INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH

Int. J. Energy Res. 2006; 30:13361351

Published online 8 September 2006 in Wiley InterScience
(www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/er.1256

Simulation and exergy-method analysis of an industrial

refrigeration cycle used in NGL recovery units
Mehdi Mehrpooya1,*,y, Azad Jarrahian2 and Mahmoud Reza Pishvaie2
2

1
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

SUMMARY
The behaviour of an industrial refrigeration cycle with refrigerant propane has been investigated by the
exergy method. An natural gas liquid recovery unit with its refrigeration cycle has been simulated to
prepare the exergy analysis. Using a typical actual work input value; the exergetic eciency of the
refrigeration cycle is determined to be 26.51% indicating a great potential for improvements. The obtained
simulation results reveal that the exergetic eciencies of the air cooler(s) and chilling sections get the lowest
rank among the other compartments of refrigeration cycle. Refrigeration calculations have been carried
out through the analysis of TS and PH diagrams where coecient of performance (COP) was obtained
as 1.8. The novelty of this article include the suggestions for increasing eciencies, along with the
discussion about the reasons for deviation from ideal cycles and also the eect and sensitivity analysis of
pressure drops on the coecient of performance of the cycle. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
KEY WORDS:

exergy method; refrigeration cycle; refrigerant propane; exergetic eciencies; natural gas
liquid

1. INTRODUCTION
The term natural gas liquids (NGL) is a general term which applies to liquids recovered from
natural gas as such refers to ethane and heavier products. A signicant cost in NGL recovery
processes is related to the refrigeration required to chill the inlet gas. Refrigeration systems use
ethane or propane as refrigerants. In some applications, mixed refrigerants and cascade
refrigeration cycles have been used (GPSA, 1998).
The exergy method is a relatively new analysis technique in which the basis of evaluation of
thermodynamic losses follows from the second law rather than the rst law of thermodynamics.
Thus it belongs to that category of analyses known as second law analyses. The general
*Correspondence to: M. Mehrpooya, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
y
E-mail: mmehrp@yahoo.com

Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Received 3 December 2005

Revised 15 July 2006
Accepted 24 July 2006

EXERGY-METHOD ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION CYCLE

1337

principles and methodology of exergy analysis can be found in Moran (1982), Bejan (1988),
Gaggioli (1998) and Kotas (1995).
An exergy balance applied to a process or a whole plant tell us how much of the usable work
potential, or exergy supplied as the input to the system under consideration has been consumed
(irretrievably lost) by the process. The loss of exergy, or irreversibility, provides a generally
applicable quantitative measure of process ineciency. Analysing a multi-component plant
indicates the total plant irreversibility distribution among the plant components, pinpointing
those contributing most to overall plant ineciency (Kotas. 1985).
There have been several studies on the exergy analysis of refrigeration systems (Nikolaidis
and Probert, 1998; Talbi and Agnew, 2000; Zheng et al., 2001; Yumrutas et al., 2002; StegouSagia and Paignigiannis, 2003; Ouadha et al., 2005; Wang et al., 2005). The behaviour of twostage compound compression-cycle, with ash intercooling, using refrigerant R22, investigated
by the exergy method (Nikolaidis and Probert, 1998). An exergy analysis carried out on a singleeect absorption refrigeration cycle with lithiumbromidewater as the working uid pair
(Talbi and Agnew, 2000) and an exergy analysis carried out for an irreversible Braysson cycle by
Zheng et al., (2001). Yumrutas et al. (2002) presented a computational model based on the
exergy analysis for the investigation of the eects of the evaporating and condensing
temperature on the pressure losses, the exergy losses and performance of a vapour compression
refrigeration cycle. Stegou-Sagia and Paignigiannis (2003) described irreversibilities in one stage
refrigerating process for vapour compression cycle with refrigerant mixtures R-404A, R-410A,
R-410B and R-507 as working uids. A detailed exergy analysis of a two-stage vapour
compression cycle by calculating its components exergetic losses studied (Ouadha et al., 2005).
An investigation have been carried out using exergy analysis the technical factors that inuence
the feasibility of substituting steam supplied for other energy sources in industrial heating by
Rosen et al. (2002).
In this paper the exergy equations have been developed using refrigerant thermodynamic
properties computed by means of a simple model of local equations of states next exergy
analysis is applied to calculate exergetic eciency and exergy losses (lost work) for each
component of refrigeration cycle. Both exergy losses and exergetic eciencies together are good
tools for analysing energy performance in refrigeration cycle. Furthermore it will be easy to
identify which sites of cycle should be optimized and what is the eect of optimal coecient of
performance (COP) on energy integration.
The objective of this paper includes the suggestions for increasing eciencies, along with the
discussion about the reasons for deviation from ideal cycles and also the eect and sensitivity
analysis of pressure drops on the COP of the cycle.

2. PROCESS DESCRIPTION AND SIMULATION

NGL1300 is one of the biggest NGL recovery units that is located in south of Iran. Feed
capacity of this unit is almost 180 MMSCFD plus 840 m3 day
1 gas liquid and its product is
around 439.3 m3 day
1 NGL. The process consists of four main units: 1}inlet liquid
stabilization unit, 2}gas sweetening unit, 3}acid gas compression unit, 4}NGL recovery
unit. NGL product after passing through the polishing system will be transferred to
petrochemical units for downstream uses.
Figure 1 shows the main process ow diagram, including the four main block units.
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

1338

M. MEHRPOOYA, A. JARRAHIAN AND M. R. PISHVAIE

Inlet Liquid

Stabilization unit

Gas Sweetening
Unit

Sweet Gas

Sour Gas
Acid Gas
Acid Gas
Compression Unit

Acid
Gas

NGL Recovery Unit

Figure 1. Main process ow block diagram of NGL1300 plant.

Figure 2 shows the sub-ow sheet of NGL unit in more details. Hereafter we focus on NGL
unit (the fourth unit in main process) and a brief description about the plant is followed. The
simulation of the entire plant was carried out using HYSYS simulator and the PRSV equation
of state for the calculation of thermodynamic properties (HYSYS v3.2, Hyprotech, Aspen
Technology, Inc. 2003; HX-Net v6.2, Hyprotech, Aspen Technology, Inc. 2004).
A typical NGL process involves high-pressure liquefaction of low boiling point components,
such as methane, ethane, etc. hence several very low temperature levels of refrigeration required
for process stream cooling. In NGL1300 an external refrigeration cycle is used which is quite
discrete from the process. Refrigeration cycle is shown in Figure 3. This cycle includes energy
integration with the main process. The inlet gas stream (5) ows to pre-chiller (E-3) where
propane refrigeration NR60 lowers the temperature to about
88C. The chilled outlet stream
ows to chiller (E-4) that it further lowers temperature to about
308C. In fact, the cooling load
will be obtained by these two exchangers. The cooled stream ows to low temperature separator
(V-2), liquid hydrocarbons collected at the bottom of the separator ow to demethanizer
column (DC) for removing methane from inlet. Removed methane exits from top of the tower
and it is fed to pipeline as lean gas. Bottom of tower (NGL product) after passing through the
LNG-Exchanger enters to polishing system then to other petrochemical units for other uses.
The cycle is made of four basic sections (evaporator, JT valve, condenser and compressor).
First, refrigerant passes through evaporator and evaporates within (E-3, E-4). Then refrigerant
enters the compressors (C-1, C-2 and C-3) to be pressurized. Afterward it is led to the condenser
(E5, E6 exchangers and A1 air cooler), followed by JT valve. Finally, it reaches to the
evaporators again and this cycle will be repeated. Stream (60) which is in liquid state enters to
E-3 and exits at
108C and 3.46 bars. Obviously, the refrigerant pressure drop causes a
temperature decrease in both sides of external streams for chiller. After refrigerant is passed
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

1339

EXERGY-METHOD ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION CYCLE

Pipeline Gas

A2
11

C4

10
E5
VLV-108
66
1

5
V1

13

67
E-4

E-3
E1

54

VLV-109

53

51

DC

T1

26 LNG

E-2

56

14

NR60

V-2
15

64

NGl Product -16

Withdraw hydrocarbons

E-6

65
2

T2

61

37

25

52

38
50
40

44

45
T3

43

42

41

47

46
A-1

C-3

C-1

C-2

Figure 2. NGL Recovery plant (NGL1300).

10

11
E5

54

VLV-108

66

67

E-3
5

14

E-4

51

53
7

26

LNG

T1
56

NR60

NGl Product-16

15

64

E-6

65
T2

61

37

25

52

38
50
40

44
41
C-1

45

43

42
C-2

47

46
T3

A-1

C-3

Figure 3. Propane refrigeration cycle used in NGL1300.

through the pre-chiller and chiller, it will be vaporized and then ows to a three-stage
compressor. After compression, it enters condenser section that consists of air coolers and
exchanger E-5 and E-6.
Refrigerant experiences some low temperature vessels and JT valves to reach the chillers again,
in which cycle is completed. The simulation result of NGL1300 units is shown in Tables I and II.
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

1340

M. MEHRPOOYA, A. JARRAHIAN AND M. R. PISHVAIE

Table I. Simulation results.

Composition
& conditions

Rich sweet gas from

gas sweetening unit

Liquid from
stabilizer bottom

NGL product
to polishing

Lean gas to
lean gas header

5.00  10
3
2.65  10
6
2.12  10
6
0.7146
0.1435
0.0865
0.0102
0.0261
5.42  10
3
5.31  10
3
2.19  10
3
1.15  10
3
9.26  10
8
60.0595
3700
8698.8818
22.877
0

8.49  10
8
5.00  10
5
2.21  10
8
9.97  10
10
1.99  10
4
0.1546
0.0603
0.2234
0.1074
0.1311
1.1383
0.1827
0
62.045
3490
172.2759
71.2353
1
840

2.37  10
5
7.57  10
6
1.44  10
6
0.025
0.2774
0.3546
0.0546
0.1527
0.0399
0.0422
0.0267
0.026
5.06 E
7
42.5
3940
1593.8229
47.3613
1
439.3

1.32  10
5
2.30  10
5
2.26  10
5
0.8543
0.1102
0.0296
1.70  10
3
3.07  10
3
2.93  10
4
2.20  10
4
3.42  10
5
7.29  10
6
3.13  10
15
59.1764
3410
6950.729

H2O
H2S
CO2
C1
C2
C3
IC4
NC4
IC5
NC5
NC6
C7+
DEA
Temperature (8C)
Pressure (kPa)
Rate (kmole h
1)
Molecular weight
Mole fraction liquid
STD LIQ rate (m3 Day
1)

Table II. Pressure, temperature and mass ow rate values in the plant.
No. of
Input Temperature Pressure
component stream
(8C)
(kPa)

Flow rate
(kg h
1)

A-1
E-3

1.649  105
2.040  105
7.665  104
2.040  105
5.26  104
1.165  104
1.181  105
6.577  104
4.683  104
1.487  104
1.181  105
5.909  104
5.26  104
1.397  105

E-4
E-5
E-6
LNG
C-1
C-2

46
5
60
6
64
10
54
15
51
25
53
13
40
42

89
23
13.25

7.77

11

39
37
29
62
89
62

6.3

37.5

4

2430
3630
740
3570
340
2000
2310
3940
2360
243
2330
2018
120
340

Output Temperature Pressure

stream
(8C)
(kPa)
47
6
61
7
65
11
56
16
52
26
54
14
41
43

62

7.77

10

29.6

37.5
30
30
49
39
60
37
37
7.17
27.74

2360
3570
340
3540
120
1980
2200
3937
2200
220
2310
2107
340
740

Flow rate
kgh
1
1.649  105
2.040  105
7.665  104
2.040  105
5.26  104
1.165  104
1.181  105
6.577  104
4.683  104
1.487  104
1.181  105
5.909  104
5.26  104
1.397  105

3. EXERGY ANALYSIS
Exergy analysis combines the rst and second laws of thermodynamics, and is a powerful tool
for analysing both the quantity and the quality of energy utilization.
Exergy is dened as the maximum work obtainable while the system communicates with
environment reversibly. A denition for the most stable environment, so called dead state, is
therefore essential to the exergy calculation. In this paper, the dead state denition follows
Lozano and Valero (1993).
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

EXERGY-METHOD ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION CYCLE

1341

Physical exergy: Physical exergy of a material stream can be dened as the maximum work
(useful energy) that can be obtained from when it is taken to physical equilibrium state (of
temperature and pressure) with the environment
eph h
h0 jX
T0 s
s0 jX

where the enthalpy and the entropy of the substance have to be evaluated at its temperature and
pressure conditions (P, T) and at the temperature and pressure of the environment (P0, T0).
Enthalpy and entropy at the stream and reference conditions are evaluated for the same
chemical composition (X) of the stream and considering all mixing eects if the stream contains
several components. This evaluation has to be conducted using the most suitable method for
predicting thermodynamic properties for the substance at its temperature and pressure
conditions (Rivero et al., 2004).
Exergy calculation: The exergy balance between input and output streams is the base of
calculations in this work. The lost work and eciency are calculated as
I

I eQ e1
e2

ein

eout sT0

with heating stream 1

P
eout
Z P
ein

The exergy analysis is mainly concerned for the calculation of exergy eciency and lost work
for each unit operation.
3.1. Exergy balance for cycle components
Based on mentioned procedures, exergetic eciency and lost works are obtained for each
component of propane refrigeration cycle in NGL unit according to stream wise approach.
3.1.1. Compressors. The total work consumed in the cycle is the sum of work inputs to the
compressors. There will be no exergy destruction in a compressor if irreversibilities can be
totally eliminated. This results in a minimum work input for the compressor. In reality, there
will be irreversibilities due to friction, heat loss, and other dissipative eects. The exergy
destruction in propane compressors can be expressed, as
1
m
I C-1 E in
E out m
40 e40 W
41 e41

2
m
I C-2 E in
E out m
42 e42 W
43 e43

3
m
I C-3 E in
E out m
44 e44 W
45 e45

1; W
2 and W
3 are the actual power inputs to the propane, ethane, and methane
where W
compressors, respectively. The exergetic eciency of the compressor can be dened as the ratio
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

1342

M. MEHRPOOYA, A. JARRAHIAN AND M. R. PISHVAIE

of the minimum work input to the actual work input. Applying this denition to C-1, C-2, and
C-3 compressors, respectively, we nd
ZC-1

m
41 e41
m
40 e40
1
W

ZC-2

m
43 e43
m
42 e42

W2

ZC-3

m
45 e45
m
44 e44

W3

10

3.1.2. Heat exchanger. Evaporators and condensers are essentially heat exchangers designed
to perform dierent tasks. There are two evaporator (E-3, E-4) and four heat exchanger (A-1,
E-5, E-6, LNG) that they role as condenser in this cycle. An exergy balance should express
the exergy destroyed in the system as the dierence of exergies of incoming and outgoing
streams.
I E-3 m
5 e5 m
60 e60
m
6 e6
m
61 e61

11

I E-4 m
6 e6 m
64 e64
m
7 e7
m
65 e65

12

I E-5 m
10 e10 m
54 e54
m
11 e11
m
56 e56

13

I E-6 m
15 e15 m
51 e51
m
52 e52
m
NGL eNGL

14

I LNG m
13 e13 m
53 e53 m
25 e25
m
26 e26
m
54 e54
m
14 e14

15

I A-1 m
46 e46
m
47 e47 eQA1

16

The exergetic eciency of a heat exchanger can be dened as the ratio of total outgoing stream
exergies to total incoming stream exergies. Applying this denition to the system we obtain
m
6 e6 m
61 e61
m
5 e5 m
60 e60

17

m
11 e11 m
56 e56
m
10 e10 m
54 e54

18

m
52 e52 m
NGL eNGL
m
15 e15 m
51 e51

19

ZE-4

ZE-5

ZE-6
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

EXERGY-METHOD ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION CYCLE

ZLNG

1343

m
26 e26 m
54 e54 m
14 e14
m
13 e13 m
53 e53 m
25 e25

20

m
47 e47
m
46 e46 eQA1

21

ZA-1

A second denition for the exergy eciency of heat exchangers is made as the ratio of the
increase in the exergy of the cold uid to the decrease in the exergy of the hot uid. The two
methods used to determine the exergetic eciency of a heat exchanger are sometimes called the
scientic approach and the engineering approach, respectively. The eciencies calculated using
these two approaches are usually very close to each other.
3.1.3. Cycle. The total exergy destruction in the cycle is simply the sum of exergy destructions
in condensers, evaporators, compressors. The overall exergetic eciency of the cycle can be
dened as
Ex

actual
I total
E out
E in W

actual
actual
W
W

22

where given in the numerator is the exergy dierence or the actual work input to the cycle
actual minus the total exergy destruction I:
The actual work input to the cycle is the sum of the
W
work inputs to the propane compressors and air coolers (Kanoglu, 2002).
The exergy of material and energy streams in refrigeration cycle has been calculated based on
Equation (1), where the HYSYS calculate the enthalpy and the entropy of each stream.
Lost work and exergetic eciency for all compartments in refrigeration cycle can be listed,
and then by comparison of both eciency and lost work values it will be possible to nd the sites
of plant that operate in low performance of energy with a large amount of exergy losses. After
nding these weak sites, we can suggest some practical ways like changing the process operation
conditions or changing the components or conguration of system layout to decrease the
irreversibilities and energy losses.
After simulating the process via HYSYS; it is linked (automated) to MATLAB
(computational) environment to evaluate the eciency and lost work by changing in process.
The reason for using MATLAB is that the simulation (HYSYS) model has been developed
mainly for design purposes rather that for performance and exergy analysis, so by linking the
HYSYS to an external package such as MATLAB we may carry out the computations more
eciently. We can also provide optimization programs or optimization packages (like
MATLAB optimization toolboxes) linked to our process simulation le. The results are
summarized in Figures 4 and 5. The exergy eciency and lost work for cycle have been
calculated 26.51% and 2.6248  107 (W), respectively.

4. T-S & P-H DIAGRAMS

All real refrigeration cycles show some sort of irreversibilities. The causes of deviation from the
ideal (reversible) case originate from dierent sources such as friction and heat transfer across a
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

1344

M. MEHRPOOYA, A. JARRAHIAN AND M. R. PISHVAIE

1.2
0.9611

0.9935

0.9645

Efficiency(%)

0.8255
0.8
0.6702
0.6
0.349

0.343

0.4
0.2 0.1661

0.1144

ge

-6

an
ch

ng
G
LN

xc
te

ea

ex

ha

es
pr
om
C

er

r-3
so

r-2
es
pr

om

pr
om
C

ea

so

r-1
es

C
hi

so

lle

r
ch
e
Pr

te

xc

Ai

ha

rc

ng

oo

er

le

ille

-5

Figure 4. Exergetic eciencies of refrigeration cycle components.

1.20E+07
1.03E+07

Lost Work (W)

1.00E+07
8.07E+06
8.00E+06
6.00E+06
4.00E+06

3.90E+06

3.23E+06

2.00E+06

6.88E+04
5.16E+05
1.17E+05
3.54E+04
5.71E+03
H
-3
ea
te
xc
ha
ng
er
LN
-6
G
ex
ch
an
ge
r

ss
or

-2

pr
e

om
C

om

pr
e

ss
or

-1
pr
e

ss
or
C

om

re
P

C
hi
lle
r

er
ch
ill

ol
co
ir
A

ea
te
xc

ha
ng

er
-

er

0.00E+00

Figure 5. Lost work of refrigeration cycle components.

nite temperature dierence in the evaporator, compressor, condenser and refrigerant lines, subcooling (to ensure pure liquid phase) at throttling valve inlet, superheating (to ensure pure
vapour phase) at compressor inlet, pressure drops and heat gains in refrigerant lines. The actual
propane refrigeration cycle of NGL1300 unit is presented in Figure 6 in the context of a
temperature (TS) diagram and PH diagram for is shown in Figure 7.
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

EXERGY-METHOD ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION CYCLE

1345

120
100

Envelope
45

Real cycle

80

Ideal cycle

2'
51

T(C)

60

3'

54
25
56

40
64

20

60

43
44
38

41

61
42
66

-20

40

-40

67

1'

-60
20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

S(kJ/kmole-C)

Figure 6. TS diagram of NGL propane refrigeration cycle.

5000

P(kPa)

4500
4000

Envelope

3500

Cycle

3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
-130000

-125000

-120000

-115000 -110000
H(kJ/kmole)

-105000

-100000

-95000

Figure 7. PH diagram of NGL propane refrigeration cycle.

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The exergy analysis of refrigeration cycle was carried out in the present study to evaluate the
magnitude of exergetic losses in each component of the refrigeration system. The lowest
eciencies belong to exchanger E-5 (11.45%), air cooler No A-1 (16%) and chillers (34%),
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

1346

M. MEHRPOOYA, A. JARRAHIAN AND M. R. PISHVAIE

therefore the large amount of irreversibility belongs to condenser and evaporator sections, and
compression section has the highest amount of eciency as 95% so compressors performance is
the nearest to ideal manner.
Within this approach the condenser and evaporator sections (E-5 and A-1) are clearly suspect
candidates for energy improvement and energy saving.
Lost work (exergy loss) in each compartment, the COP and second law eciency of the cycle
are calculated by an iterative scheme. Average values of properties at the inlet and outlet of the
condenser and evaporator are used in these calculations.
The product ow rate (NGL) is a function of evaporators temperature and it will be increased
as the evaporators temperature is decreased. Propane refrigerant temperature is very sensitive to
its pressure. The pressure drop in chillers of the cycle is the basic parameter that causes refrigerant
to evaporate and its temperature to decrease. This low temperature propane obtains the cooling
load in the chillers, more pressure drop in the evaporation section more temperature reduction is
caused; in the other hand changing in pressure drop aect the evaporators temperature. When
the pressure drop in evaporators is increased more work will be consumed in compression section
therefore pressure drop is an important parameter that it can aect the energy consumption in the
cycle, its performance and also it has a strong eect on NGL production in the unit.
As shown in Figure 8. The variation of the lost work in the cycle is plotted against the
evaporator (pre-chiller and chiller) pressure drop. Total exergy loss of cycle increases when
evaporator pressure drop is increased. This phenomenon makes sense, because of the more
pressure drop, the more irreversibility occurs.
As it can be seen (Figures 2 and 3) the refrigerant in the cycle is divided by T1, T2 and T3
splitters and split fraction is a parameter that can aect the performance of refrigeration cycle.
T2 splitter is the most important splitter because of its situation in the cycle.

Figure 8. Total lost work of the cycle versus pre-chiller and chiller pressure drop.
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

EXERGY-METHOD ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION CYCLE

1347

It aects on the amount of liquid in the separator V-2 and NGL product ow rate by
changing the rate of cooling load of the feed stream in the two heat exchangers (E-3, E-4).
Furthermore, it changes the required work of the compressors C1, C2 and C3. Then it can be
deduced that the split fraction is an important parameter that aects on the energy consumption
and the performance of the cycle. Also it has an undeniable eect on the amount of produced
NGL in the unit.
Figure 9 illustrates the relation among the total lost work of the cycle versus ow rate of
refrigerant inlet to evaporator (NR60).
In Figure 6, the lines 10 -20 -30 -45-40-10 shows reversible refrigeration cycle (ideal cycle) and the
lines 64-67-40-47-41-44-43-45-51-54-25-56-38-60-66-61-64 shows the TS diagram for the actual
refrigeration cycle. Compressors take the refrigerant from the evaporator and compress to the
condenser through the lines 40-42-41-44-43-45. The line 40-45 presents the isentropic
compression process. As is seen there is a small deviation between actual and ideal cycles in
compression section. In the ideal case, the refrigerant is assumed to leave the condenser as a
saturated liquid at state 20 at the third compressor exit pressure. Note that the line 45-30 -20 shows
ideal condenser. In the actual case, it is unavoidable to have some pressure drop in the
condenser so that is exits the condenser at state 51 (line 45-51 shows actual condenser).
Therefore, a large irreversibility and deviation from ideal case is visible in actual condenser
section and exergetic eciency (previously obtained as 11%) approves this irreversibility.

Figure 9. Total lost work of the cycle versus chiller ow rate inlet.
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

1348

M. MEHRPOOYA, A. JARRAHIAN AND M. R. PISHVAIE

Table III. Simulation results for COP Calculation.

Compressor no.
C-13303-1
C-13303-2
C-13303-3

Consumed work (kw)

Evaporator no.

Removed heat (kw)

889.786
1916.14
3770.53

E-3
E-4
}

7047.22
5127.77
}

Figure 10. Plot showing how the coecient of performance changes with pre-chiller
and chiller pressure drop.

Refrigerant enters to expansion section at state 51 and passes through lines 51-54-25-56-6038-66-61-64-67 to leave expansion section at state 67. Line 67-40 shows evaporator section. The
cycle is completed as the refrigerant exits from the evaporator at state 40.
5.1. Coecient of performance (COP)
COP is a standard criterion for performance analysis of a refrigeration cycle or heat pump. For
real one-stage cycles used in gas industries it usually gets value from 0.85 to 4. The COP is the
ratio of total removed heat from evaporator divided by required total input work in compression
section. All the removed heat from evaporator section (QL) and required input works for
compressors are summarized in Table III. For instance, we may calculate the COP of the cycle as
Pn
QLi 12175
1:8
23
COPactual Pi0

m
6576
j0 Wj
where n is the number of evaporators, and m is denoted as number of compressors.
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

EXERGY-METHOD ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION CYCLE

1349

For the ideal case, COP is obtained as 2.1 in accordance to PH diagram (Figure 7):
COPideal

h B0
h A
2:1
hC
hB 0

24

So, by decreasing the irreversibilities or changing the type of refrigeration cycle or its
conguration (for example changing from one stage to multi stage cycles), it is possible to
increase the performance of coecient (COP). The COP of the cycle decreases with the increase
evaporating pressure drop as illustrated in Figure 10.

6. CONCLUSIONS
This paper presents the methods and results of applying exergy analysis in a typical, large scale
and industrial natural gas liquefaction plant, the so-called natural gas liquid (NGL) process.
The main concern has been focused on its refrigeration cycle. Before conducting the exergy
analysis, a rigorous process simulation is needed to be accomplished by a conventional process
simulator such as HYSYS. The whole plant was simulated via HYSYS and was promoted by
automation link to the MATLAB environment. The link is necessary for exergy calculations of
the NGL external refrigeration cycle.
The exergy analysis results on the refrigeration cycle indicate that the condenser and
evaporator sections have the highest irreversibility. Exergetic eciency and lost work are
calculated for each component of refrigeration cycle. Total exergy loss of cycle increases versus
evaporator pressure drop.
Refrigeration cycle of NGL1300 (case study) was also analysed by TS diagram and COP was
obtained as 1.8 for actual case. The COP of the cycle decreases with the increase in evaporating
pressure drop.
The procedure given in this paper for the exergy analysis of NGL propane refrigeration cycle
can be applied to other actual cycles like LNG refrigeration cycles. Our future work in this area
includes mixed-integer optimization of exergy and COP values of similar plants.

NOMENCLATURE
h
m
Q
s
T
e
W
X
ni
Nin
nout

=enthalpy (kJ kg
1)

=ow rate (kg s
1)
=heat transfer rate (kW)
=entropy (kJ kg
1 K
1)
=temperature (K)
=specic ow exergy (kJ kg
1)
=work transfer rate (kW)
=composition
=number of component
=number of input streams
=number of output streams

Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

1350
nQ
nw

M. MEHRPOOYA, A. JARRAHIAN AND M. R. PISHVAIE

=number of heat transfer units

=number of work transfer units

Subscripts
o
i
j
ph
ch

=dead State
=component
=jth stream
=physical
=chemical

Greek letters
s
Z

=entropy generation (kWK
1)

=eciency (etha)

Abbreviations
NGL
COP
Ex
Exl

=natural gas liquid

=coecient of performance
=exergy
=exergy loss

Names used for blocks in NGL recovery plant

A-1
C-1
C-2
C-3
C-4
E-1
E-2
E-3
E-4
E-5
E-6
E-7
LNG
T1
T2
T3
DC
V-1
V-2

=air cooler
=compressor-1
=compressor -2
=compressor-3
=compressor-4
=heat exchanger-1
=heat exchanger-2
=heat exchanger-3 (pre chiller)
=heat exchanger-4 (chiller)
=heat exchanger-5
=heat exchanger-6
=heat exchanger-7
=LNG exchanger
=tee
=tee
=tee
=demethanizer column
=ash drum
=ash drum
REFERENCES

Bejan A. 1988. Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics. Wiley: New York.

Gaggioli RA. 1998. Available energy and exergy. International Journal of Applied Thermodynamics 1(14):18.
GPSA. 1998. Section 16, Hydrocarbon Recovery (11th edn). Gas Processors Suppliers Association. SI Version.
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er

EXERGY-METHOD ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION CYCLE

1351

HX-Net v6.2. 2004. Conceptual Engineering Product v6.2 Heat Integration Guide. Hyprotech, Aspen Technology, Inc.
(www.aspentech).
HYSYS v3.2. 2003. 2003 User Guide. Hyprotech, Aspen Technology, Inc. (www.aspentech).
Kanoglu M. 2002. Exergy analysis of multistage cascade refrigeration cycle used for natural gas liquefaction.
International Journal of Energy Research 26:763774.
Kotas TJ. 1995. The Exergy Method of Thermal Plant Analysis. London: Butterworths.
Lozano MA, Valero A. 1993. Theory of the exergetic cost. Energy 18(9):939960.
Moran MJ. 1982. Availability Analysis: A Guide to Ecient Energy Use. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Clis, NJ.
Nikolaidis C, Probert D. 1998. Exergy-method analysis of a two-stage vapour-compression refrigeration-plants
performance. Applied Energy 60:241256.
Ouadha A, En-nacer M, Adjlout L, Imine O. 2005. Exergy analysis of a two-stage refrigeration cycle using two natural
substitutes of HCFC22. International Journal of Exergy 2(1):1430.
Rivero R, Rendon C, Gallegos S. 2004. Exergy and exergoeconomic analysis of a crude oil combined distillation unit.
Energy 29:19091927.
Rosen M, Dincer I. 2002. Exergy analysis of waste emissions. International Journal of Energy Research 23:11531163.
Stegou-Sagia A, Paignigiannis L. 2003. Exergy losses in refrigerating systems. A study for performance comparisons in
compressor and condenser. International Journal of Energy Research 27:10671078.
Talbi MM, Agnew B. 2000. Exergy analysis: an absorption refrigerator using lithium bromide and water as the working
uids. Applied Thermal Engineering 20:619630.
Wang W, Li Y, Chen X. 2005. Exergy analysis of liqueed natural gas cold energy recovering cycles. International
Journal of Energy Research 29:6578.
Yumrutas R, Kunduz M, Kanoglu M. 2002. Exergy analysis of vapor compression refrigeration systems. Exergy, an
International Journal 2:266272.
Zheng J, Sun F, Chen L, Wu C. 2001. Exergy analysis for a Braysson cycle. Exergy, an International Journal 1:4145.

Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Int. J. Energy Res 2006; 30:13361351

DOI: 10.1002/er