Diseño y construcción de una bomba de calor aire-aire con capacidad de 12000 BTU/h para secado de cacao.

Abstract

The present project is based on the design and construction of an air-to-air heat pump, using the thermodynamic refrigeration cycle, with the help of R410A refrigerant gas as an alternative to common refrigerants in the local market. Obtaining higher temperatures for the optimal drying process with the implementation of a rotary compressor of 12,000 Btu / h. In addition to two heat exchangers used as evaporator and condenser of tube type and fins of capacity ¾ of hp and inner diameter of 3/16 ". With an expansion valve of similar capacity of the compressor. The results obtained are tabulated from multiple field tests with a duration of four hours and a load of one to four kilograms for each drying process. The highest critical temperature obtained in the condenser without the use of an electronic controller was 50 ° C, while the lowest critical temperature in the evaporator was 12 ° C. The system was tested in the city of Quito under different ambient temperatures, with conditions from 17 ºC to 20 ºC, which proved the variation of parameters according to the amount of cold air in the environment. The implementation of a heat pump system for cocoa drying leads to a moderately high initial cost, which will be amortized by future savings and by the reduction in the cost of fossil fuels traditionally used for the drying of this fruit. Additionally, it contributes to the care of the environment through the use of renewable energy and the low cost of its occupation in the country.