Steam Jet Refrigeration and Vapour

Absorption system

By
Mohit Tiwari
(172030010106)
 Outline
• Introduction to steam jet refrigeration
• Applications, Advantages and Disadvantages
• Analysis of steam jet refrigeration.
• Introduction o vapour absorption system
• Applications, Advantages and disadvantages
• Analysis of VAR.
 Introduction to steam jet refrigeration
• Principle:- Steam jet refrigeration works on the principle of boiling water
below 100ºC. The schematic is shown in figure.
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• Water boils at 5°C when pressure on the surface is 50 mm of Hg while it
boils at 10°C if pressure is 65 mm of Hg.
• Approximately 6°C of temperature is reduced by boiling of 1 kg of water.
• Consider flash chamber has 100 kg of water. Approximately 2385 kJ of
heat is removed from water on boiling 1 kg of water which is equivalent to
heat evaporation of water.
Q= mCpdT
dT= 2385/99*4.18
dT= 5.7°C
• As water freezes at 0°C this method cannot be used for getting negative
temperatures.
 Working
• The steam from the boiler is allowed to expand through nozzle where the
pressure is reduced at the outlet of the nozzle and a sonic velocity of 1000-
1350 m/s is obtained.
• This creates evaporation of water in the flash chamber and thus the water
vapour entrains with the high motive steam which is further compressed in
thermo compressor.
• The Kinetic energy of mixture is converted into static pressure and mass is
discharged into the condensor.
• The condensate water returns to boiler and warm water after cooling is
sprayed in the flash chamber to provide maximum surface for evaporation.
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• The operating pressure ratio is generally 8:1 after a very sophisticated
design.
 Analysis of steam jet refrigeration
• Determining the mass of steam required per
tone of refrigeration
• To determine the required quantity of vapour
formed in flash chamber for T ton
refrigeration.
 Applications
• It is used for pre cooling the vegetables, processing of cold water in rubber
mills, chemical plants, paper and pulp mills and aboard ships.
• It is also used as an air conditioner because of complete safety of water as
refrigerant and no hazard from the leakage of the refrigerant
• In many applications where direct evaporator is used for drying of food or
chemicals steam jet refrigeration is more preferable.
 Advantages
• It has no moving parts hence it is almost vibration free and is rigidly
designed.
• It is maintenance and noise free.
• Overall electric consumption is less.
• The operating cost is significantly lower than VCR system.
• Cost for steam jet refrigeration for more than 75 ton refrigeration is
economical.
 Disadvantages
• The use of direct evaporation to produce chill water is limited because of
tremendous amount of volume of vapour to be handled. (Water at 7°C
requires 13 cubic metre water vapour to be handled per minute per tone of
refrigeration compared with 0.125 cubic meter per minute per ton of
refrigeration for R12 and 0.06 cubic meter per minute per ton for
Ammonia)
• The system is not feasible below 4°C temperature .
• The size of condenser is big because the heat removed in steam jet
refrigeration is twice than VCR per ton of refrigeration.
• Cop is less i.e 0.4-0.6
 Vapour Absorption Refrigeration
• The VAR system works on the same principle of VCR with a difference
where mechanical compressor is replaced by Absorber, Generator,
Rectifier, Analyser, Pump and pressure reducing valve.
• Unlike VCR where refrigerant from evaporator is directly sucked in
compressor for increasing the pressure the VAR uses the absorber where
weak solution of refrigerant mixes with absorbent in absorber and forms a
strong solution which is pumped to generator
• In Generator it is heated by some external source and the refrigerant is then
condensed in the condensor while the weak solution after passing through
pressure reducing valve is allowed in absorber.
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Practical NH3-H2O refrigeration
schematic
 Properties of Refrigerants

• It should have low boiling and freezing point. For eg, NH3 has boiling point
of -33°C while freezing point of -77°C(at atmospheric pressure).
• It should have high latent heat of vapourization so that the mass required
for cooling would be less i.e refrigerating effect per kg of refrigerant will
be high.
• The critical temperarture refers to the temperature above which vapour
cannot be condensed irrespective of pressure, hence the temperature in the
condensor should be relatively low than the critical temperature of the
refrigerant
 Properties of Absorbent
• The ideal absorbent should remain in liquid condition under operating
condition
• Heat liberated should be minimum when refrigerant is absorbed by the
absorbent.
• It should have high boiling point.

• It should have chemical stability.

 Analysis of VAR cycle
• To determine the COP of VAR cycle.
 LiBr Water VS NH3 Water
• For LiBr-water solution
• It uses water as refrigerant(boiling point 100ºC) and Lithium-
Bromide(boiling point 1265ºC) as its absorbent
• Is used in a number of air conditioning applications. This system is useful
for applications where the temperature required is more than 0ºC.
• Water used as the refrigerant in the absorption refrigeration system means
the operating pressures in the condenser and the evaporator must be very
low
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• The system can be achieved even without installing the expansion valve in
the system, since the drop in pressure occurs due to friction in the
refrigeration piping and in the spray nozzles.
• It has lesser components than ammonia-water.
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• For Ammonia-Water solution(Aqua Ammonia System)
• Uses Ammonia(NH3, Boiling point -33.34ºC) as refrigerant and
Water(Boiling point 100 ºC) as absorber
• Most commercial and industrial refrigeration applications occur at
temperatures below 32(0º) F and many are 0 F(-17.78º). As a result, a fluid
which is not subject to freezing at these temperatures is required. So the
lithium bromide/water cycle is no longer able to achieve this conditions,
because water is used for the refrigerant.
• .
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• Have a disadvantage in acquiring extra parts compare to LiBr water system
but does have an advantage in operating pressure above atmospheric that
avoid air leakage
 Advantages of VAR compared to VCR
• No moving parts except pump hence it is maintenance free
• Absorption system is designed to get any readily available form of thermal
energy hence it can be used at place where electricity is not available or
very expensive.
• In VCR the refrigerant must be superheated to ensure no liquid should enter
compressor which is not required in VAR system.
• At reduced loads the VAR is almost as efficient as full load while with
increase in load the compressor work increases and the COP of VCR
system decreases.