Evaporative Condensers Explained

evaporative condenser

 

Evaporative condensers cool vapors that occur in the HVAC cycle. Involved in the process are a condenser, drier, receiver, expansion valve and an evaporator. Compressed refrigerant vapor is sent to the evaporative condenser to be cooled back into a liquid.

Water is piped to a holding tank that uses a float to maintain water levels. A pump circulates the water and eventually sprays it over the refrigeration condenser. Then, a fan draws air out and up to the top of the mechanism. Water molecules are then cooled by evaporation and flow over the condenser.

The basic principle upon which an evaporative condenser is built is that hot vapor that must be condensed is sent to a condensing coil where continuous water flow keeps the condensing coil cool. The evaporation that occurs removes the heat from the vapor. The lowered temperature will put in motion the process by which the vapor is returned to a liquid.

Condenser Explained

Heat is produced during an air conditioning or refrigeration cycle. A condenser is the device that is used to condense a vapor/gas back into a liquid state. This is done by cooling the vapor.

There are many areas where condensers are required because most systems produce heat as a byproduct of friction or absorption. Condensers are needed in air conditioning, industrial production of chemicals, steam power plants, and public water systems.

Water Cooled System Efficiency

evaporative condenser

An evaporative condenser saves money by removing the necessity to use pumps to move large quantities of water. They can also use less energy as less power is needed to cool air/vapors than air-cooled condensers. With an evaporative cooler, vapors can be condensed at lower temperatures which will utilize less energy overall.

In addition to these benefits, the installation of an evaporative condenser will lower the workload required of any compressor. Lower condensing temperatures means fewer calls to the compressor to cycle. Lower energy usage could mean that installation costs will go down as smaller wire sizes and electrical controls will be needed overall. Downtime and repair bills will go down because compressors installed where a water cooled system is being used are up against smaller pressure differentials.