Function Of Condenser
To remove the heat from hot refrigerant vapours, cool them and condense them into liquid refrigerant.
Location of Condenser
Condenser is located in the high-pressure side of a refrigeration system. It is installed between compressor and expansion device.
Working principle of Condenser
The high pressure, high temperature vapour refrigerant coming from compressor enters into condenser and gets condensed to low temperature liquid refrigerant before being discharged to expansion device. Heat rejection by high pressure, high temperature vapour refrigerant to condensing medium occurs in two stages, one after the other.
The compressed high pressure, high temperature vapour refrigerant having temperature T2 enters the condenser, where it gets cooled and its temperature reduces from T2 to T2 (i.e. saturation temperature). The type of heat rejected during this cooling process is sensible heat.
This saturated vapour refrigerant is now condensed during the process 2-3. During this condensation process, temperature of refrigerant remains same, i.e. T2 = T3. Heat rejected by vapour refrigerant is latent heat, which changes the phase of refrigerant from vapour to liquid state.
Therefore, condensation process 2-3 is said to be combination of processes 2-2′
(cooling) and 2′-3 (condensation). In majority of the cases, the condensing medium used is ether air or water, or a combination of both.
However, in low temperature applications, brine or direct expansion refrigerants are employed as condensing medium. Because of many and diverse applications of refrigeration, condensers are manufactured in wide variety of types, shapes, sizes and designs.
Factors affecting the selection of a Condenser
- Capacity of the refrigeration system.
- The type of cooling medium available.
- Mass flow rate of refrigerant.
- The type of refrigerant used.
- Corrosion.