Ton of Refrigeration Calculator

1. Definition

A Ton of Refrigeration (TR) calculator converts cooling capacity from kW, BTU/hr, or kcal/hr into the commonly used HVAC unit “Ton of Refrigeration.” TR is widely used in chiller sizing, refrigeration plants, packaged units, and industrial cooling systems.

2. Background Theory

A Ton of Refrigeration is historically defined as the amount of heat required to melt 1 ton of ice in 24 hours.

This corresponds to:

• 1 TR = 12,000 BTU/hr

• 1 TR = 3.517 kW

• 1 TR = 3024 kcal/hr

TON of Refrigeration helps engineers quickly compare cooling capacities regardless of the original unit.

3. How the Calculator Works

1. The user enters a cooling capacity and selects its unit.

2. The calculator applies the correct conversion factor:

3. The final TR value is displayed.

This allows quick equipment sizing and capacity verification for HVAC and refrigeration systems.

While this calculator gives a simple and fast way to convert cooling capacity into TR, real HVAC systems involve dynamic load variations, coil heat transfer behavior, airflow interactions, and refrigerant-side performance that cannot be captured by a simple unit conversion. For deeper insight into cooling performance, airflow patterns, temperature distribution, and equipment interaction inside buildings, tensorHVAC-Pro provides a dedicated HVAC-focused simulation platform. Designed specifically for HVAC engineers—not CFD experts—tensorHVAC-Pro enables intuitive, accurate visualization of thermal and airflow behavior across complete HVAC systems.