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Modern Engineering Thermodynamics

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14.11 Commercial and Household Refrigerators 565<br />

Freezer<br />

compartment<br />

(single evaporator)<br />

Convective<br />

air flow<br />

Convective<br />

air flow<br />

Normal storage<br />

(Evaporator #1)<br />

Vegetable<br />

storage<br />

Condensing unit<br />

Convective<br />

air flow<br />

Freezer<br />

compartment<br />

(Evaporator #2)<br />

(a) Single-evaporator household<br />

refrigerator<br />

(b) Dual-evaporator household<br />

refrigerator<br />

FIGURE 14.23<br />

Illustration of (a) single-evaporator system and (b) dual-evaporator system.<br />

absorption refrigeration has no moving parts and operates from a heat source instead of a work source, it periodically<br />

attracts renewed attention. It is particularly attractive from an energy conservation point of view, since it<br />

can operate from waste heat or solar energy.<br />

Early vapor-compression and absorption household refrigerators had only one evaporator, located around the<br />

freezer compartment. Cooling of the remaining refrigeration space was produced by the natural convection of<br />

air passing around the outside of the freezer compartment. Many inexpensive portable refrigerators are still<br />

made this way today. The first true “dual-temperature” refrigerator, with separate freezer and refrigeration evaporation<br />

coils, appeared in 1939.<br />

In single-evaporator refrigerator-freezers, the evaporator temperature must be colder than the freezer temperature.<br />

A dual-evaporator refrigerator allows the pressure and temperature in the evaporators to be controlled separately.<br />

The fresh food evaporator is warmer than the freezer evaporator temperature, thus reducing the irreversibilities<br />

associated with the heat transfer.<br />

Also, in a single-evaporator system, humid air from the fresh food compartment comes in contact with the<br />

cold freezer evaporator, producing frost. When the dehumidified dry air is returned to the fresh food cabinet,<br />

it dries the food and reduces food quality. If the fresh food evaporator more closely matches the air temperature<br />

in the fresh food compartment, it dehumidifies the air less and builds up less frost. This decreases<br />

the need for defrosting with a heater and increases energy efficiency. Figure 14.23 illustrates these<br />

differences.<br />

EXAMPLE 14.9<br />

A new household refrigerator-freezer combination unit is being designed with the dual-evaporator system shown in<br />

Figures 14.23 and 14.24. The freezer compartment is to be at −18.0°C and the refrigerator compartment is to be at 4.00°C.<br />

The outlet of the condenser is at 30.0°C. The cooling capacities of both the refrigeration and the freezer compartments are<br />

to be 422 kJ/h each. The system uses refrigerant R-134a with a compressor isentropic efficiency of 80%. Determine<br />

a. The coefficient of performance for this design.<br />

b. The mass flow rate of refrigerant required.<br />

c. The quality at the outlet of the refrigeration evaporator.<br />

(Continued )

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