SCOE/MECH/HP/2015-16/15/142

A Project Stage I on

Experimental analysis of Domestic

refrigerator compatible with phase
change material, using R290 and
R600 blend as refrigerant
By
Mr. Adil Faqi Momin
(ME Heat Power Engineering)
Exam No. 11041
Guide
Mr. M . H. Attal

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Sinhgad College of Engineering
Pune 411041

[2015-16]Sinhgad Technical Education Societys

Sinhgad College of Engineering

Pune 411041

C E RT I FI CAT E
This is to certify that Mr. Adil Faqi Momin, has successfully completed the Project StageI Entitled Experimental analysis of Domestic refrigerator compatible with phase change

material, using R290 and R600 blend as refrigerant under my supervision, in the Partial
fulfillment of Master of Engineering Mechanical Engineering (Heat Power Engineering)
of University of Pune.
Date :
Place :

Pune

Prof. M. H. Attal
Guide
External Examiner

Prof. (Dr) Y. P. Reddy

Head PG Studies, Vice Principal
Seal

Prof. (Dr) S. D. Lokhande

Principal

CONTENTS
Serial No

Description

Page No

Acknowledgment

List of Figure

ii

List of Table

ii

Nomenclature

iii

ABSTRACT

iv

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Introduction to Vapour Compression Refrigeration System

1.2

Thermal Energy Storage

1.3

Phase Change Material

1.4

Refrigerant, Air Conditioner, Heat Pump and Effect on

Ozone Layer Depletion

1.5

Global Warming Facts, Causes & Effect on Environment

12

Due to Refrigerant
1.6

Montreal Protocol & Kyoto Protocol

13

LITERATURE REVIEW

15

OBJECTIVE OF PROJECT WORK

20

METHODOLOGY

21

4.1

Experimental setup

21

4.2

Simulation

21

MONTH WISE PLAN OF WORK

22

GANTT CHART

23

REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I take this opportunity to express my thanks to my guide Prof. M. H. Attal for his
inspiration and timely guidance in the completion of my work successfully. I would also
like to express my sincere thanks to our respected Coordinator Prof. V. N. Kapatkar, Head
of PG studies Prof. Dr. Y. P. Reddy and Principal Prof. Dr. S. D. Lokhande for giving
their vital instructions, necessary directives and valuable advice in the various phases of
this seminar work.
Date

/ 2015

Adil Faqi Momin

Place : Pune

List of Figure

Figure No

Figure Name

Page No

Vapour Compression Refrigeration System

Phase Change Material classification

Classes of materials that can be used as PCM and their

typical range of melting temperature and melting enthalpy

4

Emission reduction potentials

10

Breakdown of blowing agent use by type and country type

11

Projected growth in blowing agent in consumption in rigid foams 12

The layout diagram of the refrigerator with PCM

21

Gang Chart

23

List of Table

Table No
1

Table Name
Month wise plan of work

Page No
22

NOMENCLATURE
Symbol
Atm
CFCs
COP
GWP
h
hfg
HCFCs
HCs
HFCs
ODP
P
PI
Pr
RE
SVFR
T
VRC
VCC
W

Meaning
atmosphere
chlorofluorocarbons
coefficient of performance
global warming potential
enthalpy, kg kJ-1
latent heat of condensation, kJ kg-1
hydro chlorofluorocarbons
hydrocarbons
hydro fluorocarbons
ozone depletion potential
pressure, MPa
Power input (kW)
Pressure ratio
refrigerating effect, kJ kg-1
suction vapour flow per kW of refrigeration, L s-1
temperature, C or K
volumetric refrigerating capacity, kJ m-3
Volumetric cooling capacity(kJ/m3)
isentropic compression work, kNm kg-1

ABSTRACT
In developing countries like India there exists a widespread general problem of frequent
power cuts, which gives rise to spoilage of perishable items such as medicine and food
stuff due to lack of a passive cold retention system.. Moreover, there exists the pressing
need of the hour to incorporate ecofriendly practices from the grass root level, while at
the same time conserving energy and increasing efficiency.
The aim of the project is to tackle this problem by developing a domestic refrigerator
system capable of maintaining the cooling effect for more than 15 hours without use of
electrical power and being compact as well as cost-effective. Second objective is to
reduce

the

global

warming

potential

caused

by

HFC

refrigerant,

R134a

(Tetrafluoroethane), being used currently. The theoretical and experimental analysis of

certain litres capacity domestic refrigerator using R290 (Propane) and R600 (Butane)
blend as a refrigerant will be carried out by replacing R134a. The performance of the
refrigerator using R290 and R600 blend as refrigerant will be analyzed and will be
compared with the performance when R134a used as refrigerant. The refrigerator
performance will be simulated with CoolPack software for cooling capacity and
refrigerant charge.

1. INTRODUCTION
In nature, heat transfer occurs from the region of higher temperature to lower temperature
without requiring any external devices. The reverse process cannot occur by itself. The
transfer of heat from lower temperature to higher temperature requires special devices
called refrigerators. Refrigerator works on Vapour compression refrigeration Cycle.
Vapour compression refrigeration system is a system which is used to transfer heat from
low temperature energy reservoir to the high temperature reservoir by the use of working
fluid known as a refrigerant. It is a system which uses the high grade energy results in the
increase of coefficient of performance. Vapour compression refrigeration system which
consists of certain parts such as Compressor, Evaporator, and Condenser and Expansion
svalve. It has smaller size for the given capacity of refrigeration. This refrigeration
system can be employed Over a large range of temperature and the coefficient of
performance of this refrigeration system is quite high. To further increase the coefficient
of performance, the PCM (Phase change material) can be used in the evaporator and to
get the lowest temperature of evaporator the PCM can also be used. It has the main
advantage that it has the less running cost.
1.1 Introduction to Vapour Compression Refrigeration System
Vapour compression refrigeration system is the most commonly used among all
refrigeration systems. In this system, the working fluid is mentioned in the state of liquid
and vapour. It must readily evaporate and condense or change alternately between the
vapour and liquid phase without leaving the system. Figure 1 illustrates the main
components of the vapour compression refrigeration system namely compressor,
condenser, expansion device, and evaporator. The refrigerant vapour at low temperature
and low pressure enters the compressor (state 1) where it is compressed isentropically to
high temperature and high pressure. The high temperature refrigerant vapour then enters
the condenser (state 2) where it is condensed to high pressure liquid.

Fig 1. Vapour Compression Refrigeration System

The high pressure liquid refrigerant then enters into expansion device (state 3) where its
pressure is decreased. Ultimately the liquid refrigerant will attain lower temperature. This
low temperature liquid refrigerant absorbs the latent heat from the evaporator (state 4)
undergoes phase change to vapour state. This high temperature vapour refrigerant then
sucked by the compressor and the cycle continues which keeps the temperature in the
evaporator much below the atmospheric temperature. In some cases flash chamber is
used after the expansion device which separates the vapour refrigerant from the liquid
and sends it to compressor inlet.
1. 2 Thermal Energy Storage
In order to hybridize a VCC system, an appropriate energy storage medium must be
introduced. Thermal energy storage (TES) is the medium by which energy is stored
within a VCC system and has been labeled "one of the most important advanced energy
technologies. TES units can be constructed using a variety of different shapes and can
store sensible or latent thermal energy. In general latent heat TES units store greater
amounts of thermal energy than sensible units due to the greater capacity heat storage
through phase change materials (PCMs). Good reviews of literature concerning possible

options for PCMs as well as over view of modeling methods and applications. Previous
research has been performed hybridizing VCC systems for building applications. This
research has utilized passive latent TES units which peak shave high demand periods by
charging a large PCM tank during periods of low energy demand, active sensible TES
units which actively manage a large tank of chilled fluid during a duty cycle, or active
latent TES charged by a dedicated chiller in conjunction with passive building
capacitance TES. Simple models are used to describe these systems which use either a
single lumped capacitance approach or a stratified approach, which separates a large TES
tank into two temperature regions with a very large gradient in between. Limited research
has been performed hybridizing refrigerated transportation systems, although it has been
identified as a promising choice for reducing energy consumption in such systems. One
study explored cooling a cargo space experimentally utilizing a large onboard passive
TES tank that is charged while the vehicle is at rest. While novel, It would be possible to
reduce the size of this unit by including the refrigeration system onboard powered by the
main engine Lo actively manage the state or charge. Additionally, there is very little
mention modeling in this or any refrigerated transport work. In order to better aid the
design of both standalone TES units and hybridized VCC systems, the current work
focuses on developing generalizable and detailed thermal model of a hybrid VCC system
with an active TES unit. This work focuses primarily on applications to systems with
highly transient loadings. A prime example of such an application is refrigerated
transport; however the strategies and models can be applied to hybridize any VCC
system.
1.3 Phase Change Material
Any type of materials to be used for PCM in TES systems should have high latent heat
and high thermal conductivity. They should have a melting/freezing temperature lying in
the practical range of operation, melt/freeze congruently within minimum sub cooling
and be chemically stable, non-toxic, less costly and non-corrosive.[5]
1.3.1 Working of PCM:

The external heat supplied to a PCM is used up in breaking the internal bonds of lattice
and thereby it absorbs a large amount of latent heat at phase changing temperature. Now,
when the PCM cools down, temperature goes below phase change temperature (known as
sub-cooling or under-cooling) to overcome the energy barrier required for nucleation of
second phase. Once phase reversal starts, temperature of PCM rises (due to release of
latent heat) and subsequent phase reversal takes place at phase change temperature by
releasing back the latent heat to environment. Requirement of sub-cooling or undercooling for phase reversal is an significant property of PCM governing its applicability in
particular application. Latent heat of PCM is many orders higher than the specific heat of
materials. Therefore PCM can store 2-3 times more heat or cold per mass or by volume
than heat can be stored as sensible heat in water. As heat exchange takes place in narrow
temperature range the phenomenon can also be used for temperature smoothening.
1.3.2 PCM Classification
Figure 2 shows the varieties of phase change heat storage materials: divided as organic
and inorganic materials. Organic materials are further classified as paraffin and
nonparaffins. (fatty acids, eutectics, and mixtures). Experiments (melting and freezing
cycles) using these materials showed that they crystallize with little or no sub cooling and
are usually non-corrosive and very stable.

Fig.2 Phase Change Material classification [10]

Inorganic materials are further classified as compounds and eutectics. Main inorganic
materials are salts, salt hydrates, aqueous solutions and water. Salt hydrates may be
regarded as alloys of inorganic salts and water forming a typical crystalline solid of
general formula Mn.H2O. The solidliquid transformation of salt hydrates is actually a
dehydration of hydration of the salt, although this process resembles melting or freezing
thermodynamically. A salt hydrates usually melts to either to a salt hydrate with fewer
moles of water or to its anhydrous form. At the melting point the hydrate crystals breakup
into anhydrous salt and water, or into a lower hydrate and water. One problem with most
salt hydrates is that of incongruent melting caused by the fact that the released water of
crystallization is not sufficient to dissolve all the solid phase present. Due to density
difference, the lower hydrate (or anhydrous salt) settles down at the bottom of the
container. The most attractive properties of salt hydrates are: high latent heat of fusion per
unit volume, relatively high thermal conductivity (almost double of the paraffins), and
Small volume changes on melting. They are not very corrosive, compatible with plastics
and only slightly toxic. Many salt hydrates are sufficiently inexpensive for the use in
storage. The drawbacks of these PCM are incongruent melting, irreversible meltingfreezing cycle, poor nucleating properties, supercooling and phase segregation.

Metallic includes the low melting metals and metal eutectics. Because of its larger
weight, metallics are not of prime importance However, when volume is a consideration,
they are likely candidates because of the high heat of fusion per unit volume. They have
high thermal conductivities. A major difference between the metallic and other PCMs is
their high thermal conductivity. Some of the features of these materials are low heat of
fusion per unit weight, high heat of fusion per unit volume, high thermal conductivity,
low specific heat and relatively low vapor pressure.
A eutectic is a minimum-melting composition of two or more components, each of which
melts and freeze congruently forming a mixture of the component crystals during
crystallization. Eutectic always melts and freezes without segregation since they freeze to
an intimate mixture of crystals, leaving little opportunity for the components to separate.
On melting both components liquefy simultaneously, again with separation unlikely.
Organic materials are categorized as paraffin and non-paraffin materials. These materials
include congruent melting; means melt and freeze repeatedly without phase segregation
and consequent degradation of their latent heat of fusion.
Paraffin are chemically known as hydrocarbons which are generally found to be as wax at
room temperature whereas non-paraffin encompasses fatty acids, glycols, esters and
alcohols etc. Paraffin consists of a mixture of mostly straight chain n-alkanes CH3
(CH2)CH3. The crystallization of the (CH3) - chain release a large amount of latent
heat. Both, the melting point and latent heat of fusion, increase with chain length.
Paraffin qualifies as heat of fusion storage materials due to their availability in a large
temperature range. System-using paraffin usually has very long freezemelt cycle. Apart
from some several favorable characteristic of paraffin, such as congruent melting and
good nucleating properties, they show some undesirable properties such as low thermal
conductivity, non- compatible with the plastic container and moderately flammable. All
these undesirable effects can be partly eliminated by slightly modifying the wax and the
storage unit. Non-paraffin materials are flammable and should not be exposed to
excessively high temperature, flames or oxidizing agents.

Some of the features of these organic materials are high heat of fusion, inflammability,
low thermal conductivity, low flash points, varying level of toxicity, and instability at
high temperatures.
Fatty acids have high heat of fusion values comparable to that of paraffins. Fatty acids
also show reproducible melting and freezing behavior and freeze with no supercooling.
The general formula describing all the fatty acid is given by CH3(CH2)2n COOH Their
major drawback, however, is their cost, which are 22.5 times greater than that of
technical grade paraffins. They are also mild corrosive. Some fatty acids are of interest
to low temperature latent heat thermal energy storage applications.
By far the best-known PCM is water. It has been used for cold storage for more than 2000
years. Today, cold storage with ice is state of the art and even cooling with natural ice and
snow is used again. For temperatures below 0 C, usually water-salt solutions with a
eutectic composition are used.

Fig.3. Classes of materials that can be used as PCM and their typical range of melting
temperature and melting enthalpy [10]
Several material classes cover the temperature range from -100 C to about 130 C.
Paraffins, fatty acids, and sugar alcohols are organic materials. Salt hydrates are salts
with a large and defined amount of crystal water. Clathrates are crystalline structures in
which molecules of one type are enclosed in the crystal lattice of another. Clathrate is
also recognized as a gas hydrate when the enclosed molecule is from a gas and the
surrounding crystal structure is water. They cover a temperature range from about 0 C to
30 C. At temperatures above 150 C, different salts and their mixtures can be applied.
Eutectic water-salt solutions have melting temperatures below 0 C, because the adding
up of the salt decreases the melting temperature, and usually good storage density.
Eutectic compositions solidify simultaneously out of the liquid at the freezing point.
Therefore, none of the phases can be separated and sink down due to density difference.
Also the eutectic compositions show a melting temperature and good storage density. The
thermal conductivity of eutectic water-salt solutions is similar to that of water and they
can subcool like water. Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol resists freezing. When
dissolved in water glycols disrupt hydrogen bonding when dissolved in water. Pure
glycols freeze at about 12 C but when mixed with water molecules they form a solid
crystal structure and therefore the freezing point of the mixture is depressed considerably.
The minimum freezing point is observed when the ethylene glycol percent in water is
about 60%.
1.3.3 Desirable Properties of PCM
The desirable properties of PCM for its application in refrigeration systems are as
follows.
1. High latent heat of fusion per unit volume so that a lesser amount of material
stores a given amount of energy.

2. High specific heat that provides additional sensible heat storage effect and also
avoid sub-cooling.
3. High thermal conductivity so that the temperature gradient required for charging
the storage material is small.
4. High density so that a smaller container volume holds the material.
5. A melting point is desired operating temperature range.
6. The PCM should be non-poisonous, non-flammable and non-explosive
7. Reproducible phase change, also called cycling stability to use the storage
material as many times for storage and release of heat as required by an
application.
8. No corrosiveness.
9. Also, it should be economically viable to make the system cost effective.

1.4 Refrigerant, Air Conditioner, Heat Pump and Effect on Ozone Layer Depletion
Refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump applications represent the sector which is
the largest consumer of refrigerant chemicals. Estimates are difficult to give but as an
average for the developed countries share in electricity use is thought to be between 1020%.the economic impact of refrigeration technology is much more significant than
generally believed; 300 million tones or goods are continuously refrigerated. While the
yearly consumption of electricity may be huge, and where the investment in machinery
and equipment may approach 100000 million dollar. The value of the products treated by
refrigeration either alone will be four times this amount. This is one of the reasons that
economic impacts of the phase-out of refrigerant chemicals (such as CFCs in the past and
HCFCs in the foreseeable future) have been and still are difficult to estimate.
Refrigeration and air conditioning applications vary enormously in size and temperature
level. A domestic refrigerator has an electrical input between 60-140W and contains less
than 100-150 g of refrigerant, whereas industrial refrigeration and cold storage is
characterized by temperatures between -10 0 C and -40 C, with electrical inputs up to
several MW and refrigerant contents of many hundred kilograms. Air conditioning and
heat pumps may show evaporation temperatures between 0 C and 10 C, significantly
different from refrigeration applications and vary enormously in size and input.
It is clear that, to date, any technology using CFCs is globally out of date; however,
investment in HCFC technology is still subject to strategic considerations on the
availability of HCFCs, on the availability of replacement chemicals, on considerations on
greenhouse gas emissions from replacements, and above all, on economic aspects of
investments in certain equipment and on aspects of equipment operation. It is obvious;
however, that one will observe differences between developed and developing countries.
It is therefore may be not surprising to note that in the USA, the majority of the CFC
chillers has not been retrofitted and is still in operation, using recycled or may be
stockpiled CFC material. The process of selecting a refrigerant for the vapour
compression cycle is rather complex, since a large number of parameters need to be
investigated concerning their suitability for certain designs, including:

Thermodynamic and transport properties (performance),

Temperature ranges,

Pressure and pressure ratios,

Compressor requirements,

Material and oil compatibility,

Health, safety and flammability aspects,

Environmental parameters like ODP, GWP and Atmospheric life time.

Fig. 4 Emission reduction potentials [18]

In refrigeration applications direct GHG emissions can be reduced by 10% to 30%. For
the refrigeration sector as a whole, the Mitigation Scenario shows an overall direct
emission reduction of about 490 MtCO2-eq per year by 2015, with about 400 MtCO2-eq
per year predicted.
The first refrigerant used was ether, employed by Parkins in his hand operated vapour
compression machine. Ethyl Chloride (C2H5Cl) gave way to ammonia as early as in 1875.
At about the same time, sulpher dioxide (SO2) in 1874, methyl chloride (CH3CI) in 1878
and carbon dioxide (C02) in 1881, found application as refrigerants. During 1910-30
many new refrigerants such as N203, CH4, C2H6, C2H4, and C3H8 are employed for

medium and low temperature refrigeration. Hydrocarbons are however, found extremely
inflammable

di-chloromethane

(CH2Cl2),

dichloroethylene

(C2H2C12)

and

monobromomethane (CH3Br) are also used as refrigerants for centrifugal machines. A

grate breakthrough occurred in the field of refrigeration with the development of Freons
by E. I. Pont de Nemours & co. Freons are a series of the orinalid hydrocarbons,
generally known as fluorocarbons, derived from methane, ethane etc. As a base with
throrinne chlorine sometimes bromine in their molecule, these form a series of
refrigerants with a wide range of normal boiling points to satisfy the varied requirement
of different refrigerating machines. The presence of fluorine in the molecule makes the
compound non-toxic and imparts other desirable physical and physiological
characteristics. Plane has given individual most common inorganic refrigerants as
ammonia (NH3), water (H20) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Ammonia is used with
reciprocating and screw compressors in cold storages, ice plant, food refrigeration etc.
Water is used in water-lithium bromide absorption system and steel injector system only
for air conditioning. Carbon dioxide is used as dry ice in transport refrigeration.
Presently the most commonly used organic refrigerants are chlorofluoro derivatives of
CH4, and C2H6. The Fully halogenated ones with chlorine in their molecule chlorofluoro
carbon are referred to as CFCs. The five CFCs designated in the Montreal Protocol as
controlled substances are CFCs 11, 12, 113. 114 and 115. These are used as refrigerants
in vapour compression systems. CFCs 11, 12 and 114 are used as aerosol propellants,
CFCs 11, 12. 113 and 114 are used as physical blowing agents in the production of plastic
foams and CFC 113 is widely used as a solvent in the electronics industry.

Fig. 5 Breakdown of blowing agent use by type and country type [18]
At the point of discovery of the ozone hole in the early 1980s, virtually all of the
applications and product types listed above used CFCs as either a primary blowing agent
(rigid foams) or auxiliary blowing agent ( flexible foams). The total consumption of
CFCs by the foam sector in 1986 was approximately 250 ktonnes (165 ktonnes rigid; 85
ktonnes flexible). Blowing-agent use overall grew by a further 30% over the next 15
years, despite improved blowing efficiencies and reduced losses. In the meantime,
however, a variety of alternative blowing-agents have been evaluated and adopted. These
include HCFCs (as transitional substances), hydrocarbons, HFCs, methylene chloride (for
flexible foams) and various forms of CO2.

Fig. 6 Projected growth in blowing agent in consumption in rigid foams [18]

The regulated refrigerants and their ozone depleting potentials (ODP) are R-11 (1. 0), R12 (1. 0), R-113 (0. 8), R-114(1. 0) and R-115 (0. 6). Currently available refrigerants that
are not restricted by the protocol include R-22 besides the low temperature refrigerants
such as R-134a and R-503 and the flammable compounds like R-142b, R-152 and
anhydrous ammonia R717. Of the organic refrigerants currently R-508 dominates the
market and together represents more than 98% of the fluorocarbon refrigerants sold all
over the world.
The awareness to protect the environment from the harmful effects of CFCs has
motivated the refrigeration scientists and engineers to study alternative refrigerants to
replace the CFCs even in existing units. Attention will need to be paid more closely to
Montreal Protocol and the chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants that deplete the ozone layer.
Growing use of R-22 as a replacement for R-12 and R-502 could have unforeseen
implications for compressor operation. Jane Garstove and Stuart Lawson of the Copeland
Refrigeration Advice Group highlighted a potential source of trouble, as R-22 has
significantly higher latent heat than the refrigerants it is being used to replace. Therefore
significance of the proposed research work is to see how best it could be replaced by eco-

friendly refrigerant blend R-410A. The most intriguing challenge the refrigeration, air
conditioning and heat pump industry now facing is to ensure an easy transition from the
ozone depleting working fluids such as R-11, R-12, R12B, R-113, and R-114 to
environmentally friendly working fluids.
1.5 Global Warming Facts, Causes & Effect on Environment Due To Refrigerant
Global Warming is the increase of Earth's average surface temperature due to effect of
greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from
deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. This is a type of
greenhouse effect.
The most significant greenhouse gas is actually water vapor, not something produced
directly by humankind in significant amounts. However. Even slight increases in
atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (C02) can cause a substantial increase in
temperature.
Ammonia was the first refrigerant to be used on a large scale. It is efficient, but it is also
very toxic and flammable. That is why safer substitutes have often been preferred and
ammonia is now generally restricted to use with supervision by skilled personnel (for
example, cold stores, dairies. and breweries). However the systems to ensure safety
involve a 30% to 40% cost premium compared to using less dangerous fluids.
HCFCs were developed in parallel with CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and, together, they
provided the spectacular social development of safe, cheap and effective refrigeration.
HCFCs have a small effect on the ozone layer. They were labelled transitional
substances in 1990 and their production and use will be phased out. In 1990 their
contribution to greenhouse gas emissions was only 0. 5% of the total that year.
HFCs arc practically non-toxic and nonflammable, They can be used in a large number of
applications and equipment can he serviced and maintained by the large existing trained
base of installers. HFC present minimum risk, even in the case of an accidental leak.

They also offer very good energy performance. However, whilst they have no effect on
stratospheric or tropospheric ozone. They are greenhouse gases.
Hydrocarbons (LPG) are also efficient refrigeration fluids. However they are very
flammable, potentially explosive. And thus dangerous. In some countries, their use is
restricted or banned in public places and tall buildings. Hydrocarbons also contribute to
urban pollution as they trigger the generation of tropospheric ozone in the lower
atmosphere. Their global warming potential is low but safety requirements can increase
energy consumption and C02 emissions.
1. 6 Montreal Protocol & Kyoto Protocol
The Montreal Protocol, which was originally established in 1987, was created as a result
of the finding of the ozone hole over Antarctica by Rowland and Molina. They
discovered that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were the culprit of the ozone depletion. The
Montreal Protocol was to end the production of substances that deplete ozone, which
included the phasing out of CFCs. In 1990 almost all developed and developing countries
came together to join the global treaty of the Montreal Protocol, known formally as the
London Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
This treaty has been very effective especially due to the fact that it has instated a
ten year phase out of CFCs by developing countries, made possible through the
Multilateral Fund by the developed countries with insufficient funds for transitions. The
Montreal Protocol is also trying to phase out and curb more chemicals that are depleting
the ozone layer of our atmosphere. Due to all of these enforcements of the Montreal
Protocol, and the fact that it was agreed to by so many countries around the world, by
2009 CFC emissions were almost zero. CFCs and HFCs, though they deplete the ozone,
are also heat trapping pollutants. The phasing out of these chemicals has led to a greater
slowing of climate change.
On the other hand we have the Kyoto Protocol. While the Montreal Protocol was
established to phase out substances that deplete ozone, the Kyoto Protocol was set in

place to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, with the exception to ozone depleting
substances. The Kyoto Protocol. Established later than the Montreal Protocols for the
global reduction of carbon dioxide (C02) emissions, which has been heightened greatly
by car exhaust throughout the years. The reduction of C02 has been significantly smaller
per year in comparison to how quickly CFCs were phased out. There have been more
controversies between countries, developed and developing, that has slowed the reduction
of greenhouse gases.

2. LITRATURE REVIEW
Dalkilic and Wongwises [1] studied an ideal vapour compression refrigeration system
was used for the performance analysis of alternative new refrigerant mixtures as
substitutes for CFC12, HFC134a, and CFC22. Considering the comparison of
performance coefficients (COP) and pressure ratios of the tested refrigerants and also the
main environmental impacts of ozone layer depletion and global warming, refrigerant
blends of HC290/HC600a (40/60 by wt.%) and HC290/HC1270 (20/80 by wt.%) were
found to be the most suitable alternatives among refrigerants tested for R12 and R22
respectively. The refrigeration efficiency, the performance coefficient (COP) of the
system, increases with increasing evaporating temperature for a constant condensing
temperature in the analysis. Better performance coefficient values (COP) than those of
the nonsuperheating /subcooling case were obtained as a result of this optimization.
P.Thangavel, at al [2] analysed the Compression Refrigeration Cycle with Different
Refrigerants. In this analysis, the performance of compression cycle is assessed
theoretically with

different

refrigerants. In

compression

refrigeration

system,

hydrocarbon refrigerants such as R290 and R600a were considered as a refrigerant by

mixing of these at different mass fractions about 20%+80%, 25%+75%, 50%+50% and
75%+25% respectively. Various performance measures like compressor discharge
temperature, pressure ratio, volumetric cooling capacity (VCC), volumetric efficiency
and mass flow rate were analyzed. The results were compared with halogenated
refrigerants such as R134a, R12 for different condenser and evaporator temperatures.
Halogenated compounds are having direct environmental impacts in turns of ODP and
GWP. Among the hydrocarbon refrigerants group, the mixture of R290 and R600a at
concentration of 50% each has optimum performance in terms of higher refrigeration
effect, better heat transfer and COP.
A. Baskaran, P.Koshy Mathews [3] studied the performance comparison of VCRS using
Eco-friendly refrigerants having low GWP such as HFC-152a, HFC-32, HC-290, HC1270, HC-600a and RE-170. They compared the performance of those refrigerants with
R134a as possible alternative replacement. Their results showed that the alternative

refrigerants investigated in the analysis RE-170,R-152a and R-600a have a slightly higher
COP than R-134a for the Condensation temperature 50o C and Evaporating temperature
ranging between -30oC to 10oC. They also found that all of the investigated refrigerants
have much higher Refrigerating effect and isentropic compression work than R-134a.
M. Mohanraj, S. Jayraj, C. Muraleedharan, P. Chandrasekar [4] did experimental
investigation of R-290/R-600a mixture as an alternative to R-134a in domestic
refrigerator of 200 L capacity. They were used mixture R-290 /R-600a in weight
proportion of 45.2% /54.8%.They performed Continuous running test under different
ambient temperatures of 240C, 280C, 320C,380C and 430C.Their overall performance
has proved that the above hydrocarbon refrigerant mixture could be the best long term
alternative to phase out R-134a.
Azzouz K et al [5]. carried out experimental investigation to investigate the performance
of a household refrigerator using a phase change material (PCM). The PCM is located on
the back side of the evaporator in order to improve its efficiency and to provide a storage
capacity allowing several hours of refrigeration without power supply. The system has
been tested with water and with a eutectic mixture (freezing point 3 C) and for a range
of operating conditions (PCM thickness, ambient temperature, thermal load). The
analysis or the results shows a significant improvement of the performance compared to a
conventional system with a 10 to 30% increase in COP depending On thermal load and
type or PCM used.
D. Ledueq et al [6]. published a research document which provides an overview of the
efforts of the FRISBEE project in Europe which aims to use thermal energy storage in the
form of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) to bring about innovation and improvement in
the cold chain industry. An advanced controller taking into account the quality, energy
use and environmental impacts is developed. Based on the generic principle of predictive
controller, this controller determines an optimal control strategy on a daily period taking
advantage of the thermal energy storage capacity. The researchers build upon the results
of Azzouz et al. and conclude that by using a predictive control approach and phase
change material in refrigeration systems, previous experiments show significant

enhancements on energy consumption. By anticipating on the refrigeration demand,

taking into account foreseeable scenarios, using criteria such as quality of the product and
energy performance, implementing a predictive control approach and thermal energy
storage devices, the FRISBEE project allows to develop an innovative and safer approach
of controlling the refrigerating systems involved in the food cold chain application.
Marques et al [7] used Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to characterize the airflow
and temperature distribution in a natural convection thermal energy storage refrigerator.
The model compared the household refrigerator temperature stability with different phase
change materials (PCM) incorporated into the storage compartment. Scenarios
investigated included the PCM' orientation, temperature and compartment designs. The
results suggested that a horizontal PCM configuration produces lower compartment
temperatures than a vertical configuration. The temperature distribution with a horizontal
PCM was tested experimentally and the results were in agreement with the CFD
predictions. Both the simulation and the experimental results suggest that a eutectic with
a phase change temperature below 0C must be employed to maintain the compartment
temperature within acceptable limits. The model indicated that combining horizontal and
vertical PCMs in a full height compartment or dividing the same compartment into two
drawers with a horizontal PCM configuration for each drawer are feasible design options
for the household thermal storage refrigerator.
E. Oro, L. Miro et al [8] improved the thermal performance of commercial freezers using
phase change materials (PCMs) under door openings and electrical power failure. A
commercial PCM was selected with a melting temperature of 18 C, which is contained
in 10 mm thick stainless steel panels placed different locations in the freezer. During 3
hours of electrical power failure. The use of PCM maintained the freezer temperature 4-6
C lower and that of the frozen products remains at acceptable levels for much longer
time. With frequent door openings the benefit of the PCM is evident when the
temperature of the cabinet is near the melting temperature of the PCM.

Sattar, M. A. et al [9]. Assessed the possibility of using hydrocarbon refrigerant blend in

domestic refrigeration systems. A domestic refrigerator designed to work with R-134a
was used as a test unit to assess the possibility of using hydrocarbons and their blends as
refrigerant. Pure butane, isobutene and mixture of propane, butane and isobutene were
used as refrigerants, The performance of the refrigerator using hydrocarbons as
refrigerants was investigated and compared with. The performance of refrigerator when
R-134a was used as refrigerant. The effect of condenser temperature and evaporator
temperature on COP, refrigerating effect, condenser duty, work compression and heat
rejection ratio were investigated. The energy consumption or the refrigerator during
experiment with hydrocarbons and R-134a was measured. The results show that the
compressor consumed 3 % and 2% less energy than that of HFC-134a at 28 C ambient
temperature when iso-butane and butane was used as refrigerants respectively. The
energy consumption and COP or hydrocarbons and their blends shows that hydrocarbon
can be used as refrigerant in the domestic refrigerator. The COP and other result obtained
in this experiment show a positive indication of using HC as refrigerants in domestic
refrigerator.
Summary of Literature Review
This papers study on the application of PCM to domestic refrigerators and feasibility of
R290, R600, and R290/R600 Blend as refrigerant. The research focused on the design
and operation of the thermal storage refrigerator aiming to improve the appliance
efficiency, temperature stability and energetic autonomy. To achieve the project goal first
the performance of a conventional refrigerator was analyzed, in particular the size and
efficiency of the compressor and its impact on the overall system performance. The
operation of the thermal storage refrigerator was investigated by estimating the PCM
melting and freezing time.
Several design options were simulated to identify the most effective PCM configuration
(horizontal or vertical) and phase change temperature. A test rig was designed and
constructed to validate experimentally the theoretical models which predicted the

performance of the refrigerator with a horizontal PCM. The experimental results obtained
for a prototype refrigerator will be presented and discussed.

3. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM / OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this project work is to study and to develop a new Thermal Energy
storage (TES) system using Ethylene Glycol as PCM and R290/R600 blend as alternative
refrigerant for domestic refrigerator.
1. To develop vapour compression refrigeration system with R290/R600 blend as an
alternative refrigerant
2. To carry out the experimentation with PCM & without PCM
3. To investigate the feasibility of PCM in domestic refrigerator to maintain passive
cooling inside cabin
4. To validate Coolpack simulation results with experimental results
5. To observe temperature informality in cabin with PCM

4. METHODOLOGY
4.1 Experimental Setup
Experimental setup to carry out investigation on refrigerator performance will be as
follows,

Fig.7 The layout diagram of the refrigerator with PCM

The Experiment will consist of 2 stages lasting 4-6 hours each. First stage will be
completed without using PCM. Second stage with Ethylene glycol as PCM. The
experiment will scheduled on consecutive days to ensure less effect due to climate and
the experiment timing will be strictly followed to obtain any deviation. The weather
details will also be noted.
Material is kept inside PCM box. The double walled PCM box contains Ethylene glycol
in between and the box. The box is made of stainless steel to ensure maximum heat
transfer and not to react with Ethylene gylcol.
4.2 Simulation
Refrigerator performance parameters will be simulated using Coolpack software. The
simulation results obtained will be validated against obtained experimental results. The
conclusion will be made based upon the results.

5. MONTH WISE PLAN OF WORK

Table 1: Month wise plan of work

Period of Work

Proposed Work

15 July 15 Aug

Literature survey and deciding the broad research area

16 Aug 15 Oct

Literature review and defining problem statement

16 Oct 15 Nov

Defining objective and scope of the project, Collection of necessary

data

20Dec 15 Jan

Cost estimation and experimental setup preparation

16 Jan 15 Feb

Experimental reading, results, discussion

16 Feb 15 April

Simulation, Validation, conclusion

16 April
May

15

Project Stage-2, Dissertation writing, Submission of Dissertation

6. GANTT CHART

Fig 8. Gantt Chart

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