CHAPTER 2: RELATED

BANANA COLD STORAGE LITERATURE

2.1 Introduction

The introduction of refrigeration dates back to the prehistoric era. It was the
caveman who started realizing that the food caught from the jungle could be preserved
in the best of its’ state only when stored in packed ice or caves. During the warmer
months when there was a shortage of cool temperature and snow, ice was harvested
from rivers and lakes in order to keep food items in consumable state. New York was
the first known state to start shipment of ice to further locations. However, the problem
faced was that ice shipment did not arrive frequently. The later years saw introduction of
chemicals such as potassium nitrate and sodium in order to keep food under cool
temperatures.

As soon as the requirement for refrigeration was realized, industries associated

with breweries and meat-packing started using the latest and unique method of
preserving a product’s desired temperature. Expert compressing machines were
installed at their plants. These machines were useful in eliminating heat from a
substance, thereby keeping the perishable items in a safe and consumable state.

A refrigeration system utilizes work supplied by an electric motor to transfer heat

from a space to be cooled to a high temperature sink (place to be heated). Low
temperature boiling fluids called refrigerants absorb thermal energy to get vaporized in
the evaporator causing a cooling effect in the region being cooled. While comparing the
advantages and disadvantages of various cooling systems, two most important
parameters, the operating temperature and the coefficient of performance are of vital
importance in these systems. These systems can be evaluated using energy and
energy analyses which are based on first and second law of thermodynamics,
respectively and have been described in the previous chapter in detail. An extensive
review of the literature has been done on different refrigeration and heat pump systems
in present chapter. The main idea was to have possible future direction of research. The
literature review has been classified as under:

1. Vapor Absorption Refrigeration Systems

2. Vapor Compression Refrigeration System

The major difference between the two systems is the method of the suction and
compression of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle. In the vapor compression
system, the compressor sucks the refrigerant from evaporator and compresses it to the
high pressure. The compressor also enables the flow of the refrigerant through the
whole refrigeration cycle. In the vapor absorption cycle, the process of suction and

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compression are carried out by two different devices called as the absorber and the
generator. Thus the absorber and the generator replace the compressor in the vapor
absorption cycle. The absorbent enables the flow of the refrigerant from the absorber to
the generator by absorbing it.

Another major difference between the vapor compression and vapor absorption
cycle is the method in which the energy input is given to the system. In the vapor
compression system the energy input is given in the form of the mechanical work from
the electric motor run by the electricity. In the vapor absorption system the energy input
is given in the form of the heat. This heat can be from the excess steam from the
process or the hot water. The heat can also be created by other sources like natural
gas, kerosene, heater etc. though these sources are used only in the small systems.

2.2 Vapor Absorption Refrigeration Systems

The vapor absorption refrigeration system comprises of all the processes in the
vapor compression refrigeration system like compression, condensation, expansion and
evaporation. In the vapor absorption system the refrigerant used is ammonia, water or
lithium bromide. The refrigerant gets condensed in the condenser and it gets
evaporated in the evaporator. The refrigerant produces cooling effect in the evaporator
and releases the heat to the atmosphere via the condenser.

CONDENSER
Just like in the traditional condenser of the vapor compression cycle, the refrigerant
enters the condenser at high pressure and temperature and gets condensed. The
condenser is of water cooled type.

EXPANSION VALVE OR RESTRICTION

when the refrigerant passes through the expansion valve, its pressure and temperature
reduces suddenly. This refrigerant (ammonia in this case) then enters the evaporator.

EVAPORATOR
The refrigerant at very low pressure and temperature enters the evaporator and
produces the cooling effect. In the vapor compression cycle this refrigerant is sucked by
the compressor, but in the vapor absorption cycle, this refrigerant flows to the absorber
that acts as the suction part of the refrigeration cycle.

ABSORBER
The absorber is a sort of vessel consisting of water that acts as the absorbent, and the
previous absorbed refrigerant. Thus the absorber consists of the weak solution of the
refrigerant (ammonia in this case) and absorbent (water in this case). When ammonia

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from the evaporator enters the absorber, it is absorbed by the absorbent due to which
the pressure inside the absorber reduces further leading to more flow of the refrigerant
from the evaporator to the absorber. At high temperature water absorbs lesser
ammonia, hence it is cooled by the external coolant to increase it ammonia absorption
capacity.

The initial flow of the refrigerant from the evaporator to the absorber occurs because the
vapor pressure of the refrigerant-absorbent in the absorber is lower than the vapor
pressure of the refrigerant in the evaporator. The vapor pressure of the refrigerant-
absorbent inside the absorbent determines the pressure on low-pressure side of the
system and also the vaporizing temperature of the refrigerant inside the evaporator. The
vapor pressure of the refrigerant-absorbent solution depends on the nature of the
absorbent, its temperature and concentration.

When the refrigerant entering in the absorber is absorbed by the absorbent its volume
decreases, thus the compression of the refrigerant occurs. Thus absorber acts as the
suction part of the compressor. The heat of absorption is also released in the absorber,
which is removed by the external coolant.

PUMP
When the absorbent absorbs the refrigerant strong solution of refrigerant-absorbent
(ammonia-water) is formed. This solution is pumped by the pump at high pressure to
the generator. Thus pump increases the pressure of the solution to about 10bar.

GENERATOR
The refrigerant-ammonia solution in the generator is heated by the external source of
heat. This is can be steam, hot water or any other suitable source. Due to heating the
temperature of the solution increases. The refrigerant in the solution gets vaporized and
it leaves the solution at high pressure. The high pressure and the high temperature
refrigerant then enters the condenser, where it is cooled by the coolant, and it then
enters the expansion valve and then finally into the evaporator where it produces the
cooling effect. This refrigerant is then again absorbed by the weak solution in the
absorber.

When the vaporized refrigerant leaves the generator weak solution is left in it. This
solution enters the pressure reducing valve and then back to the absorber, where it is
ready to absorb fresh refrigerant. In this way, the refrigerant keeps on repeating the
cycle.

The pressure of the refrigerant is increased in the generator, hence it is considered to

be equivalent to the compression part of the compressor.

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Fig. 2.2.1 VAPOR ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION SYSTEM

2.3 Vapor Compression Refrigeration Systems

Vapor Compression Refrigeration System is comparatively cheaper than Vapor

Absorption System. There are three types of Vapor Compression systems available
depending upon the cooling arrangements in the storage rooms i.e., diffuser type,
bunker type and fin coil type. Diffuser type is comparatively costlier and is selected only
when the storage room heights are low. The operational cost of such units is also
higher. Bunker type is the cheapest and is preferred when storage room heights
normally exceeds 11.5 m. Its operational cost is also low. Fin coil type, although about
5% costlier than the bunker type, is very energy efficient with low operational cost and
higher space availability for storage of produce. Such system is used for units with room
heights of 5.4m onwards. In a refrigeration system, refrigerants are used to pick up
heat by evaporation at a lower temperature and pressure from the storage space and
give up the heat by condensation at a higher temperature and pressure in a condenser.
Freon used to be a common refrigerant but as it causes environmental degradation; its
use is going to be banned by the year 2008. Therefore, Ammonia is being increasingly
used and preferred for horticultural and plantation produce in cold storage units.
Although several types of compressors and condensers are available, medium speed
reciprocating compressors and atmospheric condensers are preferred because of the
relatively lower cost, energy efficiency and ease in maintenance. While selecting size of
the equipment, care should be taken to assess all loads and proper provision should be

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made to take care of the peak demand during summer loading and aging of the
equipment.

Heat load factors normally considered in a cold storage design are:

1. Wall, floor and ceiling heat gains due to conduction

2. Wall and ceiling heat gains from solar radiation

3. Load due to ingression of air by frequent door openings and during fresh air charge.

4. Product load from incoming goods

5. Heat of respiration from stored product

6. Heat from workers working in the room

7. Cooler fan load

8. Light load

9. Aging of equipment

10. Miscellaneous loads, if any

The Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle involves four components: compressor,

condenser, expansion valve/throttle valve and evaporator.

It is a compression process, whose aim is to raise the refrigerant pressure, as it flows

from an evaporator. The high-pressure refrigerant flows through a condenser/heat
exchanger before attaining the initial low pressure and going back to the evaporator. A
more detailed explanation of the steps is as explained below.

STEP 1: COMPRESSION

The refrigerant enters the compressor at low temperature and low pressure. It is in a
gaseous state. Here, compression takes place to raise the temperature and refrigerant
pressure. The refrigerant leaves the compressor and enters to the condenser. Since this
process requires work, an electric motor may be used. Compressors themselves can be
scroll, screw, centrifugal or reciprocating types.

STEP 2: CONDENSATION

The condenser is essentially a heat exchanger. Heat is transferred from the refrigerant
to a flow of water. This water goes to a cooling tower for cooling in the case of water-

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cooled condensation. Note that seawater and air-cooling methods may also play this
role. As the refrigerant flows through the condenser, it is in a constant pressure.

One cannot afford to ignore condenser safety and performance. Specifically, pressure
control is paramount for safety and efficiency reasons. There are several pressure-
controlling devices to take care of this requirement.

STEP 3: THROTTLING AND EXPANSION

When the refrigerant enters the throttling valve, it expands and releases pressure.
Consequently, the temperature drops at this stage. Because of these changes, the
refrigerant leaves the throttle valve as a liquid vapor mixture, typically in proportions of
around 75 % and 25 % respectively.

Throttling valves play two crucial roles in the vapor compression cycle. First, they
maintain a pressure differential between low- and high-pressure sides. Second, they
control the amount of liquid refrigerant entering the evaporator.

STEP 4: EVAPORATION

At this stage of the Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle, the refrigerant is at a lower
temperature than its surroundings. Therefore, it evaporates and absorbs latent heat of
vaporization. Heat extraction from the refrigerant happens at low pressure and
temperature. Compressor suction effect helps maintain the low pressure.

There are different evaporator versions in the market, but the major classifications are
liquid cooling and air cooling, depending whether they cool liquid or air respectively.

Fig. 2.3.1 Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle

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PROBLEMS IN THE VAPOR COMPRESSION CYCLE

The Coefficient of Performance (COP) expresses the efficiency of this cycle. Knowing
that the aim of the refrigerator is heat removal and that this process requires work, the
COP of the cycle becomes:

Where “h” is the enthalpy in the system.

SOME OF THE VAPOR COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION CYCLE PROBLEMS

THAT MAY AFFECT THIS VALUE ARE:

COMPRESSOR LEAKAGE/FAILURE

The failure of an industrial refrigeration compressor can be expensive affair to the

company and damaging to the manufacturer’s reputation. Often, manufacturers will tear
down returned compressors in search faults. Over years of studies, some common

reasons for compressor failure have been identified to include lubrication problems,
overheating, slugging, flood back and contamination.

FOULING – EVAPORATOR AND CONDENSER

Fouling is any insulator hinders transfer between the water and the refrigerant. It could
result from algae growth, sedimentation, scale formation or slime. As this problem
increases head pressure, it can lead to increased energy use by the compressor. Keep
the evaporator surface and condenser tubes clean. Water treatment practices need to
be on point to keep this problem at bay.

MOTOR COOLING

The motor is easily the highest energy consumer in the vapor compression cycle. Most
times when efficiency drops in this device, it is because of a cooling problem. Many
issues could lead to this- blocked air filters, dirty air passages etc. Regular checks of the
chiller logs should unearth any anomaly, specifically the comparison between amperage
and voltage.

LIQUID LINE RESTRICTION

If you are a refrigeration technician and you encounter low evaporator pressure, one of
the areas to check is the liquid line, specifically for any form of restriction. Many other
symptoms could point to the problem that affects the system enthalpy as shown by the
following examples:

1. Abnormally high discharge temperature

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2. Low current draw

3. High superheats

4. Low condensing pressures

5. Local frost close to the restriction

6. Bubbles in sight glass

In commercial cooling, liquid line restriction can degrade cooling capacity of the system
by as much as 50%. Diagnosis of this problem does not to be fancy, as an experienced
technician can tell something is not okay by just checking the system history or
checking visually. If you are not acquainted with the system, you may need to conduct a
few tests to pinpoint the issue.

The first one is temperature drop test, which is done at all points likely to develop
restriction. You could also perform a freeze test if finding the exact point becomes
troublesome. This test comes in handy when you suspect several components such as
evaporator, feeder tubes and metering device.

Thermal imaging has to be the most advanced and reliable method of identifying liquid
line restriction. It gives real time results that help you identify the problem as shown by
temperature changes.

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