Evaporative condensers are the most common type of condenser employed in industrial refrigeration systems. By utilizing a combination of air and water, evaporative condensers can efficiently reject heat to the atmosphere. This category of condenser integrates the principles of evaporative cooling and therefore, condenses the superheated vapor from the compressor more efficiently than traditional air-cooled or water-cooled […]
The first law of thermodynamics teaches us that heat can not be created or destroyed, but it can be moved. The refrigeration cycle leverages this law by “moving” heat from an area or object where it is unwanted to somewhere that it will “do no harm”. In a refrigeration cycle, the condenser is the heat exchanger responsible […]
Unfortunately, the compression process imparts heat into the refrigerant being compressed. This heat is called the “heat of compression” and is directly related to the compression ratio. A decrease in suction pressure or an increase in discharge pressure will result in a higher theoretical discharge temperature. High discharge temperatures increase friction and cause lubricating oils to break […]
Most refrigeration systems are subject to variable system loads caused by weather and product load fluctuations. For this reason, refrigeration systems must be capable of operating at “part load”. Engineers and plant operators achieve this, in part, by utilizing capacity control in compressors. In reciprocating compressors, capacity control is accomplished by what is called “cylinder […]
Most compressors are configured with an oil separator downstream of the compressor. An oil separator is a vessel that is specially designed to “separate” any oil in the discharge vapor and return it back to the compressor where it is wanted. Oil that escapes the separator is unwanted and results in fouling on heat exchange surfaces and […]
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