City University of Hong Kong

Division of Building Science and Technology

Associate of Science in Building Services Engineering

BST20532 HVAC Services 2

CONDENSERS & EVAPORATORS

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

After studying this set of lecture notes, students are expected to:
• understand condensers and evaporators are developed for refrigeration applications from fundamental
equipment - heat exchangers;
• understand the basic principles of heat exchangers, including the types, overall heat transfer coefficient,
fluid flow in tube and shell, application with fins;
• understand the types, characteristics and applications of different condensers and evaporators;
• distinguish the features between condensers and evaporators in configuration;
• determine the performance of condensers and evaporators.

OUTLINE
1. Heat Exchangers
1.1 Types of Heat Exchangers
1.2 Overall Heat-transfer Coefficient of Tubings
1.3 Extended Surface - Fins
1.4 Scroll Compressors
1.5 Gas Flowing over Finned Tubes

2. Condensers
2.1 Air-cooled Condensers (Tube-and-fin)
2.2 Water-cooled Condensers
2.3 Evaporative Condensers
2.4 Fouling Factor
2.5 Desuperheating
2.6 Air and non-condensables

3. Evaporators
3.1 Types of Evaporator
3.2 Frost

Tutorial
BST20532 HVAC Services 2 - Condensers and Evaporators

CONDENSERS AND EVAPORATORS

1. Heat Exchangers

1.1 Types of Heat Exchangers

Condensers and evaporators are heat exchangers i.e. devices in which two fluid
streams separated by a solid surface and exchange heat energy. There are two
common types of heat exchangers as shown in Figures 1 and 2, namely
i) shell-and-tube, and
ii) finned-coil

In a direct-expansion evaporator as in Figure 1(a), the refrigerant boils (evaporates) in

tube and cools the fluid that passes over the outside surface of the tube. In a flooded
cooler as in Figure 1(b), the refrigerant vaporizes or condenses on the outside of tubes,
which are submerged in liquid refrigerant within a closed shell.

(a) direct-expansion type evaporator

(b) flooded type evaporator

Figure 1 Shell-and-tube Heat Exchangers

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Finned Coil

Figure 2 Finned-coil Heat Exchanger – Air-cooled Condenser

1.2 Overall Heat-transfer Coefficient of Tubings

The performance of a heat-exchanger is characterized by the overall heat-transfer

coefficient, or its U-value “U”.

refrigerant flow at To
outer surface A o at T os

water flow at T i inner surface A i at T is

Figure 3 Tube Section

For a small tube section as shown in Figure 3, the steady-state heat transfer rate is the
same at the external and internal surfaces as well as inside the solid metal, so

k
Q = h o A o (To − Tos ) = A m (Tos − Tis ) = h i A i (Tis − Ti )
x
(1)

where ho, hi - external and internal surface convective heat transfer coefficients
k - thermal conductivity of tube metal
x - tube thickness
Am - mean circumferential area of tube

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Also overall speaking,

Q = U o A o (To − Ti ) = U i A i (To − Ti )
(2)

where Uo = overall heat transfer coefficient based on outside area, W/m2.K

Ui = overall heat transfer coefficient based on inside area, W/m2.K

Total resistance to heat transfer is then

1 1 1 x 1
= = + +
U o A o U i A i h o A o kA m h i A i
(3)

1.3 Fluid Flow

1.3.1 In Tube

A useful heat transfer expression for liquid flow relating Nusselt number (Nu),
Reynolds number (Re) and Prandtl number (Pr) is as follows:

Nu = C Re n Pr m
(4)
where C, m or n carry different values for different flow situations.

Since turbulent flow exists in most evaporators and condensers, equation (4) then
becomes:
⎛ ρDu ⎞ ⎛ C p µ ⎞
0.8 0.4
hD
= 0.023⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
k ⎝ µ ⎠ ⎝ k ⎠
(5)
where h, k, ρ, µ and Cp all are fluid properties.

Pressure drop due to fluid flow occurs in straight tubes, bends, heads, etc. Also
entrance and exit losses exist. In a straight tube, the pressure drop is given by the
Darcy formula,
L ρu 2
∆P = 4f
D 2
(6)
.
This often represents 50 to 80% of the total loss. Since m = ρuA ,
. 2
∆P ∝ u ∝ m2

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1.3.2 In Shell

Liquid is directed by baffles to flow across the tube bundle [Figure 1(a)]. The baffles
increase the velocity of the liquid, thereby increasing its heat transfer coefficient. The
shell-side heat transfer coefficient is a function of the volume flow rate:
. 0.6
h∝V

The pressure drop of flow in shell can be empirically obtained by experimental

measurements.

1.4 Extended Surface - Fins

When the heat transfer involves air, the air-side resistance is always the controlling
resistance in equation (3). In order to improve the performance by reducing the
thermal resistance 1 ho Ao , Ao is usually increased by the addition of fins.

Fins may take on many forms ranging from the simple plate of uniform cross section
(bar fin) to complex patterns attached to tubes.

1.4.1 Bar Fins (Figure 4)

To analyse its performance by solving for the temperature distribution through the fin,
consider an element of thickness dx and with a unit fin depth:

Rate of heat flow Rate of heat Rate of heat flow

in at Postion 1 + transferred from air = out at Position 2

Hence for one half of the fin width “y” (note the symmetry),

⎛ dT ⎞ ⎛ dT ⎞
ky ⎜ ⎟ + dx. h f (Ta − T ) = ky ⎜ ⎟
⎝ dx ⎠ 1 ⎝ dx ⎠ 2

where Ta is the temperature of air flowing across the fin.

Re-arranging this gives

⎡⎛ dT ⎞ ⎛ dT ⎞ ⎤
ky ⎢⎜ ⎟ − ⎜ ⎟ ⎥ = dx. h f (Ta − T)
⎣⎝ dx ⎠ 2 ⎝ dx ⎠ 1 ⎦

But the change in temperature gradient

⎛ dT ⎞ ⎛ dT ⎞ d ⎛ dT ⎞ d 2T
⎜ ⎟ −⎜ ⎟ = ⎜ ⎟ dx = 2 dx
⎝ dx ⎠ 2 ⎝ dx ⎠ 1 dx ⎝ dx ⎠ dx

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Hence,
d 2 T h f (Ta − T)
=
dx 2 ky
(7)

The solution of equation (7) is

T − Tb cosh M(L − x )
=
Ta − Tb cosh ML
(8)

hf
where M= (9)
ky

Because a fin does not have a uniform temperature throughout its length, a term called
"fin effectiveness" (η) is defined as the ratio of actual rate of heat transfer to the rate
as if the entire fin were at the base temperature. Then,

tanh ML
η=
ML
(10)

Figure 4 Bar Fin

Figure 5 Common Fin Shapes Mount on a Cylinder Tube

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1.4.2 Other Fin Shapes

Figure 5 shows the shapes of (a) an annular fin and (b) a rectangular or square fin
mounted on a cylindrical tube. Rectangular plate fin is commonly used in these days.
A chart of η for rectangular-plate fin corresponding to the annular fin (with the same
surface area and thickness) is shown in Figure 6. In the figure, re is the external
radius of the fin and ri the internal radius.

Air-side surface area of a finned tube is composed of the following 2 parts:

i) prime area (Ap) : portion of tube in between fins, which is at the base
temperatue Tb and therefore η = 1

ii) extended area (Ae) : fin area, η < 1

Incorporating these into equation (3) gives

1 1 1 x 1
= = + +
U o A o U i A i h o ( A p + ηA e ) kA m h i A i
(11)

Figure 6 Fin Effectiveness of Annular/Rectangular Fin

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1.5 Gas Flowing over Finned Tubes

The heat transfer coefficient and friction loss (hf & ∆P), when air flows over finned
tubes, depend on the coil geometry. For estimation purpose,

h f = 38u f
0.5

(12)
where uf is the face velocity in m/s.

The chart in Figure 7 shows the pressure drop (in Pa per tube row) of a commercial
cooling coil when the finned surfaces are dry.
Air-pressure drop, Pa per tube row

Figure 7 Pressure Drop of Air Flowing through a Finned Coil

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2 Condensers

The condenser removes (from the refrigerant gas) the heat of compression and the
heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the evaporator. The refrigerant is thereby
converted back into the liquid phase at the condenser pressure and is available for re-
expansion into evaporator. Cooling medium can be air, water and combination of air
and water.

Cooling Medium Equipment

Air air cooled condensers
Fresh water or sea water water-cooled condensers and cooling towers
Combination of air and water evaporative condensers

2.1 Air-cooled Condensers (Tube-and-fin) (Figure 2)

Cooling air is forced to pass across condenser tubes. An air-cooled condenser

generally consists of a condensing coil and a sub-cooling coil arranged in series. A
sub-cooling temperature of 5oC to 8oC is always possible resulting an increase in
capacity of 5 to 7 %.

The heat transfer process in an air-cooled condenser has 3 phases:

• Desuperheating
• Condensing
• Subcooling

Since the condenser pressure and temperature must be maintained with a certain
range, either air dampers are installed to modulate the air passing through the
condensing coil or fan speed is reduced to decrease the volume flow rate of the
cooling air.

2.2 Water-cooled Condensers (Figure 8)

Cooling water is sent to some cooling devices e.g. shell-and-tube, shell-and-coil or

cooling tower for ultimate rejection of heat to the atmosphere.

The hot gas from the compressor is desuperheated, condensed and sub-cooled into
liquid state in the condenser. During condensation, approximately one-sixth of the
shell is filled with liquid refrigerant which is sub-cooled to a lower temperature by the
entering cooling water. Such a liquid level also prevents gas bubbles from entering
the liquid line. The fouling factor of the tubes is 0.35m2 K/kW for fresh water and 0.6
m2K/kW for seawater.

Water-cooled type is more suitable when heat is to be rejected to a point a long

distance away from the condenser. In Hong Kong, this is used where sea water
cooling and fresh water cooling (“Pilot Scheme”) is possible.

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Figure 8 Water-cooled Condenser

2.3 Evaporative Condensers (Figure 9)

An evaporative condenser consists of a casing a condensing coil, a bank of spraying

nozzles, a forced draft or induced draft fan, a water basin and a circulating pump.
Water is sprayed over the outside surface of the condensing coil. Due to the
evaporation of water, heat is extracted from the wetted surface of the coil.

2.3.1 Heat Transfer Process

• From the vapour refrigerant to the water film on the coil surface. Efficiency
depends on the temperature difference between the refrigerant and the water film.
• From the water film to the air by evaporation. Efficiency depends on the enthalpy
difference between the saturated air film and the moving air stream.

2.3.2 Characteristics

Due to higher rate of heat transfer by evaporation of water film, less coil surface is
required. Less space is therefore required comparing to cooling tower and air-cooled
condenser.

2.3.3 Limitations

• due to evaporation of water film, make up water is required; and

• application is limited by the maximum allowable distance between the condenser
and the compressor, normally no more than 80m.

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(a) Evaporative Condenser

(b) Temperature Curves

Figure 9 Typical Evaporative Condenser

2.4 Fouling Factor

Water-cooled condenser in service will experience degradation in U-value due to

fouling by impurities in water. To cater for this a new condenser should be provided
with slightly higher U-value than the one specified. This involves a term called
'fouling factor' (1/hff) and the equation (3) becomes:

1 1 xA o Ao A
= + + + o
U o h o kA m h ff A i h i A i
(13)

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An established standard quotes (1/hff) as 0.000176 m2.K/W, which means a new

condenser should have a "1/Uo" value of (0.000176*Ao/Ai) less than that minimum
required to meet the specified capacity of the condenser.

2.5 Desuperheating

Even when the refrigerant condenses at a constant pressure, its temperature is

constant only in the condensing portion. Because the vapor coming from the
compressor is usually superheated and some subcooling takes place, the actual
distribution of temperature is as shown in Figure 11.

Log mean temperataue difference (LMTD) is a good approximation to describe the

temperature difference between the refrigerant and the cooling fluid. In this case,

(Tc − Ti ) − (Tc − To )
LMTD =
⎛ T − Ti ⎞
ln⎜ c ⎟
⎝ Tc − To ⎠
(14)

Tc

To

Ti

Figure 11 Temperature Distribution in a Condenser

2.6 Air and non-condensables

Air or other non-condensable gases that have entered the refrigeration system will be
eventually collected in the condenser. Such foreign gases reduce the efficiency of the
system because:

• compressor power is increased when the fluid presssure in condenser becomes

higher owing to additional pressure exerted by the foreign gases;
• non-condensables cling to tube wall reduces the condensing surface area.

Non-condensables can be removed by purging - a process which draws a mixture of

refrigerant vapour and non-condensables from the condenser, then separates the
refrigerant and discharges the non-condensables.

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3 Evaporators

3.1 Types of Evaporator (Figure 1)

The common designs include direct-expansion and liquid flooded-feed types as

introduced in Figure 1 (a) & (b) before.

In a direct-expansion evaporator [Figure 1(a)], the refrigerant boils (evaporates) in

tube and cools the fluid that passes over the outside surface of the tube. These
evaporators are usually used with positive displacement compressors and are designed
for horizontal mounting. The baffle plates increse the velocity of the fluid, thereby
increasing its heat transfer coefficient.

In the liquid flooded-feed type [Figure 1(b)], the refrigerants vaporizes on the outside
of tubes, which are submerged in liquid refrigerant within a closed shell. Flooded
evaporators are usually used with rotary screw or centrifugal compressors to cool
water or brine. Excess liquid at low pressure and temperature is pumped into the
evaporator; the liquid is separated out and the vapour flows on to the compressor via
the suction connection.

One -pass

Two-passes

Three-passes

Figure 12 Shell-and-tube Flooded Type Evaporator – Number of Pass

3.2 Frost

Frost forms when the air-side surface temperature of an evaporator falls below 0oC.
This is detrimental to the heat-exchange performance because:
i) thick layers of frost acts as thermal insulation;
ii) the frost reduces air-flow rate and hence the convective heat transfer
coefficient.

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Common defrosting methods include:

hot-gas defrost - discharge gas (refrigerant) from compressor is sent directly to

the evaporator and so the evaporator performs temporarily as
condenser and melts off the frost.

water defrost - a stream of water is directed over the evaporator surface until
all frost is melted.

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TUTORIAL

Question 1

In a finned coil, rectangular plate fins of 0.3 mm thick are mounted on 16 mm OD tubings.
Fins are made of aluminium and with a thermal conductivity of 202 W/m.K.

Vertical tube spacing = 50 mm

Horizontal tube spacing = 40 mm
Air-side heat transfer coefficient = 65 W/m2.K

Find the fin effectiveness.

Solution

Diameter D (equivalent diameter of annular fin)

π π π
50x 40 − (16) 2 = D 2 − (16) 2
4 4 4
4
∴D = x50x 40 = 50.46 mm
π

2y = 0.3 => y = 0.15 mm (refer to Figure 4)

hf 65
M= = = 46.3m −1
ky 202(0.15x10 −3 )

re 25.2
= = 3.15
ri 8

(re – ri) M = (0.0252 – 0.008) 46.3 = 0.8

From chart (Fig.6), η= 0.7

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Question 2

R-123 is used in a flooded-type water-cooled condenser with 100 brass tubes. Cooling water
enters the tubes at Twi = 30oC and leaves at Two = 36oC. R-123 condenses at Tc = 40oC with
no superheating nor sub-cooling.

Data:
Tube dimensions: Di = 15 mm, L = 3 m, x = 0.5 mm
Design fouling factor (1/hff) = 0.000176 m2.K/W
ho = 6200 W/m2.K
hi = 4400 W/m2.K
For brass, k = 110 W/m.K
For R-123, hfg = 419.58 - 256.35 = 163.29 kJ/kg
For water, Cpw = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

Determine:
(a) LMTD,
(b) Overall heat transfer coefficient (Uo),
(c) Heat rejection rate (Q),
(d) Mass flow rates of cooling water (mw) and refrigerant (mr) respectively.

Solution
(a)
(Tc − Twi ) − (Tc − Two )
LMTD =
⎛ T − Twi ⎞
ln⎜⎜ c ⎟⎟
⎝ Tc − Two ⎠
(40 − 30) − (40 − 36)
= = 6.548 o C
⎛ 40 − 30 ⎞
ln⎜ ⎟
⎝ 40 − 36 ⎠

1 1 xA o Ao Ao
(b) By = + + + (from equation 13)
U o h o kA m h ff A i h i A i

Ai = N.L.πDi = 100 x 3 x π x (0.015) = 14.14 m2

Do 15 + 0.5x 2
Ao = Ai = 14.14 = 15.08m 2
Di 15

Ao + Ai
Am = = 14.61 m 2
2

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1 1 0.0005 15.08 15.08 1 15.08

= + + 0.000176 +
U o 6200 110 14.61 14.14 4400 14.14
= 0.0005961 m 2 K / W
U o = 1678 W / m 2 K

(c) Q = UoAo LMTD

= 1678 x 15.08 x 6.548
= 165692 W or 165.7 kW

(d)
Q
mw =
C pw ∆T
165.7
=
4.18(36 − 30)
= 6.607kg / s

Q 165.7
mr = = = 1.015 kg / s
h fg 163.29

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