International Conference on Information Engineering, Management and Security 2016 (ICIEMS 2016)

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International Conference on Information Engineering, Management and Security 2016 [ICIEMS]

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ICIEMS.2016.008

Performance (COP) Analysis of a Vapour Compression

Refrigeration System component with Nano Coating
1

G Satheshkumar1, V P Venkataramanamuthy2
Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Angel College of Engineering and Technology, Tirupur.
2
Professor and Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Park College of Technology, Coimbatore. India

Abstract- The COP of the refrigeration increasing the performance and to get high efficiency of the refrigeration system. By using nano coating over
the evaporator of the refrigeration component the objective can be achieved. The improper heat dissipation occurred in the heat exchanger components
causes effect in performance. The vapour compression refrigeration system consuming the high power. Though the energy taken for the refrigeration
process has increased and leads to more power consumption. In order to increase the performance, Nano coating Copper Oxide has been applied over the
evaporator. By applying the Nano coating Copper Oxide over the evaporator the COP increased. In result the energy required for the refrigeration
process and global warming problems has been reduced. By addition of nanoparticles to the refrigeration results in improvements in the COP of the
refrigeration, thereby improving the performance of the refrigeration system. In this experiment the effect of using CuO-R134a in the vapour
compression system expected COP will be increased by 5% with nano coating.

I. INTRODUCTION
Vapour-compression refrigeration, in which the refrigerant undergoes phase changes, is one of the many refrigeration cycles and is the
most widely used method for air-conditioning of buildings and automobiles. It is also used in domestic and commercial refrigerators,
large-scale warehouses for chilled or frozen storage of foods and meats, refrigerated trucks and railroad cars, and a host of other
commercial services.
Oil refineries, petrochemical and chemical processing plants, and natural gas processing plants are among the many types of industrial
plants that often utilize large vapour-compression refrigeration systems. Refrigeration may be defined as lowering the temperature of
an enclosed space by removing heat from that space and transferring it elsewhere. A device that performs this function may also be
called an air conditioner, refrigerator, air source heat pump, geothermal heat pump.

A. Working
The vapour-compression uses a circulating liquid refrigerant as the medium which absorbs and removes heat from the space to be
cooled and subsequently rejects that heat elsewhere. Fig. 1 depicts a typical, singlestage vapour-compression system. All such systems
have four components: a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion valve (also called throttle valve or metering device), and an
evaporator. Circulating refrigerant enters the compressor in the thermodynamic state known as a saturated vapour and is compressed
to a higher pressure, resulting in a higher temperature as well. The hot, compressed vapour is then in the thermodynamic state known
as a superheated vapour and it is at a temperature and pressure at which it can be condensed with either cooling water or cooling air.
That hot vapour 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
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Cite this article as: G Satheshkumar, V P Venkataramanamuthy. Performance (COP) Analysis of a Vapour
Compression Refrigeration System component with Nano Coating. International Conference on Information
Engineering, Management and Security 2016: 38-41. Print.

International Conference on Information Engineering, Management and Security 2016 (ICIEMS 2016)

39

rejected heat is carried away by either the water or the air (whichever may be the case).

Fig. 1. Vapour Compression refrigeration

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 autorefrigeration effect of the adiabatic flash evaporation lowers the temperature of the liquid and vapour
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 liquid and vapour mixture.
That warm air evaporates the liquid part of the cold refrigerant mixture. At the same time, the circulating air is cooled and thus lowers
the temperature of the enclosed space to the desired temperature. The evaporator is where the circulating refrigerant absorbs and
removes heat which is subsequently rejected in the condenser and transferred elsewhere by the water or air used in the condenser. To
complete the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant vapour from the evaporator is again a saturated vapour and is routed back into the
compressor.

Fig.2. Temperature Entropy Diagram

The thermodynamics of the vapour compression cycle can be analyzed on a temperature versus entropy diagram as depicted in Fig.2.
At point 1 in the diagram, the circulating refrigerant enters the compressor as a saturated vapour. From point 1 to point 2, the vapour
is isentropically compressed (i.e., compressed at constant entropy) and exits the compressor as a superheated vapour. From point 2 to
point 3, the vapour travels through part of the condenser which removes the superheat by cooling the vapour. Between point 3 and
point 4, the vapour travels through the remainder of the condenser and is condensed into a saturated liquid.
The condensation process occurs at essentially constant pressure. Between points 4 and 5, the saturated liquid refrigerant passes
through the expansion valve and 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 (i.e.,
occurs at constant enthalpy).
Between points 5 and 1, the cold and partially vapourized refrigerant travels through the coil or tubes in the evaporator where it is
totally vapourized by the warm air (from the space being refrigerated) that a fan circulates across the coil or tubes in the evaporator.
Cite this article as: G Satheshkumar, V P Venkataramanamuthy. Performance (COP) Analysis of a Vapour
Compression Refrigeration System component with Nano Coating. International Conference on Information
Engineering, Management and Security 2016: 38-41. Print.

International Conference on Information Engineering, Management and Security 2016 (ICIEMS 2016)

40

The evaporator operates at essentially constant pressure and boils of all available liquid there after adding 4-8 deg kelvin of super heat
to the refrigerant as a safeguard for the compressor as it cannot pump liquid. The resulting refrigerant vapour 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 vapour-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 vapour, or non-ideal gas behavior.

II. Description of the Refrigeration System

A refrigerator consists of a compressor connected by pipe line to the condenser, a capillary tube and an evaporator. Refrigerant in
vapour state from an evaporator is compressed in the compressor and send to the condenser. Here, it condenses into liquid and it is
then throttled. Due to throttling, Temperature of the refrigerant drops and cold refrigerant passes through the evaporator absorbing
the heat from the object to be cooled. The refrigerant is then return to the compressor and then cycle is completed. The test rig
consists of a hermetically sealed compressor. The compressed from the compressor is send to an air cooled condenser and the
condensate in the liquid from is send to the expansion valve and capillary tube for throttling. Due to throttling, the temperature to the
refrigerant falls and the cold refrigerants absorb heat from the water in the evaporator tank. The refrigerant is then returned to the
compressor.
A suitable filter is fitted in the refrigerant line from condenser to evaporator. A thermo couple is provide to measure the temperature
of the water in the evaporator tank. An Energy meter is provided to measure the energy input to the compressor. Suitable pressure
gauges are provided at the compressor inlet low pressure (evaporator outlet), Condenser inlet (Compressor outlet), Condenser
outlet- high pressure (Before throttling) and evaporator outlet (after throttling) to study the refrigeration cycle operating between two
pressures. A thermostat is provided for cutting of the power to compressor when the water temperature reaches to set value. A
voltmeter and an ammeter provided to monitor the inlet power supply. A voltage stabilizer is provided for the protection of the
compressor. Additional four nos thermocouple is fitted at the condenser and evaporator inlet and outlet for studying the temperature
at four points in the refrigeration cycle.

III. Procedure
Start the compressor and let it run until the evaporator. The evaporator temperature is controlled by controlling the power input to
heater. When the evaporator temperature is steady, note the low temperatures at evaporator inlet and outlet and condenser inlet and
outlet. Also note down the Temperatures and Pressures at Evaporator inlet and outlet temperature, Condenser inlet and outlet
temperature. Calculate the COP.

IV. Result and Discussion

The results that were obtained after the nano coating has applied is tabulated below. Co-efficient of performance COP and power
consumption were two parameters, which were changed during the process. Fig. 3. Shows the COP of the refrigeration with and
without coating in the compressor are 1.79 and 1.52 respectively. This shows that the COP of the refrigeration makes better
performance with nano coating in the compressor. Fig. 4. Shows the power input of the refrigeration with and without coating in the
compressor are 60.228 Kw and 77.43 Kw respectively. From the graph which is shown in the fig. 4. Represents that the power input
is reduced in the refrigeration after nano coated in its compressor.

Fig. 3.COP with and without nano coting in Comparison

Cite this article as: G Satheshkumar, V P Venkataramanamuthy. Performance (COP) Analysis of a Vapour
Compression Refrigeration System component with Nano Coating. International Conference on Information
Engineering, Management and Security 2016: 38-41. Print.

International Conference on Information Engineering, Management and Security 2016 (ICIEMS 2016)

41

Fig. 4. Power input with and without nano coating in Comparison

V. Conclusion
CuO nanoparticle can be to improve the COP in a refrigeration system. It leads to less usage of power during the refrigeration
process. By applying the Nano coating over the evaporator, the required temperature can be easily attained in minimum time. So that
the running time of compressor is reduced. Automatically the power required for the running of refrigerator also reduced. In this case,
it makes a COP change in the house hold uses of refrigerator. It is very useful for the people who are using refrigerators in the house
hold and in industries. In normal the refrigerator would not give efficient refrigeration after some years. By using this Nano coated
refrigerator one can use refrigerator for many years. The cost of this refrigerator is also same as that of the previous refrigerator. A
successful model has been designed and increase to the COP of the refrigeration system has been done.

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Cite this article as: G Satheshkumar, V P Venkataramanamuthy. Performance (COP) Analysis of a Vapour
Compression Refrigeration System component with Nano Coating. International Conference on Information
Engineering, Management and Security 2016: 38-41. Print.