← All verification pages

Refrigeration verification against the ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022

The worked examples printed in Chapters 1, 20 and 24 of the ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022, run through the same calculations the app uses, line by line against the printed figures: product heat, the freezer store's transmission and internal loads, door infiltration, liquid and suction line sizes, riser oil return and freezing time.

Result
29 of 29 checks pass
Cases
9 worked examples
Version / published
v1.0 · 2026-09-25
Engine fingerprint
e31b6961f6a4

Why we publish this

The ASHRAE Handbook is the reference these calculations cite. Its chapters carry worked examples with every input and every intermediate printed, so a calculation can be checked against the method rather than against its own code. Each case above names the chapter, the example and the printed page; a selected size or a table value has to match exactly, and a figure worked from printed inputs has to land within 2 %.

What is not compared, and why

  • Friction loss in Chapter 1 Examples 1 and 2. The print takes it from Table 3's capacity with a 1.8-power scaling, which the handbook's own footnote calls conservative. The calculation works it from the refrigerant state with Darcy–Weisbach and comes out lower (10 kPa against 17 on Example 1, 0.59 K against 0.63 on Example 2). The sizes, the equivalent lengths and the static head, which are what the examples are for, are compared.
  • The freezer store's infiltration and total (Chapter 24 Example 2). The print works its three door types at displayed enthalpies and densities that no temperature and humidity pair reproduces exactly, then adds its own 20 % to transmission and 10 % to the subtotal. The transmission, product and internal loads are compared component by component, and the dock and dry-store doors are compared on the printed enthalpies. The third door (meat room, 2.78 kW) reproduces at −2.5 %, outside the 2 % policy, because of the print's rounding, and is left out.
  • Packaging sorption (Chapter 24 Example 3). The calculation carries no packaging term.
  • The IOR Cold Store Code of Practice 2020. It publishes the method and its tables but no worked example, so there is nothing printed to compare against; the IOR path is checked in the regression suite against hand calculations instead.

How to read the tables

  • Expected is the value printed in the standard, or a hand calculation from printed values. The working is shown under each quantity.
  • Tolerance is exact for tabulated values and selected sizes, and ±2 % for calculated quantities such as transmission, product, lighting, people, truck and fan loads, door infiltration, static head, riser oil return and freezing time.
  • Every check re-runs automatically whenever the calculation code changes, and this page is regenerated from those results. The engine fingerprint above identifies the calculation code the results came from.

Sources

  • ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)

Printed page numbers refer to the editions above.

Worked examples

RL-01

Ch.24 Example 1 — 100 kg of lean beef chilled from 18 °C to 4 °C

Inputs

  • 100 kg lean beef, 69.5 % moisture: latent heat 233 kJ/kg
  • Specific heat 3.52 kJ/(kg·K) above freezing, 2.12 below (Chapter 19, Table 3)
  • Chilled room: cooled from 18 °C to 4 °C, freezing point −2 °C
Checks for case RL-01
QuantityExpectedSourceMEPCalcΔToleranceResult
Sensible heat above freezing
100 × 3.52 × (18 − 4) = 4928 kJ; the product never reaches its freezing point in the chilled room, so there is no latent term
4928kJ
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 1, printed p24.3
4928kJ0.00 %exactPass
Total heat removed from the product
sensible only: 4928 kJ
4928kJ
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 1, printed p24.3
4928kJ0.00 %exactPass

RL-02

Ch.24 Example 1 — the same beef taken from 4 °C through freezing to −18 °C

Inputs

  • 100 kg lean beef entering the freezer at 4 °C, taken to −18 °C
  • Freezing point −2 °C, latent heat 233 kJ/kg, 2.12 kJ/(kg·K) below freezing
Checks for case RL-02
QuantityExpectedSourceMEPCalcΔToleranceResult
Sensible heat above freezing
100 × 3.52 × (4 − (−2)) = 2112 kJ
2112kJ
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 1, printed p24.3
2112kJ0.00 %exactPass
Latent heat of fusion
100 × 233 = 23 300 kJ
23300kJ
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 1, printed p24.3
23300kJ0.00 %exactPass
Sensible heat below freezing
100 × 2.12 × (−2 − (−18)) = 3392 kJ
3392kJ
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 1, printed p24.3
3392kJ0.00 %exactPass
Total heat removed from the product
2112 + 23 300 + 3392 = 28 804 kJ (with the 4928 kJ of the chilled room, 33 732 kJ in all)
28804kJ
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 1, printed p24.3
28804kJ0.00 %exactPass

RL-03

Ch.24 Example 2 — the 40.5 × 68 × 9 m freezer store at −23 °C

Inputs

  • Room 40.5 × 68 × 9 m (2743 m² floor), −23 °C, summer 33 °C db / 27 °C wb
  • Roof U 0.1344 W/(m²·K) at 38.9 °C with sun; floor U 0.1779 at 15.5 °C
  • Walls U 0.1718: east and north at the ambient, west against a −2.2 °C meat room, south against a 7.2 °C dock
  • Product 420 pallets a day at 1134 kg, −15 °C in, −23 °C out, 1.88 kJ/(kg·K), over 24 h
  • Lighting 10.8 W/m²; 3 people; 3 trucks at 5.6 kW; 15 fans at 1.296 kW

The infiltration and the total are not compared: the print works its three door types at displayed enthalpies and densities, and adds its own 20 % to transmission and 10 % to the subtotal. The doors are checked on their own below.

Checks for case RL-03
QuantityExpectedSourceMEPCalcΔToleranceResult
Transmission, roof
0.1344 × 2743 × (38.9 − (−23)) = 22.8 kW (the print rounds the difference to 62 K)
22.9kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.9
22.82kW0.35 %±2 %Pass
Transmission, floor
0.1779 × 2743 × (15.5 − (−23)) = 18.8 kW
19kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.9
18.7872kW1.12 %±2 %Pass
Transmission, east wall
0.1718 × 618 × (33.3 − (−23)) = 5.98 kW
6.01kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.9
5.9775kW0.54 %±2 %Pass
Transmission, north wall
0.1718 × 370 × 56.3 = 3.58 kW
3.62kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.9
3.5788kW1.14 %±2 %Pass
Transmission, west wall
0.1718 × 618 × (−2.2 − (−23)) = 2.21 kW
2.25kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.9
2.2084kW1.85 %±2 %Pass
Transmission, south wall
0.1718 × 370 × (7.2 − (−23)) = 1.92 kW
1.93kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.9
1.9197kW0.53 %±2 %Pass
Transmission, all surfaces
22.9 + 19.0 + 6.01 + 3.62 + 2.25 + 1.93 = 55.71 kW before the print's own 20 % addition
55.71kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.9
55.2916kW0.75 %±2 %Pass
Product load
19 845 kg/h × 8 K × 1.88 kJ/(kg·K) ÷ 3600 = 82.91 kW
82.91kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.9
82.908kW0.00 %±2 %Pass
Lighting
10.8 W/m² × 2743 m² = 29.62 kW
29.62kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.10
29.6244kW0.01 %±2 %Pass
People
3 × (272 − 6 × (−23)) W = 1.23 kW
1.23kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.10
1.23kW0.00 %±2 %Pass
Trucks
3 × 5.6 kW = 16.8 kW
16.8kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.10
16.8kW0.00 %±2 %Pass
Fan motors
15 × 1.296 kW = 19.4 kW
19.45kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.10
19.44kW0.05 %±2 %Pass

RL-04

Ch.24 Example 2 — door type 1, dock to freezer, Equations (14) to (16)

Inputs

  • Door 8 × 10 ft (2.438 × 3.048 m; the print displays 2.4 × 3.0)
  • Dock air 33.5 kJ/kg at 1.25 kg/m³; freezer air −4.7 kJ/kg at 1.41 kg/m³
  • Open-time factor Dt 0.14583, doorway flow factor Df 0.7, no protective device
Checks for case RL-04
QuantityExpectedSourceMEPCalcΔToleranceResult
Infiltration through the door
Fm = [2/(1 + (1.41/1.25)^⅓)]^1.5 = 0.970; q = 0.221 × 7.431 × 38.2 × 1.41 × √(1 − 1.25/1.41) × √(9.81 × 3.048) × 0.970 = 158.1 kW; × 0.14583 × 0.7 = 16.13 kW
16.21kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.10
16.1344kW0.47 %±2 %Pass

RL-05

Ch.24 Example 2 — door type 2, dry store to freezer

Inputs

  • Door 8 × 10 ft (2.438 × 3.048 m)
  • Dry-store air 101.9 kJ/kg at 1.12 kg/m³; freezer air −4.7 kJ/kg at 1.41 kg/m³
  • Open-time factor Dt 0.0219, doorway flow factor Df 0.7, no protective device
Checks for case RL-05
QuantityExpectedSourceMEPCalcΔToleranceResult
Infiltration through the door
the same equations at 106.6 kJ/kg of enthalpy difference and the lighter dry-store air: 8.85 kW
8.97kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 24, Example 2, printed p24.10
8.8493kW1.35 %±2 %Pass

RP-01

Ch.1 Example 1 — R-22 liquid line, 14 kW, 50 m equivalent with a 6 m lift

Inputs

  • R-22, 14 kW, 5 °C evaporating, 40 °C condensing
  • Liquid line 50 m equivalent length, rising 6 m to the evaporator

The print's friction loss (0.46 K, 17.2 kPa) comes from Table 3's capacity with a 1.8-power scaling, which the handbook footnotes as conservative; the calculation works it from the refrigerant state and gets 10 kPa, so it is not compared.

Checks for case RP-01
QuantityExpectedSourceMEPCalcΔToleranceResult
Selected tube, outside diameter
"the size of the liquid line at 1 K drop is 15 mm OD": 15 mm nominal is the 15.88 mm (⅝ in) ACR tube
15.88mm
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 1, Example 1, printed p1.3
15.88mm0.00 %exactPass
Static head of the liquid lift
"Loss for the riser = 6 × 11.3 = 67.8 kPa"
67.8kPa
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 1, Example 1, printed p1.3
67.75kPa0.07 %±2 %Pass

RP-02

Ch.1 Example 2 — R-22 suction line, 105 kW, 15 m with six long-radius elbows

Inputs

  • R-22, 105 kW, 5 °C suction, 38 °C condensing
  • 15 m of straight copper tube and six long-radius elbows

The print's 0.63 K comes from Table 3's capacity with a 1.8-power scaling; the calculation gets 0.59 K from the refrigerant state, under the same 1 K limit, so the loss itself is not compared.

Checks for case RP-02
QuantityExpectedSourceMEPCalcΔToleranceResult
Selected tube, outside diameter
"the 54 mm tube is recommended": 0.63 K on 21.0 m is below the recommended 1 K, and 42 mm would give 2.05 K
53.98mm
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 1, Example 2 and Table 16, printed p1.16
53.98mm0.00 %exactPass
Equivalent length of the fittings
"Six 50 mm long-radius elbows at 1.0 m each (Table 16) = 6.0 m"
6m
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 1, Example 2 and Table 16, printed p1.16
6m0.00 %exactPass
Equivalent length of the line
15.0 + 6.0 = 21.0 m
21m
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 1, Example 2 and Table 16, printed p1.16
21m0.00 %exactPass

RP-03

Ch.1 Example 3 — the largest suction riser that carries oil at 25 % load, R-22, 120 kW

Inputs

  • R-22, 120 kW compressor with capacity steps of 25, 50, 75 and 100 %: minimum 30 kW
  • 5 °C suction, 40.6 °C condensing; Table 19 read at 30 °C suction gas and 40 °C liquid
  • Suction line 20 m of which 6 m rises
Checks for case RP-03
QuantityExpectedSourceMEPCalcΔToleranceResult
Selected tube, outside diameter
"a 54 mm OD pipe … is suitable"
53.98mm
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 1, Example 3, printed p1.18
53.98mm0.00 %exactPass
Table 19 minimum capacity for oil entrainment
Table 19, R-22, 5 °C saturated, 30 °C suction gas, 54 mm column: 23.141 kW (the print quotes 23.1)
23.141kW
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 1, Table 19, printed p1.19
23.141kW0.00 %exactPass
Riser carries oil at minimum load (1 = yes)
30 kW at minimum load is above the 23.1 kW minimum, so the riser carries oil
1
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 1, Example 3, printed p1.18
10.00 %exactPass

BF-01

Ch.20 Example 3 — freezing time of a brick of lean beef in a −30 °C blast freezer

Inputs

  • Brick 0.04 × 0.12 × 0.16 m of lean sirloin, 10 °C initial, frozen to −10 °C at the thermal centre
  • Air −30 °C, surface coefficient 40 W/(m²·K)
  • Properties as the print tabulates them: 1075 and 1018 kg/m³, 3.52 and 2.11 kJ/(kg·K), 1.66 W/(m·K), freezing point −1.7 °C
Checks for case BF-01
QuantityExpectedSourceMEPCalcΔToleranceResult
Freezing time to the thermal centre
modified Plank, Equation (31) with the Table 5 brick factors P = 0.468 and R = 0.248: 5250 s = 1.46 h
1.46h
ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration 2022 (SI)
Chapter 20, Example 3, printed p20.13
1.456h0.27 %±2 %Pass