AN INVESTIGATION OF WATER AS A REFRIGERANT

This paper explores some of the basic thermodynamic and technical cons iderations involved in using water as a working fluid for refrigeratio n and heat pump cycles down to its freezing point of 0-degrees-C. It i s first shown how the integration of the functions of refrigerant and heat transfer fluid can lead to energy savings, especially for the cas e of ice production. Next, the two fundamental requirements that the c ompressor must fulfill-handling a very large volume flow and achieving a large compression ratio-are described. A thermodynamic analysis of multistage compression follows to investigate the adiabatic head requi rements and the large desuper-heating irreversibility. It is concluded that a radically new type of vacuum compressor must be developed in o rder for water to be used as working fluid in vapor compression refrig eration cycles.