The condenser is one of the main heat exchange devices in a refrigeration system. Its task is to cool and condense the high-pressure superheated refrigerant vapor discharged from the compressor into a saturated liquid or even a supercooled liquid by releasing heat to the ambient medium through it.

According to the different cooling media and cooling methods used in the condenser, there are three types: water-cooled, air-cooled and water-air cooled.

Condenser by cooling method:

Air-cooled type;

2. Water-cooled type

3. Evaporative cooling type (water-air cooling).

In air-cooled condensers, according to the air flow pattern outside the tubes:

Natural convection air-cooled condenser

2. Forced convection air-cooled condenser

Water-cooled condenser

This type of condenser uses water as the cooling medium to carry away the heat released when the refrigerant condenses. Cooling water can be used once or recycled. When using circulating water, a cooling tower or cold water pool must be provided to ensure that the water is continuously cooled. According to their different structures, they mainly include shell and tube type, tube-in-tube type and the plate heat exchanger which is widely used nowadays.

Horizontal shell and tube condenser

Shell and tube condensers: Different refrigerants used in refrigeration equipment have different structural characteristics. Generally, vertical shell and tube condensers are suitable for large-scale ammonia refrigeration units, while horizontal shell and tube condensers are commonly used in large and medium-sized ammonia or Freon refrigeration units. The fixing method of the tube sheet and the heat transfer tube is generally the expansion joint method, which facilitates the repair and replacement of the heat transfer tube.

Features of horizontal shell and tube condensers: high heat transfer coefficient, low consumption of cooling water, and convenient operation and management; However, it has high requirements for the quality of cooling water. At present, this kind of device is widely adopted in large and medium-sized refrigeration equipment.

Tubular condenser: It is a water-cooled condenser made by fitting tubes of different diameters together and bending them into a spiral or serpentine shape. As shown in the figure, the refrigerant vapor condenses between the tubes, and the condensate is led out from the bottom. The cooling water flows from bottom to top in the smaller diameter pipe, in a counter-current manner with the refrigerant. Therefore, the heat transfer effect is better.

Plate condenser: A plate condenser is composed of a group of stainless steel corrugated plates connected in series. Cold and hot fluid channels are formed on both sides of the heat transfer plates, and heat exchange occurs through the plate walls during the flow process.

The thickness of the heat exchange plate is approximately 0.5mm, and the plate spacing is generally 2-5mm. Plate heat exchangers are small in size, light in weight, have high heat transfer efficiency, require less refrigerant charge, and have high reliability. They have been widely used in recent years. However, its internal volume is small. The condensed liquid refrigerant should be discharged in time. It has high requirements for cooling water quality and is difficult to clean. Internal leakage is not easy to repair.

The cooling water enters from the top and exits from the bottom. The refrigerant vapor enters from the top and the liquid refrigerant exits from the bottom.

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