Fridge system

Vapour-compression theoretical graphs

Absolute temperature - Entropy
A-B, Isobaric Heat absorption in the evaporator
B-C, Isentropic compression in the compressor (frictionless adiabatic compression in ideal cycle)
C-D, Isobaric Heat removal in condenser
D-A, Constant enthalpy expansion in expansion valve
Heat energy equivalent of work done = Heat energy rejected- heat energy received
= rea !"# $ rea under #
Coefficient of performance = heat energy received% Heat energy equivalent of work done
&he coefficient of performance for freon is about '()
*t should be noted that undercooling increases the heat received by moving point to the left increasing
the refrigerant effect(
The critical point is the poiunt above which
a the !as will not li"uify by the action of pressure alone This is an important temperature for
refri!eration systesm which rely on the chan!e of state for heat transfer
b The !as will not li"uify by coolin! alone
p-h diagram (Mollier)
Typical system
&he system shown above and described below is typical of that fitted on may ships other than
it is more common to have two low temperature rooms rather than one(
Components
Cold rooms
#eat $oom-+ow temperature room typically working at -,)
o
"
-eg% handling room-typically working at $'
o
"
Compressor
.enerally of the single stage/ reciprocating type( +arger systems have multple cylinders with an unloader
system using the suction pressure as its signal(
0efrigerant is compressed in the compressor to a pressure dependent upon the temperature
of the cooling water to the condenser/ and to a lesser extent the volume of gas in the system( s the
temperature of the cooling water rises so does the minimum temperature of the refrigerant liquid rise/ and
with it the corresponding saturation pressure(
Compressor safety devices
&he compressor is protected by three safety switches1
&he %& switch or %il Differential &ressure switch compares the measured lubricating oil pressure
to the 2uction (crankcase) pressure( 2hould the differential pressure fall below a pre-set minimum (about
,(3 bar) then the compressor will trip and require a manual reset to restart( time delay is built into the
circuit to allow sufficient time for the lubricating oil pressure to build up when starting before arming the
circuit(
&he H& or Hi!h &ressure switch/ is fitted to the outlet of the compressor before the isolating
valve( 4n over pressurisation (dependent on the refrigerant/ up to about 3'bar bar for 033) the switch
will trip the compressor and a manual reset is required before restart(
&he '& or 'ow &ressure switch when activated ( at about , bar for 033) will trip the
compressor and require a manual reset before the compressor can be restarted(
Compressor control devices
&his normally takes the form of an +5 cut out pressure switch with automatic reset on pressure rise( &he
cut out set point is just above the +5 trip point say at about ,('bar( n adjustable differential is set to
about ,('bar to give a cut in pressure of around 3(6 bar( &he electrical circuit is so arranged that even
when the switch has reset/ if no room solenoid valves are open the compressor will not start( &his is to
prevent the compressor cycling due to a leaky solenoid valve(
*n addition to this extra +5 switches may be fitted which operate between the extremes of the
+5 cut in and cut out to operate compressor unloaders(
2ome modern systems contain a rotary vane compressor with variable speed (frequency
changing) control
Oil Seperator
&he purpose of the oil seperator/ situated on the compressor discharge line/ is to return oil
entrained in the gas/ back to the compressor sump(
&he oil return may be float controlled as shown/ electric solenoid controlled on a timer/ or
uncontrolled with a small bore capillary tube allowing continuous return(
7ith all of these methods a shut off valve is fitted between separator and compressor to allow
for maintenance(
&he oil gas mix enters the separator where it is made to change direction/ the heavier oil
droplets tend to fall to the bottom(
Condensor
.enerally a water cooled tube cooler( safety valve and vent are fitted( &he purpose of the vent is to bleed
off non-condensibles such as air which can enter the system when the suction pressure is allowed to fall
below atmospheric or can be contained within the top up gas( &he presence of non-condensibles is
generally indicated by a compressor discharge pressure considerably above the saturation pressure of the
refrigerant(
&he coolant flow to the condenser is sometimes temperature regulated to prevent too low a
temperature in the condenser which can effect plant efficiency due to the reduction in pressure(
!elow the condenser/ or sometimes as a separate unit/ is the reservoir( *ts purpose is to allow
accurate gauge of the level of refrigerant in the system( *n addition to this it also allows a space for the
refrigerant liquid when the system is 8pumped down8( &his refers to the evacuation of the refrigerant gas
to the condenser to allow maintenance on the fridge system without loss( 9or systesm not fitted with a
reservoir/ a sight glass is sometimes incorpotated on the side of the condenser( "are should be given to
ensuringthat the liquid level is not too high as this reduces the surface area of the cooling pipes available
for condensing the liquid and can lead to increased discharge pressures(
Sight Glass
4ften of the !ulls eye form( &his allows the operator to ensure that it is only liquid/ and not a liquid%gas
mix going to the expansion valves( 4n some designs a water indicator is incorporated/ this is a coloured
ring in contact with the liquid/ when water is detected it changes colour/ typically from pink to blue(
Filter rier
"an be either a compacted solid cartridge or bags of dessicant( &he main purpose of this unit is to remove
the moisture from the refrigerant(
:oisture cause two main problems( 9irstly it can free;e to ice in the evaporator and cause
blockage( 2econdly it can form acids by reaction with the freon refrigerants( &his acid attacks the copper
in the lines and deposits its in other parts of the system( &his can become particularly troublesome when
it is deposited on the compressor mechanical seal faces leading to damage and leakage(
9ine particles which could possible block the expansion valve are removed(
Topping up the refrigerant
filling connection is fitted in way off the filter dryer/ either directly onto it or on the inlet line after the
inlet shut off valve( &his allows additional refrigerant to be introduced into the system via the dryer
element(
&he normal procedure is to shut or partially shut the inlet to the filter( &he compressor is now
sucking from the system and delivering to the condenser where the gas liquifies( &he filter dryer is on the
outlet from the condenser therefore with its inlet valve shut the liquid level begins to rise in the reservoir(
s the only gas entering the system is now coming from the top up line the compressor will tend to
reduce the suction side pressure as it evacuates the system into the condenser(
&he inlet valve can be briefly opened to allow more refrigerant into the system(
Thermostat and Solenoid Valve
&hese two elements form the main temperature control of the cold rooms(
&he &hermostat is set to the desired temperature and given a < to ' degree differential to
prevent cycling( 7hen the temperature in the room reaches the pre-set level the thermostat switch makes
and the room solenoid is energised allowing gas to the refrigerant liquid to the expansion valve(
manual overide switch is fitted as well as a relay operated isolating contact which shut the
solenoid when the defrost system is in use(
System operation
ssume that the rooms are all warm and the compressor is running with all the solenoid valves open
supplying refrigerant to the respective expansion valve and evaporator(
2hould one or two rooms be down to temperature the solenoids close thus reducing the
volume of gas returning to the compressor( &he suction pressure drops and the compressor unloads( *f
more rooms shut down then the suction pressure will drop to cut out point and the compressor will stop(
7hen the rooms warm the solenoids open again/ refrigerant passes back to the compressor/ the suction
pressure rises and compressor starts( 7ith more rooms opening/ the suction pressure increases and the
compressor loads up more cylinders(
Thermostatic e!pansion valve-
&he purpose of this valve is to efficiently drop the pressure of the refrigerant( *t achieves this
by passing the liquid through a variable orifice giving a constant enthalpy pressure drop( &he refrigerant
at lower pressure has a corresponding lower boiling point (saturation temperature)( =ndercooling in the
condenser increases the efficiency of the plant by allowing more heat to be absorbed during the
vapourisation process( *n addition it also reduces the internal heat absorption process that occurs during
the expansion stage which is due to a small degree of flash off as latent heat (of vaporisation) is absorbed
from surrounding liquid to reduce the temperature of the bulk liquid to the new corresponding saturation
temperature for the reduced pressure
!y this process of boiling (vapouriation) and latent heat absorption i(e( change of state/ the
refrigerant removes heat from the cold rooms(
&he expansion process is controlled by the action of the bellows and push pins acting on the
orifice valve plate( &he bellows is controlled by a bulb which measures the temperature of the gas at
outlet from the evaporator( &o ensure no liquid passes through to the compressor/ the expansion valve is
set so that the gas at outlet from the evaporator has 3 to < degrees of superheat(
9or larger systems where a significant pressure drop exists across the evaporator it is
necessary to fit a 8Balance line8( &his is a small bore tube which feeds the outlet pressure back to the
thermostatic valve 8motor8 element( &herefore the measured temperature is directly related to the
superheat temperature at outlet pressure(
2ome systems are designed so >? liquid is available through the evaporator to coat the
internal surfaces of the tubes increasing heat transfer efficiency(
Author Note
Careful note should be taken that system temperatures are set by the room solenoid and
not by the expansion valve which are generally factory set and do not require adjustment.
This may seem an obvious fact but you would be amaed as to the number of broken
valve plates removed from compressors due to the mal adjustment of the superheat.
Adjustment of the back pressure valves! which if they have not been touched by ships
staff should be unnecessary! can allow better system balance especially when certain rooms are
being starved of gas.
"ac# pressure regulator valve
&his valve is fitted to the higher temperature rooms/ vegetable and flour ($>
o
") only and not to the :eat
and 9ish rooms (-3@
o
")(
&hey serve two main purposes(
9irstly when all solenoid valves are opened they act as system balancing diverters/ that is
they restrict the liquid flow to the rooms which can be kept at the higher temperature and deliver the bulk
to the colder rooms(
2econdly they serve to limit the pressure drop across the expansion valve by giving a set
minimum pressure in the evaporator coil( &his in turn limits the temperature of the refrigerant thereby
preventing delicate foodstuffs such as vegetables from being damaged by having air at very low
temperatures blown over them( =ltimately they may also be set to provide a safety limit to the room
temperature by restricting the pressure to give a corresponding minimum saturation temperature of @
o
"(
Oil rectifier
x*n some installations there is a tendency for oil to collect in the evaporator under certain conditions such
as low load when the speed of movement and agitation of the evaporating refrigerant are insufficient to
keep the oil moving( &o prevent loss of oil from the sump to the system/ an oil rectifier may be fitted( &he
oil is automatically bled from the evaporator to a heat exchanger in which liquid refrigerant mixed with the
oil is vaporised( &he heat for vaporising the refrigerant is obtained by passing warm liquid freon from the
condenser/ through the heat exchanger( -apour and oil are passed to the compressor where oil returns to
the sump while the freon passes to the compressor suction( &he regulator is thermostatically controlled
valve which operates in the same way as the expansion valve on the main system( *t automatically bleeds
the oil from the evaporator so that the gas leaves the heat exchanger in a superheated condition(
efrost system
:oisture free;es onto the evaporator eventually causing a restriction and reducing the efficiency of the
plant( &his must be periodically removed( 9or -eg and 9lour rooms/ were not restricted to @
o
" minimum by
the back pressure valve/ this is carried out once per day( 9or the :eat and 9ish rooms this has to be
carried out two or more times( #ue to the low temperature in the rooms it is necessary to fit a drain
heater(
7hen on defrost the solenoid valve is shut and the fan is off( 4n some systems at end of
defrost the solenoid valve is opened momentarily before the fan is started( &his allows moisture to be
snap fro;en onto the surface of the element/ creating a rough increased surface area and thereby
increasing the heat transfer rate(
Author note
Care should be taken after loading any great quantity of stores especially into the
vegetable rooms. The fresh stores tend to sweat and icing up of the evaporator can become rapid.
The only solution is constant monitoring and defrosting as soon as necessary.
$ffects of under and over charge
&he effects of overcharge are a full condenser%receiver gauge glass( 2ystem pressures are not effected
until highly overcharged when a possibility of excessive H5 pressure exists( =ndercharge causes failure to
maintain cold room temperatures and compressor cycling( "ompressor cycling is caused by there being
insufficient gas to maintain the compressor loaded even with all room solenoids open( *n extreme the
compressor will cut in and out( =ndercharge is detected by low levels in the condenser%receiver gauge
glass% bubbles in liquid sight glass/ compressor cycling and low suction pressures(
Troubleshoot
A ship had real problems with the control of room temperatures" one room in particular.
attempts to #balance# the system using the back pressure valves usually resulted in rooms starved of
gas and$or the compressor tripping on %ow &ressure trip. 't turned out that sag on one or two of the
liquid line pipes allowed oil and debris to build up in this section and restrict flow.
(n another ship the lagging around a penetration piece had been damaged and water
had got behind it into the insulation. This liquid had froen and exerted a crushing force on the pipe
sufficient to severely restrict the flow. This was only found after some searching as before the lagging
was removed nothing wrong could be seen.