energy efficiency

applied to RAC
best practices 1
UNDP Nigeria project
contents of the next sessions are to be
considered accurate and reliable but they
mean only as general informations

in any case, local legislation in force has to be

examined and properly
carried out
what is efficiency ?

efficiency can be defined in different ways

1⃣ the ratio of the useful work performed

by a machine or in a process to the total
energy expended or heat taken in
2⃣ is the fundamental reduction in the
amount of wasted resources that are used to
produce a given number of goods or services
(output)

and other philosophical concepts, but …

but I prefer …

spend less to get more

the standardized terminology in this subject area is
internationally diverse and heterogeneous, e.g. the
definition of EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) is different
in U.S. and European standards
for energy assessment the term energy efficiency
is often used
so far this term has not clearly been defined and needs
to be explained

to avoid confusion and misunderstandings

the key terms are defined below
for the purposes of the above mentioned definition,
the energy efficiency of a system can be described
by the ratio of refrigerating capacity and the input power
this ratio is known as the COP , the Coefficient Of
Performance

usefull refrigerating capacity W

COP =
total power input W

it describes the efficiency for the given conditions

what is COE ?
COE means Coefficient Of Efficiency
or
thermal efficiency coefficient

Q out
COE =
Q in

briefly: what you get / what you pay for

for the determination of an appropriate “energy efficiency”
it is necessary to know the timing of the useful refrigerating
energy and the energy input

this kind of energy efficiency should have a different name;

it is a ratio like the COP, but the ratio is built with energies,
so the term Coefficient Of Energy, COE is defined here

usefull refrigerating energy Wh

COE =
total energy input Wh
nominal capacity 5HP refrigerant R134a

cooling mode

compressor A compressor B
cooling capacity cooling capacity
11,800 W 11,700 W
input power input power
4,400 W 5,010 W

COE = 2.68 COE = 2.35

nominal capacity 5HP refrigerant R134a

heating mode

compressor A compressor B
cooling capacity cooling capacity
11,800 W 11,700 W
input power input power
4,400 W 5,010 W
heating capacity heating capacity
16200 W 16710
all these words are to establish that efficiency is the
comparison between what you get and what you pay for

but all these are arguments that do not interest the

participants in our training courses dedicated to
refrigeration techicians

in their daily work they need practical arguments

anyway …

… what are the topics

for a good efficiency ?
equipment design
component selection
production processes
quality controls
manuals (installation, user’s instruction, maintenance)
installation and first starting
monitoring
maintenance & repair
 manufacturer
equipment design
component selection
production processes
quality controls
manuals (installation, user’s instruction, maintenance)
installation and first starting
monitoring
maintenance & repair refrigeration
engineer
at the time of its manufacturing, the
equipment has its own level of efficiency

refrigeration engineer cannot improve it,

he can only slow down its decline
there are many factors that contribute to the level
of efficiency of an equipment

each is important if it is integrated into the big system

named «cooling equipment»

design is not limited to the

mechanical part but the
marketing needs too
during the design, the engineer must identify
the point of maximum efficiency within the range
of application of the equipment

the top of efficiency cannot be the same all along

the application range; a decision has to be made

engineering design follows marketing resolution

efficiency

application range °C
 now let's compare the design "philosophy" of two
different manufacturers where one is a leader in
AC and the other in refrigeration

the simulation considers two different compressors

working with the same refrigerant and:
same displacement
same electric motor
same type (hermetic, semi-hermetic ….)
efficiency

manufacturer A

-20 +18
application range °C
efficiency

manufacturer B

-20 +18
application range °C
efficiency

manufacturer A

manufacturer B

-20 +18
application range °C
in addition to this, we
consider that the same
compressor is enabled
to work with several
refrigerants and only
one will have the top
efficiency
installation and first starting
monitoring
maintenance & repair

are three groups of essential procedures that

the refrigeration engineer is able to accomplish
only with solid technical preparation and skills
concentrate on the practical aspects of their daily
activities, many consider fundamental concepts
irrelevant

big mistake !!
 experience

technical knowledge

fundamentals
lack of fundamental refrigeration knowledge can lead to
tremendously embarrassing mistakes in the daily activity
knowledge of fundamentals may seem superfluous
but European legislation requires demonstrating
knowledge in order to obtain certification
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 303/2008
of 2 April 2008
experience is the tool that coordinates knowledge

experience is the fruit of the tree of errors

 the designer must fulfill some essential requirement
in order to grant efficiency and reliability

B cooling capacity strictly in line with user requirements

C good quality of any component of the cooling system

D components with balanced performance
B cooling capacity strictly in line with user requirements

result of heat load calculation and performances

of cooling equipment must be balanced with each
other

project data

t load n i ng
a o l
he ulati coo city
c a
cal cap
C good quality of any component of the cooling system

once the components are assembled, the final

quality of the cooling system is equal to the one
with the lowest quality
40%
100%

final quality
100%

100%
D components with balanced performance

the cooling circuit is a harmonic set of components

suitable for making a specific refrigerating cycle
 what is the refrigeration cycle ?

is the periodic transformation of a substance whose

characteristics of pressure, volume and temperature
have changed in a definite way
the refrigeration cycle is carried out by means
of a refrigeration machine

when the same quantity of fluid contained in a sealed

circuit is periodically transformed, a closed refrigeration
cycle is created
even if the design is not a specific activity of the
refrigeration engineer, to know the design criteria
is useful for a correct diagnosis and monitoring …

… and, sometime, identify design mistakes

we all
make
mitakes
s
how the main components are sized ?

what is the selection sequence ?

which first ?
with its cooling effect, the evaporator allows to realize
the conditions foreseen by the designer

its cooling capacity MUST be as close as possible

to the heat load calculated by the designer

a wide availability of shapes, performances, brands …..

allows to select the most suitable evaporator
the evaporator selection
is extremely important
the subtraction of heat that
it carries out from the ambient
to be cooled must guarantee
not only the temperature but
also the relative humidity RH
the correct RH and ambient
temperature are obtained
only with a correct
evaporation temperature
correct RH and ambient
temperature mean
ensuring the satisfactory
comfort conditions (AC)
or the suitable
perishable food
conservation
in air conditioning the enthalpy–entropy chart (also
known as the H–S chart) is the tool to identify the
suitable evaporating temperature

hE

hU

EVAP. tS tU tE
but this is an activity that
must be performed by
a highly specialized technician

(but this is my opinion)

the most common situation where the refrigeration
engineer is asked to choose an evaporator is the
construction of a cold room
based on the calculation of the heat load and on the
conservation characteristics of the perishable product,
refrigeration engineer has all the necessary data to
proceed with the selection
in cold rooms, and in particular in those at temperatures
around 0°C, the generally high hygrometric degree
prescribed can be kept inside the cell simply by limiting
the dehumidifying effect of the evaporator

how ?
simply by choosing the most suitable Dt
normally, the lowering of the air temperature
also means the reduction of the relative humidity
due to that, the evaporating temperature
is the main data to fix in evaporator designing
only the suitable difference in temperture between
ambient and the refrigerant can ensure the correct
heat removal from the ambient and its relative
humidity HR
 in refrigeration the use of a practical data table
allows to identify the difference in temperature
(Dt) suitable to calculate the evaporating temperature
conservation
temperature
HR

fres
h la
mb
∆t1 = 6K
Δt1 = cold room temp.– evaporating temp.

evaporation

cold room
calculated heat load
g evaporator cooling capacity

but once the most suitable evaporator is selected …

the result of the load calculation in W/24h
the designer consider the compressor working 18h/24H

compressor cooling capacity = heat load W 24h /18h

result W is the cooling capacity to be found in the

compressor catalogue
 you need

X
X
you have
X
calculated heat load
!
evaporator cooling capacity

the reference for next selections will be

the evaporator cooling capacity
evaporator cooling capacity
= compressor cooling capacity

to select the compressor are to be considered:

dimensions - electric supply - refrigerant – local availability
the same criteria are to be taken into consideration
with a condensing unit
UR
-UR +UR

➣
 compressor
type

positive
displacement dynamic

rotary reciprocating centrifugal axial

lobe screw liquid ring scroll vane diaphragm double acting single acting
also called “rolling piston”
with scroll compressor, the refrigerant vapor pressure rises
with the passage through two spirals where the female is
orbiting inserted into the male spiral
for what kind of compressor the direction of rotation
is crucial ?

direction of rotation
piston ? irrilevant
for what kind of compressor the direction of rotation
is crucial ?

direction of rotation to
rotary ? be complied with
for what kind of compressor the direction of rotation
is crucial ?

direction of rotation to
scroll ? be complied with
for what kind of compressor the direction of rotation
is crucial ?

direction of rotation to
screw ? be complied with
for what kind of compressor the direction of rotation
is crucial ?

direction of rotation to
be complied with

centrifugal ?
for what kind of compressor the direction of rotation
is crucial ?

piston ✘
rotary ✔
scroll ✔
screw ✔
centrifugal ✔
condenser is an heat exchanger, namely an
equipment suitable to make easy heat transferring
between two fluids
heat exchange occurs however by nature but the
proper configuration makes it faster and more
efficient
what occurs inside
the condenser ?

passing through the condenser, refrigerant vapor

(with high pressure and temperature) transfers its
own heat content to the colder fluid that flows outside
good condenser dimensioning results in a heat exchanger
suitable to handle the heat collected in the evaporator
(including the heat collected in the suction line) in addition
to the heat produced by the compressor during
compression work
Q condenser = cooling capacity + input power

input power
(compressor)

cooling capacity
(evaporator)
TEV (Thermostatic Expansion Valve) is a restriction
in the circuit with the purpose to offer a calculated
and changeable resistance to refrigerant flowing
from evaporator to condenser

this produces high pressure inside the condenser

power element
(bellow + bulb)

outlet connection

nozzle

inlet connection
regulation stem
pressure drop through the TEV nozzle makes easy
expansion of the refrigerant and consequently its
temperature
pressure drop through the TEV nozzle make easy
expansion of the refrigerant and consequently its
temperature
modulating and shut-off action of the valve
are based on three different pressures

P1 bulb pressure

P2 evaporating pressure

P3 spring load
 the right balance of the valve is when P1 (bulb
pressure) shall be equal to the sum of P2 e P3

P1

P2

P3 P2 P1
 how can we know the pressure P1?
but what is the liquid contained in the bulb?

R134a
suction line

we don't know
but we know that it has a temperature-pressure
relationship like that of the refrigerant in saturation
contained in the circuit
 refrigerant R134a
evaporating temperature +2 C
2,13 bar P2
superheating 8K
bulb temperature +10 C
3,15 bar P1
spring load 1,02 bar P3

P1

P2

PLE
X
P3
A M P2

E
P1
 refrigerant R134a
evaporating temperature +2 C

D D
2,13 bar P2
superheating 8K
bulb temperature +10 C
3,15 bar P1
spring load 1,02 bar P3
if P3 = P1 - P2
it means that P3 allows to evaporate at +2 C with
a bulb temperature of +10 C; then P3 is the difference
between the two corrispondent temperatures:
the valve superheating
the quantity of refrigerant flowing through the TEV
depends on the difference in pressure between
the inlet and the outlet
due to this, its capacity decreases as the pressure
difference decreases and vice versa
it is exactly opposite to that of the compressor
 controlled superheating compressor

expansion valve

+25%
COOLING CAPACITY

TEV nominal capacity

-35%
W

cooling capacity

+30 +40 +50

CONDENSING TEMPERATURE
°C
thanks to its extended tolerance, the valve is able to
guarantee superheat control even in the presence of
large fluctuations in the compressor capacity