1.1 Natural Refrigeration:: Performance Study On Vars by Using Libr-Water As A Refrigerant

Download as docx, pdf, or txt
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 42

PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space or from a substance
for the purpose of lowering the temperature. Before mechanical refrigeration systems were
introduced, ancient people, including the Greeks and the Romans, cooled their food with ice
transported from the mountains. Wealthy families made use of snow cellars, pits that were dug into
the ground and insulated with wood and straw, to store the ice. In this manner, packed snow and
ice could be preserved for months. Stored ice was the principal means of refrigeration until the
beginning of the 20th century, and it is still used in some areas. Basically, there are two ways with
which refrigeration can be achieved:
1. Natural Refrigeration.
2. Artificial Refrigeration.
1.1 Natural Refrigeration:
In olden days, natural means achieved refrigeration with the use of ice and evaporative
cooling.
In earlier times, the ice was
 Transported from colder regions
 Harvested in winter and stored for use
 Made during the night by Radiative cooling
1.1.1 Nocturnal Ice Making:
In India before the invention of artificial refrigeration technology, ice making by nocturnal
cooling was common. The apparatus consisted of a shallow ceramic tray with a thin layer of water,
placed outdoors with a clear exposure to the night sky. The bottom and sides were insulated with
a thick layer of hay. On a clear night the water would lose heat by radiation upwards. Provided
the air was calm and not too far above freezing, heat gain from the surrounding air by convection
would be low enough to allow the water to freeze by dawn.
1.1.2 Evaporative Cooling:
Reduction in temperature resulting from the evaporation of a liquid, which removes latent
heat from the surface from which evaporation takes place. This process is employed in industrial
and domestic cooling systems, and is also the physical basis of sweating. In India during olden
times, Water was cooled by this method by keeping it in earthen pots, in which the water would
evaporate through minute pores and thus cool it.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 1


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

1.1.3 Cooling using salts:


When salt is added to water it lowers the freezing point of water, and salt allows water to
exist as a liquid at a temperature lower than 0°C. This type of cooling has limited use, since the
dissolved salts can only be removed by heating
1.2 Artificial Refrigeration:
Refrigeration today is mostly produced by artificial means. Some of the artificial means are
 Cyclic refrigeration
 Non-Cyclic Refrigeration
 Thermoelectric Refrigeration
 Magnetic Refrigeration
We will focus on the two important types of Cyclic Refrigeration,
1. Vapour Compression Refrigeration
2. Vapour Absorption Refrigeration
1.2.1 Vapour Compression Refrigeration:
The components of a vapour-compression refrigeration cycle are a compressor, condenser,
expansion valve, and evaporator as shown in the fig 1.1. A low pressure, low temperature liquid is
converted to vapour in the evaporator, thus absorbing heat from the refrigerated space and keeping
that space cool. The fluid is driven around the cycle by the compressor, which compresses the low
temperature, low pressure vapour leaving the evaporator to high pressure, high temperature vapour.
That vapour is condensed to liquid in the condenser, thus giving off heat at a high temperature to
the surrounding environment. Finally, the high pressure, high temperature liquid leaving the
condenser is cooled and reduced in pressure by passing it through an expansion valve. The rate of
work input to the compressor is most of the power requirement to run the refrigeration system.
Power will be needed to drive one or more fans, but their power requirement will be small in
comparison with that needed to drive the compressor.

Figure 1.1: Vapour Compression Cycle

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 2


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Figure 1.2: Pressure-enthalpy diagram for Vapour Compression Cycle

The following processes are shown in the p-h diagram:


Compression:
In this stage, the refrigerant enters the compressor as a gas under low pressure and having
a low temperature. Then, the refrigerant is compressed adiabatically, so the fluid leaves the
compressor under high pressure and with a high temperature. In the figure 1.2, 1-2 shows
Compression
Condensation:
In the fig 1.2, 2-4 shows Condensation process. The high pressure, high temperature gas
releases heat energy and condenses. The condenser is in contact with the hot reservoir of the
refrigeration system. (The gas releases heat into the hot reservoir because of the external work
added to the gas.) The refrigerant leaves as a high pressure liquid.
Throttling:
The liquid refrigerant is pushed through a throttling valve, which causes it to expand. As
a result, the refrigerant now has low pressure and lower temperature, while still in the liquid phase.
(The throttling valve can be either a thin slit or a plug with holes in it. When the refrigerant is
forced through the throttle, its pressure is reduced, causing the liquid to expand.). Process 4-5 in
fig 1.2 shows the process of expansion.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 3


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Evaporation:
The low pressure, low temperature refrigerant enters the evaporator, which is in contact
with the cold reservoir. Because a low pressure is maintained, the refrigerant is able to boil at a
low temperature. So, the liquid absorbs heat from the cold reservoir and evaporates. The refrigerant
leaves the evaporator as a low temperature, low pressure gas and is taken into the compressor
again, back at the beginning of the cycle. From the fig 1.2 the process 5-1 shows Evaporation.

1.2.2 Vapour Absorption Refrigeration:

Figure 1.3: A Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Cycle

The fig 1.3 shows a Vapour Absorption Refrigeration system, the vapour absorption refrigeration
system comprises of a generator, an absorber, an evaporator and a condenser. In the vapour
absorption system, the refrigerant used is ammonia, water or lithium bromide. The refrigerant
produces cooling effect in the evaporator and releases the heat to the atmosphere via the condenser.
The absorber and the generator perform a function similar to that of the compressor in the Vapour
Compression cycle. The absorbent enables the flow of the refrigerant from the absorber to the
generator. Another major difference is the method in which the energy input is given to the system.
In the vapour compression system, the energy input is given in the form of the mechanical work
from the electric motor. In the vapour absorption system, the energy input is given in the form of
the heat.
The absorption cooling cycle takes place in three phases:

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 4


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Evaporation:
A liquid refrigerant evaporates in a low partial pressure environment, thus extracting heat
from its surroundings (e.g. the refrigerator's compartment). Because of the low partial pressure, the
temperature needed for evaporation is also low.
Absorption:
The new gaseous refrigerant is absorbed by another liquid (e.g. a salt solution).
Regeneration:
The refrigerant-saturated liquid is heated, causing the refrigerant to evaporate out. The hot
gaseous refrigerant passes through a heat exchanger, transferring its heat outside the system (such
as to surrounding ambient-temperature air), and condenses. The condensed (liquid) refrigerant
supplies the evaporation phase.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 5


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Chapter 2
REFRIGERANT
A refrigerant is a substance or mixture, usually a fluid, used in a heat pump and refrigeration
cycle. In most of the cycles it undergoes phase change from liquid to gas or gas to liquid. It could
also be termed as a chemical used in cooling mechanism, such as an air conditioner or refrigerator,
as the heat is carried it changes phase and completes the refrigeration cycle. Most common
refrigerants used are chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) but they are being phased out as the degrade the
environment.

2.1 Ammonia
Ammonia has been used as a refrigerant since the 19th century. All those who are involved
in food preservation and industrial process plants know ammonia as refrigerant of choice due to its
unmatched thermodynamic properties. Anhydrous ammonia is a clear liquid that boils at a
temperature of -33°C. In refrigeration systems, the liquid is stored in closed containers under
pressure. When the pressure is released, the liquid evaporates rapidly, generally forming an
invisible vapour or gas. The rapid evaporation causes the temperature of the liquid to drop until it
reaches the normal boiling point. A similar effect occurs when water evaporates off the skin, thus
cooling it. Therefore, ammonia is used in refrigeration systems.
Ammonia cannot be used as a refrigerant when copper is used in the test rig because in the
presence of water ammonia becomes ammonium hydroxide and this reacts with Copper to form
cupric oxide. Common metals are not affected by anhydrous ammonia but even a little water or
moisture will cause ammonia to react with copper and corrode it. Ammonia is highly poisonous
to human beings so it may cause a health hazard. Filling of ammonia requires a highly skilled
operator and to operate at high pressure the system must be leak proof [1].

2.2 Lithium-Bromide:
Lithium Bromide (Li-Br) consists of certain percentages of Lithium and Bromine. Lithium
is a soft, light, silver-white, highly reactive metallic element of the group 1 from the periodic table
with atomic number 3 whereas Bromine is a chemical element belonging to the halogen category
with atomic number 35, and is the third lightest halogen. It has a fuming red-brown color at room
temperatures which can evaporate readily at ease. But Lithium-Bromide is a mixture of both
lithium and bromine which is white in color and has a bitter taste which is completely soluble in
water, alcohol, and glycol. It is used as an operating medium in air conditioners and refrigerators

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 6


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

due to its hygroscopic property. It is also used for sedation and has a hypnotic characteristic used
for brazing and welding fluxes [2].
In a Lithium Bromide-Water vapour absorption refrigeration system, water is used as the
refrigerant while Lithium Bromide (LiBr) is used as the absorbent. In the absorber, the lithium
bromide absorbs the water refrigerant, creating a solution of Water and Lithium Bromide. This
solution is pumped by the pump to the generator where the solution is heated. The water refrigerant
gets vaporized and moves to the condenser where it is cooled while the Lithium Bromide flows
back to the absorber where it further absorbs water coming from the evaporator.
Some Special features of the LiBr-Water combination used a refrigerant:
1) The water used as the refrigerant in the absorption refrigeration system means the operating
pressures in the condenser and the evaporator must be very low. Even the difference of
pressure between the condenser and the evaporator must be very low. This can be achieved
even without installing the expansion valve in the system, since the drop-in pressure occurs
due to friction in the refrigeration piping and in the spray nozzles.
2) The capacity of any absorption refrigeration system depends on the ability of the absorbent
to absorb the refrigerant, which in turn depends on the concentration of the absorbent. To
increase the capacity of the system, the concentration of absorbent should be increased, which
would enable absorption of more refrigerant. Some of the most common methods used to
change the concentration of the absorbent are: controlling the flow of the steam or hot water
to the generator, controlling the flow of water used for condensing in the condenser, and re-
concentrating the absorbent leaving the generator and entering the absorber.
Lithium bromide has great affinity for water vapour, however, when the water-lithium bromide
solution is formed, they are not completely soluble with each other under all the operating
conditions of the absorption refrigeration system. Because of this, the designer must take care
that such conditions would not be created where crystallization and precipitation of the lithium
bromide would occur [2].

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 7


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Chapter 3
LITERATURE SURVEY
This Chapter involves the survey of research made by different researchers on VARS using various
refrigerants to understand the concept of a system and to work on the same to get better
performance if possible.
Here are a few papers we referred to,
Mohd Aziz et al. conducted an experiment on Design of vapour absorption Refrigeration system
in a industry which utilizes steam turbine exhaust gas which contains high amount of thermal
energy, the main objective was to make a hypothetical design of the vapour absorption refrigeration
system using waste energy. Lithium bromide-water as a refrigerant was selected because it could
be driven by gas, solar, geothermal energy which could help in substantially reducing the carbon
dioxide emissions and use water as it was abundantly available and cheap. The work input of the
pump was neglected as compared to the heat input. Results show that COP minutely increased with
the increase in generator and evaporator temperature, this depends largely on the enthalpy
difference between the chilled water at inlet and outlet of evaporator. On the contrary it causes a
loss of exergy in components which contributes a major role in calculating the efficiency [3].

S. M. Deng et al. conducted an experimental study on characteristics of an absorber using LiBr-


H2O solution as working fluid, main objective was to find the change in heat transfer coefficient
by differing the way of introducing the strong solution of Li-br from the generator to the absorber
(Spray method). Here the absorber is an important component in absorption machines and its
characteristics have significant effect on the overall efficiency of absorption machines. The results
of experimental studies on the characteristics for a falling film absorber which is made up of 24
row horizontal smooth tubes. It shows that while the mass transfer coefficient is increased with the
increase of spray density. There is an optimum spray density between 0.005 and 0.055 kgs-1m-1 at
which the heat transfer coefficient is maximum. The effect of cooling water inlet temperature on
absorber’s performance is significant. When the inlet temperature of cooling water decreases from
32ºc to 30ºc, the heat flux of absorber increases by more than 17%. The inlet solution concentration
of lithium bromide is one of the many important parameters that influence heat transfer
coefficients. When other conditions such as solution temperature or flow characteristics remain
unchanged, heat transfer coefficient is increased with the increase of the inlet concentration. In
practical design, using the strong solution as absorbent is advantageous in order to enhance the
heat transfer and decrease the solution pump power. After this, the heat transfer coefficient slightly

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 8


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

drops when the spray density is increased. Therefore, to select an appropriate spray density is
important in the practical design of an absorption machine [4].

G. A. Florides et al. conducted an experiment which involved the design and construction of Li-
br–water absorption machine, main objective was to find the difference between the absorber LiBr
inlet and outlet percentage ratio, the coefficient of performance of the unit in relation to the
generator temperature, the efficiency of the unit in relation to the solution heat exchanger area and
the solution strength effectiveness in relation to the absorber solution outlet temperature are
examined. Single pass, vertical tube heat exchangers had been used for the absorber and for the
evaporator. The solution heat exchanger was designed as a single pass annular heat exchanger. The
condenser and the generator were designed using horizontal tube heat exchangers. The analysis
shows that the greater the difference between the absorber LiBr inlet and outlet percentage ratios
is, the smaller will be the mass circulating in the absorber. To keep the cycle running at a specified
stage, the temperature at the exit of the absorber has to be maintained at a lower level when the
absorber exit LiBr percentage ratio is lower. Considering that the pressures and temperatures at
other points of the unit are kept constant, the COP of the unit is lowered when the generator
temperature is increased, leading to an increase of the generator pressure. The solution heat
exchanger increases the efficiency of the unit. The greater the heat exchanger area, the greater its
effect is. Finally, when checking the solution strength effectiveness for a constant difference of 6%
between the absorber inlet LiBr percentage ratio and absorber outlet ratio, it was found that a
smaller percentage ratio in LiBr solutions would have slightly better results. A reasonable
temperature at the exit of the absorber would be around 30 ºC [5].

B. Babu et al. conducted an experiment on Performance Analysis of Lithium-bromide water


absorption refrigeration system using waste heat of boiler flue gases where the main theme is to
utilize the waste heat of the flue gases generated in thermal power stations. Before leaving these
gases to the atmosphere through the chimney necessary mass of flue gases is by passed and is made
to deliver it generator so as to run the vapour absorption refrigeration system there by conserving
the energy. The aim of the project is to perform analysis on absorption refrigeration system using
lithium-bromide and water as refrigerant and to find out the influence of operating temperatures
on the thermal loads of components and their co-efficient of performance.
The heat load on the generator decreases by 3336.03kJ/kg with the increase in generator
temperature of 25ºC and 452kJ/kg with the increase in evaporator temperature of 6ºC.This decrease
in generator heat load causes the increase of C.O.P value by 0.34, when the generator temperature

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 9


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

is increased by 35ºC and 0.08 with the increase in evaporator temperature of 6ºC. The heat load on
the generator increases by 3002.3kJ/kg as the condenser temperature increased by 15ºC and
1731.3kJ/kg as absorber temperature increased by 15ºC. The increase in the generator heat load
decreases the C.O.P value by 0.38, when the condenser temperature is increased by 15ºC and 0.23
when the absorber temperature is increased by 15ºC. Thus this analysis provides that the operating
temperatures of condenser and absorber has to be maintained less than 40ºC, evaporator
temperature has to be more than 10ºc and the generator temperature not exceeding 85ºC so as to
run the absorption system efficiently during the utilization of heat from the waste
flue gases and provide cooling effect in the boiler control room and therefore conserving the energy
[6].

Neeraj Kumar et al. conducted an experiment which involved the design and construction of a
Solar Vapour Absorption System using Li-br–water. Aim of the experiment was to develop a
model which could predict the COP of the system which could run on solar energy. The heat was
supplied to generator by solar collector which heated water running through the generator, herby
heating the refrigerant. The Paper states that with the increase in generator and evaporator
temperature the COP increases significantly, as the condenser temperature drops it causes less heat
transfer in the condenser which causes a increase in enthalpy of refrigerant at condenser outlet, this
causes decreases in cooling capacity indirectly affecting the COP. Further conduction of tests
indicated that the temperature range of 65°C to 80°C was suitable to get absorption system work
efficiently with increased performance [7].

M. Mazloumi et al. simulated an experiment which involved Li-br–water absorption cooling


system using parabolic trough collector. The main aim of this research was to simulate solar single
effect lithium-bromide water absorption cooling system that could be used in households with a
peak load of 17. 5kW.The software used for the simulation was Transys. This experiment
conducted concludes that flat plate or evacuated plate collectors are impractical to cool places with
high amount of cooling load, the parabolic trough collector obtains more solar energy which causes
the system to operate earlier. The results showed that the collector mass flow rate has a negligible
effect on the minimum required collector area, but it has a significant effect on the optimum

capacity of the storage tank. The minimum required collector area was about 57.6 m2, which could
supply the cooling loads for the sunshine hours of the design day for July. The operation of the
system has also been considered after sunset by saving solar energy [8].

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 10


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

S. Alizadeh et al. conducted an experiment which involved the design and optimization of an
absorption refrigeration system operated by solar vapour, this experiment was conducted with a
fixed evaporator temperature to compare the two cycles of ammonia water system and lithium-
bromide water system. Results show that the water-lithium bromide system is simpler than the
ammonia-water system and it operates at a higher cooling ratio (ratio of energy removed from the
surroundings during the refrigeration phase to that supplied to generator during regeneration phase)
and heat exchanger parameter for the same conditions. Paper states that as the generator
temperature increases beyond a point the condenser and absorber temperature decreases [9].

3.1 OBSERVATIONS FROM THE LITERATURE SURVEY


 VARS test rig operated in vacuum gives best results in COP
 If operating temperature of condenser and absorber should be maintained less than 40°C,
evaporator temperature greater than 10°C and generator temperature up to 85°C, this results
in improved performance of the setup.
 Addition of a heat exchanger between the absorber and generator further improves
performance of the system
 As circulation ratio (ratio of mass concentration of weak solution to the difference in mass
concentration of strong and weak solution) increases COP decreases hence low circulation
ratio is preferred.
 As generator temperature and pressure increases COP decreases.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 11


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Chapter 4
METHODOLOGY & OBJECTIVES
This chapter includes the objectives, scope and the methodology involved in the construction of
the test rig
4.1 OBJECTIVES
 To develop a vapour absorption refrigeration test rig for study purposes
 To study the performance using LiBr-Water solution
 To conduct a repeatability test to find a deviation in COP

4.2 METHODOLOGY
A review was made from the above-mentioned research papers and it is found out that
construction of a LiBr-water vapour absorption test rig is viable option and is more efficient in
terms of performance in comparison of ammonia. Based on this review a VARS test rig was
constructed. The Refrigerant to be used has a concentration of 55% LiBr and 45% water. Using a
refrigerant with higher concentration of LiBr in the solution will clog the tubing because of
crystallisation where as increasing the concentration of water will raise the temperature of
evaporation of the refrigerant in the generator. The tests were conducted on three separate days
across three weeks.
Steps in Construction
1) Literature survey has been done and specifications of various components have been
listed down.
2) Using the specifications of components, the test rig should be assembled.
3) Using refrigerant of concentration of 55% LiBr and 45% water, experimentation has to be
carried out.
4) Experiment is to be conducted using LiBr-water solution as the refrigerant, three separate
days for 70 minutes each and readings should be taken at an interval of 10 minutes.
5) Temperature v/s Time graph has to be plotted according to the readings.
6) Various COP’s have to be plotted against time.

4.3 SCOPE
 Design of a smaller vapour absorption refrigeration unit for academic purposes.
 Study of Lithium Bromide-water as a refrigerant used in the test rig.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 12


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Chapter 5
EXPERIMENTAL TEST RIG AND PROCEDURE

This chapter deals with the various parts that have been used in building the test rig and also the
procedure followed to carry out the experiment. The material of tubing used for the test rig was
copper where as the material of the generator and absorber is Stainless steel.
5.1 Complete test rig:
A complete test rig of vapour absorption refrigeration system was constructed by
assembling all the components. This assembly is used to conduct experiments using LiBr-Water
as our refrigerant, Fig 5.1, plate 5.2 and plate 5.1 show the final assembly of the VARS test rig.

Fig 5.1 2D sketch of the assembled test rig

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 13


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Plate 5.1 Front view of the test rig Plate 5.2 Rear view of the test rig

5.2 Generator:
The purpose of the generator is to deliver the refrigerant vapour to the rest of the system. It
accomplishes this by separating the water (refrigerant) from the lithium bromide and water
solution. In the generator, a high-temperature energy source, typically steam or hot water, flows
through tubes that are immersed in a dilute solution of refrigerant and absorbent. The solution
absorbs heat from the warmer steam or water, causing the refrigerant to boil (vaporize) and separate
from the absorbent solution. As the refrigerant is boiled away, the absorbent solution becomes
more concentrated. The concentrated absorbent solution returns to the absorber and the refrigerant
vapour migrates to the condenser. Material of generator box is stainless steel and the generator
used is shown below in Plate 5.3.

Plate 5.3 Generator used in VARS

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 14


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

The Dimensions of the Generator used are,


Area of tube = πDL = 2393 mm2
Cross-sectional area of tube (A) = π /4 × d2 = 31.66 cm2
Table 5.1 Generator Specifications

Parameter Value
Tube dimension Inside diameter Di =6.35mm
Outside diameter Do = 6.8 mm
Height 130 mm

Length 180 mm
Width 150 mm
Generator pressure 7.35 kPa

5.3 Evaporator:
The purpose of evaporator is to cool the circulating water. The evaporator contains a bundle
of tubes that carry the system water to be cooled/chilled. High pressure liquid condensate
(refrigerant) is throttled down to the evaporator pressure.
At this low pressure, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the circulating water and evaporates.
The refrigerant vapours thus formed tend to increase the pressure in the vessel. This will in turn
increase the boiling temperature and the desired cooling effect will not be obtained. So, it is
necessary to remove the refrigerant vapours from the vessel into the lower pressure absorber.
Physically, the evaporator and absorber are contained inside the same shell, allowing refrigerant
vapours generated in the evaporator to migrate continuously to the absorber as shown in Plate 5.4

Plate 5.4 Evaporator for VARS

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 15


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Following are the specifications of the evaporator used,


Length of evaporator tube(L) is 9 feet and number of turns (n) is 6
Diameter of evaporator tube (D) = 6.35 mm
The effective area of evaporator
(Ae) = n × π × D × L =6 × 3.14 ×0.635 ×30 = 359.08cm2 = 35908mm2

where, n is number of coils and L is length of tube.


Evaporator Design Parameters:
Table 5.2 Evaporator Specifications

Parameter Value
Tube dimension; Inside diameter Di=3.175mm

Tube dimension; Outside diameter Do=4.175mm

Height 210 mm
Diameter 190 mm
Area 182055 mm2

Volume 5954100 mm3

5.4 Condenser:
The purpose of condenser is to condense the refrigerant vapours. Inside the condenser, cooling
water flows through tubes and the hot refrigerant vapour fills the surrounding space. As heat
transfers from the refrigerant vapour to the water, refrigerant condenses on the tube surfaces. The
condensed liquid refrigerant collects in the bottom of the condenser before traveling to the
expansion device. Condenser is made up of mild steel as shown in Plate 5.5. There are lot of fins
provided

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 16


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Plate 5.5 Condenser for VARS

The following are the specifications of the condenser used,


No. of tubes = 10
Radius of circular edges =10 mm

Length of each tube (L) =450 mm

Table 5.3 Condenser Specifications

Parameter Value
Tube dimension; Inside Di= 3.175 mm
diameter

Tube dimension; Outside Do = 4.175 mm


diameter

5.5 Absorber:
Inside the absorber, the refrigerant vapour is absorbed by the lithium bromide solution. As
the refrigerant vapour is absorbed, it condenses from a vapour to a liquid, releasing the heat it
acquired in the evaporator.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 17


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

The absorption process creates a lower pressure within the absorber. This lower pressure,
along with the absorbent’s affinity for water, induces a continuous flow of refrigerant vapour from
the evaporator. In addition, the absorption process condenses the refrigerant vapours and releases
the heat removed from the evaporator by the refrigerant. As the concentrated solution absorbs more
and more refrigerant; its absorption ability decreases. The weak absorbent solution is then pumped
to the generator where heat is used to drive off the refrigerant. The hot refrigerant vapours created
in the generator migrate to the condenser. The condenser turns the refrigerant vapours to a liquid
state and picks up the heat of condensation, which it rejects to air. The liquid refrigerants return to
the evaporator and completes the cycle. The material used for making absorber is iron, copper pipe
is folded inside the absorber shell as shown in Plate 5.6.

Plate 5.6 Absorber for VARS

Following are the specifications of the absorber used,


Table 5.4 Absorber Specifications

Parameters Value
Tube dimension; Outside diameter Do = 6.8 mm
Length 170 mm
Height 180 mm
Width 130 mm
Volume 4000000 mm3

5.6 Capillary tube:


From the condenser, the liquid refrigerant flows through an expansion device into the
evaporator. The expansion device is used to maintain the pressure difference between the high-

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 18


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

pressure (condenser) and low-pressure (evaporator) sides of the refrigeration system by creating a
liquid seal that separates the high-pressure and low pressure sides of the cycle. As the high-pressure
liquid refrigerant flows through the expansion device, it causes a pressure drop that reduces the
refrigerant pressure to that of the evaporator. This pressure reduction causes a small portion of the
liquid refrigerant to boil off, cooling the remaining refrigerant to the desired evaporator
temperature. The cooled mixture of liquid and vapour refrigerant then flows into the evaporator.
The material used for making capillary tube is copper. The length of capillary tube is 6m. And the
diameter of Capillary tube is 0.3mm.
5.7 Connectors:
Copper connectors are used to connect the capillary tube in between generator and absorber
which helps in increasing the pressure and reducing temperature of refrigerant after it passes
through the expansion valve. A connector is shown in Plate 5.7.

Plate 5.7 Connector for VARS

5.8 Pump:
It is used to pump the solution of lithium bromide and water from absorber to the generator.
It is driven by current supplied by the battery. Only one pump is used to pump our refrigerant into
the generator from the absorber as shown in Plate 5.8.
Pressure head = 2m, Power = DC 12V

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 19


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Plate 5.8 Pump

5.9 Pressure Gauge:


It is used to measure the pressure variation in generator a bourdon tube type pressure gauge
and a double valve pressure controller type pressure gauge is used to measure the gauge pressure
in the generator. We have used two types of Pressure gauges
1) One-way pressure gauge-This gauge is used just to check pressure of the system as
shown in Plate 5.9
2) Two-way pressure gauge- This gauge can be used to check pressure and regulate it
simultaneously as shown in Plate 5.10
A pressure gauge used in our system is shown in Plate 5.9 and Plate 5.10
We Have used 3 Pressure gauges in our system.
Pressure range = 0 to 150 Lb/in2 and 0 to 17.5 kg/cm2

Plate 5.9 One-way pressure gauge for VARS Plate 5.10 Two-way pressure gauge for VARS

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 20


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

5.10 Digital Thermometer:


A thermometer with digital display is used to measure temperature at various sections of
the VARS cycle as shown in figure below. The Thermocouple used here is of a K-type
thermocouple having a range of -100C to 800C.It works on two button batteries. A thermocouple
used in our test rig is shown in plate 5.11. We have used 7 thermocouples to measure temperatures
for our test rig.
Temperature range = -100C to 800C

Plate 5.11 Digital Thermometer

5.11 Valves:
Valves are used to control and regulate the flow throughout the VARS cycle. It is used to
connect the various components through copper pipes. These valves are used as connections
between the generator and absorber to which the pump is connected. The valves are mounted on a
¼ inch copper tube which is used to regulate the flow of refrigerant through the pipes. Valves like
these are installed as an inlet and outlet to the absorber and the valves used are shown in Plate 5.12

Plate 5.12 Valves used in VARS

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 21


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

5.12 Battery and Charger:


12V battery is used to supply power to the pump for pumping refrigerant from absorber to
generator. Battery is charged by the charger. The Battery is a rechargeable One so it can be reused.
The charger is used to charge battery or we can set the voltage and connect it directly to the pump
as shown in Plate 5.13 and Plate 5.14 respectively.

Plate 5.13 12V DC Battery Plate 5.14 Battery Charger

5.13 Heater:
Heater of 1000W capacity is used to heat the refrigerant, the heater is kept adjacent to the
generator which imparts heat to the generator, increasing temperature of refrigerant inside the
generator. A dimmer stat is used to control the voltage output of the heater so as to control the
temperature. The plate 5.15 shows heater involved in our experiment and plate 5.16 shows the
dimmer stat.

Plate 5.15 Heater Plate 5.16 Dimmer Stat

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 22


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

5.14 Experimental Procedure:


1) Measure 4.5 litres of Lithium Bromide-Water solution and fill it in the absorber via the
inlet valve.
2) The inlet valve of absorber must be closed and pump must be turned on.
3) A mass flow rate of 700 ml per min (0.01kg/s) must be set using valves provided.
4) The heater is turned on and the dimmer stat knob must be set to 120 on its dial.
5) The pump is turned on. The Refrigerant is pumped into the generator where heat is supplied.
Temperature readings of the inlet to generator must be noted down.
6) As soon as the temperature readings of the condenser inlet rises above 45C evaporator
inlet condenser outlet temperatures must be noted down.
7) Simultaneously the pressure readings at the evaporator inlet must be noted and regulated
as required.
8) The temperature of the solution entering back to the absorber must be checked and be
maintained in a suitable range to get proper readings.
9) If the generator temperature increases beyond 80C the dimmer stat must be regulated to
arrive at required temp range.
10) All the thermocouple readings must be noted down at intervals of 10 minutes till the total
time period of the experiment is 70 minutes.
11) Finally, COP of the System must be calculated using formulas and find whether the
machine is working in required COP range.
12) After the experiment the leftover solution is drained away from the absorber using the outlet
valve.
13) The experiment is repeated as required.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 23


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Chapter 6
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
This chapter involves tabulation and calculation of the actual, theoretical, relative COP’s. Results
are compared based on the three trials taken for the repeatability test.
The test used a refrigerant mixture having a 55% LiBr-45% Water concentration and were
conducted on three different days, across three weeks in the same month. The test duration was 70
minutes and the readings were taken at an interval of 10 minutes.
6.1 Experimental Observation:
The Following Temperature readings were taken for 70 mins with a time interval of 10 mins on
4th May 2017 at 12:00 PM.
Table 6.1 Temperature readings for test conducted with time interval 10 mins on Day 1 of experimentation.

Time Generator(°C) Condens Evaporator(°C) Actual Theor Rela


min Inlet Outlet Insid er Inlet Outlet Inside COP etical tive
e Out(°C) COP COP
10 32.8 32.1 67.8 31.8 31.9 31.6 31.4 0.52 0.87 0.59
20 32.9 32.2 70.1 32.1 31.9 31.6 31.4 0.56 0.88 0.63
30 34.2 32.1 70.6 32.2 31.8 31.6 31.1 0.58 0.88 0.65
40 36.1 32.1 72.9 31.4 31.8 32.1 31.1 0.58 0.9 0.64
50 37.4 32 73.4 32.7 31.6 32.2 30.9 0.58 0.91 0.63
60 37.9 31.9 73.7 32.8 31.6 32.6 30.7 0.59 0.91 0.64
70 38.4 32.2 74.1 32.8 31.6 32.9 30.5 0.6 0.93 0.64

Calculations:
At Time 70 mins
1) Mass flow rate of weak solution, mws = 0.01 kg/s
2) Mass fraction of weak solution, ws = 0.55
At pressure of 37mmHg and 74.1C,
Mass fraction of strong solution, ws =0.58
3) Circulation Ratio ()
0.55
 = ws /ss -ws = 0.58−0.55 = 18.33

where,
ws = Mass fraction of weak solution

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 24


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

ss = Mass fraction of strong solution


4) Mass flowrate of Refrigerant, mws = (1+) x m
0.01 = (1+18.33) x m
m = 5.17 x 10-4 kg/s
5) Mass flow rate of strong solution, mss = m
=18.33 x 5.17 x 10-4
=9.48 x 10-3 kg/s
6) Enthalpy of super heated vapour
Temperature Tg = 74.1C
Enthalpy, h1 = 2501 + 1.88 (Tg - Tref ) Tref = 0
= 2501 + 1.88(74.1)
h1 = 2640.30 KJ/kg

7) Enthalpy of Liquid at condenser:


Temperature Tc = 32.8C
Enthalpy, h3= h2 = 4.19 (Tc - Tref )
= 4.19 (32.8)
h2= h3 = 137.43 KJ/kg

8) Enthalpy of vapour at evaporator:


Temperature Te = 1.3C
Enthalpy, h4 = 2501 + 1.88 (Te - Tref )
= 2501 + 1.88(1.3)
h4 = 2503.44 KJ/kg

9) Enthalpy of weak solution at absorber:


Temperature Ta = 38.4C at 55% Concentration Li-Br
Enthalpy, h5 = h6 = -160 KJ/kg (from h-c-p Chart)

10) Enthalpy of strong solution at generator:


At t = 74.1 at =0.58
h7 = -100 KJ/kg (from h-c-p Chart)

11) Heat Capacity of Evaporator, Qe = m(h4 – h3)


DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 25
PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

= 5.17 x 10-4 (2503.44 -137.43)


Qe = 1.22 KW

12) Heat Capacity of Generator, Qg


Qg = mh1+mssh7 -mwsh6
= 5.17 x 10-4 x 2640.30 +9.48 x 10-3 (-100) - 0.01(-160)
Qg = 2.01 KJ/kg

Coefficient of Performance (COP):


𝑄𝑒
1) Actual Coefficient of Performance, COPa = 𝑄𝑔
1.22
= 1.91

COPa = 0.60

𝑇𝑒 𝑇𝑔−𝑇𝑎
2) Theoretical Coefficient of Performance, COPth = (𝑇𝑐−𝑇𝑒) ( )
𝑇𝑔
274.3 347.23−311.53
= (305.93−274.43) ( )
347.23

= COPth = 0.93

COP a
3) Relative Coefficient of Performance, COPr = COP th
0.60
= 0.93

COPr = 0.64

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 26


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

75
Time v/s Temperature
73
71
69
67
65
63
61
59
57
55
Temperature

53
51
49
47
45
43
41
39
37
35
33
31
29
27
25
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75

Generator(°C) Inlet Generator(°C) Outlet Time Generator(°C) Inside Condenser Out(°C)


Evaporator(°C) Inlet Evaporator(°C) Outlet Evaporator(°C) Inside

Figure 6.1 Time V/S Temperature


Figure 6.1 shows temperature readings of the system with respect to time, it is observed that as
generator temperature increases, the condenser outlet, evaporator inlet and inside temperature
decreases. The highest actual COP obtained for this day was 0.6 and for this reading the evaporator
was cooled till 30.5°C.

Time v/s COP


1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
COP

0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75
Time(mins)

Actual COP Theoretical COP Relative COP

Figure 6.2 Time V/S COP

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 27


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

The fig 6.2 shows different COP’s of the system with respect to time, it is observed that as time
progresses the theoretical COP calculated is within the range of 0.92-0.98 whereas the actual and
relative COP’s had a steady increase.

The Following Temperature readings were taken for 70 mins with a time interval of 10 mins on
13th May 2017 at 12:00 PM.
Table 6.2 Temperature readings for test conducted with time interval 10 mins on 10th day of experimentation.

Time Generator(°C) Cond Evaporator(°C) Actual Theor Relati


(min Inlet Outlet Inside Out Inlet Outlet Inside COP etical ve
s) (°C) COP COP
10 31.3 32.7 65.2 30.1 31.9 31.3 32 0.53 0.92 0.58
20 31.5 33.4 67.7 30.9 31.9 31.5 31.8 0.56 0.95 0.59
30 31.6 33.9 69.6 31.2 31.8 31.7 31.7 0.57 0.95 0.59
40 31.8 34.5 71.2 32 31.7 32 31.4 0.57 0.96 0.60
50 32.4 36.2 73.4 32.7 31.5 32.1 31.4 0.58 0.95 0.61
60 32.7 40.2 75.6 33.4 31.3 32.2 31.1 0.59 0.97 0.61
70 32.9 40.8 76.5 34 31.4 32.4 30.9 0.60 0.98 0.62
Refer Appendix for calculations.

Time v/s Temperature


80
78
76
74
72
70
68
66
64
62
60
58
56
Temperature

54
52
50
48
46
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75
Time(mins)
Generator(°C) Inlet Generator(°C) Outlet Generator(°C) Inside Condenser Out(°C)
Evaporator(°C) Inlet Evaporator(°C) Outlet Evaporator(°C) Inside

Figure 6.3 Time v/s Temperature

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 28


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Figure 6.3 shows temperature readings of the system with respect to time, It is observed that as
generator temperature increases the evaporator inlet and inside temperature decreases.
The maximum condenser temperature was 34℃ at 70 minutes, and the temperature inside the
evaporator was 30.9℃ for the same time. The highest actual COP obtained for this day was 0.6

Time v/s COP


1.2

0.8
COP

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75
Time(mins)

Actual COP Theoretical COP Relative COP

Figure 6.4 Time v/s COP


The fig 6.4 shows different COP’s of the system with respect to time, it is observed that as time
progresses the theoretical COP, actual COP and relative COP increased with increase in generator
temperature and time.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 29


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

The Following Temperature readings were taken for 70 mins with a time interval of 10 mins on
22nd May 2017 at 12:00 PM.
Table 6.3 Temperature readings for test conducted with time interval 10 mins on the 19th day of experimentation.

Time Generator(°C) Cond Evaporator(°C) Actual Theoreti Relati


(min Inlet Outlet Inside Out Inlet Outlet Inside COP cal ve
s) (°C) COP COP
10 31.6 33 65.4 31.1 30.8 31.2 31.6 0.50 0.88 0.57
20 31.8 34.5 67 31.3 30.9 31.2 31.4 0.52 0.91 0.58
30 32 36.1 67.2 31.3 30.8 31.4 31.4 0.53 0.92 0.58
40 32.4 35.3 70.2 31.2 30.6 31.4 30.9 0.55 0.94 0.59
50 32.4 35.6 72.5 31.1 30.5 31.7 30.5 0.57 0.97 0.59
60 32.6 37.6 74.3 31.3 30.3 31.9 30.3 0.58 0.97 0.60
70 32.7 40.2 74.8 31.2 30.2 32 30.2 0.61 0.99 0.62
Refer Appendix for calculations.

Time v/s Temperature


78
76
74
72
70
68
66
64
62
60
58
56
Temperature

54
52
50
48
46
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75
Time(mins)
Generator(°C) Inlet Generator(°C) Outlet Generator(°C) Inside
Condenser Out (°C) Evaporator(°C) Inlet Evaporator(°C) Outlet
Evaporator(°C) Inside

Figure 6.5 Time v/s Temperature


Figure 6.1 shows temperature readings of the system with respect to time, it is observed that as
generator temperature increases the condenser outlet, evaporator inlet and inside temperature

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 30


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

decreases. The highest actual COP obtained for this day was 0.61 and for this reading water was
cooled till 30.2°C.

Time v/s COP


1.2

0.8
COP

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75
Time(mins)

Actual COP Theoretical COP Relative COP

Figure 6.6 Time v/s COP


The fig 6.6 shows different COP’s of the system with respect to time, COP of the system were
similar to the COP calculated on the 2nd day of experimentation.

6.2 COMPARISON OF COP’S


Comparing the actual COP’s of the experiments conducted for 3 different days
There is maximum deviation of actual COP at 30 minutes that is 8.6% and minimum deviation of
actual COP at 70 minutes that is 1.6%.
Actual COP increases with increase in time, because as the temperature of the generator
reaches closer to the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant mixture, the mixture evaporates
faster in the generator, hence the circulation of refrigerant is quicker.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 31


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Comparison of Actual COP


0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4
COP

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time(mins)

Actual COP T1 Actual COP T2 Actual COP T3

Figure 6.7 Actual COP Comparison for all 3 trials

Comparing the Theoretical COP’s of the experiments conducted for 3 different days,

Comparison of Theoretical COP


1.2

0.8
COP

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time(mins)

Theoretical COP T1 Theoretical COP T2 Theoretical COP T3

Figure 6.8 Theoretical COP Comparison for all 3 trials

The maximum deviation of theoretical COP at 30 minutes is 6% and minimum deviation of


theoretical COP at 10 minutes is 2%. Since the test conditions were uncontrolled and the tests were
conducted on different days, there will be changes in the theoretical COP for different trials.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 32


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Comparing the Relative COP’s of the experiments conducted for 3 different days,

Comparison of Relative COP


0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
COP

0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time(mins)

Relative COP T1 Relative COP T2 Relative COP T3

Figure 6.9 Relative COP Comparison for all 3 trials

The maximum deviation of relative COP is at 70 minutes i.e. 3.1% and minimum deviation of
relative COP at 30 minutes i.e. 10.7%. Relative COP is the ratio of actual COP and theoretical
COP. Actual COP increases with time and thus relative COP increases

6.3 APPLICATION:
1. India is among the world leaders in agricultural production however much of our produce
goes waste due to absence of proper storage facilities. Refrigeration is thus vitally important
for our country.
2. To keep the milk production up and to keep milk fresh in rural areas refrigeration is needed.
3. Medical facilities are also adversely affected due to break in the cold chain as the medicines
move from the production zone to the rural areas. So, there is need of refrigeration for
medicines.
4. Usage of CFCs affect the environment adversely. So, to prevent our environment getting
affected by CFCs, we must think about some alternate process. And there is only one
replacement of this serious problem. Consumption of electricity is less compared to VCR.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 33


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

Chapter 7
COST ANALYSIS

Table 9.1 Cost Estimation of the test rig


Sl No. Particulars Quantity Rate Amount(Rs)
1 Compressor Shells 2 1000 2000
2 Materials 1450
3 12 Volt DC pump 1 550
Heater Coil 1 90
4 12 Volt DC Battery & Charger 1 850
5 Evaporator Container 1 400
6 Stand 1 3100
7 Fabrication 8890
8 a) Pressure Gauges one Way 3 180 540
b) Pressure Gauges 3 Way 2 234 468
9 Condenser 10 turns 1 268
10 Refrigerant Li-Br 55% Solution 15 Litres 12000
11 Thermocouples 8 1600
12 Dimmer Stat 1 350
13 Heater 1000 Watts 1 450
Heater Wire 1 120
Total Estimated Cost 33126

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 34


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

CONCLUSION

 Repeatability tests conducted on the test rig show that the test rig operates under VARS
parameters and can be used for academic purposes to better understand the working of
VARS on a large scale.
 The deviation for theoretical COP was found to be 6%-8% and that of actual COP to be
1%-9%. The deviation for relative COP was found to be around 3%-11%.
 The highest theoretical COP obtained was 0.99 at a generator temperature of 74.8ºC, the
highest actual COP obtained was 0.61 for the same generator temperature and the highest
relative COP obtained was 0.65.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 35


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

SCOPE FOR FURTHER WORK

These are the following scope of our project:


• The test rig can be combined with solar energy to demonstrate that solar power can be used
for refrigeration purpose, known as S-VARS
• Further study on the refrigerant used can allow us to reduce cost of refrigeration.
• Results can be compared with two refrigerants combined to run the system.
• Research can be done with other working pair of absorbent and refrigerants like R134 and
activated carbon, methanol etc. and their performance can be compared.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 36


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

APPENDIX

Calculations for Trial 2:


At Time 10 mins
1) Mass flow rate of weak solution, mws = 0.01 kg/s
2) Mass fraction of weak solution, ws = 0.55
At pressure of 34 mmHg and 65.2C,
3) Mass fraction of strong solution, ss =0.57
4) Circulation Ratio ()
0.55
 = ws /ss -ws = 0.58−0.55 = 27.5

where,
ws = Mass fraction of weak solution
ss = Mass fraction of strong solution
5) Mass flowrate of Refrigerant, mws = (1+) x m
0.01 = (1+27.5) x m
m = 3.5 x 10-4 kg/s
6) Mass flow rate of strong solution, mss = m
=27.5 x 3.5 x 10-4
=9.64 x 10-3 kg/s
7) Enthalpy of super heated vapour
Temperature Tg = 65.2C
Enthalpy, h1 = 2501 + 1.88 (Tg - Tref ) Tref = 0
= 2501 + 1.88(65.2)
h1 = 2623.57 KJ/kg

8) Enthalpy of Liquid at condenser:


Temperature Tc = 30.1C
Enthalpy, h3= h2 = 4.19 (Tc - Tref )
= 4.19 (30.1)
h2= h3 = 126.11 KJ/kg

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 37


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

9) Enthalpy of vapour at evaporator:


Temperature Te = 0.6C
Enthalpy, h4= 2501 + 1.88 (Te - Tref )
= 2501 + 1.88(0.6)
h4 = 2502.12 KJ/kg

10) Enthalpy of weak solution at absorber:


Temperature Ta = 31.3C at 55% Concentration Li-Br
Enthalpy, h5 = h6 = -180 KJ/kg (from h-c-p Chart)

11) Enthaply of strong solution at generator:


At t = 65.2 at =0.57
h7 = -120 KJ/kg (from h-c-p Chart)

12) Heat Capacity of Evaporator, Qe


Qe = m(h4 – h3)
= 3.5 x 10-4 (2502.12 -126.11)
Qe = 0.83 KW

13) Heat Capacity of Generator, Qg


Qg = mh1+mssh7 -mwsh6 = 3.5 x 10-4 x 2623.57 +9.64 x 10-3 (-120) - 0.01(-180)
Qg = 1.56 KJ/kg

Coefficient of Performance (COP):


𝑄𝑒
14) Actual Coefficient of Performance, COPa = 𝑄𝑔
0.83
= 1.56

COPa = 0.53

𝑇𝑒 𝑇𝑔−𝑇𝑎
15) Theoretical Coefficient of Performance, COPth = (𝑇𝑐−𝑇𝑒) ( )
𝑇𝑔
273.73 338.33−304.43
= (303.23−273.73) ( )
338.33

= COPth = 0.92

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 38


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

COP a
16) Relative Coefficient of Performance, COPr = COP th
0.53
= 0.92

COPr = 0.58
Calculations for Trial 3:
At Time 10 mins
1) Mass flow rate of weak solution, mws = 0.01 kg/s
2) Mass fraction of weak solution, ws = 0.55
At pressure of 34 mmHg and 65.4C,
3) Mass fraction of strong solution, ss =0.57
4) Circulation Ratio ()
0.55
 = ws /ss -ws = 0.58−0.55 = 27.5

where,
ws = Mass fraction of weak solution
ss = Mass fraction of strong solution
5) Mass flowrate of Refrigerant, mws = (1+) x m
0.01 = (1+27.5) x m
m = 3.5 x 10-4 kg/s
6) Mass flow rate of strong solution, mss = m
=27.5 x 3.5 x 10-4
=9.625 x 10-3 kg/s
7) Enthalpy of super heated vapour
Temperature Tg = 65.4C
Enthalpy, h1 = 2501 + 1.88 (Tg - Tref ) Tref = 0
= 2501 + 1.88(65.4)
h1 = 2623.95 KJ/kg

8) Enthalpy of Liquid at condenser:


Temperature Tc = 31.1C
Enthalpy, h3= h2 = 4.19 (Tc - Tref )
= 4.19 (31.1)
h2= h3 = 130.30 KJ/kg

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 39


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

9) Enthalpy of vapour at evaporator:


Temperature Te = 0.4C
Enthalpy, h4= 2501 + 1.88 (Te - Tref )
= 2501 + 1.88(0.4)
h4 = 2501.75 KJ/kg

10) Enthalpy of weak solution at absorber:


Temperature Ta = 31.6C at 55% Concentration Li-Br
Enthalpy, h5 = h6 = -180 KJ/kg (from h-c-p Chart)

11) Enthaply of strong solution at generator:


At t = 65.4 at =0.55
h7 = -120 KJ/kg (from h-c-p Chart)

12) Heat Capacity of Evaporator, Qe


Qe = m(h4 – h3)
= 3.5 x 10-4 (2501.75 -130.30)
Qe = 0.83 KW

13) Heat Capacity of Generator, Qg


Qg = mh1+mssh7 -mwsh6 = 3.5 x 10-4 x 2623.95 +9.625 x 10-3 (-120) - 0.01(-180)
Qg = 1.56 KJ/kg

Coefficient of Performance (COP):


𝑄𝑒
14) Actual Coefficient of Performance, COPa = 𝑄𝑔
0.83
= 1.56

COPa = 0.51

𝑇𝑒 𝑇𝑔−𝑇𝑎
15) Theoretical Coefficient of Performance, COPth = (𝑇𝑐−𝑇𝑒) ( 𝑇𝑔
)

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 40


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

273.53 338.53−304.73
= ( )( )
304.23−273.53 338.53

= COPth = 0.88

COP a
16) Relative Coefficient of Performance, COPr = COP th
0.51
= 0.88

COPr = 0.57

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 41


PERFORMANCE STUDY ON VARS BY USING LiBr-WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

REFERENCES

[1] Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (Second Edition) 2003 Reprint-2012, Manohar Prasad,
New Age International Publishes
[2] A Textbook of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (Fifth Edition) 2011 Reprint 2014, S. Chand
by R.S Khurmi and J. K. Gupta
[3] Mohd Aziz Ur Rahaman, Md. Abdul Raheem Junaidi, Naveed Ahmed, Mohd.Rizwan, Design
and Fabrication of Vapour Absorption Refrigeration System [Libr-H2O] .International Journal of
Modern Engineering and Research(IJMER) ISSN: 2249–6645 ,Volume- 4 , Issue-9, September-
2014.
[4] S.M. Deng, W.B. Ma .Experimental studies on the characteristics of an absorber using
LiBr/H2O solution as working fluid .International Journal of Refrigeration.
[5] G. A. Florides , S. A. Kalogirou , S. A. Tassou , L. C. Wrobel. Design and construction of a
LiBr–water absorption machine. Energy Conversion and Management.
[6] B. Babu, G. Maruthi Prasad Yadav. Performance Analysis of Lithium-Bromide Water
Absorption Refrigeration System Using Waste Heat of Boiler Flue Gases. International Journal of
Engineering Research and Management(IJMERM) ISSN: 2349- 2058, Volume-02, Issue-02,
February 2015.
[7] Neeraj Kumar Sharma, Mr. Pradeep Singh, Deepak Gaur. Design & Analysis of Solar Vapour
Absorption System using water and Lithium Bromide. ISSN: 2278-0181, Vol 2 issue 6,June 2013

[8] M. Mazloumi, M. Naghashzadegan, K. Javaherdeh. Simulation of solar lithium bromide-water


absorption cooling system with parabolic trough collector. ISSN:2820-2832 Nov 2006
[9] S.Alizadeh, F. Bahar and F. Geoola. Design and optimization of an absorption refrigeration
system operated by solar energy Vol.22, March-1978
[10] Nptel Courses by IIT Mumbai on Vapour Absorption Refrigeration System.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CEC Page 42

You might also like