Refrigeration & Air Conditioning

6/1/2022 1
 Refrigeration
• The term ‘refrigeration’ may be defined as the
process of removing heat from a substance under
controlled conditions.
• It also includes the process of reducing and
maintaining the temperature of a body below the
general temperature of its surroundings.
• In other words, the refrigeration means a
continued extraction of heat from a body whose
temperature is already below the temperature of
its surroundings.
6/1/2022 2
 Units of Refrigeration
• The practical unit of refrigeration is expressed in terms of
‘tone of refrigeration’ (briefly written as TR). A tone of
refrigeration is defined as the amount of refrigeration effect
produced by the uniform melting of one tone (1000 kg) of ice
from and at 00C in 24 hours. Since the latent heat of ice is 335
kJ/kg, therefore one tone of refrigeration,

• In actual practice, one tone of refrigeration is taken as

equivalent to 210 kJ/min or 3.5 kW (i.e. 3.5 kJ/s).

6/1/2022 3
 Difference between a Heat Engine,
Refrigerator and Heat Pump

6/1/2022 4
6/1/2022 5
6/1/2022 6
 Refrigerants
• The refrigerant is heat carrying mediums which during their cycle (i.e. Compression,
condensation, expansion and evaporation) in the refrigeration system absorb heat from a low
temperature system and discard the heat so absorbed to a higher temperature system.

• The natural ice and a mixture of ice and salt were the first refrigerants. In 1834, ether,
ammonia, sulphur dioxide, methyl chloride and carbon dioxide came into use as refrigerants
in compression cycle refrigeration machines. Most of the early refrigerant materials have
been discarded for safety reasons or for lack of chemical or thermal stability.

• In the present days, many new refrigerants including halo-carbon compounds. Hydro-carbon
compounds are used for air conditioning and refrigeration applications.

• The suitability of refrigerant for a certain application is determined by its physical,

thermodynamic, chemical properties and by various practical factors.

• There is no one refrigerant which can be used for all types of applications i.e. there is no ideal
refrigerant.

• If one refrigerant has certain good advantages, it will have some disadvantages also.

Hence a refrigerant is chosen which has greater advantages and less disadvantages.
•6/1/2022 7
 Desirable Properties of an Ideal
Refrigerant
• We have discussed above that there is no ideal refrigerant.
• A refrigerant is said to be ideal if it has all of the following properties:
– Low Boiling point
– High critical temperature
– High latent heat of vaporization
– Low specific heat of liquid
– Low specific volume of vapor
– Non-corrosive to metal
– Non-flammable and non-explosive
– Non-toxic
– Low cost
– Easy to liquefy at moderate pressure and temperature
– Easy of locating leaks by odor or suitable indicator,
– and Mixes well with oil.
• The standard comparison of refrigerants, as used in the refrigeration industry, is based on an
evaporating temperature of -150C and a condensing temperature of +300C.

6/1/2022 8
 Coefficient of Performance of a
Refrigeration
• The coefficient of performance (briefly written as
C.O.P) is the ratio of heat extracted in the
refrigerator to the work done on the refrigerant.
It is also known as theoretical coefficient of
performance.
• Mathematically, Theoretical C.O.P = Q/W
• Where,
– Q = Amount of heat extracted in the refrigerator (or
the amount of refrigeration produced, or the capacity
of a refrigerator), and
– W = Amount of work done.

6/1/2022 9
• For per unit mass, C.O.P = q/w The coefficient of
performance is the reciprocal of the efficiency (i.e. 1/
η) of a heat engine.
• It is thus obvious, that the value of C.O.P is always
greater than unity.
• The ratio of actual C.O.P to the theoretical C.O.P is
known as relative coefficient of performance.
• Mathematically,
• Relative C.O.P = Actual C.O.P/Theoretical C.O.P

6/1/2022 10
A simple vapor compression refrigeration
system consists of the following equipments:
i) Compressor
ii) Condenser
iii) Expansion valve
iv) Evaporator.

•The vapors at low temperature and pressure

enters the compressor where it is compressed
isentropically and subsequently its temperature
and pressure increase considerably.

•This vapor after leaving the compressor enters

the condenser where it is condensed into high
pressure liquid and is collected in a receiver
tank.

•From receiver tank it passes through the

expansion valve. Here it is throttled down to a
lower pressure and has a low temperature.

•After finding its way through expansion valve

it finally passes on to evaporator where it
extracts heat from the surroundings or
circulating fluid being refrigerated and
vaporizes to low pressure vapor.
6/1/2022 11
6/1/2022 12
 Air Conditioning
• Air Conditioning is not a process of only heating or cooling
to some desires temperature.

• Air Conditioning is dealing with conditioning or controlling

the air.

• The complete process of air conditioning includes following

processes.
– Cooling or heating air.
– Addition or removal of humidity from air.
– Controlling movement of air.
– Purification of air.
– Addition of fresh air from outside.
– Distribution of air.

6/1/2022 13
• The Air Conditioning is defined as “ it is the
simultaneous control of temperature, air
humidity, air movement and air cleanliness”.

• There are two main application of it:

– For human comfort: to provide cooling or heating and
conditioning of air as per comfort of human being.
This is known as comfort air conditioning.

– For commercial use: to provide cooling or heating and

conditioning of air as per required in some
engineering manufacturing and processing. This is
known as industrial air conditioning.

6/1/2022 14
 Principle of Air conditioning
• In Air conditioning system, the device or unit provides
Air conditioning is called Air conditioner.

• This device continuously draw air from an indoors

space which is required to cool, it cools in refrigeration
system and discharge back into same indoor space.

• This continuous cyclic process of drawing, cooling and

recirculating of the cooled air maintains indoor space
cool at the required lower temp. which is required for
comfort cooling or industrial cooling.

6/1/2022 15
 Air conditioning system components
• The basic components of air conditioning are:
– Fans: for circulation of air.
– Filters: for cleaning air.
– Heating element: heating of air.
– Control system: it regulates automatically the amount
of cooling or heating.
– Grille: it adjust the direction of air in room.
– Tray: it collects condensed water.
– Refrigeration system: Provides cooling. It consist of
compressor, evaporator, condenser, expansion device
etc.
6/1/2022 16
Classification of air conditioning system.

1. According to arrangement of equipment:

a) Unitary system: in this system different
components of Air conditioning system is
manufactured and assembled as unit in factory.
Tis unit is installed in or near to space to be
conditioned.
b) Central system: in this system is used for
conditioning of air in theaters, cinemas,
restaurants, exhibition hall, big factory space etc.

6/1/2022 17
2. According to the purpose:
a. Comfort Air conditioning system
b. Industrial Air conditioning system
3. According to season of year:
a. Winter Air conditioning system: Air is heated and
humidified.
b. Summer Air conditioning system: Air is cooled
and dehumidified.

6/1/2022 18
 Window Air Conditioner

6/1/2022 19
 Split Air Conditioner

6/1/2022 20
 Home Refrigeration System

6/1/2022 21
• 1. Define refrigeration.
• Refrigeration is the process of reducing and maintaining the temperature of a body below the general temperature.
• 2. What is a refrigerator?
• Refrigerator is equipment used to reduce and maintain the temperature below atmospheric temperature by removing the heat from the
space continuously.
• 3. Define refrigerant.
• Refrigerant is a fluid which absorbs the heat from the body and rejects the heat at high temperature.
• 4. Give some examples for refrigerant.
– Ammonia,
– carbon-di-oxide,
– Freon-12,
– Chloro fluoro carbon,
– Methyl chloride etc.
• 5. Define COP.
• COP is the ratio of heat extracted and work input. Coefficient of performance of a refrigerator (COP) = Heat extracted/ Work input
• 6. Give some properties of a good refrigerant.
• It should have low freezing point and boiling point. It should be easily liquefied. It should have high COP. It should absorb high latent heat. .
State the function of a compressor Compressor is used to compress the low pressure vapour refrigerant.
• 8. Mention some applications of refrigeration.
– In preserving food,
– fruits and drugs.
– Used in refineries.
– Manufacturing of ice.
– In manufacturing industries.
• 9. Define air conditioning.
Air conditioning is the process of conditioning the air according to the human comfort irrespective of external conditions.
• 10. Define relative humidity.
It is the ratio of water Vapour in a given volume of air at a given temperature, to the mass of water Vapour present in the same volume under
same temperature of air when it is fully saturated.

6/1/2022 22