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ME-332 Heat Transfer & HVAC Lab

Heat Transfer and HVAC Lab

Lab Report 07
Visual Cycle Refrigeration Unit

6TH SEMESTER

Submitted to: LE Zeeshan Ahsan

Session: 2021 Section: ME-13B Group: A
Submitted By
Name CMS

Nafaey Rizwan 373097

School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

 ME-332 Heat Transfer & HVAC Lab

Objectives
• To determine COP of refrigeration cycle when water is a heat source and water is rejection
medium.
• To determine COP of refrigeration cycle when air is a heat source and air is rejection
medium.

Apparatus
• Refrigeration cycle demonstration unit.

Figure 1: Refrigeration cycle demonstration unit

Introduction
• Working:
The refrigeration cycle is a closed-loop process that cools an environment by removing
heat and expelling it outside. It operates using a refrigerant, a substance that cycles through
various states and pressures.
Evaporation: Inside an evaporator coil, the low-pressure, low-temperature liquid
refrigerant absorbs heat from its surroundings, typically the interior of a refrigerator or an
air-conditioned space. As it absorbs heat, the refrigerant evaporates and becomes a gas.
Compression: The refrigerant gas is then compressed by a compressor, which increases
its pressure and temperature, turning it into a hot, high-pressure gas.
Condensation: This hot gas moves to the condenser, where it releases the absorbed heat
to the outside environment. As it loses heat, the refrigerant condenses and turns back into
a liquid.
Expansion: The high-pressure liquid then passes through an expansion valve or capillary
tube, where it experiences a sudden drop in pressure. This pressure reduction cools the
refrigerant, preparing it to enter the evaporator again.
This continuous cycle of evaporation, compression, condensation, and expansion
efficiently transfers heat from inside to outside, cooling the interior space.
 ME-332 Heat Transfer & HVAC Lab

Procedure
• Turn on the water flow in the system by opening valves Av1 and Av4 and closing valves
Av2 and Av3.
OR
• Turn on the air flow in the system by opening valves Av2 and Av3 and closing valves
Av1 and Av4.
• Start the compressor.
• Adjust the flow rates of the cooling and heating water in condenser and evaporator
respectively. Let the compressor run for some time until the system reaches a steady state,
indicated by the temperature at the compressor's outlet (T6) no longer increasing.
• Record the temperatures at condenser inlet and outlet and evaporators inlet and outlet and
check the pressure in the condenser and evaporator’s inlet and outlet.
• Switch off the compressor.
• Turn off the main switch of the experimental unit.
• Shut off the water supply or air supply.

Results (Water as Heat Source and Rejection Unit)

• Flow rate of water in evaporator = V= 1.5 l/m= 2.5 × 10-5 m3/s
• Flow rate of water in condenser = 2 l/m = 3.33 × 10-5 m3/s
• Density of water = 𝜌𝑤 = 997 kg/m3
• Coefficient of heat of water = 𝐶𝑤 = 4.186 × 103 J/K. Kg
• Mass flow rate of water in evaporator=m = (V) ( 𝜌𝑤 )=(2.5 × 10-5) (997)
• Mass flow rate of water in evaporator=m =0.0249 Kg/s
Temperatures Evaporator inlet T5 21
(𝑜𝐶 ) Condenser inlet - 21
Evaporator outlet T7 14
Condenser outlet T6 29
Pressures Evaporator inlet - 2.8
(bar) Condenser inlet P1 9.8
Evaporator outlet - 2.2
Condenser outlet P2 10.1
Power(W) Compressor power Win 794

Calculation
Coefficient of performance of refrigerant= COPR
𝑞𝑒
COPR =
𝑊𝑖𝑛
Heat inlet to the evaporator = 𝑞𝑒 = m𝐶𝑤 𝛥𝑇
 ME-332 Heat Transfer & HVAC Lab

𝑞𝑒 = m𝐶𝑤 𝛥𝑇= m𝐶𝑤 (𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑡 ′ 𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝 − 𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑡 ′ 𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝)

𝑞𝑒 = m𝐶𝑤 (𝑇5 − 𝑇7)= (0.0249) (4.186 × 103) (21 – 14) = 729.619 W
729.619
COPR = = 0.918
794
Results (Air as Heat Source and Rejection Unit)
• Average temperature at evaporator = (8+18)/2 = 13˚C
• Average pressure at evaporator = (3.3+4.2)/2 = 3.85 bar
• Flow rate = V= 30 l/hr= 8.33 × 10-6 m3/s
• Density of refrigerant at evaporator= 𝜌134𝑎 = 17.795 kg/m3
• Mass flow rate=m = (V) ( 𝜌134𝑎 )=(8.33 × 10-6) (17.795)
• Mass flow rate=m =1.482× 10-4 Kg/s
Temperatures Evaporator inlet T3 08
(𝑜𝐶 ) Ambient T8 18
Evaporator outlet T10 19
Condenser outlet T9 19
Pressures Evaporator inlet - 4.2
(bar) Condenser inlet P1 12
Evaporator outlet - 3.3
Condenser outlet P2 11.8
Power(W) Compressor power Win 877
Calculation:
Coefficient of performance of refrigerant= COPR
𝑞𝑒
COPR =
𝑊𝑖𝑛
Heat inlet to the evaporator = 𝑞𝑒 = m𝛥ℎ
𝑞𝑒 = m𝛥𝑇= m(𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑡 ′ 𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑝𝑦 − 𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑡 ′ 𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑝𝑦)
Outlet enthalpy= h_out= 415.259 Kj/Kg
 ME-332 Heat Transfer & HVAC Lab

Inlet enthalpy = h_in = 210.592 Kj/Kg

(https://www.peacesoftware.de/einigewerte/calc_r134a.php7)
𝑞𝑒 = m(ℎ_𝑜𝑢𝑡 − ℎ_𝑖𝑛)= (1.482 × 10-4) (415.259 – 210.592) = 0.0303 Kj/s
𝑞𝑒 = 30.3 W
30.8
COPR = = 0.034
877
Discussion:
We conducted an experiment to determine the coefficient of performance (COP) of a refrigeration
cycle using R134a as the refrigerant in two scenarios.
 ME-332 Heat Transfer & HVAC Lab

In the first scenario, where water served as both the heat source and heat rejection unit, the COP
was measured at 0.918, indicating that 91.8% of the heat was transferred relative to the work done
by the compressor.
However, in the second scenario, where air was utilized for both heating and rejection, the COP
was significantly lower at 0.034. This suggests that using air for both functions is not efficient.
Several potential factors contributing to this lower COP include:
• Insufficient airflow across the condenser and evaporator.
• Variations in ambient temperature affect heat transfer.
• Heat exchangers are not appropriately sized or designed for air usage.
• Incorrect refrigerant charge leads to decreased system efficiency.
• Errors in the experimental setup such as misalignment or inadequate sealing.
• Inaccuracies in measuring temperature, pressure, or flow rates.
• Fouling of heat exchangers, reducing heat transfer efficiency.

Conclusion:
In summary, our experiment successfully achieved its goals of determining the coefficient of
performance (COP) of a refrigeration cycle using both water-based and air-based heat sources and
rejection mediums. From our findings, it is evident that employing a water-based system for both
heat source and rejection is a superior choice compared to using air-based alternatives in our setup.