Refrigeration 101

Rusty Walker, Corporate Trainer

Hill P H O E N I X
 Compressor

Basic
Evaporator Condenser /
Refrigeration Receiver
Cycle

Expansion
Device
Vapor Compression Cycle
 The MOVEMENT
Cooling by the of HEAT from a
removal of heat place where it is
not wanted to a
place where it is
unobjectionable
How Heat is Removed
What is heat? A form of energy

What is cold? Absences of heat.

How does heat High heat to low heat

flow?

Does cold NO
flow?

How is heat British Thermal Unit (BTU)

measured?
 Heat is a form of energy and is measured
British in BTU’s.
Thermal Unit
(BTU)
A BTU is the quantity of heat required to
raise the temperature, of one pound of
water, one degree Fahrenheit.
 1. Heat flows from high energy levels to
a lower energy level.

2
2. Heat will not flow without a
temperature difference

3 3. The greater the temperature

difference, the faster the energy will
flow.
 Radiation
Heat Flows
ThreeWays Convection

Conduction
 Conduction

The transfer of heat Example:

from molecule to Heating one end of
molecule through a copper tube, will
a substance by cause the other
chain collision end to get hot.
 Convection

Heat transfer by the Example:

movement of • Convection oven
molecules from
• Forced air furnace
one place to
another.
 Radiation

The transfer of heat Example:

by passing from a Sunlight – goes
source to an through a window
absorbent surface without heating the
without heating glass but heats the
the space in surface in the room
between. it is shinning on.
Temperature
Temperature indicates the
average velocity of the
molecules of asubstance.

As the heat energy in a substance

increases, it’s molecules vibrate
more intensely

A thermometer measures the

intensity of this vibration.

Thermometers do not measure

heat, they measure the effectof
heat.
Temperature Animation
 The amount of heat (measured in BTU’s) required
to raise one pound of a substance one degree
Fahrenheit.

Specific Heat Temp Rise (Deg F)

Substance (BTU/LB/Deg F) (From 1 BTU Addition)
Water (Liquid) 1.00 1.00
Ice 0.50 2.00
Steam 0.48 2.08
Aluminum 0.22 4.54
Brass 0.09 11.11
Physical State of a Substance

Gas
Adding heat Changing the
energy in any of state of a
the three states substance will
will increase the require a larger
Liquid temperature. quantity of heat
energy.

Solid
 Heat Energy

There are two

types of Heat 1. 2.
Energy Sensible Heat Latent Heat
 1. Is the energy of molecular motion

1 2. Causes a change in temperature, with

2
No change in state.

3 3. Sensible heat causes an increase in

molecular motion.

4 4. The addition or removal of sensible

heat is measurable with a thermometer
 1. Is the energy of molecular
separation and arrangement.

2
2. Causes a change in state, while there
is no change In temperature.

3 3. It can not be measured with a

thermometer.
Mechanical refrigeration The majority of heat is The majority of the
works by changing the removed from the absorbed heat is
state of the refrigerant. temperature controlled removed from the
space as the refrigerant refrigeration system in
absorbs heat when it the condenser as the
changes state from a refrigerant changes
liquid to a gas in the state from a gas back to
evaporator. a liquid.
Vapor Compression Cycle
 Example

(Deg. F.) ( Deg. C.) No are

970 BTU’s
measurable
required to
temperature
change the water
250 Boiling
toLatent
steam. Water
Heat
change Sensible
Steam
Measurable
212
200
100 Heat
temperature
152
change
180 BTU’s are
Sensible
Measurable Heat Energy is added to
100
Liquid to
required
Heat
temperature
50 reach Boiling 32 °F. (0°C) Water (liquid)
change
32 0 Point
25

100 200 400 600 800 1000 1100 1200 BTU’s

 The temperature Add Heat = Liquid to Vapor (Vaporization)
at which a
substance will
change state from
a liquid to a vapor
or a vapor to a Remove Heat = Vapor to Liquid
(Condensation)
liquid
At a temperature Addition of Heat = Boiling
equal to it’s boiling
point or
condensing point,
a substance can be
both vapor and Removal Heat = Condensing
liquid.
 100% Liquid, no vapor present

At a temperature
below it’s boiling
point, a substanceis: 1lb. Of water @ 200o F. What is the state
of water?
- Sub-cooled liquid
- Sub-cooled by 12o F.
 100% vapor, no liquid present

At a temperature
above it’s boiling
point, a substanceis: 1lb. Of water @ 220o F. What is the state
of water?
- Super heated vapor (steam)
- Super heated by 8o F.
 Example

(Deg. F.) ( Deg. C.)

A mixture of vapor
Temperature at 212 ° F. (100°C)
250 and liquid.
= Saturated Mixture
Sensible
Steam
Measurable
100 %
Temperaturevapor
Above
212° F. (100°C) =
212
200
100 Heat
-temperature
There isVapor
Superheated no
152
change
liquid.
Temperature below
100 %(100°C)
212 ° F. liquid= Saturation Temperature of Water
100
-Sub-cooled
There is no
Liquid is 212 °F. (100°C) at Sea Level
50 vapor. (0 PSIG / 14.7 PSIA)
32 0
25

100 200 400 600 800 1000 1100 1200 BTU’s

Pressure:
Defined as a force per unit of
area PSI

Bars

KPA
How does pressure flow?

High To Low
What would
happen if you take Refrigerant flows
two refrigerant from the tank
tanks, one with with refrigerant to
refrigerant and the the tank that is in
other in a vacuum a vacuum, until
and connect a the pressures
hose between equalize.
them?
 As the pressure on a substance increases, boiling
temperature will increase. As pressure decreases, boiling
temperature will also decrease.

Pressure and boiling temperature follow each other

At the boiling point we have both Liquid and Vapor.

 As the pressure increases, saturation temperature will
increase. As pressure decreases, saturation temperature will
also decrease.

Pressure and boiling temperature follow each other

At the saturation temperature we have a saturated mixture

(both liquid and vapor are present).
Atmospheric Pressure

• At Sea Level, the

atmospheric
pressure on our
bodies is 14.7 PSIA.

• A column of air, one

inch square and 60
miles high weighs
14.7 pounds.
 Pressure Scales
Gauge Scale Absolute Scale

ATMOSPHERE 0 PSIG 14.7 PSIA

(Pressure @ Sea Level) 0 in Hg 29.92 in Hg

Hg is the symbol for

Mercury.

VA C U U M 29.92 in Hg 0 in Hg
Compound Gauge
Gauge Scale:

Positive
Pressure Scale

Vacuum Scale
(Reference Only!)
Vacuum Gauge

Absolute Pressure in
microns of Hg.
Mercury Barometer
Vacuum

Atmospheric
Pressure at
Sea Level
Column of mercury
76
supported cm
by
760 mm
29.92 in
atmospheric Hg
pressure.

1 inch of Hg
=25,400 microns

Mercury
 A medium to move heat

A substance that absorbs heat by

evaporating at low temperatures
What is a and pressures.
refrigerant?

And gives up heat by condensing

at high temperatures and pressures
 Refrigerants No Longer Available
R‐12 CFC R‐11 CFC R‐500 CFC R‐502 CFC

• 100% Ozone • 100% Ozone • 66% Ozone • 28% Ozone

depletion depletion depletion depletion
potential • Used in • Used in • Used in
• Used in centrifugals 50hz deep freezers
every thing • Med.Temp • Med. - Low • Low.Temp
• Med. – Low Temp
temp.

Production Production Production Production

ceased in 1995 ceased in 1995 ceased in 1995 ceased in 1995
 Refrigerants Currently in Use
R-22HCFC R-134a HFC R-507 HFC 404A HFC

• 5% Ozone • 0% Ozone • 0% Ozone • 0% Ozone

depletion depletion depletion depletion
potential • Used in • Used in • Used in
• Used in autoA/C freezers deep freezers
every thing • Med. - Low •Low Temp • Med. – Low
• Med. – Low Temp Temp
temp.

Production
phase out Replaced R-12 Replaced R-502
 Compressor

Refrigeration
Evaporator Condenser /
System Receiver
Components

Expansion
Device
Compressors
Compressors
Additional Compressor Types
Example Mechanical Center
Condensers
 Condensers

Air Cooled Water Cooled

Tube and fin Shell and tube

Plate
Evaporative
Superheated Sub-cooled
Vapor In Liquid Out
 Evaporative

Plate
Metering Device
T X V and Electronic
Evaporators
Display Case Evaporators
Walk-In Evaporators
Plate to Plate Heat Exchanger
Questions