Refrigeration & Equipment Engineering

Unit 2 - Refrigeration Systems

2.5.Vapour compression refrigeration system

Vapour compression refrigeration system is also called mechanical refrigeration system. In this system compressor is used for producing mechanical energy by which system work is completed.

Working of vapour compression refrigeration system
The refrigerant stored in the receiver at high pressure is released through controlling valves to the evaporator coils. The controlling valves reduces high pressure of the liquid refrigerant to low pressure and releases inside the evaporator coils. The low pressure liquid refrigerant under expansion form is passes through the entire evaporator coils. When the refrigerant liquid passing through the evaporator coils inside the cold storage it absorbs heat from the surroundings. Once the liquid absorbs heat it becomes vapour and passes through the evaporator coils and enters the suction side of the compressor. In the compressor, when vacuum is created inside the cylinder of the compressor it draws vapour from the suction side and compresses it to higher pressure and temperature. The increased pressure and temperature of the vapour refrigerant passes through the discharges line and enters the condenser coils. The condenser coils condenses the hot refrigerant vapour by air or water or both to refrigerant liquid. The refrigerant liquid from the end of the condenser coils enters the receiver.Thus the refrigerant after undergoing various phase changes comes back to its original state and thus completes the vapour compression refrigeration cycle.