Air cond : Aircrafts Refrigeration

Gas cycle refrigeration

The gas cycle is used exclusively in air- conditioning of aircrafts; military and commercial.

Often reffered to as air cycle refrigeration because air is the working fluid in the cycle. Its COP is lower than that of conventional vapor compression cycle. it can sork as an open or closed cycle. the benefit of an air cycle included:

(i) Small amount of leakages are tolerable since air is the refrigerant.

(ii) The simplest open system requires only one heat exchanger

(iii) Readily available refrigerant

(iv) Cabin pressurization and air-conditioning can be combined into one operation

(v) Initial compression of the air is obtained by the ram effect (conversion of the high kinetic energy of ambient air relative to aircraft into enthalpy and ultimately pressure rise). Refrigerated air capacity ranges from 3 to 70 kg a minute.

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