ENHANCEMENT OF REFRIGERATOR EFFICIENCY

1. PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT OF
HOUSEHOLD REFRIGERATOR BY USING
TiO2NANO LUBRICANT
1
Project Guide,
SAJU HANEEF
ASST. PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF ME
Presented by,
ABIN JOY
BABU GEORGE ABRAHAM
NIYAS P.P

2. CONTENTS
 Introduction
 Literature review
 Objectives
 Fabrication of experimental test rig.
 Mixing of nano particle
 Experimental procedure
 Result and discussion
 comparison
 Conclusion
 Scope for future work
 References

3. INTRODUCTION
 Refrigeration is the process of removal of heat from a body at
high temperature to low temperature with the help of a machine
called refrigerator
 The heat transfer capacity of normal lubricant is not so good and
cause increased power consumption.
 To overcome these limitation nano particles are used with the
normal lubricants.
 The presence of nano particle helps reduce the friction coefficient
of the lubricants.
3

4. LITERATURE REVIEW
1.R. Saidur , S.N. Kazi (2011)
A review on the performance of nanoparticles suspended with refrigerants
and lubricating oils in refrigeration system
• Thermal-physical properties of nanoparticles suspended in refrigerant and
lubricating oil of refrigerating system were reviewed.
• The result indicates that the refrigerant HFC134a and mineral oil with TiO2
nano particle works normally and safely in the refrigerator with better
performance
4

5. 2. V.K, Sreejith K(2013)
Performance Evaluation of Household Refrigerator using CuO
Nanoparticle Lubricant Mixture and various Compressor Oils with
Different Condenser Modes
• CuO nanoparticle-lubricant mixture and different types of compressor
oil having both air-cooled and water-cooled condenser.
• Result shows that about 200 litres of hot water at a temperature of
about 58ºC over a day can be generated.
5

6. 3. Vaishali P. Mohod (2015)
A Review on Heat Transfer Enhancement Using Nanoparticles
Suspended With Refrigerants/Lubricating Oils in Refrigeration
Systems
• Performance of various systems using nanorefrigerant or
nanolubricant has been reviewed.
• It has been found that the heat transfer coefficient enhances and there
is considerable saving in power consumption
6

7. OBJECTIVES
• To fabricate R134a refrigerator test rig using 160L capacity, single
door refrigerator.
• To conduct refrigerator performance test by using PAG & sunizo 3GS
compressor oil and R134a refrigerant.
• To study the effect of TiO2 nano particle on the refrigerator
performance by using with PAG & sunizo 3GS compressor oil.
7

8. FABRICATION OF TEST RIG
Apparatus required
• Domestic refrigerator
• Pressure gauges
• Thermocouple
• Temperature indicator
• Energy meter
• Copper pipes
• Flaring nut

9. 9
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

10. Refrigeration test rig

11. FABRICATION OF TEST RIG CONT..
Procedure
 Installation of pressure gauges
Pressure gauges at
1. Low pressure side
2. High pressure side
A hole is drilled on the pipes at these points and one end of
copper pipes are welded there.
The pressure gauge are fitted to the other end of copper pipe by
flaring.

12. Installation of pressure gauge

13. FABRICATION OF TEST RIG CONT..
Installation of thermocouple
 Thermocouple at point between
1. Evaporator and compressor
2. Compressor and condenser
3. Condenser and expansion device
4. Expansion device and evaporator
5. Water tray in freezer
 Thermocouple is couple is fixed on these position by welding
 The other end of the thermocouple is connected to a temperature
indicator

14. FABRICATION OF TEST RIG CONT..
Installation of energy meter
 It is used to measure the power consumption by the compressor.
 Energy meter is connected in parallel to the compressor power supply.
Installation of water tray
 An aluminium water tray of 5 ltr is kept inside the freezer (close to
evaporator as possible)

15. FABRICATION OF TEST RIG CONT..
Provision For Oil Drainage
 In order to overcome the difficulty faced in an normal oil changing
procedure for a domestic refrigerator hermetic compressor we
provide a hole and cap mechanism.
 The lubricating oil resides at the bottom of the chamber of
compressor.
 A hole is drilled at the bottom of the chamber. Then a pipe with
internal thread is welded to the hole sealing around the perimeter.
 The male part consist of a metallic plug with external thread and a
sealing of silicone rubber ring at the end
 The plug can be opened for oil draining process.

16. Schematic of a hermetic sealed compressor
The oil lies around the bottom of the compressor chamber

17. Provision for drainage of oil.

18. LEAK TEST – REFRIGERATION TEST RIG
Procedure:-
• An air compressor is connected to the charging line and air is pumped
at around a considerable pressure.
• Both the pressure gauge show the same pressure. Then the pressure
gauge is observed for about 3Hrs.
• If the pressure holds after 3Hrs the system is proven leak proof.

19. Leak test

20. CHARGING OF LUBRICANT OILAND REFIGERANT
Charging of lubricant oil:-
• The oil to be charged is measured and taken in beaker
• A suction pump connected to the charging line and turned on which
creates a vacuum inside the chamber. Then a pipe is connected to the
charging line. And the other end is dipped in to the oil.
• The suction caused by the vacuum inside the compressor sucks the oil
into the compressor.
Charging of R134:-
• A vacuum is created inside the compressor by removing all the air
inside it by using a suction pump.
• So a negative pressure is formed inside the system.
• The suction pump is replaced by R134 gas container. Which in turn
fills the R134 into the system.

21. Suction of air from the system Charging of R134

22. MIXING OF NANO PARTICLE
 It is important to obtain homogenous mixture of TiO2 nano
particle and lubricant.
 An agitator is used to obtain a uniform mixture of 0.05 weight
percentage of of TiO2 Nano particle in compressor oil.
 The weighing of TiO2 is done and added to the oil. Then mixing
is done.

23. Mixing procedure
Mixing is done in 2 stages.
1. Ultrasonic bath
The mixture is kept in the bath for 40 minutes

24. 2.Magnetic stirrer
The mixture is kept in the stirrer for 2hrs for getting uniform mixture.

25. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
• Switch on the main power supply
• Initial water (load) temp is noted.
• The load is placed in the evaporator
• Suction pressure and discharge pressure are noted
• When temp of load reaches 100C, corresponding
thermocouple readings are noted using temp indicator.
• Time for 10 pulse of energy meter are noted at regular
interval of time
• Above steps are repeated for different compressor oils.
• The following equation where used to obtain the result.

26. • Theoretical COP is calculated using the equation,
COPth=
h1
−h4
h2
−h1
Ph diagram of vapour compression cycle
Where,
h1– enthalpy of refrigerant at the inlet of the compressor
h2–enthalpy of refrigerant at the outlet of the compressor
h4–enthalpy of refrigerant at the inlet of the evaporator

27. • Actual C.O.P can be calculated using relation,
COPact =
cooling load
power input
• Cooling load = mCpDT
Where m= mass of load in kg
Cp = Specific heat at constant pressure kJ/kgK
DT= Change in temperature in K
• Input power(kJ) =
𝑥
𝑡
*
3600
𝑁𝑒
*3600 x T
Where x = 10 pulses
t = time for 10 pulse of energy meter in
seconds
Ne = Energy meter constant = 3200 imp/kWh
T = Total time of running = 1 Hr

28. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Exp. No 1:
Refrigerator working with PAG compressor oil

29. OBSERVATIONS
1 Load(Water) 5 liters
2 Initial temperature 30oC
3 Final temperature 10 oC
4 Suction Pressure 2 bar
5 Discharge Pressure 16 bar
6 Condenser inlet temp 72 oC
7 Condenser outlet temp 52 oC
8 Evaporator inlet temp 6 oC
9 Evaporator outlet temp 24 oC
10 Time for 10 pulse of energy meter 49.65 sec
11 Input power 815.75 kJ
12 Theoretical COP 1.78
13 Actual COP 0.514

30. Exp. No 2:
Refrigerator working with SUNISO 3GS compressor oil

31. OBSERVATIONS
1 Load(Water) 5 liters
2 Initial temperature 30oC
3 Final temperature 10 oC
4 Suction Pressure 2 bar
5 Discharge Pressure 16 bar
6 Condenser inlet temp 62 oC
7 Condenser outlet temp 27 oC
8 Evaporator inlet temp 6 oC
9 Evaporator outlet temp 23 oC
10 Time for 10 pulse of energy meter 60 sec
11 Input power 675 kJ
12 Theoretical COP 2.825
13 Actual COP 0.622

32. Exp. No 3:
Refrigerator working with SUNISO 3GS+TiO2 Nanoparticle
(Nano lubricant mixture) compressor oil

33. OBSERVATIONS
1 Load(Water) 5 liters
2 Initial temperature 30oC
3 Final temperature 10 oC
4 Suction Pressure 2 bar
5 Discharge Pressure 16 bar
6 Condenser inlet temp 60 oC
7 Condenser outlet temp 26 oC
8 Evaporator inlet temp 5 oC
9 Evaporator outlet temp 21 oC
10 Time for 10 pulse of energy meter 66.94sec
11 Input power 648.83 kJ
12 Theoretical COP 3.3
13 Actual COP 0.694

34. 1.78
2.825
3.3
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
PAG oil SUNIZO 3GS Oil SUNIZO 3GS Oil + TiO2 Nanoparticles
COP th
COPth
COMPARISON CHART

35. 0.514
0.622
0.694
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
PAG Oil SUNIZO 3GS Oil SUNIZO 3GS Oil + TiO2 Nano particle
COPact
COPact

36. • By using pure SUNISO 3GS oil, the actual COP increases by 21%
and for nanolubricant there is 35% increase in COP.
• During the operation a part of the nano lubricant is also carried along
with the refrigerant
• This will increase the surface to volume ratio.
• Due to increase in surface area, the heat transfer coefficient of the
refrigerant increases.
• This will causes considerable increase in COP of the system

37. 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
PAG Oil SUNIZO 3GS Oil SUNIZO 3GS + TiO2
Nanoparticles
Power consumption (kWh)
Power consumption (kWh)

38. • The power consumption of compressor is reduced by 25.83% in nano
lubricant
• The presence of nanolubricants reduces the friction inside the
compressor and thereby reduces the power consumption

39. 1) PAG Oil
COPth = 1.78
COPact = 0.514
Input power =815.75 kJ
2) SUNISO 3 GS Oil
COPth = 2.825
COPact = 0.622
Input power = 675 kJ
% increase in actual COP with PAG oil = 21.01%
% reduction in input power with PAG oil =17.25%
3) SUNISO 3GS + TiO2 Nanoparticles
COPth = 3.3
COPact = 0.694
Input power = 648.83 kJ
% increase in actual COP with PAG oil = 35.02%
% reduction in input power with PAG oil =25.83%
SUMMARY OF RESULTS

40. • The R134a refrigerant and mineral oil mixed with TiO2 nanoparticles
worked normally and safely in the refrigerator.
• The effect of nano-lubricant increases the heat transfer rate by
increasing the surface area.
• The power consumption of the compressor can be reduced by using
nano lubricant
• From the study we can conclude that the already existing system can
be replaced with nanolubricant without compromising the
performance.
CONCLUSION

41. • Use of nanopaticles like Al2O3, CuO, Carbon nanotube etc may
increase the performance
• Study of nanoparticle with different grade and size can be conducted.
• Experiment with different condenser modes can be performed.
• The effect of different concentration of nanopatricles can be studied.
• Experiment with different combination of refrigerants and
nanoparticles can be conducted.
SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK

42. REFERANCES
• . Bi S., Shi L. and Zhang L., 2008. Application of nanoparticles
in domestic refrigerators. Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 28,
pp.1834-1843.
• Shengshan Bi, Kai Guo, Zhigang Liu, Jiangtao Wu. Performance
of a domestic refrigerator using TiO2- R600a nano-refrigerant as
working fluid. Energy Conversion and Management 52 (2011) :
733–737

43. • Saidur, R, A Review on the performance of nano-particles
suspended with refrigerants and lubricating oils in refrigeration
system, Int J of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,
Vol. 15, 2011, 310-323.
• D. Sendil Kumar, Dr. R. Elansezhian .,( Sep.-Oct. 2012)
Experimental Study on Al2O3-R134a Nano Refrigerant in
Refrigeration System, International Journal of Modern
Engineering Research (IJMER) Vol. 2, Issue. 5, pp-3927- 3929

44. THANK YOU!!!
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