• (Notes Based on chapter 10 The Vapor-Compression Cycle
from Refrigeration and Air Conditioning by W.F. Stoecker and
J.W. Jones
Most Important Refrigeration Cycle
• Why the Vapor-Compression Cycle Is Important
• It is the most widely used refrigeration cycle
in actual engineering practice.
• The cycle operates by:
– Compressing a vapor
– Condensing it into a liquid
– Dropping the pressure
– Evaporating it at low pressure to absorb heat
(refrigeration effect)
Carnot Refrigeration Cycle
Why Study Carnot Cycle?
Even though the Carnot cycle cannot be achieved in
practice (requires Perfect reversibility), it is studied
because:
• Standard of comparison
– It shows the maximum achievable performance
between two temperatures.
• Guides practical design
– Helps determine the best temperature levels for high performance.
Carnot Heat Engine (Review)
• ✔ Figure 10-1(a): Carnot heat engine
✔ Figure 10-1(b): T-s representation of Carnot heat engine
• Horizontal lines → heat transfer at constant temperature
• Vertical lines → adiabatic (no heat transfer) processes
• Area inside the rectangle = Net work output
• Area under upper line = Heat absorbed
• Area under lower line = Heat rejected
This diagram forms the basis for understanding the
Carnot refrigerator and vapor-compression cycle
Why Carnot Cycle Has the Highest Efficiency
• All processes reversible
• Produces the maximum COP (Coefficient of Performance)
possible between two temperatures
• No real cycle can exceed Carnot COP
Why We Need a Performance Measure
• Before evaluating any refrigeration system, we need a numerical
indicator of its performance.
However, this index is not called “efficiency”, because:
• Efficiency = output/input (typical in heat engines)
• But in refrigeration:
– “Output” (heat rejected during 2–3) is usually not useful
– Only the heat absorbed in the evaporator (refrigeration effect) is
useful
– So using efficiency would be misleading
• Thus the special term Coefficient of Performance (COP) is used.
Concept of COP
• The concept is identical in spirit to efficiency:
• Desired commodity:
• Useful refrigeration (heat absorbed at low temperature)
• Expenditure:
• Net work input to drive the cycle
Formal Definition of COP
• The text defines COP as:
• ✔ COP is dimensionless
✔ Units of numerator and denominator must match (e.g., kJ/kJ
or kW/kW)
Refrigerant
Definition of Refrigerant
• A refrigerant is the working substance in a refrigeration system.
It is the fluid that:
– Undergoes compression
– Condenses to liquid
– Expands through a throttling device
– Evaporates at low pressure to absorb heat (refrigeration effect)
• This fluid makes the entire vapor-compression cycle possible.
Types of Refrigerants
• A number of compounds may be used as refrigerants.
• These include:
– Ammonia (NH₃)
– Halocarbons (Freon types)
– Hydrocarbons
– Various modern alternatives (discussed in later chapters)
Why Refrigerant Selection Matters
• The refrigerant determines:
• Pressures of operation
• Heat transfer characteristics
• Safety (toxicity, flammability)
• Environmental impact
• Compressor type
• Cycle efficiency
• Thus the refrigerant is a core design decision.
Conditions for Highest COP
Why High COP Matters
A high COP means:
• A given amount of refrigeration requires less work input
• The system costs less to operate
• The cycle approaches the Carnot ideal
• Thus we want to know:
What operating conditions maximize COP?
COP of the Carnot Refrigeration Cycle
• "Useful refrigeration and net work of the Carnot cycle shown by areas
on the temperature–entropy diagram.“
• Useful refrigeration = heat absorbed during process 4–1
= area under line 4–1
• Heat rejection = area under line 2–3
• Net work input = area of rectangle 1–2–3–4
• Thus,
This geometric interpretation applies only for reversible (Carnot) cycles.
Temperature Limitations
USING VAPOR AS A REFRIGERANT
WET COMPRESSION VERSUS DRY COMPRESSION
EXPANSION PROCESS
STANDARD VAPOR-COMPRESSION CYCLE
ACTUAL VAPOR-COMPRESSION CYCLE