MaintenanceCircleTeam Page 1 June 7 th 2009 Maintenanc If you like to improvise this article or contribute or comment please mail us at: [email protected]This document contains information for reference only. We assume no responsibility for its implication. Maintenance circle NEWSLETTER FOR MANUFACTURING COMMUNITY Word for the day: HVAC AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEM As we all passed thru first week of this month with multiple work pressures and hectic schedules, something important passed thru the weekend, probably catching many of us unaware. WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY. For an ever astonishing earth – globe, universe, planet, world or however you address it – that bestows us with every possible resource to live a comfortable life, a consortium of scientists, environmentalists and other people decided to dedicate one day when we at least think about the damage that we cause by disturbing natural balance of this earth’s ecosystem. Air, water, ground resources and entire non-human community is polluted or depleted by rapid industrialization and urbanization. We can all contribute to lessen the impact of such a destruction which ultimately will also affect each one of us, directly or indirectly. Air-conditioning. One of the most inevitable and essential part of modern living. Apart from giving us the comfort feeling, it plays a vital role in keeping modern electronic equipments running efficiently. It has done wonders in preserving many life saving medicines, drugs and food items. But, there has been very “hot” discussions about this “cooling” subject which apart from few environmental side-effects is depleting one of critical elements of the atmosphere. OZONE. With introduction of non-CFC refrigerants and efficient compressors, a lot of reduction has occurred in air-conditioners’ side effects on the environments. After electric motor, air conditioner is the largest consumer of electric power accounting to almost 35%. Let us delve ourselves into various technologies of air conditioning and explore different opportunities of taking best out of this with reduced impact on the environment. We will touch upon various components and methods of typical air conditioning system, one at a time. HVAC and Refrigeration System: Vapor compression refrigeration cycle, Refrigerants, Coefficient of performance, Capacity, Factors affecting Refrigeration and Air conditioning system performance and savings opportunities. Vapor absorption refrigeration system: Working principle, Types and comparison with vapor compression system, Saving potential Introduction The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration system transfers the heat energy from or to the products, or building environment. Energy in form of electricity or heat is used to power mechanical equipment designed to transfer heat from a colder, low-energy level to a warmer, high-energy level. Refrigeration deals with the transfer of heat from a low temperature level at the heat source to a high temperature level at the heat sink by using a low boiling refrigerant.
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MaintenanceCircleTeam Page 1 June 7th 2009
Maintenanc
If you like to improvise this article or contribute or comment please mail us at: [email protected]
This document contains information for reference only. We assume no responsibility for its implication.
Maintenance circle NNEEWWSSLLEETTTTEERR FFOORR MMAANNUUFFAACCTTUURRIINNGG CCOOMMMMUUNNIITTYY
Word for the day: HVAC AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
As we all passed thru first week of this month with multiple work pressures and hectic schedules,
something important passed thru the weekend, probably catching many of us unaware. WORLD
ENVIRONMENT DAY. For an ever astonishing earth – globe, universe, planet, world or however you
address it – that bestows us with every possible resource to live a comfortable life, a consortium of
scientists, environmentalists and other people decided to dedicate one day when we at least think about
the damage that we cause by disturbing natural balance of this earth’s ecosystem. Air, water, ground
resources and entire non-human community is polluted or depleted by rapid industrialization and
urbanization. We can all contribute to lessen the impact of such a destruction which ultimately will also
affect each one of us, directly or indirectly.
Air-conditioning. One of the most inevitable and essential part of modern living. Apart from giving us the
comfort feeling, it plays a vital role in keeping modern electronic equipments running efficiently. It has
done wonders in preserving many life saving medicines, drugs and food items. But, there has been very
“hot” discussions about this “cooling” subject which apart from few environmental side-effects is depleting
one of critical elements of the atmosphere. OZONE. With introduction of non-CFC refrigerants and efficient
compressors, a lot of reduction has occurred in air-conditioners’ side effects on the environments.
After electric motor, air conditioner is the largest consumer of electric power accounting to almost 35%.
Let us delve ourselves into various technologies of air conditioning and explore different opportunities of
taking best out of this with reduced impact on the environment. We will touch upon various components
and methods of typical air conditioning system, one at a time.
HVAC and Refrigeration System: Vapor compression refrigeration cycle, Refrigerants, Coefficient of
performance, Capacity, Factors affecting Refrigeration and Air conditioning system performance and
savings opportunities.
Vapor absorption refrigeration system: Working principle, Types and comparison with vapor compression
system, Saving potential
Introduction
The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration system transfers the heat energy
from or to the products, or building environment. Energy in form of electricity or heat is used to power
mechanical equipment designed to transfer heat from a colder, low-energy level to a warmer, high-energy
level.
Refrigeration deals with the transfer of heat from a low temperature level at the heat source to
a high temperature level at the heat sink by using a low boiling refrigerant.
If you like to improvise this article or contribute or comment please mail us at: [email protected]
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Maintenance circle NNEEWWSSLLEETTTTEERR FFOORR MMAANNUUFFAACCTTUURRIINNGG CCOOMMMMUUNNIITTYY
There are several heat transfer loops in refrigeration system as described below:
In the Figure 4.1,
thermal energy
moves from left to
right as it is
extracted from the
space and expelled
into the outdoors
through five loops
of heat transfer:
Indoor air loop: In the leftmost loop, indoor air is driven by the supply air fan through a cooling coil, where it transfers its heat to chilled water. The cool air then cools the building space
Chilled water loop: Driven by the chilled water pump, water returns from the cooling coil to the chiller’s evaporator to be re-cooled
Refrigerant loop: Using a phase-change refrigerant, the chiller’s compressor pumps heat from the
chilled water to the condenser water Condenser water loop: Water absorbs heat from the chiller’s condenser, and the condenser water
pump sends it to the cooling tower Cooling tower loop: The cooling tower’s fan drives air across an open flow of the hot condenser
water, transferring the heat to the outdoors Air-Conditioning Systems
Depending on applications, there are several combinations which are available for use as given below:
Air Conditioning (for comfort / machine)
Split air conditioners
Fan coil units in a larger system
Air handling units in a larger system
Refrigeration Systems (for processes)
Small capacity modular units of direct expansion type similar to domestic refrigerators, small capacity refrigeration units.
Centralized chilled water plants with chilled water as a secondary coolant for temperature range over 50C typically. They can also be used for ice bank formation.
Figure 4.1 Heat Transfer Loops In Refrigeration System
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Brine plants, which use brines as lower temperature secondary coolant, for typically sub zero temperature applications, which come as modular unit capacities as well as large centralized plant capacities.
The plant capacities up to 50 TR are usually considered as small capacity, 50 – 250 TR as medium capacity and over 250 TR as large capacity units.
A large industry may have a bank of such units, often with common chilled water pumps, condenser water
pumps, cooling towers, as an offsite utility.
The same industry may also have two or three levels of refrigeration & air conditioning such as:
Comfort air conditioning (200 – 250 C)
Chilled water system (80 – 100 C)
Brine system (sub-zero applications)
Two principle types of refrigeration plants found in industrial use are: Vapor Compression Refrigeration
(VCR) and Vapor Absorption Refrigeration (VAR). VCR uses mechanical energy as the driving force for
refrigeration, while VAR uses thermal energy as the driving force for refrigeration.
Vapor Compression Refrigeration
Heat flows naturally from a hot to a colder body. In refrigeration system the opposite must occur i.e. heat
flows from a cold to a hotter body. This is achieved by using a substance called a refrigerant, which
absorbs heat and hence boils or evaporates at a low pressure to form a gas. This gas is then compressed
to a higher pressure, such that it transfers the heat it has gained to ambient air or water and turns back
(condenses) into a liquid. In this way heat is absorbed, or removed, from a low temperature source and
transferred to a higher temperature source.
The refrigeration cycle can be broken down into the following stages (see Figure 4.2):
1 - 2 Low pressure liquid refrigerant in the evaporator absorbs heat from its surroundings, usually air,
water or some other process liquid. During this process it changes its state from a liquid to a gas, and at
the evaporator exit is slightly superheated.
2 - 3 The superheated vapor enters the compressor where its pressure is raised. There will also be a big
increase in temperature, because a proportion of the energy input into the compression process is
transferred to the refrigerant.
3 - 4 The high pressure superheated gas passes from the compressor into the condenser. The initial part
of the cooling process (3 - 3a) de-superheats the gas before it is turned back into liquid (3a - 3b). The
cooling for this process is usually achieved by using air or water. A further reduction in temperature
happens in the pipe work and liquid receiver (3b - 4), so that the refrigerant liquid is sub-cooled as it
enters the expansion device.
4 - 1 The high-pressure sub-cooled liquid passes through the expansion device, which both reduces its
pressure and controls the flow into the evaporator.
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In order to keep evaporating, the refrigerant vapor must be discharged from the evaporator and
refrigerant (water) must be supplied. The refrigerant vapor is absorbed into lithium bromide solution which is convenient to absorb the refrigerant vapor in the absorber. The heat
generated in the absorption process is led out of system by cooling water continually. The absorption also maintains the vacuum inside the evaporator.
As lithium bromide solution is diluted, the effect to absorb the refrigerant vapor reduces.
In order to keep absorption process, the diluted lithium bromide solution must be made concentrated lithium bromide.
Absorption chiller is provided with the solution concentrating system by the heating media such as steam, hot water, gas, oil, which performs such function is called generator. The concentrated solution flows into the absorber and absorbs the refrigerant vapor again.
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Selection of a Suitable Refrigeration System
A clear understanding of the cooling load to be met is the first and most important part of designing /
selecting the components of a refrigeration system. Important factors to be considered in quantifying the
load are the actual cooling need, heat (cool) leaks, and internal heat sources (from all heat generating
equipment). Consideration should also be given to process changes and / or changes in ambient
conditions that might affect the load in the future. Reducing the load, e.g. through better insulation,
maintaining as high a cooling temperature as practical, etc. is the first step toward minimizing electrical
power required to meet refrigeration needs. With a quantitative understanding of the required
temperatures and the maximum, minimum, and average expected cooling demands, selection of
appropriate refrigeration system (single-stage / multi-stage, economized compression, compound /
cascade operation, direct cooling / secondary coolants) and equipment (type of refrigerant, compressor,
evaporator, condenser, etc.) can be undertaken.
Performance Assessment of Refrigeration Plants
The cooling effect produced is quantified as tons of refrigeration.(TR).
1 TR of refrigeration = 3024 kCal/hr heat rejected.
The refrigeration TR is assessed as TR = Q x Cp x (Ti – To) / 3024
Where Q is mass flow rate of coolant in kg/hr
Cp is coolant specific heat in kCal /kg deg C
Ti is inlet, temperature of coolant to evaporator (chiller) in 0C
To is outlet temperature of coolant from evaporator (chiller) in 0C.
The above TR is also called as chiller tonnage.
The specific power consumption kW/TR is a useful indicator of the performance of refrigeration
system. By measuring refrigeration duty performed in TR and the kilowatt inputs, kW/TR is used as a reference energy performance indicator.
In a centralized chilled water system, apart from the compressor unit, power is also consumed by the chilled water (secondary) coolant pump as well condenser water (for heat rejection to cooling tower) pump and cooling tower fan in the cooling tower. Effectively, the overall energy consumption would be towards:
Compressor kW Chilled water pump kW Condenser water pump kW Cooling tower fan kW, for induced / forced draft towers
The specific power consumption for certain TR output would therefore have to include:
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when temperature variations are not acceptable. Ice bank system which store ice rather than water are
often economical.
System Design Features
In overall plant design, adoption of good practices improves the energy efficiency significantly. Some
areas for consideration are:
Design of cooling towers with FRP impellers and film fills, PVC drift eliminators, etc.
Use of softened water for condensers in place of raw water.
Use of economic insulation thickness on cold lines, heat exchangers, considering cost of heat gains and adopting practices like infrared thermography for monitoring - applicable especially in large chemical / fertilizer / process industry.
Adoption of roof coatings / cooling systems, false ceilings / as applicable, to minimize refrigeration load.
Adoption of energy efficient heat recovery devices like air to air heat exchangers to pre-cool the fresh air by indirect heat exchange; control of relative humidity through indirect heat exchange rather than use of duct heaters after chilling.
Adopting of variable air volume systems; adopting of sun film application for heat reflection; optimizing lighting loads in the air conditioned areas; optimizing number of air changes in the air conditioned areas are few other examples.
Energy Saving Opportunities
a) Cold Insulation
Insulate all cold lines / vessels using economic insulation thickness to minimize heat gains; and choose
appropriate (correct) insulation material.
b) Building Envelope
Optimize air conditioning volumes by measures such as use of false ceiling and segregation of critical areas for air conditioning by air curtains. Provide DOUBLE DOOR entry for continuously air conditioned envelopes.
c) Building Heat Loads Minimization
Minimize the air conditioning loads by measures such as roof cooling, roof painting, efficient lighting, pre-cooling of fresh air by air- to-air heat exchangers, variable volume air system, optimal thermo-static setting of temperature of air conditioned spaces, sun film applications, etc. Use lighting system that generate less heat like CFLs instead of tungsten filaments to minimize thermal load.
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Process Heat Loads Minimization
Minimize process heat loads in terms of TR capacity as well as refrigeration level, i.e., temperature
required, by way of:
i) Flow optimization ii) Heat transfer area increase to accept higher temperature coolant iii) Avoiding wastages like heat gains, loss of chilled water, idle flows. iv) Frequent cleaning / de-scaling of all heat exchangers
At the Refrigeration A/C Plant Area
a) Ensure regular maintenance of all A/C plant components as per manufacturer guidelines.
b) Ensure adequate quantity of chilled water and cooling water flows, avoid bypass flows by closing valves of idle equipment.
c) Minimize part load operations by matching loads and plant capacity on line; adopt variable speed drives for varying process load.
d) Make efforts to continuously optimize condenser and evaporator parameters for minimizing specific energy consumption and maximizing capacity.
e) Adopt VAR system where economics permit as a non-CFC solution.
Common energy saving tips
Do not overload the compressor by setting “impossible” temperatures. Practically, compressor should follow 80/20 rule (80 percent ON & 20 percent OFF in given time window)
In window and split air-conditioners, keep condenser coil very clean of dust and dirt. Do not block the fan exhaust area
On typical hermetically sealed compressors, the power supply to heater must be always ON
Regularly check high and low pressures. If they reduce, recharge accordingly
In centralized air conditioned systems, module the air flow by preventing air flow to non-utilized areas
Do not mix different grades of refrigerants
Now, with a “cool head,” crack the Techuzzle on air conditioning. If you don’t get all answers right, don’t get “hot.” Relax with a “chilled” drink or “frozen” appetizer.
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Across 3. The _______ temperature of refrigerants is much lower than other liquids or gases 4. A small orifice that rapidly reduces pressure in a refrigeration cycle 5. C stands for __________ in VCR type of refrigeration cycle 7. This section of air conditioner ABSORBS heat from room or source 8. The most common term for specifying AC capacity
Down 1. The refrigeration cycle is known as ______ cycle owing to its inventor 2. This section converts refrigerant back to liquid 6. O3 or _____ is a very vital layer in atmosphere protecting us from harmful UV rays