Design and Fabrication of a Refrigeration Demonstration Unit for Studying Condensation and Evaporation on Tube Surfaces

Abstract

Refrigeration plants in the food industry have a key role, yet are very energy-intensive, which poses a serious problem given the current steep rise of energy prices. In this framework, energy consumption minimization represents a paramount goal for plant managers, yet most are loathing to test new control strategies in real-life plants, lest normal operation be disrupted and food be spoiled as a consequence. It is now essential to look inward and design functional refrigeration trainers for production using locally sourced materials and technology because of the significance of refrigeration trainers in the applied thermodynamics laboratory, or the refrigeration and air-conditioning laboratory, as the case may be, and the extremely high cost of laboratory equipment imported from overseas. The design, construction, and testing of a refrigeration demonstration apparatus for use in the mechanical engineering department's refrigeration and air-conditioning laboratory was motivated by the necessity to provide instructional aids and laboratory refrigeration trainers, as well as the prohibitive cost of importing laboratory equipment. Transparent windows allow pupils to observe the condensation and evaporation processes in the condenser and evaporator. R600A is the refrigerant chosen for vapour compression refrigeration because, when compared to other competing refrigerants, it has the lowest condenser pressure, which is less than 5 bar at 30 degrees Celsius. It is highly recommended that more work be done in the design, production, and performance analysis of a Refrigeration Demonstration Apparatus – condensation and evaporation in inside of tubes to compliment this study.