CHAPTER 4

Variations of Vapour
Compression
Refrigeration System
 Grindley Cycle
It is well-known that by cooling the compressor externally, the compression work is reduced. An ideal
type of externally-cooled compression shall lead to an isothermal compressor. In a refrigeration
system, this can be made by gradually heating the refrigerant entering the compressor with the heat of
refrigerant from the condenser. Therefore, compared with the standard VC refrigeration system,
isentropic compression can be replaced by an isothermal compression, which decreases the
compressor work and hence increases COPR.

Compression work (the area under the pressure-volume curve for compression) is smallest when the compression is
isothermal. This can be made in screw compressors, where heat transfer can be made possible through the lubricating oil.
Multi-evaporator Vacuum Compression Refrigeration System

In many of the cases, the same refrigeration system has

to cool different spaces with different cooling
demands. For example, in a ship refrigeration system,
one can have -17 oC for meat and fish, +4 oC for
vegetables, +2oC for dairy products and eggs...

In such cases, a separate expansion valve followed by

an evaporator for each space is used. The same
compressor and condenser provide the necessary
compression and condensation.

(Evaporators connected in parallel)

 Cascade Vapour Pressure Refrigeration System
Some industrial applications require moderately low temperatures,
and the temperature range they involve may be too large for a
single vapour-compression refrigeration cycle to be practical. A
large temperature range also means a large pressure range in the
cycle and a poor performance for a reciprocating compressor. One
way of dealing with such situations is to perform the refrigeration
process in stages, that is, to have two or more refrigeration cycles
that operate in series. Such refrigeration cycles are called cascade
refrigeration cycles. The evaporator of the cycle that rejects heat
to the environment (Topping cycle) is the condenser of the
’’bottoming cycle’’, the cycle that actually does the refrigeration

The two refrigerants in cycle A (Topping cycle) and cycle B

(Bottoming cycle) can be different.
The heat exchange between cycles A and B:

mA ( h5 − h8 ) = mB ( h2 − h3 )

QL
COPR =
Win, A + Win, B
mB ( h1 − h4 )
COPR =
mA ( h6 − h5 ) + mB ( h2 − h1 )
Example:
Consider a two-stage cascade refrigeration system operating between the pressure limits of 0.8 and 0.14 MPa.
Each stage operates on an ideal vapour-compression refrigeration cycle with Refrigerant-134a as the working
fluid. Heat rejection from the lower cycle to the upper cycle takes place in an adiabatic counterflow heat
exchanger where both streams enter at about 0.32 MPa. (In practice, the working fluid of the lower cycle is at a
lower pressure and temperature in the heat exchanger for effective heat transfer.) If the mass flow rate of the
refrigerant through the upper cycle is 0.05 kg/s, determine:
(a) The mass flow rate of the refrigerant through the lower cycle,
(b) The rate of heat removal from the refrigerated space and the power input to the compressor,
(c) The coefficient of performance of this cascade refrigerator.
(a)
Heat exchanger between the two cycles (Evaporator of cycle A/Condenser of cycle B):

QA = QB  mA ( h5 − h8 ) = mB ( h2 − h8 )
h5 − h8
mB = mA 
h2 − h3

= 0.05kg / s 
( 251.93 − 95.48 ) kJ / kg
= 0.0390 kg / s
( 255.95 − 55.14 ) kJ / kg
(b) Heat removal from the refrigerated space:

QL = mB ( h1 − h4 ) = 0.039kg / s  ( 239.19 − 55.14 ) kJ / kg = 7.170kW

Power input to the compressor:

Win, B = mB ( h2 − h1 ) = 0.0390kg / s  ( 255.95 − 239.19 ) kJ / kg
Win, B = 0.654 kW
Win, A = mA ( h6 − h5 ) = 0.05kg / s  ( 270.96 − 251.93) kJ / kg
Win, A = 0.9515 kW
Win,total = 1.606 kW

(c) Coefficient of performance of the system:

QL 7.170 kW
COPR = = = 4.465
Win,total 1.606 kW
This problem was solved for a simple VC system in the previous chapter, and COPR was found to be 4.012.
Therefore, cascade refrigeration system had an advantage of about 11 %.
 Multistage Compression Refrigeration Systems
When the fluid used throughout the cascade refrigeration system is the same, the heat exchanger between
the stages can be replaced by a mixing chamber (called a flash chamber) since it has better heat-transfer
characteristics. Such systems are called multistage compression refrigeration systems.

Liquid refrigerant at Point 6 separates into a saturated liquid component (Point 7) and
saturated vapour component (Point 3). Mixing with hot compressor output, (Point 2), the
mixture ends at point 9.
Example:
Consider a two-stage compression refrigeration system operating between the pressure limits of 0.8 and 0.14 MPa.
The working fluid is refrigerant R-134a. The refrigerant leaves the condenser as a saturated liquid and is throttled
to a flash chamber operating at 0.32 MPa. Part of the refrigerant evaporates during this flashing process, and this
vapour is mixed with the refrigerant leaving the low-pressure compressor. The mixture is then compressed to the
condenser pressure by the high-pressure compressor. The liquid in the flash chamber is throttled to the evaporator
pressure and cools the refrigerated space as it vaporizes in the evaporator. Assuming the refrigerant leaves the
evaporator as a saturated vapour and both compressors are isentropic, determine:
(a) The fraction of the refrigerant that evaporates as it is throttled to the flash chamber,
(b) The amount of heat removed from the refrigerated space and the compressor work per unit mass of
refrigerant flowing through the condenser,
(c) The coefficient of performance.

(a) Properties of saturated R 134a, at 0.32 MPa (320 kPa):

hf = 55.14 kJ/kg
hfg = 196.78 kJ/kg

ℎ6 = ℎ𝑓 + 𝑥6 ℎ𝑓𝑔
95.48 = 55.14 + x6  196.78
x6 = 0.205
 Heat removed from refrigerated space:

qL = (1 − x6 )  ( h1 − h8 ) = (1 − 0.205 )  ( 239.19 − 55.18 ) = 146.29 kJ / kg

Compressor works:
wLPC = (1 − x6 )  ( h2 − h1 ) = (1 − 0.205 )  ( 255.95 − 239.19 ) kJ / kg
wLPC = 13.324 kJ / kg
wHPC = x6 ( h4 − h9 ) = 1 ( 274.49 − 255.13) kJ / kg
wHPC = 19.36 kJ / kg
wtotal = 13.324 + 19.36 = 32.684 kJ / kg

Coefficient of performance:
qL 146.29 kJ / kg
COPR = = = 4.476
wtotal 32.684 kJ / kg

This problem was worked out previously for a single-stage refrigeration system (COP = 3.97) and for a two-stage
cascade refrigeration system (COP = 4.46). Notice that the COP of the refrigeration system increased considerably
relative to the single-stage compression but did not change much relative to the two stage cascade compression.
 Multipurpose Refrigeration Systems with a Single
Compressor

This system can be regarded as two (or more) expansion valve-evaporator units connected in series. The first
unit is for higher temperatures, while the second unit achieves lower temperatures (for example, a food
refrigerator for +2oC and a deep freeze unit for -18oC)
Example :
A refrigerator using refrigerant R134a has a compressor inlet pressure of 140 kPa and outlet pressure of 800
kPa. Refrigerant flow rate through the compressor is 0.01 kg/s. The refrigerant leaves the condenser at
800kPa and 26 oC. There are two evaporators: The first expansion valve expands the refrigerant to 320kPa.
The second expansion valve expands the refrigerant at 0.50 quality to 140 kPa. Find:
a. Power required for the compressor
b. Heat removed through both of the evaporators
c. Coefficient of performance of the unit
Properties of R134a at selected points:
140 kPa hf = 27.06 kJ/kg sf = 0.1180 kJ/kgK
hfg=212.3 ‘’ sfg = 0.83387 ‘’
hg = 239.19 ‘’ sg = 0.94467 ‘’

320 kPa hf = 55.14 ‘’ sf = 0.21631 ‘’

hfg = 196.78 ‘’ sfg = 0.71395 ‘’

800 kPa hf = 95.48 ‘’ sf = 0.35408 ‘’

hfg = 171.86 ‘’ sfg = 0.56445 ‘’
hg =267.34 ‘’ sg = 0.91853 ‘’
 Compressor inlet, Point 1: Since the refrigerant is in saturated liquid form, s1 = sg = 0.94467 kJ/kg

Compressor outlet, Point 2: Since the compression is assumed to be isentropic, s2 = s1 = 0.94467 kJ/kg

However, s2 > sg, therefore the refrigerant leaving the compressor is superheated.

0.94467 − 0.9185
h2 = 267.34 + ( 276.46 − 267.34 ) 
0.9481 − 0.9185
= 275.403 kJ / kg
Power required by the compressor:

Wcomp = m ( h2 − h1 )
Wcomp = 0.05 kg / s  ( 275.403 − 239.19 ) kJ / s = 0.362 kW
 Evaporator 1 (where p = 320 kPa):

h4 = h3 = hf at 800 kPa =95.48 kJ/kg

h5 = h f + x5  h fg
h5 = 55.14 + 0.50 196.78 = 153.53 kJ / kg
QL1 = m ( h5 − h4 ) = 0.01 kg / s  (153.53 − 95.48 ) kJ / kg = 0.5805 kW

Evaporator 2 (where p = 140 kPa):

h6 = h5 = 153.53 kJ/kg , h1 = hg at 140 kPa = 239.19 kJ/kg

QL 2 = m ( h1 − h6 ) = 0.01 kg / s  ( 239.19 − 153.53) kJ / kg = 0.8566 kW

QL1 + QL 2 0.5805 + 0.8566

COPR = = = 3.970
Wcomp 0.362

Comment : This problem had been solved in earlier for a single evaporator,
where COPR = 4.012.
 HEAT PUMPS
Same considerations for refrigeration cycles also apply for heat pumps. The condenser is located at the
space to be heated, while evaporator is located at the exterior environment. Exterior environment can
be air (usually forced ventilation is applied), or a lake, sea or even a water well. Most of modern
domestic air conditioning units can be used either as coolers or heaters, where the shift between
evaporator and condenser is made by a four-way refrigerant valve. In hot weather, it is used to cool air
(and de-humidify it), and incold weather, it is used as a heat pump.