CHAPTER 4

Exergy Analysis of Vapor Compression Cycle

4.1 Introduction
Refrigeration plays a very important role in industrial, domestic and commercial
sectors for cooling, heating and food preserving applications. There are innumerable
applications of such systems and they are the major consumer of electricity around the
world. Energy consumption is directly proportional to the economic development of any
nation, however this area is in great interest now because of increase in the cost of
conventional fuels and environmental concerns globally. The scientists are looking for
new and renewable sources of energy so as to minimize the costs. Due to the
increasing energy demand, degradation of environment, global warming and depletion
of ozone layer etc, there is urgent need of efficient energy utilization and waste heat
recovery for useful applications. The researchers are concentrating on the alternate
and environment friendly refrigerants, especially after the Kyoto and the Montreal
protocols. However, in a quest to find out alternate and environment friendly
refrigerants, the energy efficiency of the equipment having conventional refrigerants is
also very important in the present age of competitive business community. The aim of
the scientific community all over the world is to switch to new and renewable energy
sources besides, efficient utilization of all conventional sources.
Air conditioning bears a huge cost because thermal comfort is very essential as
far as domestic and industrial sectors are concerned. The big challenge is to use less

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energy for air conditioning applications in order to reduce the associated power
consumption so as to make them more efficient and environmental friendly. The
quantitative information is required to be obtained that will show the irreversibility of a
process in all the components of any plant. For effective use and proper optimization,
the detailed understanding of different thermodynamic processes in any conversion
system is very important. In order to optimize their design, a thorough thermodynamic
analysis is required. The analysis based

on first law of thermodynamic is most

commonly used in engineering applications, however, it is concerned only with law of

conservation of energy and therefore it cannot show how and where irreversibility in
the system or a process occurs. On the other hand, the analysis based on second law
analysis is well known method being used to analyze all the thermodynamic cycles for
better understanding and evaluation of irreversibility associated with any process.
Unlike the first law (energy), the analysis based on second law analysis (exergy)
determines the magnitude of irreversibility associated in a process qualitatively and
thereby, provides an indication to point out the directions in which the engineers
should concentrate more in order to improve the performance of this thermodynamic
system [1-3]. Thus, the aim of second law based analysis is to determine the exergy
losses and to enhance the performance by changing the design parameters and hence,
to reduce the cost of the refrigeration cycle [4].
A lot of studies on the performance evaluation and optimization have been
carried out experimentally and theoretically are available in the literature [5-10]. Most of
the studies carried out so far on the refrigeration systems shows that the performance
analysis of refrigeration systems were investigated based on first law of

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thermodynamics. However, this approach is of limited use in view of the fact that the
actual energetic losses are difficult to make out because the first law deals with the
quantity of energy and not the quality of energy. In order to calculate the actual losses
due to irreversibility in the process, exergy analysis based on second law of
thermodynamics is the proper tool. Exergy analysis utilizes exergetic efficiency criterion
taking into account all the losses appearing in a system, for measuring the actual
performance.
The exergy analysis is widely accepted as a useful tool in obtaining the
improved understanding of the overall performance of any system and its components
[11]. Exergy analysis also helps in taking account the important engineering decisions
regarding design parameters of a system [12]. Many researchers have carried out
exergy studies of different thermal energy conversion systems describing various
approach for exergy analysis and its usefulness in a more simple and effective manner
[13-23]. Padilla et al [13] carried out the exergy analysis and the impact of direct
replacement of R12 with zeotropic mixture R413A. The performance of a domestic
vapor compression refrigeration system originally designed to work with R12 was
evaluated using a simulated modeling. They concluded that the overall energy and
exergy performance of this system working with R413A is better than that of R12.
Kumar et al [14] derived a method to carry out the exergetic analysis of a vapor
compression refrigeration system using R11 and R12 as refrigerants. The procedure
to calculate various losses as well as coefficient of performance and exergetic
efficiency of the cycle has been explained by proper example. Arora and Kaushik [15]
did a detailed exergy analysis of an actual vapor compression refrigeration cycle. They

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developed a computational model to calculate the coefficient of performance, exergy

destruction, exergy efficiency and the efficiency defects for R502, R404A and R507A
for temperature in the range of -50C to 0C and condenser temperature range of
40C to 55C. They concluded that R507A is a better substitute to R502A than that of
R404A. Nikolaidis and Probert [16] studied the behaviour of a two-stage compound
compression cycle, with flash intercooling with R22 using the exergy method and gave
some useful conclusions.
Dincer [17] asserts that conventional energy analysis, based on the first law of
thermodynamics, evaluates energy mainly on its quantity but analysis that are based
on second law considers not only the quality of energy but also quantity of energy.
In this study, the main objective is to investigate the performance of a simple
VCR system based on exergy analysis. The experimental analysis has been done on
a 2TR window air conditioning system using R-22 as refrigerant. With the objective to
find out the losses at different operating conditions for vapor compression cycle,
exergy analysis has been done by varying the quantity of refrigerant charge. The
system has been modified for experimental study to find the possible design conditions
with the minimum exergy destruction. In the present study, the effects of temperature
changes in the condenser and evaporator on the plants irreversibility rate was
determined. It is observed that the greater is the temperature difference between the
condenser and the environment or between the evaporator and the cold room, the
higher is the irreversibility rate. The analysis is performed by doing energy and exergy
balances for the system. The properties of refrigerant at each state point are
calculated using Forane software [18] and the results are discussed.

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The present investigation will help us to improve the understanding of vapor

compression cycle and will enhance its efficiency. Further study on the design
parameters, (external and internal) operating conditions is in process to obtain the
optimum performance of the system.

4.1.1 Basic thermodynamic considerations

First law of thermodynamics is used and is based on law of conservation of
energy. This law only quantifies the energy at various components and tells nothing
about how to reduce the energy consumption in these systems. In addition to this the
second law of thermodynamics in its fundamental form is not used in energy utilization
analysis and therefore, some of its derived principles are used in energy
conservations. In the interest of energy conservation, minimization of irreversible
effects is sought in any thermodynamic process. Any process that occurs without any
change of initial state. A number of physical effects which cause a loss of energy
available for doing work, or cause an increase in energy required to produce desired
output are as follows:
Temperature difference: Large temperature difference causes greater losses during
heat transfer, therefore, temperature difference should be kept as small as practical
e.g. in evaporators and condensers.
Friction: Friction causes loss of useful energy and therefore should be minimized. For
example, regular cleaning of tube walls prevents scale build-up. Thus fluid friction will
be less and less energy will be lost in pumping power.

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Rapid expansion: The adiabatic expansion of a high pressure fluid to a low pressure,
sometimes called throttling, is a process that wastes some energy available in the high
pressure fluid which could have been used to do some work.
Mixing: Mixing of fluids will results in a loss of the useful available energy.
The term entropy is a physical property of substances related to energy
utilization and conservation. Entropy is a measure of the energy that is not available to
do work. For a fluid with isentropic nature the amount of work done in compressor is
minimum. A constant entropy (i.e. isentropic) process is an ideal reversible process
which can never take place. Hence, in a real process where work is required, the
entropy increases and efforts are made to minimize this increase.

4.1.2 Availability
Availability is the maximum useful work that can be obtained from a system at a
given state. A system is said to be in the dead state when it is in thermodynamic
equilibrium with the surroundings. At the dead state, a system is at the temperature
and pressure of its surroundings as well as in thermal, chemical and mechanical
equilibrium. It has no kinetic or potential energy relative to its surroundings and does
not reacts with the surroundings. A system has zero availability at the dead state. The
notion that a system must go, the dead state at the end of the process to maximize the
work output can be explained as follows:
If the system temperature at the final state is greater than or less than the
temperature of the surroundings, we can always produce additional work by running a
heat engine between these two temperature levels. If the final velocity of the system is

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not zero, we can catch that extra kinetic energy by a turbine and convert it to rotating
shaft work and so on. However, no work can be produced from a system that is initially
at the dead state. The atmosphere around us contains a tremendous amount of
energy. However, the atmosphere is in the dead state and the energy it contains has
no work potential therefore, we conclude that a system will deliver the maximum
possible work as it undergoes a reversible process from the specified initial state to the
state of its environment, the dead state. This represents the maximum work potential
of the system at the specified state and it is called availability.
It is important to realize that availability does not represent the amount of work
that a work producing device will actually deliver upon installation. Rather it represents
the upper limit on the amount of work a device can deliver without violating any
thermodynamic laws. There will always be a difference, large or small between
availability and actual work delivered by a device. This difference represents the scope
for improvement. It may be noted that the availability of a system at a specified state
depends on the conditions of the environment as well as the properties of the system.
Therefore, availability is a property of the system-surroundings combination and not of
the system alone. Altering the environment is another way of increasing availability but
it is definitely not an easy alternative. Thus it would be desirable to have a property to
enable us to determine the useful work potential of a given amount of energy at some
specified state.
The work potential of the energy contained in a system at a specified state is
simply the maximum useful work that can be obtained from the system. The work done
during a process depends on the initial state, final state and the process path. In an

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availability analysis, the initial state is specified and thus it is not a variable. The work
output is maximized when the process between the two specified states is executed in
a reversible manner. Therefore all the irreversibilities are disregarded in determining
the work potential. Finally the system must be in the dead state at the end of the
process to maximize the work output.

4.1.3 Reversible work

The availability analysis is useful for determining the useful work potential of the
energy of a system at a specified state. It serves as a valuable tool in determining the
quality of energy and comparing the work potential of different energy sources. The
availability analysis alone however, is not of great value for studying energy devices
operating between two fixed states. This is because in an Availability analysis, the final
state is always assumed to be the dead state, which is hardly ever the case for actual
thermodynamic systems.
The adiabatic efficiencies are of limited use because the exit state of the model
(isentropic process) is not the same as the actual exit state. There are two new
quantities that are related to the exact initial and final states of the actual process.
These two quantities are reversible work and irreversible work. They serve as valuable
tools in the optimization studies of the components in complex thermodynamic
systems. Reversible work (W rev) is defined as the maximum amount of work that can
be obtained as a system undergoes a process between the specified initial and final
states. This is the useful work output (or input) obtained when the process between
the initial and final states is executed in a totally reversible manner. That is, any heat

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transfer between the system and the surroundings must take place reversibly, and no
irreversibilities should be present within the system during the process. When the final
state is the dead state, the reversible work equals availability.

4.1.4 Irreversibility
For processes, that require work, reversible work represents the minimum
amount of work necessary to carry out that process. Any difference between the
reversible work W rev and the useful work Wu is due to the irreversibilities present
during the process and this difference is called irreversibility I, it is expressed as lost
work potential i.e.
I = W rev W u
For a totally reversible process, the actual and reversible work terms are
identical and thus irreversibility is zero. This is expected since totally reversible
processes generate no entropy which is a measure of irreversibilities occurring during
a process. For all actual (irreversible processes, irreversibility is a positive quality since
the work term is positive and W rev > W u for work producing devices ad the work term is
negative since W rev < Wu for work consuming devices. Irreversibility can be used as
the lost opportunity to do work. It represents the entropy that could have been
converted to work. The smaller the irreversibility associated with a process, the greater
the work that will be produced (or the smaller the work that will be consumed). To
improve the performance of thermodynamic systems, the primary sources of
irreversibility associated with each component in the system should be located and
effort should be made to minimize them.

110

4.2 Energy conservation aspects in VCR systems

Refrigeration and air conditioning system mainly consists of four major
components, i.e. compressor, condenser, evaporator and throttling device along with
piping network, suitable refrigerant and heat transfer liquids. It is imperative that
system operating criteria should be analyzed completely to assure improvements in
components, protective devices, advanced and complex thermodynamic cycle designs
and proper working fluid selection. However, the working of these components has to
be understood deeply in order to understand the working of the overall system and to
look for the options of energy conservation and savings. A summary of cyclic effects
that result in reduced energy consumption per unit of refrigeration capacity are
described as follows:

4.2.1 Energy conservation in evaporator

The function of the evaporator is to cool the space by transferring heat into
refrigerant in terms of its latent heat of vaporization. Evaporators may be of the types
as, water-cooling, air-cooling shell and tube heat exchangers. It has been observed
that when evaporator temperature changes from +5 to -20C, the refrigeration tons
drop to nearly one third its value and power/ton increases from 0.81 to 1.67 which is
more than double. A high value of evaporator temperature will increase cooling output
and decrease the input power and hence, will have a more pronounced effect on
improving COP of the system. Performance of an actual practical machine also shows
this effect very clearly. Thus, it is advantageous to operate machine at as high as
evaporator temperature and as low as condensing temperature as possible. The

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correct choice for designing an evaporator and their sizing is the most important factor
for an efficient and economic refrigerating system. For energy conservation, promotion
of increased heat transfer and maintaining of the highest reasonable evaporating
temperature is required. It should be noted that under no circumstances these two
factors are opposing. That is, one way of increasing evaporator heat transfer without
decreasing evaporating temperature. Effectively this means that for a given heat
transfer (refrigeration) capacity, the evaporating temperature is higher, and hence less
power is used. The energy conservation and saving options in the use of evaporators
are as follows:
1. Counter flow arrangement increases heat transfer over parallel flow, since
mean effective temperature difference is greater.
2. A flooded evaporator surface is more effective than a dry expansion surface,
which is only partially wetted.
3. Refrigerant sprays may increase surface wetting.
4. Maintenance of clean surfaces reduces the heat transfer coefficient.
5. Increased surface area, through use of fins/more tubing, increases heat
transfer.
6. Having higher fluid velocities increase the heat transfer coefficient, in both the
refrigerant and air or water side. In liquid chillers this is achieved by increasing
the number of passes.

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4.2.2 Energy conservation in compressor

The compressor pumps refrigerant round the circuit as well as produces
the required substantial increase in the pressure of the refrigerant i.e. its function is to
raise the gas refrigerant pressure and temperature and they are of various types such
as reciprocating, centrifugal, positive displacement, screw and fully or partially
hermetically sealed. The desired operating conditions appropriate for energy
conservation in the use of compressor are given as below:
1. Compressor capacity decreases with higher suction pressure and lower
discharge pressure.
2. Compressor power requirement decreases with decreasing compression ratio
and increases with greater clearance volume.
3. Speed control results in excellent reduction of power with capacity decrease.
4. Cylinder unloading provides good power reduction with capacity decrease.
5. Screw compressors have excellent full load (and part load with slide valve
control) power requirements.
6. An economizer arrangement with screw compressors reduces energy
requirements considerably.
Using multiple compressors in a system can also save energy, since at partial load
some of the compressors can be operated and at full load (generally the most efficient
operating condition) while others are shut down. Of course this also results in the extra
benefit of stand-by capacity in case of failure of a compressor. Energy conservation
methods applied to centrifugal chillers have become an especially important

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consideration because of the vast quantity of power used. These energy saving
methods can be summarized as:
1. Multistage

compression

with

the

economizer

cycle

decreases

power

requirements over single-stage compression.

2. Variable inlet guide vane capacity control will result in good reduction of power
with capacity reduction.
3. Increasing the number of water passes in the heat exchangers (evaporator and
condenser) will reduce compressor power requirement. However, increased
pumping cost must be balanced against this.
4. Demand of limiting devices that limit the current drawn by the motor will reduce
utility company demand charges.
5. Non condensed hot gas discharge temperature is high which can be used to
recover heat energy.

4.2.3 Energy utilization in condensers

Condensers function is to reject the heat of condensation and change the state
of the refrigerant from gas to a liquid. Condensers may be of the types such as, watercooled/air-cooled shell and tube and water-cooled evaporative condenser. In many
applications of refrigeration, temperatures lower than necessary are specified. A low
value of the condensing temperature can reduce the hot gas discharge temperature
which is too high. Design and operation of condenser can contribute for the energy
conservation in many ways as given below:

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1. Maintain clean heat transfer surfaces, through proper water treatment and
maintenance.
2. Compare the required power for air cooled condenser with that of either
evaporative or water cooled condenser and then select the condenser design.
3. Select condensers with a large heat transfer surface area.

4.2.4 Sub-cooling of liquid before the expansion valve

It is possible to sub-cool the condensed liquid after it comes out of the
condenser. This sub-cooling can be provided by using the surplus cooling of the
refrigerant gas which might otherwise be lost. When evaporator coils are defrosted by
water sprays, the water of melted ice can be used for sub-cooling. The defrost water is
also heated in the process. For short term increase of capacity, sub-cooling by liquid
nitrogen can be used. In general, it can be said that sub-cooling improves the
compressor efficiency, provided the heat given up during the sub-cooling leaves the
system and does not re-enter. Following are some of the points relating to energy
utilization and conservation as affected by flow control devices:
1. The thermostatic expansion valve (TEV) provides efficient use of the evaporator
surface over a wide range of loads.
2. If there is a significant pressure drop in either the evaporative or the
refrigerant distributor, an external equalizer type TEV must be used.
3. The internal equalizer valve will result in inefficient use of evaporator

surface.

If the system is subject to hunting a cross charge or other anti- hunting type
TEV must be used.

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4. The capillary tube is a less-energy-efficient flow control device than the

TEV. However, for small capacity units, capillary tube is used.
5. The constant pressure expansion valve is a very inefficient flow control
device if there is significant load variation.
4.2.5 Energy conservation in connecting pipe network
Pipes are used to circulate refrigerant and cooling liquid through various
components of the system. The major considerations in refrigerant piping that affect
energy use are summarized as follows:
1. Suction and hot gas lines should be sized for reasonably low recommended
pressure drops, since compressor power increases with pressure difference.
2. Pressure drop in the liquid line should be low enough to prevent flashing.
3. If a liquid-suction heat exchanger is used for sub-cooling, it will also improve
compressor energy efficiency.
4. Excess oil in the system will coat heat transfer surfaces of the evaporator and
condenser thereby reducing their performance. It is desirable to use
recommended oil products for improved performance

4.3 Experimental setup and procedure

The experimental setup used in the present study is a 2TR window air
conditioner which was further modified to incorporate the compound gauges for
temperature and pressure measurements at suction and discharge side. The main loop
of the system under investigation is similar to that of a common VCR system and
composed of four basic components only i.e. compressor, an evaporator, condenser

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and an expansion device. The vapors from low temperature evaporator are sucked into
the compressor and compressed to increase the pressure and temperature. The
compression is assumed to be polytropic and the vapors are condensed in the air
cooled finned condenser in which the fan is driven by an electric motor which is also
driving the evaporator fan at other end. The speed of the condenser and evaporator fan
is kept constant. The compressor is hermetic type reciprocating compressor with 2100
watts nominal input power at 220V (50Hz). The evaporator was designed for a cooling
capacity of 24K BTU. The refrigerant is charged in four steps and the performance is
evaluated at each stage. The unit also comprises of other devices such as filters and
compressor protection device. The refrigerant volume flow rate was measured using a
rotameter which is specifically calibrated for R-22. The temperature and pressure were
measured by using compound gauges. The photographic view of the experimental set
up and line diagram is shown in Fig.-4.1(a) & 4.1(b) and the specifications of the VCR
system are given in Table-4.1.

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Fig.-4.1a: Experimental setup of 2 TR Window Air Conditioner based on VCR

Fig.-4.1b: Typical diagram of a vapor compression cycle.

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Table 4.1: Specification of Experimental Set-up

Type
Capacity
Condenser
Evaporator
Expansion Device
Compressor

Window Air Conditioner

2 TR (24000 BTU)
Finned Coils, Air Cooled
Finned Coils
Capillary Tube
Hermetically Sealed, Reciprocating

4.4 Exergy Analysis

Exergy analysis has two advantages over the conventional heat balance
method for design and performance analysis of energy related systems. It provides a
more accurate measurement of the actual inefficiencies in the system and the true
location of these in efficiencies. In refrigeration cycle, with the heat balance analysis, it
is not possible to find out the true losses. Exergy analysis is based on the assumption
that there is an infinite equilibrium environment that ultimately surrounds all systems
that are to be analyzed. The exergy or available energy of a system is the maximum
work that could be derived if the system were allowed to come to equilibrium with the
environment. It is a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics that the
combined exergy of all systems can only decrease or remain unchanged. Unlike
energy, exergy is not conserved, once it is lost, it is lost forever. In other words, exergy
(quality) is degradable, while energy (quantity) is conserved. Exergy can be
exchanged between systems, but if there are thermodynamic irreversibilitys such as,
friction or heat transfer with finite temperature differences, some of the potential for the
production of work is destroyed. In all real processes, therefore, the total exergy of the
system decreases [19-23].

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For a specified system boundary a clear distinction can be made between

exergy destruction and exergy loss. Exergy loss is exergy that is passed on to some
other system often the environment and which cannot be considered useful in the
context of the purpose of the system. The term exergy destruction is used when the
potential for the production of work is destroyed within the system boundary. The
exergy of a system is a co-property of the system and the environment. In exergy
analysis of compressors the environment consists of the local surroundings of the
compressor. These local surroundings are modeled as being in equilibrium and
infinite. Given sufficient information, the exergy of all the systems can be determined
at any time. On the basis of first law, the performance of refrigeration cycle is based on
the coefficient of performance, which is defined as the ratio of net refrigerating effect
(cooling/heating load) obtained per unit of power consumed. It is expressed as:
COP =

Qe
Wc

(4.1)

Exergy balance for a control volume can be expressed as [2]

EX D = (mex )in (mex )out +

[ (Q(1 T

/ T ) in (Q(1 To / T )out W

(4.2)

For the present system shown in Fig.4.1b, the component wise exergy balance
equation can be written as below:
a) Compressor

( EX D ) comp = E x1 + Wc E x 2 = mr (To ( s2 s1 ))

(4.3)

b) Condenser

( EX D ) cond = Ex 2 Ex 3 = mr (h2 To s2 ) mr (h3 To s3 )

120

(4.4)

c) Expansion Device

( EX D ) exp = Ex 3 E x 4
= mr (h3 To s3 ) mr (h4 To s4 )
(4.5)

= mr (To ( s2 s1 ))
d) Evaporator

( EX D ) evap = E x 4 + Qe (1 To / Tr ) E x1
= mr (h4 To s4 ) + Qe (1 To / Tr ) mr (h1 To s1 )

(4.6)

The total exergy destruction in the system is the sum of exergy destruction in different
components of the system and is given by
e) Total exergy destruction
( EX D ) total = ( EX D ) comp + ( EX D ) cond + ( EX D ) exp + ( EX D ) evap

(4.7)

f) Exergy Efficiency

exergy =

Qe
(1 To / Tr
Wc

(4.8)

4.5 Results and Discussions

In order to have a comparative study of vapour compression cycle by varying the
quantity of refrigerant charged, the real time data was measured and the calculations
were made using Forane software [18]. The temperature, pressure and mass flow rate
of the refrigerant was measured using compound gauges and rotameter respectively at
different state points. The basic properties such as entropy and enthalpy of the
refrigerant at different state points were calculated using Forane software [18]. The

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coefficient of performance (COP), refrigerating effect, compressor work, exergy

destruction and exergy efficiency are calculated using simple Excel sheet.
A 2TR window air conditioner equipped with different pressure, temperature and
flow measuring devices has been studied experimentally using energy and exergy
analysis. The unit is charged with refrigerant R-22 in four steps i.e. 25%, 50%, 75% and
100% respectively and the system performance is analyzed in each case. The
reference temperature is measured to be 25oC. The coefficient of performance (COP),
cooling load, exergy destruction, exergy efficiency has been evaluated against running
time and evaporator temperature and the discussion of results is given below:
It is observed from Tables (4.2-4.5) that the evaporator temperature is least in
case when the system is 100% charged but this increases pressure ratio of the
compressor and hence compressor work also increases as a result the coefficient of
performance goes down as can be seen from Fig.-4.2. Figure-4.2 also shows the
comparison of coefficient of performance against time in all the cases and it is observed
that the COP fluctuates with time having number of peaks after certain intervals except
when the system is 75% charged. In the case when the system is 75% charged the
COP has the highest peak in the middle of running time followed by small peaks on
either sides. However, when the system is 25% charged, the COP first increases along
the highest peak in the first few minutes and then decreases gradually with small ups
and downs before finally reaching steady state condition in an hours time. Figure 4.2
show that when the system is 50% charged, the COP initially drops and finally achieves
a consistent value. After an hour of running the system, the steady state coefficient of

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performance was observed in all the case and hence, the data after a certain period
was not plotted as can be seen in Fig.-4.2.

Coefficient of Performance

10
9
8

Coefficient of
Performance (25%
charged)

7
6

Coefficient of
Performance
(50%charged)

5
4

Coefficient of
Performance (75%
charged)

3
2
1
0
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

Coefficient of
Performance (100%
charged)

Running Time/minutes

Fig.-4.2: Variation of COP with respect to running time

Table 4.2a: Parameters of the VCR system when the unit is 25% charged

Time
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55

Pdisch./
kg/cm
4
9.2
9.4
9.6
9.7
9.8
9.9
9.95
10
10.1
10

Psuc./
kg/cm
-15 cm
of Hg
0.4
0.45
0.55
0.6
0.61
0.68
0.7
0.7
0.71
0.7

m/
kg/s

Cond.
In/c

Evap. Inlet
/ c

0.0236
0.0283
0.0306
0.0318
0.033
0.0332
0.0334
0.0334
0.0334
0.0334
0.0332

52
52
58
58
68
68
75
75
76
76
75

24.5
24.5
21
21
20.1
20.1
20.8
20.8
21.1
21.1
22.1

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Table 4.2b: Exergetic performance results of the VCR system when the unit is
25% charged
RE/
kJ
4.283
5.140
5.547
5.760
5.941
5.983
5.895
5.895
5.915
5.915
5.854

Wcomp./
kJ
0.732
0.686
0.878
0.906
1.193
1.198
1.203
1.387
1.411
1.407
1.374

COP
5.848
7.485
6.313
6.357
4.977
4.991
4.897
4.248
4.191
4.201
4.258

EXD
evap.
2.443
2.932
3.109
3.229
3.322
3.345
3.391
3.391
3.392
3.392
3.394

EXD
comp.
3.723
3.654
4.068
4.196
4.579
4.592
4.614
4.765
4.785
4.775
4.731

EXD
cond.
1.836
2.826
3.092
3.233
3.376
3.416
3.447
3.481
3.484
3.491
3.453

EXD
exp.
2.442
2.930
3.169
3.291
3.425
3.449
3.469
3.469
3.474
3.474
3.445

EXD
total
10.446
12.343
13.440
13.950
14.703
14.804
14.924
15.107
15.137
15.133
15.024

Exergy
% Exergy
Efficiency Efficiency
0.0359
3.5
0.0431
4.31
0.1132
11.3
0.1175
11.75
0.1398
13.9
0.1408
14
0.1244
12.44
0.1244
12.44
0.1186
11.86
0.1186
11.86
0.0972
9.72

Table 4.3a: Parameters of the VCR system when the unit is 50% charged

Time
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

Pdisch./
kg/cm
9
9.4
9.6
9.8
9.9
10
10
10.05
10.05
10.05
10.05
10.05

Psuc./
kg/cm
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.65
0.7
0.71
0.71
0.715
0.7
0.71
0.71
0.71

m/
kg/s
0.028
0.0306
0.0306
0.0306
0.0317
0.03175
0.03179
0.03179
0.03179
0.0332
0.0341
0.0353

124

Cond.
In/c
47
53
62
62.2
64
64.4
69
67.9
65
62
65
65

Evap. Inlet
/ c
23
20.3
21.5
21.3
19.6
20.3
22.5
21.4
19.4
17.3
19.5
19.5

Table 4.3b: Exergetic performance results of the VCR system when the unit is
50% charged

EXD
RE/ kJ
5.117
5.559
5.556
5.513
5.716
5.722
5.700
5.729
5.697
5.996
6.156
6.390

Wcomp./
kJ
0.573
0.750
0.961
0.952
1.026
1.030
1.154
1.119
1.052
1.006
1.130
1.169

COP
8.921
7.412
5.780
5.790
5.566
5.555
4.939
5.119
5.413
5.960
5.447
5.465

EXD
evap.
2.885
3.076
3.104
3.079
3.163
3.165
3.222
3.199
3.168
3.229
3.409
3.526

EXD
comp.
3.586
3.967
4.142
4.133
4.320
4.320
4.415
4.387
4.311
4.452
4.630
4.790

EXD
cond.
2.800
3.076
3.110
3.131
3.261
3.280
3.287
3.290
3.277
3.416
3.527
3.649

EXD
exp.
2.932
3.176
3.175
3.175
3.298
3.294
3.303
3.294
3.308
3.453
3.542
3.664

total
12.204
13.297
13.532
13.519
14.044
14.061
14.229
14.172
14.066
14.552
15.109
15.629

Exergy
Efficiency
0.0691
0.1270
0.1037
0.1067
0.1445
0.1307
0.0868
0.1089
0.1480
0.2003
0.1578
0.1638

% Exergy
Efficiency
6.91
12.7
10.3
10.6
14.4
13
8.68
10.89
14.8
20.03
15.78
16.38

Table 4.4a: Parameters of the VCR system when the unit is 75% charged

Time
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65

Pdisch./
kg/cm
15.16
15.18
15.27
15.28
15.28
15.3
15.3
15.3
15.3
15.3
15.32
15.32
15.32

Psuc./
kg/cm
3.2
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7

m/
kg/s
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532
0.03532

125

Cond.
In/c
58
60
60
64.5
70.5
56.1
79.5
74
69.3
70.1
74
74
72.4

Evap. Inlet
/ c
22.9
24.3
24
23
22.5
22.3
24.5
22.6
22.2
24.8
23
24.7
25.7

Table 4.4b: Exergetic performance results of the VCR system when the unit is
75% charged

EXD
RE/
kJ
6.012
5.772
5.962
5.916
5.941
5.832
5.853
5.839
5.863
5.818
5.888
5.878
5.807

Wcomp./
kJ
0.7312
0.7806
0.7771
0.9290
1.1162
0.6676
1.3670
1.2222
1.0809
1.0809
1.2151
1.1975
1.1409

COP
8.222
7.393
7.672
6.368
5.322
8.735
4.281
4.777
5.424
5.382
4.845
4.908
5.089

EXD
evap.
3.603
3.592
3.589
3.645
3.635
3.635
3.594
3.647
3.574
3.554
3.527
3.609
3.641

EXD
comp.
3.995
4.058
4.048
4.164
4.313
3.921
4.578
4.408
4.281
4.334
4.419
4.440
4.408

EXD
cond.
3.945
3.945
3.963
3.974
3.995
3.935
4.030
4.009
3.988
3.984
3.998
4.002
3.991

EXD
exp.
3.686
3.702
3.682
3.685
3.691
3.697
3.694
3.682
3.697
3.704
3.707
3.684
3.682

total
15.230
15.299
15.284
15.469
15.636
15.189
15.898
15.747
15.540
15.578
15.653
15.736
15.724

Exergy
Efficiency
0.1247
0.1058
0.1175
0.0840
0.1048
0.1028
0.0931
0.0989
0.1647
0.1268
0.1862
0.0854
0.0409

% Exergy
Efficiency
12.4
10.5
11.7
8.4
10.4
10.2
9.3
9.8
16.47
12.68
18.62
8.5
4.09

Table 4.5a: Parameters of the VCR system when the unit is 100% charged

Time
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65

Pdisch./
kg/cm
18.6
18.8
18.8
18.4
18.6
18.7
18.7
18.5
18.5
18.8
19
18.6
18.3

Psuc./
kg/cm
4.1
4.2
4.2
4.15
4.15
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.15

126

m/
kg/s
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768
0.03768

Cond.
In/c
74
80
81.5
82
82
81
83
88
88
88
88
89
81

Evap. Inlet/
c
9
7
6.5
8
8.1
9
7
7.7
8.2
9
6.9
7.5
7.5

Table 4.5b: Exergetic performance results of the VCR system when the unit is
100% charged

RE
/kJ
6.285
6.232
6.262
6.258
6.262
6.273
6.217
6.262
6.228
6.183
6.202
6.266
6.266

Wcomp./k
J
1.299
1.507
1.552
1.582
1.571
1.522
1.597
1.786
1.767
1.744
1.759
1.804
1.556

COP
4.834
4.135
4.033
3.954
3.985
4.121
3.891
3.506
3.524
3.544
3.524
3.471
4.026

EXD
evap.
3.915
3.876
3.855
3.883
3.889
3.892
3.849
3.890
3.888
3.892
3.847
3.864
3.884

EXD
comp.
4.171
4.318
4.363
4.431
4.408
4.385
4.431
4.578
4.589
4.566
4.544
4.600
4.397

EXD
EXD
cond.
exp.
3.357 3.968
3.327 3.994
3.319 3.993
3.338 3.982
3.323 3.9752
3.327 3.970
3.319 3.9921
3.300 3.986
3.308 3.981
3.297 3.987
3.274 3.996
3.278 3.981
3.345 3.9843

EXD
total
15.413
15.516
15.532
15.636
15.596
15.575
15.592
15.756
15.767
15.743
15.662
15.725
15.612

Exergy
Efficiency
0.4011
0.4451
0.4593
0.4231
0.4210
0.4004
0.4440
0.4305
0.4164
0.3946
0.4453
0.4356
0.4356

% Exergy
Efficiency
40.1
44.5
45.9
42.3
42.1
40.04
44.4
43.05
41.64
39.46
44.53
43.56
43.56

Figures (4.3-4.6), shows the exergy efficiency variation with respect to

evaporator temperature. It is observed that the highest exergy efficiency is found when
the system is 100% charged. This is due to the fact that, as observed the refrigerant
temperature (evaporator) is minimum when the system is 100% charged and therefore
the term Q | 1

| increases. The highest exergy efficiency is found to be 45.9% at

an evaporator temperature of 7oC when the system is 100% charged while the least
exergy efficiency was found to be 3.5% at an evaporator temperature of 24.5oC and
25% system charging. The reason for reduced exergy efficiency when the refrigerant
is only 25% charged is because the refrigerant temperature is almost same as the
reference temperature and hence exergy content is very small in the later case as
compared to the former case. Thus the results are consistent with the hypothetical

127

observations. However, as far as energy analysis is concerned. This particular result is

reverse as can be seen by Carnot cycle efficiency.

COPC =

TL
(TH TL )

(5.9)

16

Exergy Efficiency /%

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
24.5

24.5

21

21

20.1

20.1

20.8

20.8

21.1

21.1

22.1

Evaporator Temperature /oC

Fig.-4.3: Variation of exergy efficiency with respect to evaporator temperature

when 25% of the total refrigerant is charged

128

Exergy Efficiency/%

25
20
15
10
5
0
23

20.3

21.5

21.3

19.6

20.3

22.5

21.4

Evaporator Temperature

19.4

17.3

19.5

19.5

/oC

Fig.-4.4: Variation of exergy efficiency with respect to evaporator temperature

when 50% of the total refrigerant is charged

20

Exergy Efficiency /%

18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
22.9

24.3

24

23

22.5

22.3

24.5

22.6

22.2

24.8

23

24.7

25.7

Evaporator temperature /oC

Fig.-4.5: Variation of exergy efficiency with respect to evaporator temperature

when 75% of the total refrigerant is charged

129

Exergy Efficiency /%

48
46
44
42
40
38
36
9

6.5

8.1

7.7

8.2

6.9

7.5

7.5

Evaporator Temperature /oC

Fig.-4.6: Variation of exergy efficiency with respect to evaporator temperature

when 100% refrigerant is charged
From Tables (4.2-4.5) above, it is observed that the exergy destruction in the
compressor is found to be the highest as compared to other components i.e.
evaporator, condenser and expansion devices. This is attributed to the reciprocating
compressor being used in the system and the losses are huge due to friction between
the cylinder and piston rings. Although, lubricant is used to minimize these losses but
still frictional losses are more prominent in reciprocating compressors. Another
component of loss is due to the wire drawing effect at entry and exit through the valve
plates which changes the entropy of the system and increases the irreversibility of the
system. The exergy destruction in each case with respect to the percentage of
refrigerant charged is given in the order as below:

130

For 25% refrigerant charged

( EX D ) comp > ( EX D ) evap > ( EX D ) exp > ( EX D ) cond

For 50% refrigerant charged

( EX D ) comp > ( EX D ) exp > ( EX D ) evap > ( EX D ) cond

For 75% refrigerant charged

( EX D ) comp > ( EX D ) cond > ( EX D ) exp > ( EX D ) evap

For 100% refrigerant charged

( EX D ) comp > ( EX D ) exp > ( EX D ) evap > ( EX D ) cond

The exergy destruction in the evaporator is found to be the least when the
system is 75% charged. This is because of the higher evaporator temperature
observed during the test and this reduces the term Q | 1

| in Eq. (4.6)

The variation of total exergy destruction with respect to the evaporator

temperature for four different cases viz. 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% charging is shown
in Figs. (4.7-4.10) respectively. It is observed that the total exergy destruction is
comparable when the system is 75% and 100% charged and it is least when the
system is 25% charged. This is because the evaporator temperature is higher due to
insufficient amount of charging and is comparable to the reference temperature.

131

Total Exergy Destruction /kW

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
24.5

24.5

21

21

20.1

20.1

20.8

20.8

21.1

21.1

22.1

Evaporator Temperature/oC

Total Exergy Destruction /kW

Fig.-4.7: Variation of total exergy destruction with respect to evaporator

temperature when 25% of the total refrigerant is charged

18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
23

20.3

21.5

21.3

19.6

20.3

22.5

21.4

19.4

17.3

19.5

19.5

Evaporator Temperature /oC

Fig.-4.8: Variation of total exergy destruction with respect to evaporator

temperature when 50% of the total refrigerant is charged

132

Total Exergy Destruction /kW

16
15.8
15.6
15.4
15.2
15
14.8
22.9

24.3

24

23

22.5

22.3

Evaporator

24.5

22.6

22.2

24.8

23

24.7

25.7

Temperature/oC

Total Exergy Destruction /kW

Fig.-4.9: Variation of total exergy destruction with respect to evaporator

temperature when 75% of the total refrigerant is charged

15.8
15.7
15.6
15.5
15.4
15.3
15.2
9

6.5

8.1

7.7

8.2

6.9

7.5

7.5

Evaporator Temperature /oC

Fig.-4.10: Variation of total exergy destruction with respect to evaporator

temperature when 100% of the total refrigerant is charged

Tables (4.2-4.5), also shows that the average coefficient of performance is

highest when the system is 50% charged. This is because the refrigerating effect is

133

higher in this case and the compressor consumers less work. It is also observed from
the tables that the exergy destruction is almost comparable when the system is 75%
and 100% charged while it is least when the system is 25% charged, this is due to the
fact that when the system is 25% charged, the evaporator temperature is higher and
therefore the term Q | 1

| is significantly low.

5.6 Conclusions
Exergy analysis is a technique to present the process and this further aid in
reducing the thermodynamic losses occurring in the process. This is an important tool
in explaining the various energy flows in a process and in the final run helps to reduce
losses occurring in the system. In this experimental study, a window air conditioning
system based on vapor compression cycle is modified for experimental analysis. The
system comprises of four components i.e. compressor, a capillary tube (expansion
device), a condenser and an evaporator and is having a cooling capacity of 24K BTU.
Based on the experiment testing following conclusions are drawn:
1. Although the quantity of refrigerant charged do affect the exergy losses but the
maximum losses in all the cases are in the compressor. This is attributed to the
frictional losses and losses due to wire drawing effect during suction and delivery
of the refrigerant. This will augment the study of tribology to exactly study the
friction characteristics and also the design aspects needs to be improved to
reduce the wire drawing effect to have efficient compressor.

134

2. It is observed that the total exergy destruction is comparable when the system is
75% and 100% charged and it is least when the system is 25% charged
because the evaporator temperature is very close to the reference temperature.
3. The average coefficient of performance is highest when the system is 50%
charged and this is because of higher refrigerating effect and reduced
compressor work.
4. The exergy efficiency of the system varies from 3.5% to 45.9% which is mainly
due to the variation of evaporator temperature.
5. The average values of the system exergy efficiency are more when the system
is 100% charged. These values show that the overall exergy performance is
better when the system is fully charged but the compressor work is the highest
in this case and the COP is also less as compared to other situations. When the
actual requirements are less the system should be operated with variable
refrigerant flow so as to achieve optimum balance between the exergy efficiency
and energy saving.

135

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138