CHAPTER 7:

FOOD REFRIGERATION
AND FREEZING PART I
CH2035 FOOD ENGINEERING 2
Semester 1, 2024-2025

bblee@unimap.edu.my
 OUTLINE:
▪ Introduction
▪ Refrigeration methods
▪ Selection of a refrigerant
▪ Refrigeration equipment
▪ Components of a refrigeration system
➢ Evaporators in refrigeration system
➢ Condensers in refrigeration system
▪ Refrigeration cycle
▪ Heat pump and applications

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INTRODUCTION
▪ Temperature plays an important role in maintaining the
quality of stored food products.
➢ Lowering the temperature retards the rates of reactions that
cause quality deterioration.
➢ It is generally agreed that the reaction rate is reduced by
half by lowering the temperature by 10°C.
➢ Refrigeration systems allow transfer of heat from the
cooling chamber to a location where the heat can easily be
discarded.
➢ The transfer of heat is accomplished by using a refrigerant,
which like water changes state—from liquid to vapor.
➢ Unlike water, a refrigerant has a much lower boiling point.
➢ Ammonia is a commonly used refrigerant in industrial
plants, has a boiling point of -33.3°C. bblee@unimap.edu.my
INTRODUCTION
➢ The boiling point of a refrigerant can be varied by changing
the pressure.
➢ Thus, to increase the boiling point of ammonia to 0°C, its
pressure must be raised to 430.43 kPa.
▪ Refrigeration is used in cooling or chilling & freezing of
foods.
➢ The freezing temperature of foods (around 0 oC) is the
borderline between the cooling & the freezing processes.
▪ In food processing, low temperatures are applied for:
i. food preservation,
ii. in facilitating other non-preservation
processes or manufacturing products
that are directly or indirectly related
to foods. bblee@unimap.edu.my
INTRODUCTION
▪ Examples of application of low temperatures in connection
to some other methods of preservation are the freezing of
vegetables following blanching and the cooling of milk,
immediately after heating, in pasteurization.
▪ Examples of using low temperatures for facilitating other
non-preservation processes or manufacturing products
used directly in foods are:
i. influencing the texture (e.g., fatty meat
is cut easier when frozen),
ii. influencing chemical and biological
reactions (e.g., influence on color &
ripening, stopping of wine
fermentation),
iii. producing ice and cryogenic liquids.
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 REFRIGERATION METHODS
▪ There are several methods for reducing temperature, the
most important being the following:
[1] Mechanical compression methods
➢ Low temperatures are created by evaporation of
refrigerants.
➢ A compressor provides a
permanent partial pressure
reduction over a refrigerant
(which is a liquid evaporating at
relatively low temperature), so
that temperature reduction,
through the evaporation of the
liquid, occurs.
➢It is the most frequently used in
relation to foods.
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 REFRIGERATION METHODS
[2] Physical–chemical methods
➢ Two heat exchangers (the absorber and the column generator)
and a pump play the role of the compressor.
➢ In the absorber, which is a shell-and-tube-like heat exchanger,
a weak aqueous ammonia solution, coming from another heat
exchanger, the column generator, absorbs the ammonia
vapors that come from the evaporator.
➢ The mixture creates a strong ammonia solution that is pumped
back to the column generator, where it is heated indirectly with
steam, resulting in
evaporation of the ammonia.
➢ The ammonia vapors go to
the condenser, while the
liquid mixture, after the
release of ammonia, becomes
a weak ammonia solution.
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REFRIGERATION METHODS
[3] Use of ice
➢ In ice cooling, the temperature reduction
is achieved by heat absorption during ice
melting.
➢ During ice melting, ice requires latent heat
(333.2 kJ/kg) to be converted from the
solid phase to liquid water.
➢ This heat was extracted from the
product that was kept next to ice in an
insulated chamber.
[4] Direct evaporation
➢the reduction of temperature is
achieved by the evaporation of the
excess water of the product (e.g.,
water on its surface), when placed
in a vacuum chamber. bblee@unimap.edu.my
REFRIGERATION METHODS
[5] Electrical methods
➢ The temperature reduction is achieved by
the reverse of the Peltier effect (energy
input for maintaining a temperature
difference between the joints of two
different metals, such as copper-nickel
alloy).
➢ When electricity is passed through the
module, electrons move in one element
and positive holes move in the other
element, this is called the "Peltier effect."
➢ This allows one side of the substrate to
absorb heat and the other to radiate heat,
so the hot & cold sides to be switched
depending on the current direction.
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 SELECTION OF A REFRIGERANT
▪ A wide variety of refrigerants are commercially available
for use in vapor-compression systems.
➢ Selection of a refrigerant is based on several
performance characteristics that assist in determining the
suitability of refrigerant for a given system.
➢ The following is a list of important characteristics that are
usually considered:
i. Latent heat of vaporization.
➢ A high latent heat of vaporization is preferred.
➢ For a given capacity, a high value of latent heat of
vaporization indicates that a smaller amount of
refrigerant will be circulated per unit of time.
ii. Condensing pressure.
➢ Excessively high condensing pressure requires
considerable expenditure on heavy construction of
condenser and piping.
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SELECTION OF A REFRIGERANT
iii. Freezing temperature.
➢ The freezing temperature of the refrigerant should be
below the evaporator temperature.
iv. Critical temperature.
➢ The refrigerant should have sufficiently high critical
temperature.
➢ At temperatures above the critical temperature, the
refrigerant vapor cannot be liquefied.
➢ Particularly in the case of air-cooled condensers, the
critical temperature should be above the highest
ambient temperature expected.
v. Toxicity.
➢ In many applications, including air conditioning systems,
the refrigerant must be nontoxic. bblee@unimap.edu.my
SELECTION OF A REFRIGERANT
vi. Flammability.
➢ The refrigerant should be nonflammable.
vii. Corrosiveness.
➢The refrigerant should not be corrosive to the materials used in
the construction of the refrigeration system.
viii. Chemical stability.
➢ The refrigerant must be chemically stable.
ix. Detection of leaks.
➢ If a leak develops in the refrigeration system, the detection of
such a leak should be easy.
x. Cost.
➢ Low-cost refrigerant is preferred in industrial applications.
xi. Environmental impact.
➢ The refrigerant released from the refrigeration systems due to
leaks should not cause environmental damage.
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 SELECTION OF A REFRIGERANT
▪ Some commonly used refrigerants are Freon 12
(dichlorodifl uoromethane, CCl2F2), Freon 22
(monochlorodifluoro-methane, CHClF2), HFC 134a (CH2FCF3)
and ammonia.
➢The performance characteristics are given at -15°C & 30°C,
the evaporator and condenser temperatures, respectively.
▪ Ammonia offers an exceptionally high latent heat of
vaporization among all other refrigerants.
➢ It is noncorrosive to iron and steel but corrodes copper,
brass, and bronze.
➢ It is irritating to mucous membranes and eyes.
➢ It can be toxic at concentrations of 0.5% by volume in air.
➢ A leak in the refrigeration system that uses ammonia as a
refrigerant can easily be detected either by smell or by
burning sulfur candles and noting white smoke created by
the ammonia vapors.
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 SELECTION OF A REFRIGERANT
▪ The latent heat of vaporization of Freon 12 is lower than
that of ammonia; therefore, considerably more weight of the
refrigerant must be circulated to achieve the same
refrigeration capacity.
➢It is useful with low temperature applications ( -40 to -
87°C).
➢Freon-22 has a low specific volume, can result in greater
heat removal than that of Freon-12 for a compressor with
the same size piston.
▪ A major result of the Montreal Protocol (1987) has been the
phase out of the refrigerants, i.e., CFCs, HCFCs, Halons, and
methyl bromide that can lead to stratospheric ozone
depletion.

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 SELECTION OF A REFRIGERANT
▪ Standard designations for refrigerants are based on
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34-1978.
➢ Some of the commonly used refrigerants and their
standard designations are listed in Table 1 .
Table 1: Standard Designations of Refrigerants

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 REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT
▪ The refrigeration equipment that is used for food may be
classified as:
i. refrigeration-producing equipment
ii. refrigeration-using equipment.
o for applications above the freezing point of food (cooling),
o for temperatures below the freezing point of food (freezing)
o for distribution,
o for retail,
o for ice production.
➢ Table 2 presents a classification of refrigeration equipment
covering production and use of refrigeration.

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REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT
Table 2: Classification of refrigeration equipment

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REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT

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REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT

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COMPONENTS OF A REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
▪ Major components of a simple
mechanical vapor compression
refrigeration system are shown in
Fig. 1.
➢ As the refrigerant flows through
these components its phase
changes from liquid to gas and
then back to liquid.
➢ The flow of refrigerant can be
examined by tracing the path of
the refrigerant in Fig. 1.
▪ At expansion valve, just prior to Fig. 1: A mechanical vapor
the entrance to the expansion valve,
the refrigerant is in a saturated compression refrigeration
liquid state. system.
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COMPONENTS OF A REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
➢It is at or below its condensation temperature.
➢The expansion valve separates the high pressure region
from the low-pressure region.
➢After passing through the expansion valve, the refrigerant
experiences a drop in pressure accompanied by a drop in
temperature.
➢Due to the drop in pressure, some of the liquid refrigerant
changes to gas.
➢The liquid/gas mixture leaving the expansion valve is
termed “ flash gas. ”
▪ The liquid/gas mixture enters the evaporator coils.
➢ In the evaporator, the refrigerant completely vaporizes to
gas by accepting heat from the media surrounding the
evaporator coils.
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COMPONENTS OF A REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
▪ The saturated or superheated vapors enter the
compressor, where the refrigerant is compressed to a high
pressure.
➢ This high pressure must be below the critical pressure of
the refrigerant & high enough to allow condensation of
the refrigerant at a temperature slightly higher than that of
commonly available heat sinks, such as ambient air or well
water.
➢ Inside the compressor, the compression process of the
vapors occurs at constant entropy (called an isentropic
process).
➢ As the pressure of the refrigerant increases, the
temperature increases, and the refrigerant becomes
superheated.
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COMPONENTS OF A REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
▪ The superheated vapors are then conveyed to a condenser.
➢ Using either an air-cooled or a water-cooled condenser,
the refrigerant discharges heat to the surrounding media.
➢ The refrigerant condenses back to the liquid state in the
condenser.
➢ After the entire amount of refrigerant has been converted
to saturated liquid, the temperature of the refrigerant may
decrease below that of its condensation temperature due
to additional heat discharged to the surrounding media; in
other words, it may be subcooled.
➢ The subcooled or saturated liquid then enters the
expansion valve and the cycle continues.

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 EVAPORATORS IN REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
▪ Evaporators are heat exchangers that are part of a
refrigeration cycle, used in absorbing heat from the
products that have to be cooled or from the environment.
▪ There are four main types of Evaporator.
i. Bare Tube Evaporators
ii. Plate Surface Evaporators
iii. Finned Tube Evaporators,
iv. Shell and Tube Evaporators
[i] Bare Tube Evaporators:
➢ The most basic type of evaporator.
➢ These evaporators are made of copper or
aluminium.
➢ Bare tube evaporators are available in number of
sizes, shapes, and designs.
➢ Because of its simple construction, and it is easy
to clean and defrost. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 EVAPORATORS IN REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
➢ These evaporators are commonly found in household
refrigerators and freezers.
➢ The bare tube evaporators are less effective than the other
evaporators.
➢ These evaporators are not suitable for large cooling
requirements in commercial applications.
[ii] Plate Surface Evaporator
➢ Plate surface evaporators are flat,
made up of two plates that are
joined together.
➢ Usually, the two plates are made
of aluminum because it conducts
heat well.
➢ Liquid refrigerant flows through a
tube made between the two
plates. bblee@unimap.edu.my
EVAPORATORS IN REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
➢The refrigerant circulates through the tube, absorbing heat
from the air.
➢Because the refrigerant tube contacts the plates, the
aluminium plates increase the surface area that heat can
transfer.
➢Plate surface evaporators are an improvement over bare
tube evaporators because they have a higher surface area
for air to flow through.
➢The higher the surface area, the more heat can be
transferred into the refrigerant.
➢Plate surface evaporators are used as household
refrigerators, home freezers, & beverage coolers or ice
cream cabinets.

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 EVAPORATORS IN REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
[iii] Finned Tube Evaporator
➢The finned tube evaporator is more
complicated and efficient.
➢A fin is a small plate that is attached
to the body of the evaporator.
➢Heat is transferred into the
evaporator coils through each fin.
➢The greater the number of fins, the greater the amount of
heat that can be transferred.
[iv] Shell and Tube Evaporator
➢A shell and tube evaporator consists of a copper tube
bundle inside a large outer shell.
➢They are generally very efficient at cooling large quantities
of water. bblee@unimap.edu.my
EVAPORATORS IN REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
➢ Their outer shell is a large container of refrigerant fluid.
➢ The shell is sealed off and leakproof to prevent refrigerant
from escaping.
➢ Heat will transfer from the water to the outer shell that
contains refrigerant, which will cool the water.

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 CONDENSER IN REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
▪ A condenser is a cooling device.
➢The device liquefies gas by cooling it.
➢Every refrigeration system uses condensers to condense
steam or vapor to bring about a cooling effect.
➢Condensers are available in different constructions and
types.
➢Their designs mainly vary depending on the refrigerant
tubing and their working principle to cool the refrigerant.
➢There are three types of condensers commonly used in
vapour compression refrigeration system.
[i] Air cooled condenser
[ii] water cooled condenser
[iii] Evaporative condenser
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 CONDENSER IN REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
[i] Air cooled Condenser
➢ It is used to cool down heat of the
refrigerant to condensate the
refrigerant from the gaseous state
into a liquid refrigerant.
➢ Generally, this type of condenser
uses a fin coil which is usually
made of copper tube and fin that increases the surface
area to allow heat away from the refrigerant in the
condenser.
[ii] Water cooled Condenser
➢Water-cooled condenser uses water as a medium to cool
off the refrigerant from gas status to condense into a
liquid refrigerant which causes the higher temperature of
water. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 CONDENSER IN REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
[iii] Evaporative Condenser
➢Evaporative condenser is used
both water and air to transfer
heat from the refrigerant in the
gaseous state to condensate into
the liquid.
➢Principle of Evaporative
Condenser is to bring out both
water-cooled condenser and the
cooling tower come together in
the same unit.

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REFRIGERATION CYCLE
▪ In compression methods, there are several variations of
refrigeration cycles, but in all cases of simplified typical
mechanical refrigeration cycles, four basic elements are
distinguished (Fig. 2a): the evaporator (A), the compressor
(B), the condenser (C), & the control or throttling valve (D).

Fig. 2: Single-stage refrigeration cycle bblee@unimap.edu.my

REFRIGERATION CYCLE
➢ The evaporator is the element of the refrigeration cycle coming
directly or indirectly in contact with the food.
➢ In most cases, the heat exchange between product & evaporator
is indirect, since a medium (e.g., air, glycol), intervenes.
➢ Direct contact between product & evaporator exists in cases
such as the freezing of food by plate freezing equipment.
➢ If a food processing equipment is operating at low
temperatures, the whole refrigeration-producing unit is a part of
this equipment, it is small.
➢ In large cold stores, only the evaporator is in the same area
with the food.
▪ The heat that flows from the product to the evaporator (Qo)
causes the partial evaporation of the fluid refrigerant.
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 REFRIGERATION CYCLE
➢ The compressor, subsequently, sucks the evaporated
refrigerant, while the suction valve (E) opens, and the
discharge valve (F) closes.
➢ The continuous removal of the vapor over the liquid
refrigerant secures the steady heat absorption from the
environment.
➢ The sucked refrigerant vapor is subsequently compressed,
while the suction valve closes & the discharge valve opens.
➢ The high-pressure hot refrigerant comes to the condenser,
where it is liquefied by a cooling medium, which is usually
water or air.
➢ Subsequently, the liquefied refrigerant is eventually
subcooled (e.g., by indirect contact with low-temperature
refrigerant), & it is cooled as it passes through the control
valve.
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 REFRIGERATION CYCLE
➢ Finally, the cool liquid refrigerant flows back into the evaporator.
➢ This cycle is repeated, and each time, a new amount of heat is
taken away from the product, resulting temperature reduction.
▪ Fig.2 indicates the temperature-entropy, T–S diagram, the
amount of the heat removed (Qo) is represented by the surface
below the line 4–1.
➢ If no subcooling takes place, the amount of heat removed (area
below 4’–1) is smaller.
➢ The lines, 2'–3' and 4–1, are isotherms (T=constant) as well as
isobars (P=constant).
➢ The line 3–4 (3’–4’), indicating the throttling process, is
isenthalpic (H=constant).
➢ The actual process differs from the process described above,
since there are losses during heat exchange and compression.
➢ The process described above is a single-stage process.
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REFRIGERATION CYCLE
▪ If very low temperatures (usually T<-20 °C) have to be
created, a two-stage process is required (Fig.3).
➢ Such a process consists effectively of two single-stage
processes, in which two compressors are used: one
compressor (B1) for the low-pressure stage (I) and a
second (B2) for the high-pressure stage (II).

Fig. 3: Two-stage
refrigeration cycle

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REFRIGERATION CYCLE
➢ The condenser of the low-pressure stage is the evaporator
of the high-pressure stage.
➢ The equipment combining the condenser of stage I and the
evaporator of stage II is the intercooler.
➢ The intercoolers may be classified as open- and closed-type
units.
➢ In the open type, the liquid refrigerants, which come from
both cycles, are mixed in a vessel.
➢ In the closed type, the compressed gas of the low-pressure
stage is cooled down indirectly, e.g., as it passes through a
coil submerged in the refrigerant of the high-pressure stage.
➢ In this case, the refrigerants of the two stages may be
different.
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REFRIGERATION CYCLE
➢A two-stage compression is used, if the pressure ratio between
the condenser (pc) & the evaporator (po) exceeds certain
limits.
➢For ammonia, the pressure ratio = pc/po α 8.
➢The pressure in the intercooler (pm, bar):
▪ However, in calculations, the pressure–enthalpy [log(p)–H]
diagram is preferred.
➢In this diagram, the heat quantity Qo absorbed is represented by
a straight line (Fig.3).
➢In comparing refrigeration equipment, the reference to certain
condensation (Tc) and evaporation (To) temperatures is important.
➢Often, in comparing one-stage compressor performances, the
temperatures Tc=25 or 30°C and To=–10 or –15 °C are used.
➢In a two-stage compression, the reference temperatures are
Tc=25 or –10 °C and To=–25 °C. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 HEAT PUMP AND APPLICATIONS
▪ Heat pumps use electricity to transfer heat from a cool
space to a warm space, making the cool space cooler & the
warm space warmer.
➢The basic heat pump cycle is identical to the vapor-
compression refrigeration cycle shown in Fig. 1.
▪ The only difference between a heat pump and a
refrigerator being their basic functions.
➢A refrigeration system cools the
external fluid flowing through the
evaporator, whereas a heat pump heats
the external fluid flowing through the
condenser.

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 HEAT PUMP AND APPLICATIONS
▪ If the application of heat pump is cooling then the cooling
aspect in Fig. 4 is interested, QL occuring over the
evaporator, and the cooling device will be called
refrigerator, air conditioner, chiller, crycooler, etc.
➢ On the other hand, if the application is heating, then the
heating aspect is interested, Qh in Fig. 4, occuring over the
condenser, and the heating device
will be called a heat pump.

Fig. 4: A simple heat pump cycle.

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 HEAT PUMP AND APPLICATIONS
▪ In an air conditioner, heat is removed from inside a warm
space by compressing and expanding a refrigerant.
➢Inside the air conditioner, refrigerant is initially pumped
through a compressor.
➢This increases pressure and temperature in the system so that
some of the fluid turns into gas.
➢The gas travels to an expansion valve, where it expands and
cools down before returning to its liquid state.
➢Indoor air passes over a
compressor coil inside an
evaporator coil, which
contains more than one
finned tube that pulls heat
away from the indoor air.
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 HEAT PUMP AND APPLICATIONS
▪ Heat pumps are devices that operate in a cycle similar to the
vapor-compression refrigerator cycle illustrated in Fig. 1 &
4.
➢ The working fluid is the refrigerant, such as freon or
ammonia, which goes through a thermodynamic cycle –
refrigeration.
➢ The thermodynamic cycle is shown schematically in Fig. 5
▪ Four important processes take
place during the cycle:
[1] Heat (QL) is transferred to the
refrigerant in the evaporator
from stations 4 to 1, where both
its pressure and temperature
are lower than a thermal
source such as air, water etc. Fig. 5: Thermodynamic cycle of
the vapor-refrigeration cycle.
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 HEAT PUMP AND APPLICATIONS
➢Evaporation of the refrigerant occurs from a liquid to a
saturated vapor, theoretically at a constant pressure.
➢In practice, however, a pressure drop is associated with fluid
flow and heat transfer through the evaporator.
[2] Work (W) is done on the refrigerant as saturated vapor at
low pressure and temperature enters the compressor and
undergoes adiabatic compression (from 1 to 2).
➢ The result is a compressed refrigerant vapor at high pressure
& temperature at the compressor outlet (point 2).
[3] Heat (Qh) is transferred from the hot vapor in the condenser
(from 2 to 3), where its pressure & temperature are higher
than a thermal sink that is at a higher temperature than the
source.
➢ Condensation from a vapor to a saturated liquid occurs in the
condenser, theoretically at constant pressure.
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 HEAT PUMP AND APPLICATIONS
➢ But again in practice a pressure drop occurs for the same
reasons as in the evaporator.
➢ The refrigerant leaves the condenser as saturated liquid.
[4] The last process before the refrigerant reenters the
evaporator is the throttling of the refrigerant through the
expansion valve or capillary tube from 3 to 4.
➢ During this process the pressure drop is adiabatic (no heat
transfer), resulting in a decreased refrigerant pressure and
temperature.
➢ Usually the refrigerant enters as a liquid and leaves as a
mixture of liquid and vapor.
▪ Work done in compressor:
➢ The work done on the refrigerant during the isoentropic
compression step can be calculated from the enthalpy rise of
the refrigerant and the refrigerant flow rate. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 HEAT PUMP EFFICIENCY
W = ṁ (H2 – H1)
➢ where ṁ is refrigerant mass flow rate (kg/s), H2 is enthalpy of
refrigerant at the end of compression stroke (kJ/kg
refrigerant), H1 is enthalpy of refrigerant at the beginning of
compression stroke (kJ/kg refrigerant), and W is rate of work
done on the refrigerant (kW).
▪ Heat exchange in condenser:
➢ Within the condenser, the refrigerant is cooled at constant
pressure.
➢ The heat rejected to the environment can be expressed as:
Qh = ṁ (H2 – H3)
➢ where Qh is rate of heat exchanged in the condenser (kW)
and H1 is enthalpy of refrigerant at exit from the condenser
(kJ/kg refrigerant).
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 HEAT PUMP EFFICIENCY
▪ Heat exchange in evaporator:
▪ Within the evaporator the refrigerant changes phase from
liquid to vapor and accepts heat from the surroundings at a
constant pressure.
➢ The enthalpy difference of the refrigerant between the
inlet & the outlet locations of an evaporator is called the
refrigeration effect.
➢ The rate of heat accepted by the refrigerant as it undergoes
evaporation process in the evaporator is given by:
QL = ṁ (H4 – H1)
➢ where QL is the rate of heat exchanged in the evaporator
(kW), and the refrigeration effect is H1 – H4.

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 HEAT PUMP EFFICIENCY
▪ Depending on the application of the heat pumps, more than one
unit of heating per unit of energy input required can often be
delivered, i.e., the coefficient of performance (COP) value is
greater than one.
➢ Usually, for every one kilowatt of power required by the
compressor more than one kilowatt of heating capacity is
available at the condenser.
➢ In most practical applications the coefficient of performance is
between two and six for a heat pump.
➢ To heat a swimming pool, the COP may be as high as six; whereas
in a hot water system, where water is heated to a temperature of
55°C, the COP may be as low as three.
➢ The coefficient of performance (COP) of a heat pump is
𝑸𝒉 𝑸𝒉 𝑯𝟏 −𝑯𝟒
defined as: 𝑪𝑶𝑷 = 𝑾 = 𝑸 −𝑸 = 𝑯 −𝑯
𝒉 𝑳 𝟐 𝟏
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HEAT PUMP EFFICIENCY
➢ Qh represents the energy sought/required and W
represents energy that costs the heat pumping
▪ A COP value of four would mean an energy saving of 75%.
➢ Heat pumps therefore offer the advantage of energy
conservation and lowered costs compared to other methods
of heating.
▪ Refrigerant Flow Rate:
▪ The refrigerant flow rate depends on the total cooling load
imposed on the system and the refrigeration effect.
➢ The total cooling load on the system is computed from the
heat to be removed from the space or object that is intended
to be refrigerated.
➢ The refrigerant flow rate: ṁ = QTc / (H1 – H4)
➢ where ṁ is the refrigerant flow rate (kg/s), and QTc is the
total cooling load rate (kW).
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HEAT PUMP EFFICIENCY
▪ Cooling load:
▪ The cooling load is the rate of heat energy removal from a
given space (or object) in order to lower the temperature of
that space (or object) to a desired level.
➢Before the era of mechanical refrigeration, ice was the
cooling medium most widely used.
➢Cooling capacity was often related to melting of ice.
➢A typical unit for cooling load still commonly used in
commercial practice is ton of refrigeration.
➢One ton of refrigeration is equivalent to the latent heat of
fusion of one ton of ice (303,852 kJ/24 h = 3.5168 kW).
➢Thus, a mechanical refrigeration system that has the
capacity to absorb heat from the refrigerated space at the
rate of 3.5168 kW is rated at one ton of refrigeration.
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 HEAT PUMP EFFICIENCY
▪ EXAMPLE:
▪ A cold storage room is being maintained at 2°C using a
vapor-compression refrigeration system that uses R-134a. The
evaporator and condenser temperatures are - 5 and 40°C,
respectively.
➢The refrigeration load is 20 H 3 H 2
tons.
➢Calculate the mass flow rate
of refrigerant, the compressor
power requirement, and the H H
COP. 4 1

➢Assume the unit operates

under saturated conditions
and the compressor The refrigeration cycle on a pressure–
efficiency is 85%. enthalpy diagram for R-134a
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HEAT PUMP EFFICIENCY
▪ From the chart, read the following:
➢Evaporator pressure = 243 kPa
➢Condenser pressure = 1,015 kPa
➢H3 or H4 = 156 kJ/kg, H1 = 296 kJ/kg, H2 = 327 kJ/kg
➢For 1 ton of refrigeration = 3.5168 kW, the cooling load = 20
tons x 3.5168 kW = 70.336 kW
➢ The mass flow rate of refrigerant:
ṁ = QTc / (H1 – H4)
70.336 𝑘𝐽/𝑠
𝑚ሶ =
296𝑘𝐽 𝑘𝐽
− 156
𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔
= 0.502 kg/s

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HEAT PUMP EFFICIENCY
➢ Compressor power requirement, Qh = ṁ (H2 – H1)
𝑘𝑔
𝑄ℎ =(0.502 )(327 − 296 𝑘𝐽/𝑘𝑔)
𝑠

= 15.562 kW
➢ Assuming compressor efficiency of 85%, is:
Qh = 15.562 kW / 0.85 = 18.31 kW
➢ The coefficient of performance is:
𝒌𝑱 𝒌𝑱
𝑯𝟏 − 𝑯𝟒 𝟐𝟗𝟔 𝒌𝒈 − 𝟏𝟓𝟔 𝒌𝒈
𝑪𝑶𝑷 = =
𝑯𝟐 − 𝑯𝟏 𝟑𝟐𝟕𝒌𝑱 𝒌𝑱
− 𝟐𝟗𝟔
𝒌𝒈 𝒌𝒈
= 4.52

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