Refrigerators Temperatures Below

ChiUer Cools a fluid to a temperature below that obtainable if water only were used as a coolant. It uses a refrigerant such as ammonia or Freon. 

The family of short curves in Fig. 29-45 shows the power efficiency of conventional refrigeration systems. The curves for the latter are taken from the Engineering Data Book, Gas Processors Suppliers Association, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The data refer to the evaporator temperature as the point at which refrigeration is removed. If the refrigeration is used to cool a stream over a temperature interval, the efficiency is obviously somewhat less. The short curves in Fig. 29-45 are for several refrigeration-temperature intervals. A comparison of these curves with the expander curve shows that the refrigeration power requirement by expansion compares favorably with mechanical refrigeration below 360° R (—100° F). The expander efficiency is favored by lower temperature at which heat is to be removed. 

Liquefied gases may be stored fully refrigerated, with the liquid at its bubble point at near atmospherie pressure fully pressurized, i.e. at ambient temperature or semi-refrigerated with the temperature below ambient but the vapour pressure above atmospherie pressure. Of the gases listed in Table 4.6, all those with eritieal temperatures below ambient must be maintained under refrigeration to keep them in the liquid phase. 

Ammonia, when released is a toxic gas with little flammability. It is imported by sea into the 14,(XX) tonnes capacity tank at Shell UK Oil where the refrigeration maintains the temperature below the boiling point of the gas (33° C). Three ways were identified whereby several hundred tonnes of liquid ammonia could be released into the river to vaporize and disperse. The worst accident would have an accompanying explosion or fire on an ammonia carrier berthed at the unloading jetty. Next in order of severity is a ship collision and spillage into the river near the unloading jetty. The consequences of a collision between ships occurring within the area but not near the jetty were also calculated. 

Refrigeration is needed for processes that require temperatures below those that can be economically obtained with cooling water. For temperatures down to around 10 0, chilled water can be used. For lower temperatures, down to -30°C, salt brines (NaCl and CaCF) are used to distribute the refrigeration" around the site from a central refrigeration unit. Vapor compression machines are normally used. 

R-401B (22/152a/124) MP66 AlliedSignal DuPont CFC-12 R-500 Blend (moderate glide) Alkylbenzene or polyol ester Alkylbenzene or polyol ester or in some cases mineral oiF Transport Refrigeration retrofits Retrofits including air conditioners dehumidifiers Close to CFC-12. Use where evap. temperature below -10 F. 

Refrigeration is the process of removing heat, and the practical application is to produce or maintain temperatures below the ambient. The basic principles are those of thermodynamics, and these principles as relevant to the general uses of refrigeration are outlined in this opening chapter. 

A similar effect occurs if the air is brought into contact with a solid surface, maintained at a temperature below its dew point. Sensible heat will be transferred to the surface by convection and condensation of water vapour will take place at the same time. Both the sensible and latent heats must be conducted through the solid and removed. The simplest form is a metal tube, and the heat is carried away by refrigerant or a chilled fluid within the pipes. This coolant must be colder than the tube surface to transfer the heat inwards through the metal. 

Nevertheless, the simplest way to produce low temperature is still the use of cryoliquids (e.g. nitrogen, helium). It must be considered that most low-temperature equipments existing in a laboratory are designed for the use with cryoliquids, and the change to the new technologies is definitely expensive. Also for this reason, we shall briefly describe the properties and the use of cryoliquids used in low-temperature experiments and in particular helium (liquid or gas as used in pulse tubes) which practically intervenes in all refrigeration processes below 10 K. 

Until few years ago, the production of temperatures below 10K without using liquid 4He was a real challenge [1], Nowadays commercial mechanical refrigerators, even of modest dimensions, allow for temperatures below 4K without using cryoliquids (see Section 5.9). 

The description of these apparatus is beyond the scopes of this book. The reader is referred to the exhaustive treatment of this subject for example in ref. [22,32]. Just to get an idea of the capabilities of this method see ref. [33], where a refrigerator capable of maintaining lattice temperatures below 100p,K for two months is described. 

Carbon dioxide is a gas at room temperature. Below -78°C it is a solid and is commonly referred to as dry ice. At that temperature it sublimes and changes directly from a solid to a vapor. Because of this unique property, as well as its non-combustible nature, it is a common refrigerant and inert blanket. Table 3.4 shows the uses of carbon dioxide in all its forms liquid, solid, and gas. Refrigeration using dry ice is especially important in the food industry. Beverage carbonation for soft drinks is a very big application. In oil and gas recovery carbon dioxide competes with nitrogen as an inert atmosphere for oil wells. 

As a precaution, therefore, a Roots pump should always be inserted in front of the condenser at low inlet pressures so that the condensation capacity is essentially enhanced. The condensation capacity does not depend only on the vapor pressure, but also on the refrigerant temperature. At low vapor pressures, therefore, effective condensation can be obtained only if the refrigerant temperature is correspondingly low. At vapor pressures below 6.5 mbar, for example, the insertion of a condenser is sensible only if the refrigerant temperature is less than 0 °C. Often at low pressures a gas -vapor mixture with unsaturated water vapor is pumped (for further details, see Section 2.1.5). In general, then, one can dispense with the condenser. 

---