ1 − ℎ4 = 33.9 𝑘𝑊
𝑄ሶ 𝐿 = 𝑊ሶ 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝐼,𝑖𝑛 + 𝑊ሶ 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝐼𝐼,𝑖𝑛 = 𝑚ሶ 𝐴 ℎ6 − ℎ5 + 𝑚ሶ 𝐵 ℎ2 − ℎ1 = 7.75 𝑘𝑊
𝑄ሶ 𝐿
𝐶𝑂𝑃𝑅 = = 4.36
𝑊ሶ 𝑛𝑒𝑡,𝑖𝑛

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