The vortex tube (also known as a Ranque or Hirsch tube) is a device that produces a refrigeration effect by expanding pressurized gas such as air in a tube (instead of a turbine as in the reversed Brayton cycle). It was invented and patented by Ranque in 1931 and improved by Hirsch in 1945, and is commercially available in various sizes. The vortex tube is simply a straight circular tube equipped with a nozzle, as shown in the figure. The compressed gas at temperature T1 and pressure P1 is accelerated in the nozzle by expanding it to nearly atmospheric pressure and is introduced into the tube tangentially at a very high (typically supersonic) velocity to produce a swirling motion (vortex) within the tube. The rotating gas is allowed to exit through the full-size tube that extends to the right, and the mass flow rate is controlled by a valve located about 30 diameters downstream. A smaller amount of air at the core region is allowed to escape to the left through a small aperture at the center. It is observed that the gas that is in the core region and escapes through the central aperture is cold while the gas that is in the peripheral region and escapes through the full-size tube is hot. If the temperature and the mass flow rate of the cold stream are Tc and m. c, respectively, the rate of refrigeration in the vortex tube can be expressed as Qrefrig,vortex tube = mc (h1 - hc) = mcCp (T1 - Tc) where cp is the specific heat of the gas and T1 - Tc is the temperature drop of the gas in the vortex tube (the cooling effect). Temperature drops as high as 60°C (or 108°F) is obtained at high pressure ratios of about 10. The coefficient of performance of a vortex tube can be defined as the ratio of the refrigeration rate as given above to the power used to compress the gas. It ranges from about 0.1 to 0.15, which is well below the Cops of ordinary vapor compression refrigerators. This interesting phenomenon can be explained as follows: the centrifugal force creates a radial pressure gradient in the vortex, and thus the gas at the periphery is pressurized and heated by the gas at the core region, which is cooled as a result. Also, energy is transferred from the inner layers toward the outer layers as the outer layers slow down the inner layers because of fluid viscosity that tends to produce a solid vortex. Both of these effects cause the energy and thus the temperature of the gas in the core region to decline. The conservation of energy requires the energy of the fluid at the outer layers to increase by an equivalent amount. The vortex tube has no moving parts, and thus it is inherently reliable and durable. The ready availability of the compressed air at pressures up to 10 atm in most industrial facilities makes the vortex tube particularly attractive in such settings. Despite its low efficiency, the vortex tube has found application in small-scale industrial spot-cooling operations such as cooling of soldered parts or critical electronic components, cooling drinking water, and cooling the suits of workers in hot environments. Consider a vortex tube that receives compressed air at 500 kPa and 300 K and supplies 25 percent of it as cold air at 100 kPa and 278 K. The ambient air is at 300 K and 100 kPa, and the compressor has an isentropic efficiency of 80 percent. The air suffers a pressure drop of 35 kPa in the after cooler and the compressed air lines between the compressor and the vortex tube.
(a) Without performing any calculations, explain how the COP of the vortex tube would compare to the COP of an actual air refrigeration system based on the reversed Brayton cycle for the same pressure ratio. Also, compare the minimum temperatures that can be obtained by the two systems for the same inlet temperature and pressure.
(b) Assuming the vortex tube to be adiabatic and using specific heats at room temperature, determine the exit temperature of the hot fluid stream.
(c) Show, with calculations, that this process does not violate the second law of thermodynamics.
(d) Determine the coefficient of performance of this refrigeration system, and compare it to the COP of a Carnot refrigerator.

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