Equipo 4.

Planta de refrigeración por amoniaco

The Exergy Method of Thermal Plant Analysis pg 191
Refrigeration plant.

The vapour-compression refrigeration plant shown in Fig 5.11 uses ammonia as the working fluid.
The plant refrigerates a cold chamber by circulating brine, which used as the heat transfer
medium, between the evaporator and the cold chamber. The refrigerator cycles is shown in T-s co-
ordinates in fig 5.12 and in h co-ordinates in fig 5.13.

Plant operating parameters

Plant refrigeration duty. Q c = 93.03 kW

o
Environmental temperature Ɵ 0 =20 C

Temperature of the cold chamber Ɵ c =−1o C

Evaporator saturation temperature Ɵ ev =−12o C

Compressor inlet temperature Ɵ 1=−10o C

Compressor outlet temperature Ɵ 2=119o C

Condenser saturation temperature Ɵ con =28o C

This example is based on one in ref [3.3] and is reproduced by permission.

Condenser outlet temperature Ɵ 3 =25o C

Compressor mechanical efficiency n m=0.83

Electric motor efficiency n ef =0.90

Brine temperature at the inlet to the evaporator Ɵ 5 =−5o C

Brine temperature at the outlet from the evaporator Ɵ 6 =−7o C

Specific isobaric heat capacity of brine C p ,b=2.85 kJ /kgK

Principal assumptions

1. Heat losses except in sub-region I and heat leaks are negligible.

2. Pressure losses are negligible.
3. Kinetic and potential components of exergy are negligible.
4. Power input to pump and other auxiliary equipment is negligible.
Calculations

All the processes taking place in the plant are physical in character and consequently the chemical
component of exergy is not considered. As the plant operates on a closed cycle, the exergy of the
working fluid can be calculated (see (2.22)) with reference to a convenient reference state for
which the exergy of the fluid is allocated zero value. Hear this reference state, indicated by the
letter a in the Fig 5.12, was chosen for ammonia as:

Pa=0.27 MPaƟ a=Ɵ 0=20o C

For brine, zero exergy was taken to coincide with Ɵ b =−5o C . The specific exergy for ammonia
may be calculated from (2.22). in the case of brine, which has been assumed to undergo no
pressure changes and to have a constant value of isobaric heat capacity:

Eb =C p , b ¿ (5.36)

May be used to calculated its “relative” specific exergy.

As an alternative to calculating values of exergy of ammonia as outlined above, one can

interpolate for the specified states on the h diagram given in Fig E.4. the resulting values of
“relative” specific exergy for ammonia and brine are listed in Table 5.5.

Table 5.5 Thermodynamic parameters of ammonia and brine in the refrigeration plant show in
Fig 5.11
"Relative"
Specific specific
Flow rate, Pressure, Tempera- enthalpy exergy Exergy rate,
State m/[kg/s] P/Mpa ture ‫݋‬஼ h/[kJ/kg] Ɛ/[kJ/kg] E/kW
1 0.082 0.27 -10 1671 2.8 0.23
2 0.082 1.1 119 1947 222.9 18.28
3 0.082 1.1 25 536 156.6 12.84
4 0.082 0.27 -12 536 142.6 11.69
5 16.33 -5 19.95 0 0
6 16.33 -7 14.25 0.554 9.05

From the given refrigeration duty Q c and the listed values of enthalpy, the mass flow rate of
ammonia is:

Qc
m A= =0.082 kg/ s
h 1−h4
Similarly for brine:
 Qc
mB = =16.33 kg/s
C p , b−(T 6−T 7 )

The heat transfer rate in the condenser is given by:

Qo =mA ( h1−h 4 )=115.6 kW

Assuming the ammonia compressor to operate adiabatically, the electric power necessary to drive
it is:

m A (h2 −h1)
W el = =30.22 kW
n m n el

Because the power input to the auxiliary equipment was neglected, this power input must be
regarded as the exergy input to the plant.

The irreversibility rates corresponding to the various sub-regions of the plant, indicated in Fig 5.11,
can be calculated using the exergy balance or the Gouy-Stodola relation. Since the exergy rates for
the various points in the plant had to be calculated in any case in order to construct the
Grassmann diagram, the former of the two methods was adopted.

Sub-region 1: electric motor and compressor

The exergy balance for the sub-region is:

I 1=W el + E 1−E2

Using “relative” exergy rate value from Table 5.5

I 1=12.17 kW

The mechanical-electrical losses can be obtained as a separate item from:

( I ¿¿ 1)m , el=W el ( 1−n m n el ) ¿

¿ 7.65 kW
The difference between the two values correspond to “internal” irreversibility, due to fluid
friction:

( I ¿¿ 1)∫ ¿=4.52 kW ¿ ¿

Sub-region II: condenser

Q
With E0 =0 , the exergy balance in this case is:

I n=E2− E3=5.44 kW

Sub-region III: throttling valve

Here:

I m=E3 −E4 =1.15 kW

Sub-region IV: evaporator

In this case two streams, ammonia and brine, exchanging heat must be considered. From the
exergy balance:

I IV =(E ¿ ¿ 4−E1 )−(E ¿ ¿ 6−E5)=2.41 kW ¿ ¿

Sub-region V: cold chamber

The thermal exergy rate corresponding to the refrigerator duty Q c , at the temperature

T c =272.15 K is:

272.15−293.15
EQc =−93.03
272.15
¿ 7.18 kW
From the exergy balance for this sub-region:

I V =( E ¿ ¿ 6−E5 )−EQc =1.87 kW ¿

Rational efficiency of the plant
Q
Considering the plant as a whole, the plant exergy output is Ec . Hence, the overall rational
efficiency is:

EQc
ψ OV = =0.238
W el

This value includes the effect of the irreversibilities arising from the two heat transfer processes
involving the brine stream; one in the cold chamber and the other in the evaporator. The
performance of the refrigeration plant itself may be assessed using the “net” rational efficiency,
drawn up for sub-regions I, II and III only. This criterion of performance has the form:

E 4−E1
ψ NET =
W el
Hence:

ψ NET =0.379

Discussion
In Fig 5.14 a graphical representation of both the energy balance, ie the Sankey diagram, and the
exergy balance, ie the Grassmann diagram, is given for the refrigeration plant. The only
information which the Sankey diagram provides relates to energy transfer to or from the control
region under consideration. It gives no information about changes in the quality of energy and it
gives equal weight to both the electric energy supplied to the plant and the low-grade thermal
energy rejected by the condenser to the environment.

The Grassmann diagram, on the other hand, gives quantitative information regarding the
proportion of the exergy input to the plant which is dissipated in the different plant components
and, in some cases, in what form this dissipation occurred. For example, in sub-region I the losses
occurring as a result of mechanical friction, electrical dissipation, and fluid friction inside the
compressor can be listed as separate items.

The largest irreversibilities occur in sub-region I, the motor-compressor sub-assembly. The

magnitude of these losses, over 40% of the plant input, is associated with the electrical,
mechanical and isentropic efficiencies which are low because relatively small size of plant
considered here. These large losses emphasize the need for paying close attention to the selection
of this type of equipment, since components of inferior performance can considerably reduce the
overall performance of the plant.

The second-largest irreversibility occurs in the condenser. This is partly due to the large degree of
superheat achieve at the end of the compression process, leading to the large temperature
differences associated with the initial phase of the heat transfer (process 2g in Fig 5.12). this is an
interesting example of a case where the cause of an irreversibility in one component must be
sought in another.

The degree of superheat at the end of an isentropic process depends on the slope of the saturated
vapour line for the refrigerant used in relation to the slope of an isentrope in the same co-ordinate
system (see Figs 5.12 and 5.13). In the case of ammonia, this difference in the slopes leads to a
high degree of superheat. The degree of superheat would have been smaller if, for example, R-12
instead of ammonia had been used in the refrigerator.

A similar kind of dependence of the irreversibility incurred in a process on the type of refrigerant
used is found in the throttling process. Although throttling is generally regarded as an inherently
dissipative process, in this case it is responsible for the smallest irreversibility of all the
components. Had another refrigerant been used, says R-12, this process would have accounted for
the dissipation of a larger proportion of the plant input. This points to one of the important factors
in the selecting refrigerants for the type of plant under consideration. As will be appreciated, the
problem of the plant input. This points to one of the important factors in selecting refrigerants for
the type of plant under consideration. As will be appreciated, the problem of the degree of
superheat at the exit from the compressor is less acute in well-cooled reciprocating compressors
than in adiabatic roto-dynamic compressors.

A comparison of the irreversibilities associated with the heat transfer processes in the evaporator
and the cold chamber will show that, although the mean temperature difference in the former is
smaller, the relative magnitudes of their irreversibilities are in the reverse order. This apparent
paradox is due to the evaporator operating at a lower temperature than the heat exchanger in
cold chamber and hence suffering greater irreversibility with a smaller mean temperature
difference. The effect of the temperature range on heat exchanger performance has been
discussed in Section 4.3 and is illustrated in Fig 4.26.

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