When the refrigerant gas leaves the compressor and enters the condenser, it contains the full load of heat, which consists of the heat picked up in the evaporator, the heat of cooling the liquid from the condenser to the evaporator temperature, the heat picked up in the suction line and cylinder chamber, and the heat of compression. The function of the condenser is to remove this heat and return the refrigerant to the refrigerant control, thus enabling the system to repeat its cycle.
Several types of condensers are used, the most common being the water-cooled types used on commercial and larger systems. These include the following:
- The double-pipe, flooded atmospheric
- The bleeder shell-and-tube
- The shell-and-coil
Air-cooled condensers are most universally used on household and smaller air-conditioning units. They are usually of the natural draft or fan-cooled types, furnished with plain or finned tubes or plates, and either series pass or parallel pass.
