Condensers

Lamella condensers

One of the basic elements of the refrigeration system is the condenser responsible for evacuating the evaporator heat and the heat that it has gained during the compression process in the compressor. This process is carried out by condensing compressed refrigerant vapor. Depending on the medium that receives the heat energy - we are talking about an air cooled condenser or a water condenser. The most popular air cooled lamellas (whose movement is forced by the fan) are used in a wide range of capacities from 200W to 600 kW. They are usually made of copper coil, which is used to add metal plates called lamels. The distance between them ranges from a few to several millimeters. One or two axial fans are installed in the lamellar housing to intensify the air exchange through the exchanger.

One of the problems that must be solved when designing a refrigeration appliance is the possibility of adjusting the condensing pressure. This can be achieved by:

• Rotating fan speed control of the condenser
• Installing a proportional pressure regulator
• Activating or deactivating one or all axial fansfor example via a suitable pressure switch

For small to medium capacity, air-cooled lamellas are usually mounted on a common base with a compressor as so-called condensing units, however, at higher capacities (due to the noise level emitted by the exchanger), usually condensers are placed separately on the outer wall of the building or on the roof.

Among water-based condensers, compact plate condensers are becoming increasingly popular in the form of brazed stainless steel profiled bundles. Thanks to its construction, almost all material of the exchanger is the exchange surface which gives a very high thermal efficiency in relation to the dimensions.