ME-232 Thermodynamics

ME-232 (Thermodynamics-2)

Chapter 11
Refrigeration Cycles

Lecture # 2

Dr. Muhammad Asif

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, GIK

www.giki.edu.pk
 REFRIGERATORS
AND HEAT PUMPS
The transfer of heat from a low-temperature
region to a high-temperature one requires
special devices called refrigerators.
Refrigerators and heat pumps are essentially
the same devices; they differ in their
objectives only.

for fixed values of QL and QH

COP HP >1 since COP R is a positive quantity
The objective of a refrigerator is to remove heat
(QL) from the cold medium; the objective of a heat
pump is to supply heat (QH) to a warm medium.
 REFRIGERATION CYCLES

Refrigeration cycles can be categorized

 Gas cycle or air cycle

 Vapors cycle
Air/gas Cycle Vapor Cycle

• In a typical gas cycle, the working • In a vapor cycle the working fluid
fluid (a gas) does not undergo phase undergoes phase change and
change refrigeration effect is due to the
vaporization of refrigerant liquid.
• In gas cycles, heat rejection and
refrigeration take place as the gas • The required mass flow rates for a
undergoes sensible cooling and given refrigeration capacity will be
heating. much smaller compared to a gas
cycle.
Applications:
• subdivided into vapour compression
• Passenger air craft, jet aircraft systems, vapour absorption systems,
• Missiles vapour jet systems

1. Vapour compression system

2. Vapour absorption system
3. Air/gas refrigeration system
1. Vapor Compression Cycle
Video

Innovation in Modern Vapor

compression Refrigeration System

1. Defrosting
2. Compact Condenser
3. Throttling device
4. Invertor Compressor
Carnot refrigeration cycle (Reverse Carnot cycle)

T-s Diagram
Atmosphere at TH
T
P2
3 QH 2 QH
3 2
Condenser

Turbine P1
Compressor
Win
4 1
4
1
QL
Evaporator
QL s

Cooling space at TL
1-2 : Isentropic Compression
2-3 : Isothermal Heat rejection
3-4 : Isentropic Expansion
4-1 : Isothermal Heat addition
Limitations of Carnot cycle:
• Difficulty of achieving isothermal heat transfer during
processes 2-3 and 4-1. For a gas to have heat transfer
isothermally, it is essential to carry out work transfer from or
to the system when heat is transferred to the system
(process 4-1) or from the system (process 2-3). This is
difficult to achieve in practice.
• Frictional effects in compressor leads to irreversibility,
hence completely isentropic compression is not possible to
achieve.
• Perfect insulation cannot be made practically
• Compression in wet region is not practical
• Expansion of turbine in wet region is not practical