Portable Experimental Apparatus for Demonstrating Thermodynamics Principles

A refrigeration system for use as experimental apparatus was designed, developed and constructed. Its purpose was to demonstrate to mechanical engineering undergraduates the basic concepts of thermodynamics, such as the first and second laws. In addition, the apparatus demonstrates a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. This paper presents a set of experiments in which the first and second laws of thermodynamics are employed to determine the heat gained by the refrigerant in the evaporator, the heat rejected from the refrigerant in the condenser, and the isentropic efficiency of the compressor. The objective of these experiments is to help students understand the basic thermodynamics processes by utilizing real-life applications