CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM
Introduction
Electricity plays a huge part in our daily lives whether it is by
industries, institutions, or our households. Thus, according to ERIA Research
Project Report on 2017, despite the efforts given by the government and non
government institutions, the electricity rate in the Philippines remains highest
compared to Indonesia and Malaysia and around 1-5 fold higher than Thailand
which is sitting next to the Philippines. Also the IEEJ Outlook 2018 (Sushiro et
al., 2017) forecasts that the average growth in electricity demand in the
Philippines from 2015 to 2030 will be 5.7% compared to these three countries
for the same period.
Electricity as the leading used energy in the Philippines, the
impact of the changes in electricity prices is an important consideration
especially for the low-income households. Our devices make up the largest
share of our electric bills, thus electricity consumption from electronic devices
is one among such parameters that need to be monitored. Owning energy
efficient devices has, in fact, become an important technological agenda.
Refrigerator is one of the largest energy consumer appliances in our
household, typically making up 13.7 percent of a home’s energy usage,
according to the United States Department of Energy. Refrigerators have
certainly increased in cost considering all the electronic and convenience
features over the last few years. Since the Philippines has a tropical climate,
we need a refrigerator to keep our food’s quality and fresh as well as a device
such as a water dispenser that provides us cool water to beat the heat. Due to
innovation, water dispensing refrigerator has brought their way to the market
since both has the same working principle and are both full time working
appliances.
However, despite having a water dispensing refrigerator available on
the market, most Filipino household especially low income earners buy
separate conventional refrigerator, whether manual defrost or frost free
refrigerator, and a split water dispenser unit because of its low price. Due to
this, frequently opening up the refrigerator door to retrieve a water causes heat
to enter the unit. And the more heat trapped inside, the longer the compressor
will work, the higher the operating cost will be. Also most conventional
refrigerator and water dispenser uses non-environmental friendly and costly
recycling refrigerant.
Acquiring a water dispensing refrigerator especially for low income
households is a challenging issue as cost and demand of electricity in the states
as well as this device cost were constantly rising. To provide better option for
low income households, this paper proposes an economical yet energy efficient
refrigerator integrated with a water dispenser that is using a single common
compressor and R600a refrigerant to help the consumer keep pace with the
ever-rising demand and price of electricity in the country, save money, space
as well as support energy conservation and environment management.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The researchers aim to make a compact yet energy-efficient
refrigerator that comes with a water dispenser on top which makes good
financial sense for all types of consumers.
Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:
1. What is the design of the refrigerator integrated with water dispenser?
2. How effective is the device compared to having split refrigerator and
water dispenser in terms of:
a. Energy-efficiency
b. Operation
c. Cost
d. Safety and Maintainability
ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY
This study is premised on the following assumptions that:
1. The device can be designed to integrate the same working principle of
both refrigerator and water dispenser into a single unit using a single
common compressor.
2. The device is designed to be more energy efficient and were made to
save space, initial cost and maintenance cost, rather than having a
separated refrigerator and water dispenser.
3. The effectiveness of the device can be measured in terms of energyefficiency, operation, cost, safety and maintainability.
4. The device's strength, stability, and rigidity are all properly designed.
5. The device is designed to minimize the space unlike having separated
refrigerator and water dispenser.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Due to the increasing demands of electricity, it is crucial to figure out
ways to utilize it. This study is significant to conduct in order to support energy
conservation in the states as well as provide convenient device for a low-cost.
The output of this study is beneficial to the following:
CONSUMERS. The higher the electricity consumption of a device, the
higher the expenses will be. This study will provide a better option for the
consumers to acquire a device that offers not only convenience and effective
but energy and cost efficient as well.
COMMUNITY. This study will be useful to the community especially in
some individuals that rent some room or apartment for them to save money
and space instead of buying separated refrigerator and water dispenser.
STUDENTS. This study will help the students broaden their knowledge
about how Refrigeration works. This study will also inspired students to figure
out ways to utilize energy as well as support the global environment.
THE RESEARCHERS. The development of this device allowed the
students to explore possibilities. This will further inspired the researchers to be
creative and resourceful enough to produce quality and functional devices and
services ready for the market.
ENGINEERS AND TECHNOLOGISTS. This study can be used by
engineers and technologists as a guide in inventing or innovating devices for
similar applications.
OTHER RESEARCHERS.
This study will provide fundamental
information for the other researchers conducting similar studies. This will give
them insights for improvements and innovation.
INDUSTRIES. This study can be improve and be mass produce by the
industrial manufacturer, potentially creating more employment.
DOMESTIC
REFRIGERATION
AND
AIR
CONDITIONING
TECHNICIAN. This research would aid them in exploring new ideas and
becoming more creative in their future work or ventures.
SCOPE AND DELIMITATION
This study focused on the design and construction of the proposed
refrigerator integrated with water dispenser-on-top that would provide better
options for smaller households, offices, kitchens and more in Nabua,
Camarines Sur to acquire a device that offers not only convenience but energy
and cost efficient as well. This study was only delimited to domestic refrigerator
specifically a manual-defrost type using a standard vapour-compression
system. The study was conducted for the purpose of keeping pace with the
ever-rising demand and price of electricity in the country and promotes energy
conservation.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Refrigerator is a cooling appliance that consists of a thermally
insulated compartment and a mechanism that transfers heat from the
compartment to the outside environment, cooling the contents to a temperature
lower than the ambient. Refrigerators are widely used to store foods that spoil
at room temperature.
Water Dispenser known as water cooler (if used for cooling only), is
a machine that cools or heats up and dispenses water with a refrigeration unit.
Energy Conservation is the effort made to reduce the consumption
of energy by using less of an energy service.
Environment management is the effort in which mankind made to the
environment to be preserve and be utilized in the future.
Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from an enclosed
space or from a substance and rejecting it elsewhere with the primary goal of
lowering and then maintaining the temperature of the space or substance.
Thermostat is a device typically found inside the refrigerator that
allows user to adjust the temperature setting and maintaining it by controlling
the flow of electricity to the compressor.
Compressor. The refrigerator compressor is both a motor and a pump
that move the refrigerant through the system. Temperature sensors signal the
compressor to start when the temperature inside the refrigerator rises above its
set point.
Refrigerant is a liquid that evaporates inside the refrigerator to create
the cold temperatures.
R600a (Iso-Butane) is refrigerant grade Iso-Butane used in a variety
of high temperature refrigeration applications and has low Global Warming
Potential (GWP) and Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) comparing to high GWP
of R134a.
Manual defrost-type refrigerator is a type of refrigerator that has the
simplest defrosting method consists of turning off the freezer and allowing the
frost to melt away while the freezer door remains open.
Frost free (automatic defrost) type refrigerator is a type of
refrigerator that provide essentially maintenance-free performance. It has autodefrost components that prevent the formation of frost by activating an internal
heating system to deflect moisture away from the freezer compartment.
ENDNOTES
1. Emiri Yokota, Ichiro Kutani, Comparative Analysis of Power Prices in
the Philippines and Selected ASEAN Countries, Economic Research
Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, page 40-42, (31 October 2018)
2. https://www.constellation.com/guides/appliances/energy-efficientrefrigerators.html
3. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Refrigeration
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_conservation
5. http://blog.etundra.com/tech-talk/refrigeration-thermostatscold-controlswork/#:~:text=Thermostats%20are%20typically%20found%20inside,of
%20electricity%20to%20the%20compressor.
6. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/159176808.pdf
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_dispenser
8. https://www.hunker.com/12000409/how-does-a-refrigeratorcompressor-work
9. https://filipiknow.net/ways-to-lower-electric-bill/
10. Ahmadi, Ali. (2019). Re: What is the difference between R134a and
R600a? Can the domestic refrigerator which originally used R600a
being change to R134a?. Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What-is-the-difference-betweenR134a-and-R600a-Can-the-domestic-refrigerator-which-originally-
used-R600a-being-change-toR134a/5c4d7454aa1f09a9c478c9dd/citation/download.
11. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/frostless-deep-freezer-vs-manualdefrost-92263.html