Refrigeration and air conditioning AVTC LIMBE (diversified training)
1. We’ve all been there. You step inside on a hot day and
are mercifully greeted with a wall of cool air. Well, you
have the refrigeration cycle to thank for that relief. While
there are dozens of methods of heating and cooling, the
basic function is still the same and is used in some form
across countless industries and processes. But how does
it work? This post will answer that question by outlining
the main components of a standard refrigeration loop
and the functions of each.
2. In simple terms, a refrigeration cycle's mission is heat
absorption and heat rejection. As any HVAC instructor
will tell you (emphatically), you can't make cold, you can
just remove heat. The refrigeration cycle, sometimes
called a heat pump cycle, is a means of routing heat
away from the area you want to cool. This is
accomplished by manipulating the pressure of the
working refrigerant (air, water, synthetic refrigerants,
etc.) through a cycle of compression and expansion.
3. That’s not the full picture, of course, but that’s the basic
idea. Now, let’s get into the equipment that helps
execute that job. There are certainly other components
in most loops, but most would agree the four
fundamental elements of a basic cycle are as follows:
4. The compressor
5. The condenser
6. The expansion device
7. The evaporator
Written by Mr:[Link]
Refrigeration and air conditioning AVTC LIMBE (diversified training)
8. The compressor
9. Compression is the first step in the refrigeration cycle,
and a compressor is the piece of equipment that
increases the pressure of the working gas. Refrigerant
enters the compressor as low-pressure, low-temperature
gas, and leaves the compressor as a high-pressure, high-
temperature gas.
10. Types of compressors
11. Compression can be achieved through a number of
different mechanical processes, and because of that,
several compressor designs are used in HVAC and
refrigeration today. Other examples exist, but some
popular choices are:
12. Reciprocating compressors
13. Scroll compressors
14. Rotary compressors
Written by Mr:[Link]
Refrigeration and air conditioning AVTC LIMBE (diversified training)
15. The condenser
16. The condenser, or condenser coil, is one of two
types of heat exchangers used in a basic refrigeration
loop. This component is supplied with high-temperature
high-pressure, vaporized refrigerant coming off the
compressor. The condenser removes heat from the hot
refrigerant vapor gas vapor until it condenses into a
saturated liquid state, a.k.a. condensation.
17. After condensing, the refrigerant is a high-pressure,
low-temperature liquid, at which point it’s routed to the
loop’s expansion device.
18. The expansion device
Written by Mr:[Link]
Refrigeration and air conditioning AVTC LIMBE (diversified training)
19.
20. These components come in a few different designs.
Popular configurations include fixed orifices,
thermostatic expansion valves (TXV) or thermal
expansion valves (pictured above), and the more
advanced electronic expansion valves (EEVs). But
regardless of configuration, the job of a system’s
expansion device is the same - create a drop in pressure
after the refrigerant leaves the condenser. This pressure
drop will cause some of that refrigerant to quickly boil,
creating a two-phase mixture.
21. This rapid phase change is called flashing, and it
helps tee up the next piece of equipment in the
circuit, the evaporator, to perform its intended function.
22. The evaporator
Written by Mr:[Link]
Refrigeration and air conditioning AVTC LIMBE (diversified training)
23.
24. The evaporator is the second heat exchanger in a
standard refrigeration circuit, and like the condenser, it’s
named for its basic function. It serves as the “business
end” of a refrigeration cycle, given that it does what we
expect air conditioning to do – absorb heat.
25. This happens when refrigerant enters the
evaporator as a low temperature liquid at low pressure,
and a fan forces air across the evaporator’s fins, cooling
the air by absorbing the heat from the space in question
into the refrigerant.
26. After doing so, the refrigerant is sent back to the
compressor, where the process restarts. And that, in a
nutshell, is how a refrigeration loop works. If you have
any questions about the refrigeration cycle or its
components and how they work, give us a call. We've
been helping customers get the most out of their HVAC
and refrigeration equipment for nearly 100 years.
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