International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences (IJEAS)

ISSN: 2394-3661, Volume-2, Issue-4, April 2015

A Review: Increase in Performance of Vapour

Compression Refrigeration System Using Fan
Shireesha Mary Ch, Nandini Ch, Divya Samala, Siva Kumar B, Parthasarathy Garre

removing heat. Mechanical refrigeration uses the evaporation

Abstract Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from of a liquid refrigerant to absorb heat. The refrigerant goes
a closed body or space enclosed so that its temperature is first through a cycle so that it can be reused, the main cycles are
lowered and then maintained at a required level which is below vapour-compression, absorption, steam- jet or steam-ejector,
the temperature of surroundings. There are many types in and air.
refrigeration cycle the vapour compression cycle is taken for the
case study, because the vapour compression refrigeration systemIn In this study, by using different refrigerants the vapour
is by far the most popular and widely used system in compression cycle (VCR) performance is theoretically
refrigeration for both industrial and domestic applications. analyzed. Hydrocarbon refrigerants such as R290 and R600a
In vapour compression refrigeration system a refrigerant are considered as a refrigerant by mixing of these at different
readily evaporates and condenses depending up on the pressure mass fractions about 20%+80%, 25%+75%, 50%+50% and
and temperature during the cycle, therefore, refrigerant 75%+25% respectively. The performance parameters like
undergoes a change of phase alternately between liquid and
vapour phase without leaving the system.
compressor discharge temperature, pressure ratio, volumetric
In this case several assumptions were made in order to cooling capacity (VCC), volumetric efficiency, coefficient of
analyze the system, like isentropic process at the compressor, a performance (COP) and mass flow are analyzed. As
isenthalpic expansion in the throttling valve. It is found that this mentioned above Refrigerants, the mixture of both
may have been because at higher fan speed, convection refrigerants at concentration of 50% each has optimum
coefficient increased, increasing heat transfer in the evaporator performance in terms of higher refrigeration effect, better
and condenser with the surroundings, thus reducing the work of heat transfer and COP [1]. To increase the performance of
the compressor to the refrigerant. Vapor compression cycle was VCR, it is required that the compressor work should decrease
more efficient with fans of evaporator and condenser at highest
speeds.
and the effect of refrigerating should increase. It is studied
that the advancement in the technology of compressors, it is
Index TermsVCR, Condenser, Evaporator, T-S Diagram, noticed that work on compressors will be decreases. The
VCC, COP. purpose of a compressor in vapor compression system is to
elevate the pressure of the refrigerant, but refrigerant leaves
the compressor with comparatively high velocity which may
I. INTRODUCTION cause splashing of liquid refrigerant in the condenser, liquid
Refrigeration systems refer to the different physical hump and damage to condenser by erosion [2, 3]. Generally
components that make up the total refrigeration unit. The vapour compression refrigeration system is used in domestic
different stages in the refrigeration cycle are undergone in refrigeration, food processing and cold storage, industrial
these physical systems. These systems consist of an refrigeration system, transport refrigeration and electronic
evaporator, a condenser, a compressor and an expansion cooling. So improvement of performance of system is too
valve. The evaporator is the space that needs to be cooled by important for higher refrigerating effect or reduced power
the refrigerant; the compressor compresses the refrigerant consumption for same refrigerating effect. The hybrid
from the low pressure of the evaporator to the pressure at the compression is feasible even when low grade heat is
condenser. The heat gained by the refrigerant is rejected at available. Some performance indicators are defined and
the condenser and at the high pressure. Refrigerant is evaluated for various configurations [4]. Theoretically, the
expanded into the low pressure evaporator by the expansion pressure drop is considered as an isenthalpic process
valve. (constant enthalpy). However, isenthalpic process causes a
decrease in the evaporator cooling capacity due to energy
The term refrigeration refers to cooling an area or substance loss in the throttling process. To recover this energy loss, an
below the environmental temperature, the process of ejector can be used to generate isentropic condition in the
throttling process and the cycle is called as ejector expansion
Shireesha Mary Ch, Student of Aeronautical Engineering Department, refrigeration cycle [5]. This review consisting of discussion
MLR Institute of Technology, JNTUH, Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA, on basic vapour compression system and the effect of
9676204933. performance characteristics studied on introducing fan near
Nandini Ch, Student of Aeronautical Engineering Department, MLR
Institute of Technology, JNTUH, Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA,
to the evaporator.
9032591545.
Divya Samala, Student of Aeronautical Engineering Department, MLR II. THE VAPOUR COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION
Institute of Technology, JNTUH, Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA,
8523033672.
SYSTEM
Siva Kumar B, Student of Aeronautical Engineering Department, MLR The vapour compression refrigeration system is by far the
Institute of Technology, JNTUH, Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA,
9440157197.
most popular and widely used system in refrigeration and air
Parthasarathy Garre, Aero Dept, MLRIT. conditioning both for industrial and domestic applications. In

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 A Review: Increase in Performance of Vapour Compression Refrigeration System Using Fan

this system the working substance is a refrigerant like NH3, of refrigerant will damage the valves and moving parts of the
R-11,R-12 etc. The schematic diagram of a vapour compressor, liquid refrigerant carrying lubricating oil from
compression refrigeration system is shown in below Fig. 1. compressor would adversely affect the heat transfer rates, has
low volumetric and mechanical efficiency. Effect of
operating variables on performance of vapour compression
The system mainly consist of a refrigerant compressor, a
cycle are super heating of suction vapour increase
liquid receive, a refrigerant control valve also called as
refrigerating effect, increase work of compressor, increase
expansion valve and an evaporator. Working of the system
heat rejection in condenser and COP may increase or
includes when a compressor is started, it draws the low
decrease, liquid sub cooling: increases refrigerating effect
pressure vapour from the evaporator at compressor and
and COP, increased suction pressure reduces refrigerating
compresses it isentropically to a sufficiently high pressure up
effect, increases work of compressor, reduces COP and
to the condenser since the compression work is done on the
increased discharge pressure reduces refrigerating effect,
vapour, and its temperature also increases. Hot vapour from
increases work of compressor and reduces COP.
compressor under pressure is discharged in to the condenser
where it is cooled at constant pressure by rejecting heat to
condenser cooling medium usually water or surrounding air. III. THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF THE VAPOUR
This converts the hot vapour in to liquid and the liquid is COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION
collected in the liquid receiver at condenser reservoir. The The vapor-compression uses a circulating liquid refrigerant
liquid from the liquid receiver at high pressure is then piped as the medium which absorbs and removes heat from the
to a refrigerant control valve which regulates the flow of space to be cooled and subsequently rejects that heat
liquid in to the evaporator. This control valve, while elsewhere. Fig. 2. depicts a typical, single-stage
restricting the flow, also reduces the pressure of the liquid vapor-compression system. All such systems have four
with the result of the liquid change in to vapour of low components: a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion
dryness fraction represented by expansion valve. During this valve (also called a throttle valve or metering device), and an
process the temperature of the refrigerant reduces evaporator. Circulating refrigerant enters the compressor in
corresponding to its pressure. Finally, the low pressure, low the thermodynamic state known as a saturated vapor and is
temperature refrigerant passes through the evaporator coil compressed to a higher pressure, resulting in a higher
where it absorbs its latent heat from the cold chamber or from temperature as well. The hot, compressed vapor is then in the
the brine solution at constant pressure and converts in the thermodynamic state known as a superheated vapor and it is
vapour at compressor. It is again supplied to the compressor. at a temperature and pressure at which it can be
Thus, the cycle is completed. condenser with either cooling water or cooling air. That hot
vapor is routed through a condenser where it is cooled and
condensed into a liquid by flowing through a coil or tubes
with cool water or cool air flowing across the coil or tubes.
This is where the circulating refrigerant rejects heat from the
system and the rejected heat is carried away by either the
water or the air.
The condensed liquid refrigerant, in the thermodynamic state
known as a saturated liquid, is next routed through an
expansion valve where it undergoes an abrupt reduction in
pressure. That pressure reduction results in the adiabatic flash
evaporation of a part of the liquid refrigerant. The
auto-refrigeration effect of the adiabatic flash evaporation
lowers the temperature of the liquid and vapor refrigerant
mixture to where it is colder than the temperature of the
enclosed space to be refrigerated.

The cold mixture is then routed through the coil or tubes in

the evaporator. A fan circulates the warm air in the enclosed
space across the coil or tubes carrying the cold refrigerant
Fig. 1: Vapour Compression Refrigeration System liquid and vapor mixture. That warm air evaporates the liquid
Advantages of vapour compression cycle are small size, low part of the cold refrigerant mixture. At the same time, the
running cost, high COP and required refrigeration circulating air is cooled and thus lowers the temperature of
temperatures are achieved easily. Disadvantages of vapour the enclosed space to the desired temperature. The evaporator
compression cycle are its high initial cost required safety and is where the circulating refrigerant absorbs and removes heat
prevention of leakages. COP of the cycle can be defined as which is subsequently rejected in the condenser and
the ratio of refrigerating effect to the work of compression. transferred elsewhere by the water or air used in the
condenser.
Assumptions in theoretical vapour compression cycle are no
pressure losses in condenser, evaporator and piping, no heat To complete the refrigerant cycle, the refrigerant vapor from
losses, friction is neglected and all processes are reversible. the evaporator is again a saturated vapor and is routed back
Wet compression cycle is not preferred since liquid droplets into the compressor.

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 International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences (IJEAS)
ISSN: 2394-3661, Volume-2, Issue-4, April 2015

IV. CONCLUSION
In this review vapour compression refrigeration system, by
introducing fan near the evaporator, the performance of whole
system will increase. The compressor work is decreased due
to the pressure drop due to isenthalpic process. Hence we
conclude that this process is effective.

REFERENCES
[1] P.Thangavel, Dr.P.Somasundaram, T.Sivakumar, C.Selva Kumar,
G.Vetriselvan, Simulation Analysis of Compression Refrigeration
Cycle with Different Refrigerants, in International Journal of
Engineering and Innovative Technology, Volume 2, Issue 10, April
2013, pp. 127131.
[2] R.T.Sadgar1,Dr.U.S.wankhede2, Vapor compression refrigeration
system with diffuser at condenser inlet, in International Journal of
Engineering and Innovative Technology, Volume 1, Issue 11 (July
2012), PP. 67-70.
Fig. 2: VCR System Using Fan [3] Neeraj Upadhyay, To study the effect of Sub-cooling and Diffuser on
the Coefficient of Performance of Vapour Compression Refrigeration
System , International Journal of Research in Aeronautical and
From point 2 to point 3, the vapor travels through part of the Mechanical Engineering, Volume 2, June 2014, pp. 40-44.
condenser which removes the superheat by cooling the vapor. [4] Amit Prakash, Improving the performance of Vapor compression
Between point 3 and point 4, the vapor travels through the refrigeration system by using sub- cooling and diffuser in International
Journal of Engineering, Business and Enterprise Applications.
remainder of the condenser and is condensed into a saturated [5] E. Elgendy, Parametric Study of a Vapor Compression Refrigeration
liquid. The condensation process occurs at essentially Cycle Using a Two-Phase Constant Area Ejector, International
constant pressure. Between points 4 and 5, the saturated Journal of Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial and Mechatronics
liquid refrigerant passes through the expansion valve and Engineering, Vol:7, No:8, 2013.
undergoes an abrupt decrease of pressure. That process
results in the adiabatic flash evaporation and
auto-refrigeration of a portion of the liquid (typically, less
than half of the liquid flashes). The adiabatic flash
evaporation process is isenthalpic (i.e., occurs at
constant enthalpy). Between points 5 and 1, the cold and
partially vaporized refrigerant travels through the coil or
tubes in the evaporator where it is totally vaporized by the
warm air (from the space being refrigerated) that a fan
circulates across the coil or tubes in the evaporator. The
evaporator operates at essentially constant pressure and boils
of all available liquid there after adding 4-8 deg K of super
heat to the refrigerant as a safeguard for the compressor as it
cannot pump liquid. The resulting refrigerant vapor returns to
the compressor inlet at point 1 to complete the
thermodynamic cycle. It should be noted that the above
discussion is based on the ideal vapor-compression
refrigeration cycle which does not take into account real
world items like frictional pressure drop in the system, slight
internal irreversibility during the compression of the
refrigerant vapor, or non-ideal gas behavior.

Fig. 3. T- s Diagram

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