Experiment No. 1 Name of Experiment - Study of Window Air Conditioner

REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING LAB MANUAL
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. B N COLLEGE OF ENGG. PUSAD
EXPERIMENT NO. 1 NAME OF EXPERIMENT - STUDY OF WINDOW

AIR CONDITIONER
Window air conditioner [WAC] is the most commonly used air conditioner
for single rooms. In this air conditioner all the components are enclosed
in a single box. This unit is fitted in a slot made in the wall of the room, or
more commonly a window sill. Plastic materials are receiving increased
consideration in the design and fabrication of room air conditioners
because of their ease in forming, inherent resistance to corrosion, and
decorative qualities.
Parts of the Window Air Conditioners
WAC are one of the most widely used types of air conditioners because
they are the simplest form of the air conditioning systems. WAC
comprises of the rigid base on which all the parts of the WAC are
assembled. The base is assembled inside the casing which is fitted into
the wall or the window of the room in which the air conditioner is fitted.
The whole assembly of the WAC can be divided into two compartments:
the room side, which is also the cooling side and the outdoor side from
where the heat absorbed by the room air is liberated to the atmosphere.
The room side and outdoor side are separated from each other by an
insulated partition enclosed inside the WAC assembly.
The various parts of the WAC can be divided into following categories:
the refrigeration system, air circulation system, ventilation system,
control system, and the electrical protection system.
SIZING AND PURCHASE OF WAC-

One should go for cooling load calculation in order to arrive for appropriate
sized AC. A large sized air conditioner penalizes in the following ways 1.It
uses more energy. 2. It costs more to purchase than appropriate size AC.
3. The oversized AC cycles (on and off) more frequently reduce its
efficiency. Frequent cycling makes indoor temperature to fluctuate more
and results in less comfortable climate. It also inhibits dehumidification. It,
in addition wears out the compressor and electrical parts more rapidly.
Purchase energy five star qualified WAC certified by India’s bureau of
energy efficiency BEE which consumes less energy. Its higher cost will
be paid during its life span. Unless you have 3-4 hours usage of AC
daily one can consider buying 3 or 5 stars non inverter AC. Purchase
an AC with Energy saving features such as i ) Digital readout for
thermostat setting, ii) A built in timer, iii) A filter that slides out easily for
regular cleaning iv) copper condenser. LG has come out with WAC
PREAPARED BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 1

operating on Wi-Fi technology. Air conditioners working on solar energy

are available in market.
The Refrigeration System of the Window Air Conditioner The

refrigeration system of the WAC include the compressor, condenser,
liquid line filter drier, expansion valve and the evaporator. The refrigerant
used in most of the WAC was R22 [HCFC] which is now replaced by
R410a [HFC binary blend of 50/50 by weight of HFC 32 and HFC 125],
R32 and R290 [HC].These HC refrigerant have lower ozone depletion
potential ODP and global warming potential GWP. The compressor used
in the WAC is hermetically sealed type. This compressor has long life
and it carries long warranty periods. In case of the maintenance
problems it can be replaced easily from the company. The condenser is
made up of copper tubing [or aluminum] and it is cooled by the
atmospheric air. The condenser is covered with the fins [made from
aluminum] to enable faster heat transfer rate from it. The capillary tubing
made up of various rounds of the copper coil is used as the throttling
device in the WAC. Sometimes it may be thermostatic or electronic
expansion valve. Just before the capillary there is liquid line drier filter
that filters the refrigerant and also removes the moisture particles, if
present in the refrigerant.
Like condenser, the evaporator is also made up of copper tubing of
number of turns and is covered with the fins. The evaporator is also
called as the cooling coil since the rooms air passes over it and gets
cooled. Just in front of the evaporator there is air filter fitted in the front
panel or front grill. [Made up of corrugated poly propylene or
polyester 6 mm thick followed electrostatic particulate matter 3M
removes 83 % particles of diameter 2.5 micrometer. 3M filters are fitted
vertically onto the center of the screens allowing gaps on each side.
They cover about 80% surface of the existing filtering screen for optimal
air flow. Sometimes they may be followed by ionization filters. ] Both
the condenser and evaporator tubing’s should be grooved or riffled to
enhance refrigerant side heat transfer coefficient. Vertical tube rows in
the condenser and evaporator fin and tube type heat exchanger may be
at the most 4 because each successive row in a coil is only 70%
effective as preceding row. For systems working with R-410A, the trend
is to use number of rows to 2 or 3 rows. Tube diameters currently used
are 9mm for evaporator and condenser. The fins are 13 in number per
inch. Fins with 0.11 mm thickness use hydrophilic coatings have an
affinity for water causing condensed water to film the fin surface in a thin
layer. The strong affinity for water results in less retention of bridge
shaped water drops between fin surfaces. According to research it

causes the water drops to fall of the fin surface quickly resulting in
reduced air side pressure drops and increased air flow rates across the
heat exchanger. The aluminum fins will not corrode due to separation of
water droplets. Therefore cooling capacity is improved as compared to
air conditioning systems using untreated fins.
As the room air is absorbed, it is first passed over the filter so that it gets
filtered. The filtered air is then blown over the cooling coil and the chilled
air is passed into the room.
The refrigerant after leaving the cooling coil enters the accumulator
where it is accumulated and then it is again sucked from the top of
accumulator by the compressor for recirculation over the whole cycle.
Air Circulation System of the Window Air Conditioner

The air circulation system of the WAC comprises of the following parts.
1].Blower: This is the small forward curved vane centrifugal blower
that is fitted behind the evaporator inside the assembly of the WAC
system. The blower sucks the air from the room which first passes over
the air filter and gets filtered. The air then passes over the cooling coil
and gets chilled. The blower then blows this filtered and chilled air, which
passes through the supply air compartment. This air is then delivered
into the room from the supply air grill of the front panel.
2].Propeller fan or the condenser fan: The condenser fan is the forced
draft type of propeller fan that sucks the atmospheric air and blows it
over the condenser.
3) Fan motor: The motor [Direct drive permanent split capacitor PSC
having efficiency in the range of 50 to 60 %] inside the WAC assembly is
located between the condenser and the evaporator coil. Electronically
commutated motors ECM having the efficiency in range of 70 to 80% are
being used for increasing the ISEER Indian seasonal Energy efficiency
ratio. It is double shafted on which one side of which the blower is fitted
and on the other side the condenser fan is fitted. This makes the whole
assembly of the blower, the condenser fan and the motor highly
compact.
Control System of the Window Air Conditioners
In front of the WAC there is control panel or the operating panel that
carries various control buttons. This control panel can be easily
accessed from the front panel of the WAC. The three important
parameters that are to be controlled inside the WAC are the room air
temperature, the flow rate of the air and the direction of the air.

1) Thermostat for controlling the room air temperature: The

thermostat sensor is connected directly to the evaporator to sense its
temperature. The thermostat is also connected to the switch in control
panel and it has the knob for setting the temperature. The person inside
the room can easily set the temperature required by rotating this knob. In
the modern WAC, there is printed circuit board PCB to which the
thermostat is connected. This PCB has remote sensor so the setting of
the thermostat can be easily changed by the remote control. One should
set the thermostat at the required temperature and not keep it at very
low temperature to avoid high electricity bills.
2) Air flow rate inside the room: The motor connected to the blower
is of multispeed type. As the speed of the motor changes the amount of
air sucked by it and blown by it also changes and so the amount of air
delivered in the room also changes. The speed of the motor can be
changed by the knob provided in the control panel or by the remote
control if the air conditioner has PCB fitted into it. In case of inverter
based system fan speed changes depending on thermostat setting.
3) Direction of the air flow inside the room: In front panel of the
WAC there are horizontal louvers. Additionally, in front of the air
conditioner body and attached to it are the vertical louvers. The chilled
air from blown by the blower passes into the room through these
louvers. The horizontal louvers in the front panel enable changing the
vertical motion direction of the air inside the room. The position of these
louvers can be changed manually.
The vertical louvers enable changing the horizontal motion of the air
inside the room. These louvers are connected to the small motor. The
vertical louvers can be kept moving in the vertical direction so that the air
flows with satisfactory throw and without drafts throughout the room
uniformly or they can be kept in the fixed direction so that the air flows in
particular desired direction only. The operation of the motor of the
vertical louvers can be controlled by the small button on the control
panel of the WAC. In case of the automatic WAC with PCB, the motion
of the vertical louvers can be controlled by the remote. Louver design
should eliminate recirculation of discharge air into the air inlet.
Front Panel of the Window Air Conditioner

The front panel has two important compartments: return air and supply
air compartments.

1) Return air compartment: The return air compartment of the front

panel comprises of the return air grill and the air filter. When the blower
sucks the air, it is first over the return air grill and then over the air filter.
Since the return air from the room comes inside the air conditioner via
this part of the front panel, it is called as return air compartment of the
grill.
2) Supply air compartment: The supply air compartment of the front
panel comprises of the horizontal louvers which help changing the
vertical direction of air inside the room and their position can be changed
manually as per the requirement. Louver design should eliminate
recirculation of discharge air into the air inlet. Discharge air speeds
range from 1.5 to 3 m/s, with low speeds preferred in rooms where
people are at rest.
There is another opening in the front panel that provides access to the
control panel of the WAC. The front panel of the WAC can be removed
easily for carrying out the maintenance works.
Drainage System of the Window Air Conditioner
When the room air is chilled by the cooling coil the dew [moisture] from
the air is accumulated on the coil. This dew drops in the bottom base of
the WAC and it has to be removed by some system else the water will
leak inside the room. For collecting the dew, the WAC is installed with
slightly tilted angle toward outside due to which all the dew water gets
collected towards the back. There is small opening at the end for the
drainage of this water. This opening can be left open or it can be
connected to the small drain pan and the piping so that the water is
drained out easily.
Electrical Protection System

The rotary hermetically sealed inverter based compressor [with twin
rotors and 8 pole bldc motor] motor should be protected against getting
overheated and burning. Due to running of the air conditioner for long
time, sometimes the winding gets overheated. To prevent coil burning
there is a bimetal that senses the temperature of the coil. When the coil
temperature reaches certain level, it trips the compressor and stops it
until it gets cooled and restarts only after certain lower limit of the
temperature is attained.
Air Filter
For proper working of the WAC system cleaning the air filter once every
two weeks is very important. If this is not done dust will get accumulated
in the filter and the air will not be absorbed and supplied by the AC. Due
to dirt the temperature of the evaporator may become too low resulting in

the formation of ice and ultimately complete blockage of the cooling coil.
Cleaning the filter hardly takes five minutes, do it regularly and enjoy the
comforts of WAC on long-term basis.
Working of WAC
The working of WAC can be explained by separately considering the two
cycles of air: room air cycle and the hot air cycle. The compartments of
the room and hot air are separated by an insulated partition [with
acoustic lining for noise reduction] inside the body of the air
conditioner. The noise generated may around 50 decibel.
Room Air Cycle

The air moving inside the room and in the front part of the air conditioner
where the cooling coil is located is considered to be the room air.

When the WAC is started the blower starts immediately and after a few
seconds the compressor also starts. The evaporator coil or the cooling
gets cooled as soon as the compressor is started.
The blower behind the cooling coil starts sucking the room air, which is
at high temperature and also carries the dirt and dust particles. On its
path towards the blower, the room air first passes through the filter
where the dirt and dust particles from it get removed.
When air then passes over the cooling coil where two processes occur.
Firstly, since the temperature of the cooling coil is much lesser than the
room air, the refrigerant inside the cooling coil absorbs the heat from the
air. Due to this the temperature of the room air becomes very low, that is
the air becomes chilled. Secondly, due to reduction in the temperature of

the air, some dew [moisture] is condensed on the surface of the cooling
coil. This is because the temperature of the cooling coil is lower than the
dew point temperature of the air. Thus the moisture from the air is
removed so the relative humidity of the air reduces.
This air at low temperature and low humidity is sucked by the blower and
it blows it at high pressure. The chilled air then passes through small
duct inside the air conditioner and it is then thrown outside the air
conditioner through the opening in the front panel or the grill. This chilled
air then enters the room and chills the room maintaining low temperature
and low humidity inside the room. The cool air inside the room absorbs
the heat and also the moisture and so its temperature and moisture
content becomes high. This air is again sucked by the blower and the
cycle repeats. Some outside air also gets mixed with this room air. Since

this air is sent back to the blower, it is also called as the return room air.
In this way the cycle of this return air or the room air keeps on repeating.
Hot Air Cycle

The hot air cycle includes the atmospheric air that is used for cooling the
condenser. The condenser of the WAC is exposed to the external
atmosphere. The propeller fan located behind the condenser sucks the
atmospheric at high temperature and it blows the air over the condenser.
The refrigerant inside the condenser is at very high temperature and it
has to be cooled to produce the desired cooling effect. When the
atmospheric air passes over the condenser, it absorbs the [super and
latent] heat from the refrigerant and its temperature increases. The
atmospheric air is already at high temperature and after absorbing the
condenser heat, its temperature becomes even higher. The person
standing behind the condenser of the WAC can clearly feel the heat of
this hot air. Since the temperature of this air is very high, this is called as
hot air cycle.
The refrigerant after getting cooled enters the expansion valve and then
the evaporator. On the other hand, the hot air is expelled to atmosphere
and then the fresh atmospheric air is absorbed by the propeller fan and
blown over the condenser. This cycle of the hot air continues.
Temperature of Evaporator, Compressor suction, Condensing, sub
cooled liquid and ambient are 7.2°C, 18.3°C , 54.4°C , 46.1°C and
35.0°C.
Window Air Conditioner used as the Heat Pump

In many parts of the world the winters are too cool and the summers are
too hot. In such climates the WAC can be used for cooling in the
summers and for heating in the winter. The WAC used as the heater in
the winters is called as the heat pump. Instead of the heat pump one can
also use the ordinary electric heater for heating the room, but the electric
consumption of the electric heater is much more than the heat pump for
the same amount of heat produced inside the room. In the summer
season the evaporator acts as the cooling coil which is the normal
working of the WAC.
Cooling and Heating Cycles of the Window Air Conditioners

The 4-way reversing valve is incorporated within the refrigeration cycle.
The reversing valve is the four position valve with four ports. In the figure
the air cooling cycle is shown by the dotted line, while the air heating
cycle is shown by the continuous line.

In the normal course of running in the summer seasons, when the air
conditioner works as the cooler, the indoor unit acts as the evaporator or
the cooling coil and outdoor unit acts as the condenser. Due to this the
cooling effect is produced inside the room, while the heat is rejected to
the atmosphere. In the winters, when the atmospheric temperature is too
low, the position of the reversing valve is changed and the machine
works as the heat pump. The indoor unit becomes the condenser and
the outdoor unit becomes the evaporator. The outdoor unit absorbs the
heat from the atmosphere and releases it inside the room via the
condenser to produce the heating effect.
The reversing valve changes the direction of the flow of the refrigerant
and plays the vital role between the air conditioner and heat pump. Even
the reversing valve can be operated automatically by using the solenoid
valve and operating it with the switch.
Installation of WAC
The installation of the WAC if not done properly desired cooling effect
will reduce and the machine may make lots of noise. The installation of
the WAC has to be done as per the manufacturer’s instructions and by
an expert person.
1. Install the WAC on the largest wall of the room that is exposed to
the external atmosphere. Doing this ensures uniform distribution of the
chilled air inside the room. If you are installing the unit in the window
make sure that the window is large enough and wooden frame strong

enough to bear the weight of the WAC and it should be rigid enough so
that the AC won’t vibrate.
2. Don’t install the WAC near the heating equipment’s or the entrance
or in the corner. All these will lead to the loss of the precious cooling
effect. 3. The height of the WAC inside the room should be about 75 cm
to 120 cm from the floor. This will allow the flow of the fresh chilled within
the room such that the maximum cooling effect would be utilized by the

occupants inside the room. If the height of the WAC is too high, lots of cooling
effect of the air will be used to cool the ceiling of the room.
4. Make sure that the power with specified current and voltage ratings is
available near the WAC. If the cables connected to the AC have lower
current rating they may burnout leading stoppage of the AC and the lighting
connected to the same power line.
5) While deciding the location of the WAC one should also look for the
buildings located outside the wall. The heat radiated from the sun and the
surrounding buildings tend to increase the temperature of the air around
the condenser, reducing the effectiveness of the air conditioner. This
problem usually occurs in hot climates and high rise buildings. Behind the
wall or window, there should be at least 30 cm of free space along the
sides and at least two meters behind condenser.
Here are the steps for the installation of the WAC: 1). Remove the AC from
box.2) Making the hole in the wall or window3) leveling the wall or window,
fitting the wooden frame 4) Fitting the cabinet cover or casing 5) Sliding
the WAC.
AIR CONDITIONER SPECIFICATIONS
REFRIGERANT R 22
Dimensions 615x6 660x770x42 660x770x42 660x770x428

(approx) - 74x41 8 8
(WxHxD) in mm 8
Noise decibel 48 52 52 56
Weight kg 37 52 55 62
PREAPARED
BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 12
RESULT – In this way WAC is studied

Experiment No 2
Study of House Hold Refrigerator
Aim: - To Study Household Refrigerator
1. Principle of Operation
Domestic refrigerators and freezers are among the most energy
demanding appliances in a household due to their continuous operation.
Worldwide the no. of consumers is constantly increasing. The study
shows that refrigerator consumes about ¼ th of the total energy
consumption in a house. It also accounts to about 1/6 th of greenhouse
gas emission. Although, the recent technologies use hydrocarbon as a
refrigerant to reduce the greenhouse gas emission; the overall
performance enhancement of domestic refrigerator is mandatory to
reduce the indirect emissions and the amount of energy consumption.
Most of the household refrigerator commonly used, works on vapor
compression refrigeration cycle with cop around 1.7. However, some
refrigerators use absorption systems, and, in some cases, thermoelectric
(Peltier-effect) refrigeration with COP of 0.2 and 0.1 respectively. The
refrigerant vapor is compressed by means of compressor to a pressure
at which temperature obtained at the end of compression will be more
than atmosphere, so that at this high temperature it will reject heat and
will get condensed. This condensate is then allowed to pass through a
capillary so that the pressure and temperature are lowered. Capillary
device acts as throttle. A portion of the capillary tube is usually soldered
to the suction line to form a heat exchanger. Cooling refrigerant in the
capillary tube with the suction gas increases capacity and efficiency. The
discharge from evaporator will be either dry and saturated or
superheated, which then is sucked by compressor or cycle is completed.
Along with above components there is liquid line filter drier
[between condenser and capillary] and accumulator [between
evaporator and compressor] so that the former will dry the refrigerant so
as to remove moisture if at all present to avoid freezing in capillary. The
later will not allow liquid refrigerant to pass to the compressor. 2.
Classification of Refrigerators-
PREAPARED
i. Depending upon usage

• Blood bank refrigerator -Used for storage of blood. [Temp. range 2
to 6 oc.]
• Mortuary Refrigerator-Used for Storage of dead bodies. [Temp.
range 0 to 4oc] ]
• House hold refrigerator- Used for storage of food items and in
preparation of ice.
ii. Depending upon location of freezer compartment.
 Top mounted freezer, Bottom mounted freezer iii.
Depending upon refrigerator volume
 50, 100, 165, 185 300 and 640 Liters etc. iv.
Depending upon number of doors
 Single ,Double, Three and four door refrigerator
Refrigerators can also be French door [side by side top with a bottom
freezer] and side by side [refrigerator and freezer compartment are side
by side].
3. General Information about refrigerator
In olden days refrigerator was considered to be a luxury, now a
days it has become necessity. Overall temperature inside refrigerator is
maintained at 4°c. This prevents growth of micro-organism and bacteria,
thus prevents food Spoilage. The temperature of refrigerant in the
evaporator is around – 18°c, so that ice formation may take place.
Evaporator commonly called freezer may be either on the top or bottom.
The evaporator is mostly top mounted, however HAIER has
manufactured bottom freezer.
Evaporator may be bare tube or plate type. Plate type evaporator
[roll bond evaporator] has higher heat transfer, but in case of damage
total freezer has to be replaced which is a costly affair, (Cost is around
Rs.1200/- for 165 liters refrigerator). In bare tube type the tube can be
joined, brazed or replaced thus cost of maintenance is lower.
Single door refrigerator will have freezer and storage in same
compartment [direct cool type]. Mechanism is simple, but door openings
causes’ considerable heat load as entire volume of outdoor air is
infiltrated. This problem is not severe in case of double door
refrigerators. Double door refrigerator has Frost-free evaporator usually
a forced-air fin-and-tube arrangement designed to minimize frost
PREAPARED
accumulation, which tends to be relatively rapid in a single-evaporator

system. Fan impellers in modern refrigerators are generally molded
plastic with efficient shapes. The coil is usually arranged for airflow
parallel to the fins’ long dimension and forces in box placed in the back
side from it is which it is then distributed in freezer and refrigerator
sections though a damper. The damper openings are decided by
refrigerator max or freezer max indicator disc. The problem of infiltration
will be reduced, hence energy consumption. Regular defrosting is
required because moisture enters the cabinet from some food items
(e.g., fresh fruit and vegetables) and from ambient air (through door
openings or infiltration). Over time, this moisture collects on the
evaporator surface as frost, which can reduce evaporator performance
and increase the energy consumption. Defrosting in case of single door
may be either manual or through push button. The push button changes
the cut in and cut out temperature, so that freezer operates above 0°c,
thereby defrosting takes place. After defrosting period the push button is
reset automatically. During defrosting there is no control of thermostat
over temperature.
In case of double door an electric heater [300 to 600 watts] is
provided for defrosting. The heater is connected to timer switch, which is
actuated after every 6 to 8 hours for about 5 to 10 minutes. Bimetal stops
the heater after defrosting is done. Heater, timer and bimetal are
connected in series. In most cases, the compressor is not restarted until
the evaporator has drained for a few minutes and system pressures
have stabilized; this reduces the applied load for restarting the
compressor. Commonly used defrost heaters include metal-sheathed
heating elements in thermal contact with evaporator fins and radiant
heating elements positioned to heat the evaporator.
Drain water in both the cases is collected in a tray mounted on
compressor, which helps in compressor cooling. PUF (Poly urethane
foam) used as an insulating media which decreases heat infiltration,
thereby reducing energy consumption. A vacuum insulated panel
consists of a low-thermal-conductance fill and an impermeable skin. Fine
mineral powders such as silica, glass fiber, open-cell foam, and silica
aerogel have all been used as fillers. Vacuum insulated panels (VIP)
which have insulation values down to 0.0012 W/ (m0K) and gas filled
panels (GFP) are superior as compared to PUF but they are costly.
Noise level of refrigerator should be less than 30 db.
The most important design requirements for a condenser include (1)
sufficient heat dissipation at peak-load conditions; (2) refrigerant holding
PREAPARED
capacity that prevents excessive pressures during pulldown or in the

event of a restricted or plugged capillary tube; (3) good refrigerant
drainage to minimize refrigerant trapping in the bottom of loops in low
ambient, off-cycle losses, and the time required to equalize system
pressures; (4) an external surface that is easily cleaned or designed to
avoid dust and lint accumulation; (5) a configuration that provides
adequate evaporation of defrost water; and (6) an adequate safety factor
against bursting. Earlier refrigerator were equipped with wire on tube
condenser [natural-draft condenser] located at the back side. Now a
days condenser tubes are wound on the body [hot-wall condenser] and
are concealed. This helps in reducing dew formation on the surface
especially in cold areas. Some refrigerators may use forced-draft
condenser which are fin-and-tube, folded banks of tube-and-wire, or
tube-and-sheet construction.
The most commonly used refrigerant metering device is the capillary
tube, a small-bore tube connecting the outlet of the condenser to the
inlet of the evaporator. Because of the shortcomings and the difficulty of
maintaining a match between the capillary restriction and the output of
variable-pump-rate compressors, electronically controlled expansion
valves are now used in some products. Compressors are rotary
hermetically sealed type (air tight). Hermetic compressors have motor
and compressor in a single casting and refrigerant coming from
evaporator cools the motor windings. A linear compressor is a
reciprocating piston compressor whose piston is driven by a linear (not a
rotating) motor. The piston oscillates on a rather stiff mechanical spring.
The resulting mass/spring-rate-determined natural frequency is the
frequency at which the compressor must operate. The motor is
electronically driven to provide stroke control: for good efficiency, the
piston travel must closely approach the cylinder head to minimize
clearance volume. Capacity modulation can be provided by reducing the
stroke. LG has started using inverter based linear compressors in its
side by side refrigerators. Several manufacturers of residential
refrigerator compressors offer variable-speed reciprocating
compressors, which provide refrigeration capacity modulation. Samsung
has started using twin rotors with an 8 pole BLDC motor which is
compatible to be used on solar operated refrigerator.
An electric led bulb [emits less heat, lower energy consumption and
longer life] is present in refrigerator, which glows when the door is open.
The refrigerator (165 liters) is in running condition for 12 hours and
energy consumption is 2 kwhr, the compressor motor is of 1/8th HP.
PREAPARED
Glass is provided on crisper used for storing vegetables thereby

preventing water transfer to the freezer. Rubber gaskets are provided on
the door to prevent air infiltration. The gaskets may be anti-bacterial and
have some magnetic material for tight joint.
Some refrigerators are equipped with cold water outlet or fast ice
makers. These (through the door features) increase the energy
consumption as well as maintenance and should be avoided.
By changing range adjustment and differential, any cut-in and cutout
temperature can be adjusted for maintaining desired temperature in
refrigerator.
The heat transfer through the walls, door, and gasket, and the individual
characteristics of each component, including ice-making capabilities, all
affect the energy consumption and the efficiency of household
refrigerators. The techniques used to reduce the energy consumption of
household refrigerators are as follows: 1) Usage of high efficiency
compressor; 2) Improvement of the thermal insulation; 3) The
enhancement of the performance of the evaporator and condenser .4)
another approach is to use of a latent heat storage by integrating PCM in
VCR system. PCM inclusion in the system has decreased the energy
consumption during defrost cycle by 8% and by 7 % during frequent door
opening condition
Earlier refrigerator were using refrigerant R12 (Dichloro difluro
methane) which is CFC and is responsible for depletion of ozone layer
and in increasing the global warming. R134a (Tetra fluro ethane) is used
as substitute, which is HFC has higher global warming potential GWP
and hence new refrigerators are using hydrocarbons such as R600a
[Isobutane CH (CH3)3] and R290 as substitute.
Some refrigerators are using biological filters to control growth of
microorganism. During purchase one should go for refrigerator with 5
star rating. The higher initial cost will be balanced by lower running cost
due to lower energy consumption.
Controls-
Refrigerators and freezers are expected to last 15 to 20 years. The
appliance therefore incorporates several design features that allow it to
protect itself over this period. Motor overload protectors are normally
incorporated, and an attempt is made to design fail-safe circuits so that
the compressor’s hermetic motor will not be damaged by failure of a
minor external component, unusual voltage extremes, or voltage
PREAPARED
interruptions. For safe working of compressor an overload protector and

starting relay are used. The overload protector prevents compressor
damage due excessive heat generation. Excessive heat generation may
be due to low voltage, high voltage, overcharging and undercharging of
refrigerant, starting relay provides excess current during the start of
compressor.
Thermostat:-
Temperature is often controlled by a thermostat consisting of an
electromechanical switch actuated by a temperature-sensitive power
element that has a condensable gas charge, which operates a bellows or
diaphragm Thermostat is used to control the temperature in the
refrigerator by varying run time to idle time ratio. The bulb of the
thermostat is clamped to the evaporator. The temperature at which
compressor motor starts by closing the thermostat contacts is called cut
in temperature. The temperature at which it stops is called cutout
temperature. By changing range adjustment and differential, any cut-in
and cutout temperature can be adjusted for maintaining desired
temperature in refrigerator.
As the temperature of bulb is increases, gas pressure in the bulb
bellows assembly increases, and this closes the compressor motor
circuit and refrigerator starts. As the compressor runs the thermostat
bulb is cooled, gradually reducing the pressure in the bulb below the
system and this opens the circuit when desired temperature is attained.
Refrigerator is provided with a control knob. By operating this, desired
temperature can be maintained. Electronic temperature controls,
some using microprocessors, are becoming more common. They allow
better temperature performance by reacting faster to temperature and
load changes in the appliance. Electronic control systems provide a
higher degree of independence in temperature adjustments for the two
main compartments. Electronics also allow use of variable-speed fans
and motorized dampers to further optimize temperature and energy
performance.
5. Some Important Points-
1. Install refrigerator away from any heating source.
2. Install refrigerator away from wall at least by 22.5 cm.
3. Provide separate plug for the refrigerator.
4. Do not start and stop the refrigerator immediately
5. Good air circulation is necessary inside the cabinet for keeping all
commodities at their desired temperature
PREAPARED
6. Hot fluids should not be stored in the refrigerator.

7. For ice making keep refrigerator running for 2 hrs and then load
the water trays.
8. Keep door openings at minimum
9. Strongly flavored food must be kept wrapped.
All the vegetable, fruits should be put in to polythin bags before
placing it into refrigerator.
Clean condenser periodically at least once in a month.Clean
inside of refrigerator with warm water containing baking soda only.
Keep all liquids and foods covered.
Purchase energy five star qualified WAC certified by India’s bureau
of energy efficiency BEE which consumes less energy.
Viva Questions:
1) Which refrigerant is used in Domestic Refrigerator? Why?
2) What are the important controls of Domestic refrigerator?
3) How will you maintain the temperature constant in the refrigerator?
4) Explain the following terms with reference to the thermostat:
a) Cut in temperature, b) cut out temperature, c) Range and d)
Differential
5) What is the function of accumulator and strainer drier?
6) What will happen if overload protector is undersized or oversized?
PREAPARED
EXPERIMENT NO.3
Name of experiment - Study of Drinking Water Cooler
Drinking water is the most essential requirement for every human being.
If this water is available in a chilled form, it will be very nice to drink during
summer. Water coolers are used to reduce the temperature of water
irrespective of the ambient temperature. The water coolers also provide
water at a constant temperature. They can produce cold water at about 7
C to 13 C. This finds enormous application in our day to day life. For
example, coolers are used in theatres, malls, hospitals, schools, offices,
and so on. The thirst of the people those who are working in hot
environment may be quenched by the cold water provided by these
coolers.
There are two types of unitary drinking water coolers; the storage type
and the instantaneous type.
PREAPARED
Fig.1.Storage Type Water Cooler
Storage Type Water Cooler

Constructional details- A storage type of water cooler consists of the
following parts.
1) Compressor, 2) Condenser, 3) Fan with motor, 4) Water storage
tank, 5) Expansion device, 6) Evaporator, 7) Filter, 8) Thermostat
a) Compressor: - Hermetically sealed motor-compressor are
commonly used for water cooler. They are similar to those used in
household refrigerators. The range is between 0.06 kW to 0.56 kW.
b) Condenser: - Fan cooled condensers are most commonly used.
Natural-convection condensers are used when the capacity of the
cooler is less than 19 L/h. On models used in high ambient
temperature, water-cooled condensers of tube-on-tube construction
are used.
PREAPARED
c) Fan with motor: - The fan used is the propeller fan with motor. The
fan is used to circulate air over the condenser to condense the
refrigerant in the condenser.
d) Water storage tank: - It is a tank in which cold water is stored. It is
made from non-corrosive material. A float valve is provided in a
water tank. This float valve will maintains constant water level in the
tank.
e) Expansion valve or refrigerant flow control: - Capillary tubes are
almost exclusively used in hermetically sealed systems. In some
hermetically sealed systems thermostatic, expansion valves are
also used.
f) Evaporators: - In water cooler the evaporator formed by refrigerant
tubing bonded to the outside of a water circuit is used. The water
circuit is usually a tank. It is also a coil of large tubing. The material
used are usually non-ferrous metal or stainless steel. Sanitary
requirements must be kept in mind since the coolers are cooling
water for human consumption.
g) Filter: - In water circuit the filter is used. This filter is used to remove
suspended matters from drinking water. It is fitted outside the water
cooler and in the water inlet line.
h) Thermostat: - The thermostat is usually located where it is most
affected by the compartment temperature that is water storage tank.
This will control the operation of the compressor depending upon
the temperature of water in the tank. This temperature of the water
depends upon the usage of the water cooler.
i) Overload Protector OLP – The OLP protects the compressor
against overheat . The OLP should be optimum sized. A low size
OLP will trip more frequently where as high size OLP will not cut the
compressor even if it is slightly overheat.
Working Principle: - As we switch on the water cooler, then:
1) The compressor (1) starts working. The compressor compresses
the refrigerant gas and pushes it through the discharge line into the
condenser.
2) In the condenser (2) the refrigerant gas is cooled with air circulated
by a fan. This process of cooling is known as forced air cooling of
the refrigerant gas in the condenser.
PREAPARED
3) From the condenser (2), the liquid refrigerant enters the filterstrainer
(3). This will filter the refrigerant flowing through it.
4) The filtered liquid refrigerant enters the expansion device (4)
5) From the expansion device (capillary tube) the liquid refrigerant at
low temperature and pressure enters the evaporator.
6) The evaporator coil is brazed around the water tank. The water tank
is made from stainless steel.
7) From the outlet of the evaporator, the refrigerant gas enters the
accumulator (not shown in figure). This accumulator is a protective
device. It prevents any liquid refrigerant entering the compressor
suction during off cycle from evaporator.
8) The overload protector (17) operates when the motor is overloaded.
The bimetallic overload gets heated and disconnects the power
supply.
9) The water to be cooled is stored in a tank (6). This tank is properly
insulated. This insulation will prevent heat penetration from outside.
This type of cooler finds a variety of applications such as in colleges,
schools, hotels, etc.
INSTANTANEOUS TYPE WATER COOLERS:
The evaporator of the instantaneous type (fig.02) consists of two separate
cylindrically wound coils made of copper or stainless steel tube. The two
coils are entwined and bonded together by soldering. The evaporating
refrigerant is in one of the coils and the water to be cooled in the other.
The water is cooled by the refrigerant evaporator by conduction.
The instantaneous type coolers may be further classified as:
1. Bottle type,
2. Pressure type, and
3. Self-contained remote type.
PREAPARED
Fig.2. Schematic Sketch of the cooling coil of instantaneous type

water cooler
The storage-type cooler has the evaporator coil soldered on to the walls
of the storage tank of the cooler; generally on to the outside surface of the
walls. The tank could be of the galvanized steel or stainless steel sheets.
Water level is maintained in the tank by a float valve.
Push type water faucets (taps) are generally provided for drawing cold
water in both the types, to minimize the wastage of refrigerated water.
Thermostat controls the operation of the compressor to maintain the water
temperature at the desired level’. The feeler bulb of the thermostat is
clamped on to the water coil just at the outer end in instantaneous cooler.
In the storage type, the bulb is kept immersed in water in the tank or
clamped to the wall of the storage tank on the outside at a lower level,
much below the lower most evaporator refrigerant tube soldered on to the
tank.
As is evident, the storage capacity of the water coil in the instantaneous
cooler is negligible. When there is no draw of water from the cooler, it is
obvious that the temperature of water in the water coil will drop down very
fast. The thermostat puts off the compressor at the set point temperature
(generally about 12° to 15°c). On opening the faucet, fresh water enters
PREAPARED
the coil. Now because of the insignificant storage capacity, the water
temperature in the coil rises up fast, cutting in the thermostat to start the
compressor. Once the faucet is closed, water temperature drops down
rapidly and the compressor stops. Thus in an instantaneous cooler, the
compressor cycles frequently on the thermostat when there is frequent
draw of water. When there is no draw of water f or a long time, the
machine may cycle in between, as the temperature of the water in the coil
can rise due to the heat transmission from outside. In the storage water
cooler, the machine will have to run for a long time to bring down the
temperature of the mass of water in the storage tank. Once the
temperature touches the set point of the thermostat, the machine cycles
off. Again, because of the large volume of water in the tank, the
temperature will rise up slowly even when water is drawn from the cooler
and an equal amount of fresh water is allowed into the tank by the float
valve. Thus there will not be frequent cycling of the machine in the case
of the storage type cooler.
In the case of the instantaneous cooler, it is very important that the rate
of flow of water to the cooler (or the rate of draw) is adjusted to match its
capacity. With a higher rate of flow, the cooler will not be able to pull down
the water temperature to the desired level. Further, with a very high flow
rate, the refrigeration system will work at a very high evaporator
temperature (i.e. high suction pressure)
This may adversely affect the suction gas cooling of the hermetic
compressor motor and in the long run, it can affect the life of the motor
winding-another reason why the water flow-rate should be adjusted to
match the capacity of the cooler. For example, the water flow-rate in an
instantaneous cooler of 45 litre per hour capacity should not exceed 45 l/h
or 75 cc/min., in other words, a 150 ml cup should get filled up only once
in 12 seconds. Generally instantaneous type water coolers are equipped
with regulators for adjusting the flow-rate. The flow-rate should be
checked and adjusted, before starting the cooler and also whenever it is
found that the water temperature is not coming down.
Higher flow-rate can occur in high rise buildings if the water cooler is
installed in a lower-floor and water supply to the cooler is from the
overhead tank of the building. It may also be necessary to provide a
pressure reducing valve on the water supply line to the instantaneous type
PREAPARED
cooler if the main water supply is at high pressure. This is to protect the
water coil of the cooler against high pressure. The water flow-rate should
not be too lower either. With a low flow-rate, the capacity of the cooler will
be reduced and the evaporator temperature can fall and may become
lower than the freezing point of water. Under such a condition the water
in the coil can freeze into ice. Since the density of ice is less than that of
water for the same mass of water, there will be an increase in volume on
freezing. When water freezes inside a confined space, as in a pipe, due
to the volumetric expansion on freezing, heavy hydraulic pressure is
developed which can burst the pipe. In an instantaneous cooler, the water
coil can burst if freezing occurs, resulting in heavy water leakage, flooding
the floor and damaging the electrical components of the cooler.
To facilitate drinking of water direct from the cooler, without the need of a
cup, bubbler type spouts are provided in the instantaneous type coolers
and they are known as drinking fountains. Obviously, when in use, quite
a bit of cold water is wasted down the drain.
Such coolers are often equipped with a tube-in-tube or tube-to-tube heat

exchanger. The heat exchanger cools the incoming supply of water (to
the cooler) by using the waste water, thereby achieving some economy
on refrigeration. In storage-type coolers, meant for dispensing water in
the cups or containers, such heat exchangers are not provided as the
wastage of cold water is usually negligible.
Refrigeration Unit
Single phase hermetic compressor is used. The capacity of the
compressors generally range from 0.125 to 1 hp. Capillary tube is the
PREAPARED
throttling device. Since R-12, R-22 is phased out, R-134a and R404a are
used as the refrigerant presently.
Water coolers are rated on the basis of their capacity to cool a continuous
flow-rate of water from a specified temperature of the incoming water, say
from 30° to 13.5°c under an ambient temperature of 35°c. The capacity
of the water coolers commonly available range from 5 to 225 litres of
flowrate per hour.
It is interesting to note that the suction pressure in an instantaneous
cooler will vary appreciably when the faucet is pressed open or closed.
This is because the heat-transfer efficiency of the evaporator increases
substantially with an increase in the velocity of water passing through the
coil. When the faucet is pushed open, water flows through the coil,
establishing certain velocity. But the water velocity in the pipe drops down
to zero the moment the faucet is released i.e. closed, and so the
heattransfer efficiency of the evaporator drops. This results in the
reduction of refrigerant temperature in the evaporator and of the suction
pressure.
SPECIFICATIONS OF WATER COOLER –
RESULT – In this way the water cooler is studied.
PREAPARED
Questions for viva -

1. How capacity of water coolers is specified?
2. What type of water coolers will you select for i) your institute having
1000 students ii) Canteen. Why?
3. Which refrigerant is normally used in water coolers?
4. Name the type of compressor, condenser and throttling device used in
water cooler?
5. What type of evaporator is used in i) storage type cooler ii)
instantaneous type cooler?
Give reasons.
6. Name the insulator used in water cooler?
7. What is the function of Accumulator, Drier cum filter?
8. Electrical failures in water cooler are more and frequent .why?
Suggest remedies.
PREAPARED
EXPERIMENT NO.4
STUDY OF DEFROSTING SYSTEM

There is every possibility of formation of ice on the surface of the cooling
coil if the air is used as source of heat either in primary circuit or in
secondary circuit. This is because the moisture in the air will come out in
the form of dew when the air is cooled in the cooling coil below its dew
point temperature. The dew collected on the surface of the cooling coil is
freezed and deposited when further cooled. If this formed ice on the
surface of the cooling coil is not removed periodically, then the heat
transfer between air and cooling coil is seriously affected causing the
compressor to operate at lower suction pressure which further reduces
the refrigerating capacity and C.O.P. of the system. This frost can reduce
and ultimately block the flow of air so that the performance of the coil is
impaired.
Frosting is unavoidable either in domestic refrigerator or in industrial
installation. For the efficient operation of the system, the defrosting of the
cooling coil is essential. Period of defrosting depends upon the type of
evaporator, nature of installation and method used for defrosting. Bare
tube evaporators used in cold storage plants and breweries are defrosted
once or twice in a month, on the other hand, finned coil evaporators are
defrosted twice in an hour.
Different types of the defrosting systems are used nowadays for
different types of installations. Few of them are described below.
MANUAL DEFROSTING:
The simplest method of defrosting is to shut down the system manually
and wait to start until the evaporator warms up enough to melt the
accumulated frost. The method is still employed on large installations.
The major drawback of this system is long defrosting period.
AUTOMATIC PERIODIC DEFROSTING:
In this method also the system is shut down and defrosting is
completed naturally. The stopping of the system after objectionable
PREAPARED
accumulation of frost and starting of the system after natural defrosting is

done automatically. The starting and stopping of the system is carried out
automatically as per the change in pressure or change in temperature in
the evaporator as shown in fig.1 and fig. 2
Fig. 1 Pressure Operated Defrosting method Fig. 2 Temperature operated

Defrosting method
The frosting on the cooling coil causes the compressor to operate at lower
suction pressure due to reduced heat transfer between the coil and air.
When the pressure falls below predetermined value due to objectionable
frosting, the pressure operated control comes into action and stops the
compressor. The control switch is set to permit the coil to warm up to 0°C
and defrost before it starts again.
The temperature control method is just similar to pressure control method
except the control is operated by the increase in temperature of the air.
The temperature of the air passing over the coil increases due to the
reduction in heat transfer caused by frosting the evaporator coil.
SOILD ADSORBENT SYSTEM:
In this system, most of the moisture in the air is removed before
passing the air over cooling coil. This avoids the formation of frost on the
cooling coil. In solid adsorbent system, silica gel, activated alumina or
carbon is used for dehumidifying the air. The arrangement of the system
is shown in fig.3
PREAPARED
Fig. 3 Solid Adsorbent Defrosting method .

The solid drying agent is carried in a continuously rotating perforated
drum ahead of the cooling coil as shown in the figure. The rotation of the
drum is adjusted in such a way that the dehydration of the air and
reactivation of the adsorbent will be efficiently completed. The lower
portion of the drum is used for dehydration of air and upper portion is used
for reactivation of adsorbent. Hot air at 100 to 130°C is used for
reactivation as shown in the figure. The air can be heated by electric
heater or by steam coil.
WATER DEFROSTING:-
Water spray is a simple and economical method of defrosting the cooling
coil where ample water at considerable high temperature (20°C) is easily
available.
As shown in fig. 4, during the defrosting cycle, the water is sprayed in
ample quantity and with sufficient velocity to wash out the ice formed on
the surface of the cooling coil. The air circulating fan should be kept off
during the deforsting operation to avoid the reduction of water temperature
which is possible due to evaporation of water into air.
Fig.4 Water defrosting method for industrial application
PREAPARED
It is necessary to start the fan before starting the refrigeration system

after defrosting operation. This is necessary to remove the water from the
surface of the cooling coil before the temperature of the cooling coil
surface is reduced below freezing.
This system is used on many big installations. The main difficulty of
this system is the availability of high temperature water when out-door
temperature is below 0°c.
DEFROSTING BY REVERSING CYCLE:-
Fig. 5 (a) Flow path under normal refrigeration cycle.

Valves 1,2,3,4 are open and 5,6,7,8 are closed
The defrosting can be conveniently accomplished just by reversing
the cycle of operation. When the cycle is reversed, the hot gas from the
compressor is passed to the evaporator and as it contains sufficient
quantity of heat, it melts the frost accumulated on the evaporator coil. The
normal operation of the cycle and operation during defrosting are shown
in fig.5 (a) and (b).
PREAPARED
Fig.5 (b) Flow path under defrosting Cycle

Valves 5,6,7,8 are open and 1,2,3,4 are closed
During the defrosting operation, the air is heated instead of cooled
as it flows over the evaporator. This is highly objectionable if this air is
supplied to an air-conditioned space occupied by the people that is
because it creates more uncomfort. To overcome this difficulty, the
defrosting cycle can be timed to occur at night or during periods when the
space is unoccupied.
AUTOMATIC HOT GAS DEFROSTING:-

The arrangement of the system is shown in fig.6. Under normal working
condition of the system, the solenoid valve is closed and the gas passes
through condenser, heat exchanger, expansion valve and evaporator
back to the compressor as shown in fig.6. During this normal operation,
fan A remains in working condition and fan B in non-working condition. At
regular intervals (usually 3 to 6 hours as per the setting of the valve), the
defrosting timer starts the defrosting cycle by opening the solenoid valve
in the hot gas line. During this operation, the hot gas enters the evaporator
between the expansion valve and evaporator as shown in the figure6. The
defrosting is completed by hot gas giving its latent heat to the frost formed
on the coil. The condensed refrigerant in the evaporator is re-evaporated
passing through the re-evaporator before entering into the compressor.
During this cycle, the fan B remains in working condition and fan A in non-
working condition.
PREAPARED
Fig. 6 Automatic hot gas Defrosting method

The opening of solenoid valve, and starting the fan B and stopping
the fan A is simultaneously done by the automatic defrost timer. When
the defrosting is completed, the defrost timer operates the solenoid valve
to stop the hot gas flow to the evaporator and it puts the system on normal
operation.
THERMOBANK DEFROSTING:
This system is universally used for big industrial installations. This system
uses hot gas as a defrosting medium and provides a heat accumulator in
the suction line.
As the name states, the 'Thermobank' is a bank for storing the heat
during the normal operation of the cycle. Heat from the hot gas coming
out of the compressor is stored in a small liquid tank as shown in fig. 7.
. The stored heat during the normal operation is used for re-evaporating
the condensed liquid in the evaporator during defrosting cycle and it
prevents the compressor from liquid slugging. The detail arrangement of
the system is shown in fig.7. The arrangement of the thermobank is also
shown in the figure. It consists of a tank in tank. The suction connection
is made at the top of the inner tank and outer tank is filled with an
antifreeze liquid. The coil carrying the hot gas from compressor discharge
is submerged in the liquid as shown in the figure. Both the tanks are
PREAPARED
heavily insulated to prevent the loss of heat from thermobank. A solenoid

valve is placed in hot gas line which is electrically connected to the timer.
Fig. 7 Thermobank Defrosting

During the normal operation, the solenoid valve is closed and hot
gas from the compressor passes through the coil giving its partly heat to
anti-freeze liquid, then it is condensed in the condenser. Th liquid
refrigerant from receiver through heat exchanger, expansion valve, and
evaporator comes to the inner tank of 'Thermobank". The vapour coming
into thermobank does not absorb any heat from liquid as it enters and
leaves the tank at the upper end.
Whenever a sufficient frost is accumulated on the surface of the cooling
coil, the timer automatically opens the solenoid valve and shuts off the fan
motor and compressor continues to operate. During defrost cycle, the hot
gas is passed to the evaporator through solenoid valve and the frost is
melted by absorbing the latent heat of hot gas. The condensed liquid from
evaporator comes to the bottom of the inner tank of thermobank. It gets
evaporated by absorbing the heat from the antifreeze liquid which was
accumulated during normal operation and it is further passed to the
suction of the compressor. The fan which is required to evaporate the
liquid refrigerant from evaporator during defrost operation in automatic hot
gas defrost system is not required in thermobank system. The defrost
cycle of the thermobank system is continued nearly for six minutes and
after that, the solenoid valve is closed automatically and starts the fan
PREAPARED
motor. The system then operates on normal cycle. The timer can be
adjusted for any required time.
ELECTRIC DEFROSTING:
STEP DOWN
Fig. 8 Electric Defrosting

Electric defrost system is commonly used for finned-coil type evaporators.
In this system a bank of electric heaters are located near the coil, the
Defrost is completed by giving the heat from electric heaters to the coil
surface mostly by radiation. This system requires sufficient long time for
defrost as most of the heat from heaters is wasted.To overcome this
difficulty, the evaporator coil itself can be used as resistance by
connecting directly to the supply. The coil surface temperature can be
increased rapidly by the application of low voltage and high current. The
coil must have maximum surface in series to keep the current flow within
reasonable limit.1, 2, 3, 4 are the pieces of non-conductors for joining the
evaporator lines.
The series resistance of the evaporator coil is preferable compared with
parallel resistance. There is also a limit to keep the tubing evaporator in
series. To avoid this difficulty, the arrangement shown in the figure8 can
be used which keeps the system electrically in series and in parallel for
the flow of the refrigerant.
ELECTRIC AIR-SWITCH DEFROST SYSTEM:
PREAPARED
This system consists of an electric switch, a magnetic valve and

thermal unit. The air switch is mounted as shown in fig. 9 with a vane in
the path of air coming from the evaporator. The air flow over the
evaporator during normal operation of the cycle keeps the air switch
closed and opens refrigerant by energizing the magnetic valve as shown
in fig.9 (a)
Fig. 9 (a) Electric air switch defrost system

Fig. 9(b) Electric air switch defrost system
(Normal operation condition) Defrosting positions of the
air switch
Whenever sufficient frost is collected on the surface of the cooling,
the air passage is restricted until the vane of the air switch drops. This
opens the air switch and closes the valve in flow path of the refrigerant as
shown in fig.9 (b). The fan keeps running and the air from the fan heats
the frost and melts. When the frost is completely melted, the system again
comes in normal operation.
MULTIPLE EVAPORATORS DEFROSTING:
PREAPARED
During the normal operation, the valves C and D are open and
valves A, B, E and F remain closed. This system is used only when the
conditioner coil is used as heat-pump required for heating in winter. For
defrosting, the evaporator E1, the valve C is closed and the valves A and
E are opened. The hot gas from compressor is passed to the coil through
valve E. The hot gas melts the frost on the evaporator E1 and then it
enters into the liquid line after losing its latent heat in the evaporator E1.
The valves A and E are closed and valve C is opened after completing the
defrosting. For defrosting the evaporator E2, the valve D is closed and
valves F and B are opened.
RESULT- in this way the various defrosting methods are studied.
Questions:
• Why frost formation takes place? What is its effect on performance
of refrigeration system?
• Discuss the limitation of Solid Adsorbent and water defrosting.
What do you understand by thermobank?
• Discuss the factors on which the period of defrosting depend?
PREAPARED
Experiment No. 5
Leak Testing and Charging of Refrigeration System Description
of Charging Unit:
ACMEVAC Portable charging Unit is specifically designed so that it can
be conveniently carried in the field as and when required. The unit
consists of
A. Rear Side:
• Rotary double stage high vacuum pump of Capacity 100 Lit/min.
Containing Gas Ballast, Exhaust, Oil Indicator, Oil Drain and plug.
• Single phase 230 Volts Capacitor Start AC Induction motor of 1/3

HP Sudarshan Make.
• Freon cylinder of 1.0 Kg. capacity with valve.
B. Front Side:
1. Freon Charging bottle of 350 gm/ (ml) capacity.

2. Three ball shut-off valves of 1/4" size namely.
a. Vaccum Valve
b.
Charging Valve
PREAPARED
c. Freon Inlet Valve for charging bottles.
3. Non-reusable type drier.

4. Copper header with 3 male coupler.
5. Two male couplers for evacuation & charging of sealed
systems.
6. Compound gauge
C. Electric Control Panel:

• Main Switch to ON/OFF Control Board.
• Switch to ON/OFF Pump.
• Switch to ON/OFF 3 pin plug.
• Other Switches for made for special requirement of Godrej.
Preparation of Gas Charging Unit:

• Check Vaccum Pump Oil:
Note: Under idle condition, Oil level should be up to middle of oil
indicator. TOP-UP if Required. Approximate quantity of oil require
in liters is approximately 3 liters. Use Univac High Vacuum Pump
Oil OR ENCLO - 150 Oil. Or SAE 30 motor Oil
• Connect Freon inlet copper/rubber tube to the Freon gas
cylinder, keep the gas cylinder valve in closed position; open
the vacuum valve, (No.1), the charging valve (No.2) and the
Freon gas inlet valve (No.3). Connect 3 pin plug to the' mains
230 V AC. Switch on the mains and the pump switch to start the
pump. Keep gas ballast in open position for 1-2 minutes to allow
moisture and dissolved gases to escape from the vacuum pump
oil. Keep the pump running, approximately for 5 minutes. (This
procedure is required only if the unit is frequently in operation. If
the unit is new one then no need to follow the above
procedure). Now the unit is ready for use.
Charging Procedure:
• Connect the charging line to male coupler which is fitted on
copper header keep the charging line shut off valve in closed
position.
PREAPARED
• Start the pump. The charging unit vaccumises. As soon as the

pump starts, air will be sucked from the systems and will pass
through the exhaust, after the air is sucked from the unit
vacuum will be achieved in the charging unit and the same will
be indicated on the compound gauge.
• Stop the pump. Connect the gas charging line with the
refrigeration system. Open the charging line valve. Open the
valve of refrigeration systems.
• Start the vacuum pump and see that vacuum shall be
decreased slightly due to presence of air, in the compressor.
• Run the vacuum pump for about one hour to remove the air and
moisture from the system and to achieve the proper vacuum in
the system.
• Close the ball shut off vacuum valve (No.1) Close the
charging valve (No.2).
• Now open the gas cylinder valve then open Freon inlet valve
(No.3) so that gas goes into the filter and then into the gas
measuring bottle. Take the required quantity of gas in
measuring bottle and close the Freon inlet valve (No.3). Then
open the gas charging valve (No.2) and hand shut off valve of
gas charging line to allow refrigerant gas to pass in the system.
• Now start the compressor, charge the systems about one or two
minutes so that very little quantity of refrigerant gas is charged
to the system again repeat the procedure till the compressor is
completely charged, check cooling in the evaporator and adjust
the thermostat.
LEAK TESTING AND CHARGING OF REFRIGERATION SYSTEM

Containment of refrigerant is an important consideration during
installation, service, maintenance, and decommissioning of refrigeration
systems. The potential environmental effect of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
and hydro chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants on ozone depletion,
and of these and the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and hydro fluoroolefin
(HFO) refrigerants on global warming, make it imperative that
refrigerants are confined to closed systems and recovered during service
and at the end of life. Containment must be considered in all phases of a
system’s life, including 1) Design and construction of leak tight and
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easily serviced systems, (2) leak detection and repair, (3) recovery
during service, and (4) recovery at system disposal.
There are three general types of leak detection: global, local, and
automated performance monitoring.
1 LEAK TESTING
If the system is diagnosed as short of refrigerant and has not been
recently opened, there is probably a leak in the system. Adding
refrigerant without first locating and repairing the leak will not
permanently correct the difficulty. The leak must be found. Sufficient
refrigerant may have escaped to make it impossible to leak test
effectively. In such cases, add sufficient refrigerant to increase the
pressure to 5 bar. Through this procedure, minute leaks are more easily
detected before discharging the system and contaminating the
surrounding air.
There are several tests used to check for leaks in a closed refrigeration
system. Most of them are simple. Following are some useful procedures:
• Hold the joint or suspected leakage point under water and watch for
bubbles.
• Coat the area suspected of leakage with a strong solution of soap. If a
leak is present, soap bubbles will be produced. . If the leak is slight, you
may have to wait several minutes for a bubble to appear. CAUTION: Use
the bubble method only when you are sure that the system has positive
pressure. Using it where a vacuum is present could pull liquid detector
into the system.
Refrigerants that are halogenated hydrocarbons (Freon compounds)
can be checked for leakage with a halide leak test. This involves
holding a torch or flame close to the leak area. When testing with the
halide torch, be sure the room is free from refrigerant vapors. Watch the
flame for the slightest change in color. A very faint green indicates a
small leak. The flame will be unmistakably green to purple when large
leaks are encountered. To simplify leak detection, keep the system
pressurized to a minimum of 5 bar.
An electronic detector for such refrigerant leaks is presently available.
The detector gives off a series of rapid clicks if the refrigerant is present.
The higher the concentration of the refrigerant, more rapid will be the
clicks.
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Leaks are detected (in small amounts of ammonia) when a lit sulfur
candle is used. The candle will give off a very thick, white smoke when it
contacts the ammonia leak. The stronger the leak, the denser will be
white smoke. Hold a wet litmus paper close to the suspected leak area.
If there is a leak, the ammonia will cause the litmus paper to change
color.
The use of phenolphthalein paper is also considered a good test. The
smallest trace of ammonia will cause the moistened paper strip to turn
pink. A large leak of ammonia will cause the phenolphthalein paper to turn
a vivid scarlet.
You can sometimes spot a leak by the presence of oil around it. To be
conclusive, however, use a leak detector.
For more sensitive testing, use an electronic leak detector.
Halogensensing electronic detectors can detect minute refrigerant leaks,
even though the surrounding air may contain small amounts of
refrigerant. An electronic, transistorized, pressure-sensing detector does
not require that the system be pressurized with refrigerant. Dry air or
nitrogen may be used to pressurize the system. The escaping pressure
through a minute opening is detected.
2 LEAK RECTIFICATION
Leak rectification involves various operations such as tube cutting,
swaging the ends and then soldering.
3 PRESSURE TESTING
The leak rectified is then pressure tested as per the manufacturers
specifications. Nitrogen gas is pumped up to the required pressure and
then a mark is made on the pressure gauge. If the reading of pressure
falls down then the leak is not rectified properly and the procedure has to
be repeated.
4 EVACUATION AND DEHYDRATION
Evacuation is the most important part of the entire service procedure.
The life and efficiency of the equipment is dependent upon the
thoroughness exercised by the serviceman when evacuating air and
moisture from the system.
Air in a system causes high-condensing temperatures and pressure,
resulting in increased power input and reduced performance. Moisture
chemically reacts with the refrigerant and oil to form corrosive
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hydrofluoric and hydrochloric acids. These attack motor windings

and parts, causing breakdown. These, along with a wide variety of solid
materials, are pulled into the vacuum pump in the same way a vacuum
cleaner sucks up dirt. After the system has been leak checked and
proven sealed, connect the vacuum pump and evacuate system to 736
mm. The vacuum pump must be connected to both the high and low
sides of the system through adequate connections.
Evacuation is being routinely performed on almost every service call on
which recharging is required. Service persons have found through
experience that the two-stage pump is much better than the single-stage
pump for deep evacuations.
A two-stage vacuum pump is more effective than a single-stage vacuum
pump. For example, a single stage vacuum pump rated for 1.5 cfm
capacity will take one and one-half hours to evacuate one drop of water.
A two-stage vacuum pump with the same rating will evacuate the drop in
12 min. For evacuation of a 5-ton system saturated with moisture, a
minimum of 15 h evacuation time is required in using a single-stage
vacuum pump. A two stage pump with the same cfm rating could do the
job in as little as 2 hours.
Properly used, a good vacuum pump will eliminate 99.99 percent of the
air and virtually all of the moisture in a system. There is no firm answer
regarding the time it will take a pump to accomplish this level of
cleanliness. The time required for evacuation depends on many things.
Evacuations sometimes take fifteen minutes. Then, again, they may take
weeks. The only way to know when evacuation is complete is to take
micron vacuum readings, using a good electronic vacuum gage.
Evacuating down to 736 mm eliminates 97 percent of all air. Moisture
removal, however, does not begin until a vacuum below 736 mm is
reached. This is the micron level of vacuum. It can be measured only
with an electronic vacuum gage. Dehydration of system does not
certainly begin until the vacuum gage reads below 5000 microns.
Vacuum gage readings between 500 and 1000 microns assure that
dehydration is proceeding. When all moisture is removed, the micron
gage will pull down below 1000 microns. 5 CHARGING
Charge for all systems should be checked against the “charging chart”
inside the access panel cover. Before using the chart, the indoor
conditions must be within 2°c (wet bulb) of desired comfort conditions
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and system must be run until operating conditions stabilize (15 to 30

min).
CAUTION: Do not operate the compressor without charge in system.
Addition of R-22, or the refrigerant being used, will raise pressures
(vapor, liquid, and discharge) and lower vapor temperature.
CAUTION: If addition of Refrigerant raises both vapor pressure and
temperature, unit is over-charged.
Overcharging can potentially lead to a serious release of excess
refrigerant, and make it impossible to transfer the entire charge into the
receiver for service. An indication of an overcharge is that the suction
line will be cooler than normal. The normal temperature of the suction
line will be a few degrees cooler than room temperature. If its
temperature is much lower than room temperature, the unit will run
longer because the liquid is pulled beyond the accumulator into the heat
exchanger. When the overcharge is excessive, the suction line will sweat
or frost. Similarly over charging should be avoided.
Charging by Weight
For a new installation, evacuation of interconnecting tubing and
evaporator coil is adequate; otherwise, evacuate the entire system. Use
the factory charge shown in the instructions or unit data plate.
Mobile charging stations can be easily loaded into a pickup truck, van, or
station wagon. They take little space. Stations come complete with
manifold gage set, charging cylinder, instrument and tool sack, and
vacuum pump. The refrigerant tank can also be mounted on the mobile
charging station.
6. FINAL LEAK TESTING
After the unit has been properly evacuated and charged, a halogen leak
detector should be used to detect leaks in the system. All piping within
the condensing unit, evaporator, and interconnecting tubing should be
checked for leaks. If a leak is detected, the refrigerant should be
recovered before repairing the leak. The Clean Air Act prohibits
releasing refrigerant into the atmosphere.
7. PERFORMANCE TESTING
A performance test is carried out; if the cooling is not achieved and the
unit is not functioning properly the whole procedure has to be repeated.
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Questions:
1. What do you understand by evacuation and dehydration of
refrigerant system?
2. How leak detection is done for Freon group of refrigerants?
3. ‘The charge is critical when capillary is used as expansion device
in refrigeration plant’. Explain and discuss the statement.
4. Explain the procedure adopted for leak detection and charging of
refrigeration system.
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Experiment No. 6
STUDY OF DESERT COOLER
The population and standard of living is increasing day by day and
hence the need for thermal comfort. Energy requirement has increased
significantly which has resulted in energy crisis and load shedding. Air
conditioners used for thermal comfort consume high electricity. An
alternative to air conditioning with slight discomfort is the use of
evaporative cooling. India is a multi-climate country having variable
weather conditions in different parts of the country. The day-time
temperature often reaches 490C and large wet-bulb depression, exists in
many parts of the country. This offers an excellent opportunity for
evaporative cooling Evaporative cooling had its birth around one
thousand years ago in ancient Egypt. At that time, porous pots and
ponds covered with a wet cloth were often used to preserve food against
hot weather and some water chutes were also integrated into walls to
keep the inside space cool, due to the evaporation of water when air
flowed through. This technique was soon spread into other hot and arid
places of the world. The principle underlying Evaporative cooling is the
conversion of sensible heat of hot air to latent heat of water. Part of the
sensible heat of the air is transferred to the water and becomes latent
heat and evaporates the water. The wetted medium for the evaporation
of water could be a porous wetted pad consisting of fibers, cellulose
papers or a spray of water.
Evaporative coolers has a low capital cost (about 5 % ), operating
cost and maintenance cost, use comparatively negligible electricity
(about 5 %) than conventional air conditioners when comparison is made
for 1500 sq. feet area. Evaporative coolers do not use refrigerants, such
as CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs that can harm the ozone layer and produce
global warming. It is economical, effective and it provides much needed
alternative to conventional VCR system. It reduces CO2 and other
emissions, as well as reduces peak electrical demand. Evaporative
cooling brings 100% fresh outside air that is cooled and washed through
filter pads thus improving indoor air quality. Effective temperature
(28.3 oc at velocity of 3.1 m/s) is greater and higher RH up to 80 % can
be tolerated due to increased velocity. Evaporative cooling does not
require an airtight structure to operate at maximum efficiency. There is a
myth that evaporative coolers use large quantities of water as compared
to conventional vapour compression air conditioners which is cleared by
Pistochini and Modera in there paper, that they consume same amount
when water consumed in generating electricity at the power plant is
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accounted for. The disadvantages of evaporative cooling system are the

noise, difficulty in controlling the interior temperature, and the quality of
conditioned air due to adding moisture to the air. The amount of cooling
provided is determined by efficiency of the wetting medium, the fan, and
the overall design and construction of the unit. Some factors that affect
evaporative cooling are Air Flow Velocity, Air Flow Velocity, Air Flow
Temperature, contact Surface Area, temperature of the surface and
Inter-molecular forces of water.
Two common types of evaporative cooling systems are the direct
and indirect evaporative systems. In the direct evaporative cooler (DEC),
the air comes into direct contact with water. The direct evaporative
cooling system adds moisture to the cool air, while an indirect
evaporative cooling system (IEC) provides only sensible cooling to the
processed air without any addition of moisture. Depending on the
climatic conditions and the application, combined indirect and direct
evaporative coolers may also be used.
Direct Evaporative Coolers
When air passes through a wetted medium, the air exchanges heat
with the medium and consequently drop in temperature. The wet surface
releases some of the water in the form of water vapor into the now cooled
air. The result is cool and humid air. Air is driven into contact with the
wetted medium using a fan, such as squirrel cage or propeller fan. The
wetted medium can be either rigid, such as wetted pads or spray nozzles.
The wetted pads are porous and are designed to provide maximum
contact between the passing air and the wetted surface and may be made
of aspen wood fibers, fiberglass or rigid cellulose. This process is a
thermodynamic heat and mass exchange process between air and water
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that reduces the temperature of the air through the latent heat which
results from the phase change of evaporation.
The pads are wetted by dripping water on their upper edges.
Water is then evenly distributed along the pad by capillary action and
gravity force. Excess water drips into a basin located below the pads at
the bottom of the evaporative cooler. These basins are often referred to
as swamps and direct evaporative coolers are often called swamp
coolers. The water in the swamps is usually recycled by pumping it up to
wet the edges of the pads again. The wet-bulb temperature of swamp
water is slightly higher than that of inlet air because of heat gain from the
surrounding pump and motor that fans the air. This reduces the
temperature drop range slightly.
Indirect Evaporative Coolers
Direct evaporative coolers add humidity to the product air. In some
cases, it is not desirable, like if there were sensitive machinery in the
room where the product air is supplied to. This called for the need for a
new innovative process that uses evaporative cooling but doesn't add
any relative humidity. Indirect evaporation process prevents the
humidification of supply air by employing a dry channel in addition to the
wet channel. Direct Evaporative Cooling process is still employed but to
working air (also known as secondary air). The working air then cools
the dry channel that the product air passes through. The heat exchanger
is the wall separating the dry and wet channel. This results in decreased
cooling efficiency and increased water consumption.
Indirect / Direct Evaporative Coolers

This process combines the processes of Direct Evaporative Cooling
and Indirect Evaporative Cooling in order to achieve a larger temperature
drop of the product air. It uses a step of indirect evaporative cooling and
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passes the product air into a wet channel to achieve an even lower dry
bulb temperature while adding very little humidity to the product air. This
system is categorized as a two stage Evaporative Cooler
Direct Evaporative cooler system performance.

State 1and 4 are the DBT and WBT of outside air, state 2 is
condition of air leaving the cooler and entering the shop , state 3 is the
condition of air leaving the shop. T and are DBT and specific humidity
at respective state.
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Saturation efficiency is given by

The state 2 is calculated by using equation
Sensible heat SH removed by air is given by

kw.
Temperature T3 is given by
Amount of water evaporated is given by

2 – ω1) kg wv/ s.
SYSTEM COMPONENTS SELECTION FAN SELECTION
Consider room of 10 feet in length, width and height. Volume v= 1000 ft3
= 28.3 m3
Assuming 40 air changes per hour in the shop.
= 18.9 m3/ min

Quantity of air to be handled by fan = 1132 m3/hr
For a static pressure of 3.5 mm of water gauge the fan selected from
selection chart for MARATHON Electric Motors (India) Ltd is GPN30061
propeller fan, fixed pitch,. Direct drive, MARATHON makes.
Fan Diameter: - 300 mm, 12 inches
Motor rating = 50 W, Motor Fan Speed = 900 rpm ,voltage 230 v, current
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0.22 amp, frequency 50 hz, free flow 1200 m3/hr ,weight approximately
7.1 kg
Power supply to the fan should be single Phase.
The fan power can be calculated using following relation given by
ASHRAE 1993
Pf = [Qf ∆p]/ ηf *ηm

Where, Qf is the volumetric flow (m3/s), ∆p is the fan total pressure rise
(kPa), ηf is the fan efficiency, ηm is the motor efficiency.
Air distribution fan power for the circulation of 0.315 m3/s of the air for a
pressure drop of 40 Pa through the conventional unit is 45W considering
motor and fan efficiencies of 70 and 40%, respectively.
COOLING PAD SELECTION
Cooling pad of CELdek 7090-15 are used. In commercial
identification, the first two digits indicate the average distance between
the two adjacent layers (50 mm) and the last two digits refer to the angle
between two sequential corrugated layers (90 o). The construction of this
media is unique in that it has alternating, transverse flutes. Flute height is
7 mm. One flute carries the water (introduced over the top of the media)
to the front of the media where the incoming air forces it back into the
media assisting in the thorough wetting of the media. The air flows
through the other flute. This media is made from a cellulose material with
wetting agents and rigidifying saturants. The useful life of this media is
usually 2 to 6 or even more years. Test pad modules are fabricated from
several wavy thin layers of corrugated papers bonded together to make
a structurally supporting module of thicknesses 50, 75, 100, 150 mm.
Selecting cooling pad thickness of 4 inch, because more denser
pads and sprays and lower air velocities increase air-water contact times
and reduce dilution but require larger fans, pumps, and wetting units.
Furthermore, since indoor use of nearly saturated air can cause warping,
rusting, and mildew of susceptible materials, perfect saturating
effectiveness is seldom sought.
Considering a velocity of 2 m/s the pressure drop across the pad
will be 35 pa and saturation efficiency will be 70 % from the CELDEK
data sheet for CELdek®, Type 7090-15
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For depth of 100mm and standard height of 1000mm, the pad area will
be calculated.
Total area = Quantity of air to be handled by fan/ velocity of air = 0.158
m2
Area of one pad =0.0525 m2 for one pad Height of pad 1000mm
width of pad 52.5mm
WATER PUMP SELECTION
The water pump should be sufficient to saturate all the cooling
pads including evaporation and bleed rate but not so much that it creates
curtain of water. Water is usually 2.84 lit/min per foot of pad length for 6
inch thick cellulose pads i.e.8.5 lit/min. Hence cooling water pump
selected is Submersible double filter water pump of centrifugal type,
MARATHON make.
Power consumption is 18 Watts.
Discharge is 1100 lit/hour at a head of 4 feet.
Classification of Coolers:
Coolers are classified as per the position of fan:
1. Fan in vertical plane:
The arrangement of the components is shown in fig. There is a
separate motor for the pump and fan so that they can be used
independently. There are cooling pads on three sides and the front
side consists of an opening for air flow. The pump pumps the water
from the bottom tank to the top and water trickles through the pads to
the bottom tank. Air is sucked by fan from all three sides and gets
cooled passing through pads. The cool air is discharged by the fan in
the horizontal plane. The direction of the air is controlled manually
with the help of louvers
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The advantages of this type of cooler are as follows.

The pump cannot be started without starting the fan which prevents the
unwanted running of pump. The system can be used as a cooler in hot
summer and as a fan during winter and rainy season.
2. Fan in horizontal position:
The Wox type of the cooler falls under this category. This differs
from the previous one in the fan arrangement. The pump and fan are
mounted on the same vertical shaft and run by common motor.
Therefore the fan and the pump cannot be operated separately. The air
from the fan is first moved perpendicular to the horizontal plane and then
through the spiral distributor further moves perpendicular to the vertical
plane. The advantages of this system are as follows :
• Four cooling pads instead of the usual three pads are used along
four sides of the cooler; therefore the cooling capacity of the cooler
is more for the same volumetric capacity.
• Unique omni directional air flow provides better air distribution in
the room.
• The noise is less than other coolers.
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Air Distribution System:

The air from the fan is passed through a spiral air distributor. At the
starting the shaft of the spiral distributor must be rotated by hand and
then it rotates automatically due to air velocity passing through it. This
shaft rotates at variable speed, as air speed does not remain constant.
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To avoid this, a small flywheel is mounted at the end of the shaft.

This reduces the speed fluctuations of the distributor shaft and provides
uniform air flow. There are some drawbacks like the fan and pump
cannot be operated separately as the path of air is always changing, and
there are more pressure loses.
3. Cooler without Water pump (Drum type Cooler):
Drum type of evaporators are used for achieving desired cooling
instead of water. The evaporator itself dips in water during rotation and
carries out the effective cooling of air. Instead of using costly khus pads,
rubberized coir is provided in the evaporator. The exhaust fan is used
instead of conventional one.
Consumption of power is only 40 watts for 40 cm blades as the

pump is eliminated. The performance of all evaporative type of coolers
improves as the dry bulb temperature increases and relative humidity
decreases. The fan motor runs at 15000 rpm whereas drum rotates at 2
rpm. The speed reduction is accomplished with the help of gear box.
VOLTAS is selling cooler with a double shafted motor with blowers
on both ends. Due to this arrangement balancing is easy and vibrations
are less. They have also provided a tray in which ice can be kept so as
to lower the sump water temperature.
RESULT: - In this way the desert coolers are studied.
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Questions:
• What is meant by Evaporative cooling?
• Explain following terms: a} Absolute Humidity b)
Specific humidity c) Relative Humidity
• Can you control the Humidity in the Evaporative cooling?
• What are the types of Evaporative cooling?
. What are the types of Air cooler or Desert Cooler?
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EXPERIMENT NO 7 SOLAR VAPOUR ABSORPTION SYSTEM

Absorption systems are similar to vapor compression air-conditioning
systems but differ in the pressurization stage. In general, an absorbent,
on the low-pressure side, absorbs an evaporating refrigerant. The most
usual combinations of fluids include lithium bromide– water (LiBr-H2O),
where water vapor is the refrigerant, and ammonia-water (NH3-H2O)
systems, where ammonia is the refrigerant. The pressurization is
achieved by dissolving the refrigerant in the absorbent, in the absorber
section (Figure). Subsequently, the solution is pumped to a high
pressure with an ordinary liquid pump. The addition of heat in the
generator is used to separate the low-boiling refrigerant from the
solution. In this way, the refrigerant vapor is compressed without the
need for large amounts of mechanical energy that the vapor
compression air-conditioning systems demand. The remainder of the
system consists of a condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator, which
function in a similar way as in a vapor compression air-conditioning
system.
A more detailed schematic presentation of the LiBr-water absorption

system is shown on a pressure-temperature diagram in Figure.
The main components of an absorption refrigeration system are the
generator, absorber, condenser, and evaporator. In the model shown,
QG is the heat input rate from the heat source to the generator, QC and
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QA are the heat rejection rates from condenser and absorber to the heat
sinks, respectively, and QE is the heat input rate from the cooling load to
the evaporator.
With reference to the numbering system shown in Figure, at point 1, the

solution is rich in refrigerant and a pump (1–2) forces the liquid through a
heat exchanger to the generator. The temperature of the solution in the
heat exchanger is increased (2–3). In the generator, thermal energy is
added and refrigerant boils off the solution. The refrigerant vapor (7)
flows to the condenser, where heat is rejected as the refrigerant
condenses. The condensed liquid (8) flows through a flow restrictor to
the evaporator (9). In the evaporator, the heat from the load evaporates
the refrigerant, which flows back to the absorber (10). A small portion of
the refrigerant leaves the evaporator as liquid spillover (11). At the
generator exit (4), the steam consists of absorbent-refrigerant solution,
which is cooled in the heat exchanger. From points 6 to 1, the solution
absorbs refrigerant vapor from the evaporator and rejects heat through a
heat exchanger.
The temperature of heat source required is given by
𝑇𝐻 = {[(𝑇𝐶/𝑇𝐸) × 𝑇𝐴] + 20} in oc.
Where, TC is the condenser temperature, TE is the evaporator
temperature and TA is the absorber temperature.
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The absorption cooling systems are classified according to the number

of effects as well as the number of lifts. Effects refer to the number of
times high-temperature input heat is used by the absorption machine. In
general, increasing the number of effects is meant to increase the COP
using higher driving temperature levels. Lifts refer to the number of
absorber/desorber pairs to increase successively the refrigerant
concentration in the solution and thus to reduce the required heat input
temperature level. There are many designs and different configurations
of the multi- effect, multi-lift, and combinations of both absorption cooling
systems.
AMMONIA-WATER ABSORPTION SYSTEMS
The temperature of the heat source is 80 to 170°C. An ammonia-water

refrigeration system uses natural substances, which do not cause ozone
depletion as working fluids. For all these reasons, this technology has
been classified as environmentally friendly. The NH3-H2O system is
more complicated than the LiBr-H2O system, since it needs a rectifying
column to assure that no water vapor enters the evaporator, where it
could freeze. The NH3-H2O system requires generator temperatures in
the range of 125°C to 170°C with an air-cooled absorber and condenser
and 80 to 120°C when water cooling is used. These temperatures
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cannot be obtained with flat-plate collectors. The coefficient of

performance, is defined as the heat load in the evaporator per unit of
heat load in the generator.
The single-stage ammonia-water absorption refrigeration system cycle
consists of four main components—condenser, evaporator, absorber,
and generator as shown in Figure. Other auxiliary components include
expansion valves, pump, rectifier, and heat exchanger. Low-pressure,
weak solution is pumped from the absorber to the generator through the
solution heat exchanger operating at high pressure.
The generator separates the binary solution of water and ammonia by
causing the ammonia to vaporize and the rectifier purifies the ammonia
vapor. High-pressure ammonia gas is passed through the expansion
valve to the evaporator as low-pressure liquid ammonia.
The high-pressure transport fluid (water) from the generator is returned
to the absorber through the solution heat exchanger and the expansion
valve. The low-pressure liquid ammonia in the evaporator is used to cool
the space to be refrigerated. During the cooling process, the liquid
ammonia vaporizes and the transport fluid (water) absorbs the vapor to
form a strong ammonia solution in the absorber.
SOLAR COOLING WITH ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION
The advantage of solar absorption refrigeration system is its co2
emission is 6 % of vapour compression system. The greatest
disadvantage of a solar heating system is that a large number of
collectors need to be shaded or disconnected during summertime to
reduce overheating. A way to avoid this problem and increase the
viability of the solar system is to employ a combination of space heating
and cooling and domestic hot water production system. This is
economically viable when the same collectors are used for both space
heating and cooling. Flat-plate solar collectors are commonly used in
solar space heating. Good-quality flat-plate collectors can attain
temperatures suitable for LiBr-water absorption systems.
Another alternative is to use evacuated tube collectors, which can give
higher temperatures; thus ammonia-water systems can be used, which
need higher temperatures to operate. A schematic diagram of a
solaroperated absorption refrigeration system is shown in Figure.
PREAPARED
The refrigeration cycle is the same as the ones described earlier. The
difference between this system and the traditional fossil fuel fired units is
that the energy supplied to the generator is from the solar collector
system shown on the left side of Figure. Due to the intermittent nature of
available solar energy, a hot water storage tank is needed; thus the
collected energy is first stored in the tank and used as an energy source
in the generator to heat the strong solution when needed. The storage
tank of the solar heating system is used for this purpose. When the
storage tank temperature is low, the auxiliary heater is used to top it off
to the required generator temperature. Again, the same auxiliary heater
of the space heating system can be used, at a different set temperature.
If the storage tank is completely depleted, the storage is bypassed, as in
the space heating system, to avoid boosting the storage temperature
with auxiliary energy, and the auxiliary heater is used to meet the
heating load of the generator. It should be noted that the operating
temperature range of the hot water supplied to the generator of a
LiBrwater absorption refrigeration system is from 70–95°C. The lower
temperature limit is imposed from the fact that hot water must be at a
temperature sufficiently high (at least 70°C) to be effective for boiling the
water off the solution in the generator. Also, the temperature of the
concentrated lithium bromide solution returning to the absorber must be
PREAPARED
high enough to prevent crystallization of the lithium bromide. An

unpressurized water storage tank system is usually employed in a solar
energy system; therefore an upper limit of about 95°C is used to prevent
water from boiling. For this type of system, the optimum generator
temperature was found to be 93°C
Since in an absorption-refrigeration cycle heat must be rejected from the
absorber and the condenser, a cooling water system must be employed
in the cycle. Perhaps the most effective way of providing cooling water to
the system is to use a cooling tower, as shown on the right side of Figure
6.28. Because the absorber requires a lower temperature than the
condenser, the cool water from the cooling tower is first directed to the
absorber and then to the condenser. It should be noted that the use of a
cooling tower in a small residential system is problematic with respect to
both space and maintenance requirements; therefore, whenever
possible, water drawn from a well can be used. . To minimize the
intermittent effects of this arrangement, due to the absence of hot water
storage, and make this system more effective, cold storage can be used.
One way of doing this is to use the absorption machine to produce
chilled water, which is then stored for cooling purposes Such a solution
would have the advantage of low rate tank heat gains (actually is a loss
in this case) because of the smaller temperature difference between the
chilled water and its surroundings. An added disadvantage, however, is
that the temperature range of a cool storage is small in comparison with
that of a hot storage; therefore, larger storage volume of chilled water is
needed to store the same amount of energy than in hot water storage.
Because solar heating systems always employ a storage tank, the
arrangement shown in Figure is preferred.
ELECTROLUX REFRIGERATOR
The two-fluid ARS succeeded in replacing a compressor which requires a
large amount of shaft work by a liquid pump with a negligible energy
requirement compared to the refrigeration effect. By addition of a third
fluid, the pump is removed, completely eliminating all moving parts. This
system is also called the von Platen–Munters system after its Swedish
inventors. It is also called diffusion absorption solar cooling system. The
most commonly used fluids are ammonia (as refrigerant), water (as
absorbent), and hydrogen, a neutral gas used to support a portion of the
total pressure in part of the system. Hydrogen is called the carrier gas.
PREAPARED
The unit consists of four main parts: the generator, condenser,

evaporator, and absorber. The unit charge consists of a quantity of
ammonia, water, and hydrogen at a sufficient pressure to condense
ammonia at the room temperature for which the unit is designed. This
method of absorption refrigeration is presently used in domestic systems
where the COP is less important than quiet trouble-free operation. In the
system, the cold ammonia vapor with hydrogen is circulated by natural
convection to the absorber, where the ammonia vapor comes in contact
with the weak solution from the separator. At the low temperature of the
ammonia and hydrogen, absorption of the ammonia occurs and hence
hydrogen alone rises to the evaporator, while the strong solution flows
down by gravity to the generator. The generator temperature varies
typically between 120 and180 oC, and the practical COP varies between
0.2 and 0.3 with cooling capacity of 25–100 W.
Gutie´ rrez presented a study on the thermal performance of a solar
refrigerator that was developed from a commercial absorption diffusion
type. The refrigerator that had a flat plate collector substituted for its
PREAPARED
burner and ammonia–water solution and hydrogen was used in the

system. Since there is no hot thermal storage to operate the system
continuously, cooling occurs during daytime only. The heat is rejected by
natural air convection. A series of experiments was performed in which
the system was solar powered and also operated in a solar simulator, in
order to know the effects of the ambient temperature on the behavior of
the apparatus. According to experimentation and testing results, it was
found that under good insolation conditions, the refrigerator maintains
freezing temperatures during 5h a day, provided that the ambient
temperature does not exceed 28 oC.
Questions:
1) What is the necessity of cooling the Absorber in this System?

2) How will you maintain the pressure constant in the System?
3) Explain the role of Hydrogen is used in Evaporator?
4) In this system which Absorbent and which Refrigerant is used?
5) Where this system is used?
6) What are the advantages and disadvantages of vapor absorption
system over vapor compression system of refrigeration?
PREAPARED

Experiment No. 1 Name of Experiment - Study of Window Air Conditioner

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Experiment No. 1 Name of Experiment - Study of Window Air Conditioner

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REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING LAB MANUAL

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. B N COLLEGE OF ENGG. PUSAD

EXPERIMENT NO. 1 NAME OF EXPERIMENT - STUDY OF WINDOW

SIZING AND PURCHASE OF WAC-

PREAPARED BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 1

operating on Wi-Fi technology. Air conditioners working on solar energy

The Refrigeration System of the Window Air Conditioner The

shaped water drops between fin surfaces. According to research it

Air Circulation System of the Window Air Conditioner

PREAPARED BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 3

1) Thermostat for controlling the room air temperature: The

Front Panel of the Window Air Conditioner

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1) Return air compartment: The return air compartment of the front

Electrical Protection System

PREAPARED BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 5

Room Air Cycle

PREAPARED BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 6

the air becomes chilled. Secondly, due to reduction in the temperature of

PREAPARED BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 8

Hot Air Cycle

Window Air Conditioner used as the Heat Pump

Cooling and Heating Cycles of the Window Air Conditioners

PREAPARED BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 9

PREAPARED BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 10

PREAPARED BY MIR AQUEEL ALI Page 11

AIR CONDITIONER SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions 615x6 660x770x42 660x770x42 660x770x428

RESULT – In this way WAC is studied

i. Depending upon usage

accumulation, which tends to be relatively rapid in a single-evaporator

capacity that prevents excessive pressures during pulldown or in the

Glass is provided on crisper used for storing vegetables thereby

interruptions. For safe working of compressor an overload protector and

6. Hot fluids should not be stored in the refrigerator.

Fig.1.Storage Type Water Cooler

Storage Type Water Cooler

Fig.2. Schematic Sketch of the cooling coil of instantaneous type

Such coolers are often equipped with a tube-in-tube or tube-to-tube heat

RESULT – In this way the water cooler is studied.

Questions for viva -

STUDY OF DEFROSTING SYSTEM

accumulation of frost and starting of the system after natural defrosting is

Fig. 1 Pressure Operated Defrosting method Fig. 2 Temperature operated

Fig. 3 Solid Adsorbent Defrosting method .

Fig.4 Water defrosting method for industrial application

It is necessary to start the fan before starting the refrigeration system

DEFROSTING BY REVERSING CYCLE:-

Fig. 5 (a) Flow path under normal refrigeration cycle.

Fig.5 (b) Flow path under defrosting Cycle

AUTOMATIC HOT GAS DEFROSTING:-

Fig. 6 Automatic hot gas Defrosting method

heavily insulated to prevent the loss of heat from thermobank. A solenoid

Fig. 7 Thermobank Defrosting

Fig. 8 Electric Defrosting

This system consists of an electric switch, a magnetic valve and

Fig. 9 (a) Electric air switch defrost system

• Single phase 230 Volts Capacitor Start AC Induction motor of 1/3

1. Freon Charging bottle of 350 gm/ (ml) capacity.

c. Freon Inlet Valve for charging bottles.

3. Non-reusable type drier.

C. Electric Control Panel:

Preparation of Gas Charging Unit: