CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1

INTRODUCTION

Due to rapid industrialisation and human desire to have a high standard

of living and comfort, the energy demand has increased many folds. Therefore, ii
is essential to have a thorough understanding and appreciation of the existing state
of energy systems and their technologies. So far energy has been obtained enough
from fossil fuels to match the energy utilisation requirements. But the availability
of the fossil fuels will last only for few decades if the present trend of consumption
continues. Therefore, there is an urgent need to meet the energy demands through
new technologies and from other non conventional energy sources. This will allow
to conserve the fossil fuels and use them at limited quantities. To meet the growing
energy demands and to conserve the available fossil fuels, the challenges before the
researchers is to identify some alternate source of energy which are non fossil and
renewable in nature. It is well known that lot of electrical energy is utilised for
refrigeration and air conditioning.
energy

In developing countries like India, the

is utilised more for cold storage applications. In developed countries it

is mainly for comfort and air conditioning. Therefore, if any technology which
will reduce the energy consumption in refrigeration and air conditioning . is a
welcome one. further, the global warming due to ozone depletion forces to
strictly follow the environmental regulations and protocols. With this in mind,
while designing refrigeration system, the points to be kept in mind are. a) the

system should he able lo use env ironment friendly- refrigerants and b) it should he
capable o! using non-conventional energy or renewable energy as a power source
lor operation.

So the researchers are turning to harness the energy from alternative

sources such as solar, geothermal, tidal, wind energy and also to exploit the low
grade industrial waste heat, which are otherwise wasted. Solar energy is readily
available and can be obtained by using a flat plate solar collector . In the category
of renewable energy, the heat rejected from the power plant engines, automobile
cooling and exhaust system can be tapped as a heat source . Out of this, solar
energy has many advantages such as availability in abundance and non polluting
etc...

So. much focus is given to the solar energy as the alternative source of

energy. Though technically feasible to run the refrigeration plants with the nonconventional energy sources or alternative and renewable energy sources, the
economic feasibility of some of the cooling system is still far away.

There are many applications where a simultaneous need for cooling and
heating exists. 1 ike textile industries, chemical plants and food processing plants.
Ejector refrigeration system cascaded with a heat pump system will be able to
meet both refrigeration and heating load demands. The heat which is rejected in
the condenser ol a ejector refrigeration system can be boosted to a high grade heat
by an vapour compression refrigeration cycle with out much expenditure.

So

lot

of potential

are

there

Refrigeration Svstem utilising eco-friendly

to

study

and

develop

Ejector

refrigerant and operated on low

grade heat source viz. Solar, exhaust gas of

IC engine etc.. Further the

feasibilm of operation of the above system in conjunction with heal pump for
both refrigeration and heatimi need of manv industries can also be studied.

1.2

REFRIGERATION CYCLES

The various refrigeration cvcles which are in use are shown in Fia.l

Refrigeration Cycle

Thermodynamic
Processes

Thermoelectric
Processes

Thermo Magnetic
Processes

-------------------------------- 1

t___________
Gas Cvcle

Vapour Cycle

Vapour
Compression
Cvcle

Sorption
C vcle

Ejector
Cvcle

Stirling Cold Air Vortex Tube

Cycle
Cycle
Pulsating Tube
Other Processes

Fig. 1.1 Basic Refrigeration Cycle

Of these processes, the widely used refrigeration process is vapour

compression cycle because of its compactness, the availability of full design data
and

also due to availability of components in the open market.

But it has the

following disadvantages.

a)

1 he most of the refrigerant used is not ozone friendly .

b)

The

power

compressor

is

required to

compress

the

refrigerant by

the

t-rom the environmental point ofwew. it is therefore necessan to find a

suitable refrigerant which do not have Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP). I wen if
we find an refrigerant which has zero ODP and can be used

in the vapour

compression refrigeration (VCR) plant, to run the compressor, large units of

electricit} is needed For producing this large units of electricit} one has to depend
on fossil fuels.

This electricity can also be produced from the non conventional

energy sources to power the VCR system but the system becomes bulk} and capital
expenditure is much larger. So. it is necessary to find a refrigeration system .

a)

which is compact

b)

which will not consume an} electricit} or will consume very little
electrical energy

c)

which will use environment-friendly refrigerant

d)

which will use non conventional energ} sources to power the

s\ stem

There are basically two types of refrigeration system which are operated
utilizing low grade heat. One is the vapour absorption refrigeration system and the
other is vapour jet refrigeration system.

The water lithium bromide absorption

cycle and the ammonia-water absorption cycle are already in use. These system
uses low grade energ} for their power source. Open cycle vapour jet refrigeration
system using water as refrigerant is in use commercial!} as steam jet refrigeration
system. But it has its own limitations. Sub zero cooling is not feasible with steam
jet refrigeration system. Of this lot of research is being done on the absorption
refrigeration cycle and many literatures are available about this system.

Bui this has the following disadvantages

a) System is slightly bulky

hi Combination of two working fluids only can be used

But the ejector refrigeration system has the following advantages.

a)

more compact

b)

environmental friendly refrigerants can be used in its pure form

c!

no oil mixing is necessary

d)

very little electrical energy is necessary to run the refrigerant

pump.

e)

waste heat energy can used in the generator to vaporise the

refrigerant.

Though steam jet refrigeration is in use commercially not many

literatures are available about the behaviour of Eco-friendly refrigerants and the
behaviour of ejector in the ejector refrigeration system. Hence lot of potentials are
there to study and develop a Ejector Refrigeration System (ERS) using a non
conventional energy source and environment friendly refrigerant.

The search for alternate means of cooling therefore centres about the use
of low grade thermal energy to power the cooling system to reduce energy cost.
The low grade energy not only available in abundance from sun. but also from
every combustion process since heat must be rejected to a low temperature
reservoir from any power cycle.

Heat is rejected to the surrounding from the

condenser of a steam turbine generator.

Similarly heat is rejected to the

environment from the exhaust gas of an IC engine and flue gas of a boiler.

Hence, objective of this stud} is to develop an I sector refrigeration

cycle using a not conventional energv source such as solar energ}. geothermal
energy Low grade waste heat from 1C hngine Hxhaust Gas . 1C hngme cooling
water and heat being wasted in the industn after a process. Also to design and
operate an Hjector refrigeration system which can run on low grade heat from
60C to 95"C using environment friendly refrigerant. Therefore,

to achieve the

objectives steps to be taken are:

a)

Stud} the behaviour of various refrigerants which are environment

friend!}.

b)

Select the most suitable refrigerant for ejector refrigeration system.

c)

Carr} out the thermodynamic analysis of the ejector system

d)

Designing of the ejector refrigeration system based on the theoretical

analysis

e)

fabricating and assembling of the system and various components

associated with the ejector refrigeration system.

f)

[experimental analysis of the system with the selected environment

friend!v refrigerants.

g)

Optimisation of the system