University of Gondar
Institute of Technology
Biomedical Engineering Department
Biomedical instrumentation II
Part Five- Hospital Equipment
By: Muhammed.E.
A cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain.
It is an uninterrupted series of storage and distribution activities that
maintain a given temperature range.
What is the use of the Cold chain?
Extend & ensure the shelf life of products such as fresh agricultural
products, seafood, frozen food, pharmaceutical drugs & chemicals.
Vaccine Cold Chain
Is a system composed of equipment & workers that
ensure vaccine Quality, at the correct temperature
during storage & transportation from manufacturers to
the point of use.
- -
Con..
• So, what do we need?
• Freezer room
• Cold room
• Cold box
• Refrigerator
Cold or freezer room must be fitted with
• Dual refrigeration equipment (cooling units).
• Incandescent light with external switch & pilot light.
• Audible Alarm system
• Electrical duty sharing circuit.
• Temperature monitoring devices.
Temperature monitoring
• Recording thermometer
• Fridge-tag
• Freeze-tag
Recording thermometer
7 Days temperature recording device, the circular
diagram paper driven by a clockwork movement,
and the fiber point pen write on a circular
diagram.
Electronic temperature recorder. Which can send
data to a personal computer.
Remote temperature monitoring device
• Internet based temperature monitoring. it permits
to collect data from multiple world-wide locations to
a single database.
• Send alarm text message to user when
• Temperature “out of range”
• Door “open”
• Main electric power “off”
Type of refrigeration system
There are two types of refrigeration system using in the health system in Ethiopia.
Vapor Compression Refrigeration and Vapor Absorption Refrigeration.
VCR uses mechanical energy as the driving force for refrigeration,
VAR uses thermal energy as the driving force for refrigeration.
Compression refrigeration system
Compression refrigeration - Compression refrigeration system uses compressors
to drive the cooling process. Compression refrigeration are the more common &
the more efficient.
Some of the compression type
equipment are:
• Cold rooms & Freezers,
• Deep Freezers (MF 314, MF 214, MF 114,
etc),
• Ice pack freezers (TFW 800, etc),
• ILR (TCW3000, MK 304, MK314, MK204,
MK 414, MK 404)
Solar Refrigerators
A solar refrigerator operates on the same principle as normal
compression refrigerators but uses low DC voltage (12 or 24V).
Currently, there is a new technology
(DD solar without battery)
Absorption refrigeration system
Absorption refrigerators - The cooling system is charged with
ammonia, water, and hydrogen
Some of the absorption refrigerators are: SIBIR
V170KE & V110KE, RCW50KE, Zero PR265KE, etc.
Uses a constant heat source to
drive the refrigeration cycle
❖ Electric heater
❖ Kerosene flame
❖ LP Gas
KE:- kerosene & electric operation
GE:- gas & electric operation
Basic refrigeration cycle
Basic refrigeration
Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from a selected
object, substance, or place (where it is not wanted) & transfer
that heat to another selected object, substance, or place.
Where it makes little or no difference
Compression Refrigeration cycle
Refrigeration cycle, high- & low-pressure side
Refrigeration cycle
Refrigeration cycle
Main application of refrigeration
Application of refrigeration
Comfort air conditioning, public rooms, halls,
transportation, hospitals, residences, hotels,
offices, etc.
Storage, preservation, and transportation, of
• Foods (meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, and fruit juices)
• Medical services (medicines, vaccines, blood & reagents)
• Agricultural products (vegetables, fruit, flowers, etc.)
Industry (Manufacturing of plastic, beverage,
processing of textiles &, etc…)
Domestic & commercial appliances (Preservation
of foods at Home, supermarket & Hotels)
Cold room/freezer room
Modern cold rooms and freezer rooms are constructed from
prefabricated insulated panels.
Cold room/Freezer room
A cold room is an insulated building or prefabricated store,
provided refrigeration unit with a suitable walk-in door to
permit storing & preservation of a large number of products.
Which maintains a set
temperature:
• Cold room - above 00C
• Freezer room. - below 00C
Main parts and their uses
Refrigeration system accessories:-
Compressor, service valves, filter driers, sight
glasses, refrigerant distributors, heat
exchangers, storage tanks, oil separators,
vibration eliminators.
Main parts of a Cold & Freezer room
Classification of parts
• Evaporator unit
• Condensing unit
• Safety & controlling devices
• Temperature monitoring devices
Evaporator unit
• Expansion valve
• Evaporator coil
• Air circulation fan
• Condensate drip tray and drainpipe
Expansion valve
The function of expansion valve is to meter the proper amount of liquid
refrigerant & reduce the pressure of liquid refrigerant entering to the
evaporator.
When the compressor runs, the liquid refrigerant is sprayed into the
evaporator & the refrigerant, passing through a small hole in the valve
acts as a spray nozzle.
Capillary tube
The capillary tube is a fixed bore metering device (expansion valve)
and no moving parts. Uses for the small capacity refrigeration system.
The flow control or metering device, when the suction line
temperature decreases, the pressure in the bulb decreases & therefore
on the spring causing the valve to close against the spring pressure in
the valve body.
Temperature sensing bulb
filled with a similar gas
as in the system.
When the suction line temperature increases, the pressure in the bulb
increases & therefore on the spring causing the valve to open against
the spring pressure in the valve body.
Temperature sensing bulb
filled with a similar gas
as in the system.
Evaporator
The evaporator is one of the main components of a refrigeration system,
The evaporator coil is fixed on the inside wall or ceiling of the room
Con..
The cold refrigerant leaving the expansion valve passes through the evaporator
pipes & cools the fins.
The fins transfer this cooling effect to the air inside cold room.
Evaporator absorb heat from the inside of the cold room, the
heat being introduced by:
• Product placed in the cold room
• Insulation loss
• Door opening
Air circulation fan
Is an electric fan that is designed to circulate air over the
evaporator fins and distribute it around the room.
Air circulation fan
Compressor
Compressor is the heart of a vapor compression system.
Compressor is that machine take refrigerant vapor flowing from the evaporator
& Compress it, at high temperature & pressure to condenser.
Compressor can be classified as
Hermetic compressors, in which the motor & the compressor are sealed or
welded in the same housing
Semi hermetic compressors, in which motor and compressor are enclosed in
the same housing but are accessible from repair and maintenance
Open compressors, in which compressor and motor are enclosed in two
separate housings. The compressors are often driven by a motor directly or by
a gear train.
Oil Separators
Installed in the discharge line
(between compressor &
condenser) to separate the oil
from the refrigerant and return
the oil to the compressor
crankcase
Condenser
Is that part of the refrigeration system in which the superheated vapor refrigerant
is changed from vapor to liquid,
A condenser is a heat exchanger device like the evaporator; it rejects the heat
from the system absorbed by the evaporator.
Condensing unit
Types of condenser
Based on the cooling medium used, condensers can be
classified into the following three categories:
1. Air-cooled condensers
2. Water-cooled condensers
3. Evaporative condensers
Air-cooled condensers/fan-forced cooling
Mounted on the same base plate as the compressor.with an
electric fan blowing air over the pipes and fins to extract the
heat
Water-cooled condenser
A water-cooled condenser is a heat exchanger that removes heat from
refrigerant vapor and transfers it to the water running through it.
The refrigerant vapor condenses and gives up heat to the water running
inside the tube.
❖Water cooled condenser
Assembled with a tube within the outer tube. The cooling
water flows through the inner pipe & the refrigerant circulates
through the outer pipe. & the water remove heat from the
refrigerant
Double-tube condenser
Water cooled condenser
Pipe-in-pipe/double-tube condenser refrigerant flows in
the opposite direction than water
Pipe-in-pipe/double-tube
condenser
Evaporative condenser
An evaporative condenser, uses the evaporation of water spray to
remove the heat of condensation of the refrigerant.
Liquid receiver
Liquid receivers are used to store the liquid refrigerant after it
leaves the condenser.
• May be constructed either vertically or horizontally
• Store the liquid refrigerant after it leaves the condenser.
Con..
▪ When repairs, in order to prevent loss of refrigerant. Transfer & store all
refrigerant
▪ Should have sufficient capacity to hold all refrigerants in the system.
▪ Only liquid refrigerant leaves the receiver & enters the evaporator
Filter drier
A tubular container filled with a silica-gel
(desiccant) which is a moisture-absorbing
substance.
The function of the filter-drier is to remove
moisture and impurities from the refrigeration
system.
Liquid sight glass
▪ Fitted in the liquid line after the filter drier, it allows the service technician can
observe the refrigerant status circulating in the system.
Defrosting system
Why defrosting is needed
Moisture in the air inside the cold-room gets frozen and form
frost on the evaporator coils.
For better cooling efficiency the frost should be melted from
time to time.
Automatic defrosting system
Cold & freezer rooms has an automatic defrosting system
operated by:-
• Electromechanical timer
• Digital temperature controller with defrost fans management device.
Defrosting system can be
❖ Electrical heater
❖ Hot gas
Defrosting by electrical heater
The heating element (heater) attached to the evaporator coil
and fins.
• When the defrost heater energized by the defrost control, the ice
that was accumulated on the evaporator removes. this is done by
heating the evaporator coil.
Hot gas defrosting system has a refrigerant line running directly
from the compressor discharge up to the evaporator.
During the defrosting time, hot
refrigerant vapor is pumped
directly to the evaporator tubing.
& remove the ice that has
accumulated on the evaporator.
Abbreviations
TEV - Thermostatic Expansion Valve
LP – Low Pressure
HP – High Pressure
LLSV- Liquid Line Solenoid Valve
Main safety and controlling devices
Main safety and controlling devices
• Thermostat
• Motor overload protectors
• Phase reverse & phase failure control
• Voltage stabilizer
• Electrical fuses
• High-pressure switch
• Low-pressure switch
• High /Low-pressure switch or dual pressure switch
Thermostat
Is an automatic temperature control switch, used to control the
internal temperature of the cold room.
Motor overload protector
Protect the electric motors against damage, caused by excessive
load or temperature.
Voltage stabilizer
Corrects the voltage fluctuations: if the voltage
fluctuates outside the limits.
Fuses
Fuses are a safety devices which are designed to melt or blow
when the current becomes too high
High pressure switch
The high-pressure controls interrupt the unit’s working if the system
pressure is too high. Fixed next to the compressor on the high-
pressure side
There are two different types
1. fixed calibration 2. Adjustable
The high-pressure switch protects the system against high operating
pressures. This control can be either manual or automatic reset.
Low pressure switch
Low pressure switch stop the unit, when the low pressure falls below
the value at which it is adjusted
• Is fixed next to the compressor on the low-pressure side
➢There are two different types
1. fixed calibration 2. Adjustable
Dual pressure switch
A dual pressure switch, control combines both high- and low –
pressure.
• Is fixed next to the compressor on the high – & low-pressure side.
Heat pump can be designed to work as cooling or heating with the reversing valve
Summer Season: We want to cooldown the Indoor Winter Season: We want to warm up the Indoor
Thank you
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