FACULTAD DE INGENIERIA EN MECÁNICA Y CIENCIAS DE LA

PRODUCCIÓN – FIMCP
LABORATORIO DE TERMOFLUIDOS
PRÁCTICA N°4
Introducción al Ciclo de Refrigeración Vapor-Compresión

OBJECTIVE:
• To operate the RA1-MKII refrigeration system and understand the relation between
the hardware components and the refrigeration cycle.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:
• RA1-MKII Refrigeration Unit.
• Compatible PC with Armfield RA1-MKII software.

THEORY:
In this cycle the refrigerant (R134a) enters the compressor as a vapour and is compressed and
superheated (Points T3 to T4) i.e. it is raised above its saturation temperature. The superheated
refrigerant vapour passes through the condenser which first cools and removes the superheat
and then condenses the vapour into liquid by removing latent heat at constant pressure and
temperature (Points T4 to T5). Heat from the refrigerant is transferred to the stream of water
in the condenser. The liquid refrigerant then passes through the expansion valve (also called a
throttle valve) where it expands and the pressure abruptly decreases, this results in a mixture
of liquid and vapour at a lower temperature and pressure (Points T6 to T7). The cold
liquid/vapour refrigerant mixture then travels through the evaporator and is heated and
completely vaporized by heat transfer from the water in the evaporator (Points T7 to T3). The
refrigerant vapour exiting the evaporator returns to the compressor inlet to complete the
thermodynamic cycle. An important measure of the system performance is the Coefficient of
Performance (COP). This is the ratio of the heat exchanged in the evaporator to the amount of
work put into the system by the compressor. In a refrigeration system this is typically in the
region of 3 to 6 i.e. more heat is exchanged than input by the compressor. The COP is
continuously calculated from the other system variables and displayed on the mimic diagram.

EQUIPMENT SET UP:

Ensure that the equipment has been installed in accordance with the Installation section. Check
that the USB connection is made between the RA1-MKII unit and the PC, and that the RA1-
MKII software is installed and running (‘IFD: vCOM (n) m’ displayed in bottom right hand
corner where n is the number of the virtual COM port on the PC). Check that the combined
circuit breaker / RCD on the electrical console is in the ‘On’ (up) position. Turn the unit on by
pressing the ON/OFF switch on the console. Check that sensible ambient values for
temperatures, pressures etc. are displayed on the mimic diagram of the software. Do not click
‘Compressor On’ in the software until instructed.

PROCEDURE:

Set the condenser water pump (Pump 1 speed) to 40% and the evaporator water pump (Pump
2 speed) to 60%. Check that there is a flow of water through both the condenser and evaporator
indicated by F1 (typically 1.5 l/min) and F2 (typically 5.5 l/min) on the mimic diagram. Set the
compressor motor speed to 50% (typically 3200 RPM) then click ‘Compressor On’ (1). The
compressor will run at 3000 RPM for 30 seconds then change to the set speed. Check that
refrigerant flows around the system indicated by the variable area flowmeter F3 on the RA1-
MKII. Configure the sample options as ‘Automatic / 10 seconds intervals’ and click the “GO”
button to log the readings from the sensors. View the graphs of T1, T3 & T7 on the primary Y
axis and P1 & P2 on the secondary Y axis. Let the system run until the temperatures and
pressures are reasonably stable then click the ‘Stop’ button to stop data logging and Click
‘Compressor on’ (0) to stop the compressor. View the table of results and confirm that a set of
readings has been logged then save the result for future reference.

RESULTS:

View the table of results and select a row of results when the process has stabilised. Observe
the changes in pressure and temperature around the process and identify the changes that take
place in the Compressor, the Condenser, the Expansion valve and the Evaporator identified on
the Ts diagram shown in the theory above. Observe that the calculated Coefficient of
Performance (COP) is significantly greater than unity whereby more useful heat is transferred
in the evaporator than electrical energy is required to run the compressor.

CONCLUSION:

Describe the function of the important parts of the refrigeration process, namely the
Compressor, Condenser, Expansion valve and Evaporator and explain the temperature and
pressure changes associated with each. Observe the value of the Coefficient of Performance
obtained and comment on the magnitude of this value being greater than unity. The exercises
that follow investigate the vapour-compression refrigeration cycle in more detail and the effect
of changes to individual parts of the refrigeration system.