REFRIGERATION OR AC TRAINER KIT

Abstract

Refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) systems play a critical role in thermal management, industrial processes, and comfort applications. To understand their working principles effectively, a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Trainer Kit is designed, fabricated, and analyzed in this study. The trainer kit demonstrates the vapor compression refrigeration (VCR) cycle, measuring key performance parameters such as pressures, temperatures, refrigerant flow rate, and coefficient of performance (COP). The kit is built using a hermetically sealed compressor, condenser, expansion device, and evaporator, with thermocouples and pressure gauges installed at each stage. The experimental results indicate a maximum COP of 3.1 for the refrigeration mode and 2.8 for the air-conditioning mode. The developed kit serves as an effective educational tool for understanding thermodynamic cycles, component performance, and system efficiency in real-time operation.