Air Conditioning Systems 55

water, which incidentally is also a refrigerant (refrigerant-718), is

that the boiling point of our refrigerant is minus forty degrees be-
low zero (-40), while the boiling point of water is 212 degrees
above zero. Both these boiling points occur at sea level. It is im-
portant to understand that the boiling point of a liquid will
change in the same direction as the pressure to which the liquid
is subjected. For example, water at sea level, 14.7 pounds per
square inch, boils at 212°F, while water subjected to 25 pounds per
square inch of pressure boils at approximately 240°F. Since our
closed refrigeration system is under pressure, in other words
greater than atmospheric, we have elevated the boiling point of
the refrigerant to approximately 40°F above zero. As the refriger-
ant passes through the evaporator tubes the boiling process con-
tinues. As long as the refrigerant is changing state from a liquid
to a vapor the temperature remains at 40°F. However, once all the
liquid has been changed to a vapor, and this occurs near the end
of the evaporator, the vapor can now absorb additional heat. This
process is called superheating the vapor, or simply, superheat.
Our system will pick up about 10 degrees of superheat and
the refrigerant, which is now a low-pressure, low-temperature
vapor, will flow through the suction line and enter the compres-
sion stage at 50°F. The compression stage consists of an electri-
cally driven mechanical compressor. The compressor has two
main functions within the refrigeration cycle. One function is to
pump the refrigerant vapor from the evaporator so that the de-
sired temperature and pressure can be maintained in the evapo-
rator. The second function is to increase the pressure of the
refrigerant vapor through the process of compression, and simul-
taneously increase the temperature of the vapor. This change in
pressures also causes the refrigerant to flow through the system.
Let’s say that our compressor increases the pressure of the vapor
so that the corresponding temperature of the vapor will be 120°F.
This is the condensing temperature, that is, the temperature in the
condenser. This high-pressure, high-temperature vapor leaves the
compressor and enters the condensation stage. In our example,
the actual temperature of the refrigerant in the hot gas or dis-
56 HVAC Fundamentals

charge line is 170°F. The temperature of the refrigerant will cool

down from 170°F to 120°F as it goes through the hot gas line and
in the condenser. This loss of heat, in this case 50°F of sensible
heat, is called “desuperheating.”
The condensation stage in our refrigeration system consists
of an air-cooled condenser coil and a fan. Some systems however,
use a pump and a water-cooled condenser. Our air-cooled con-
denser has a fan or blower, sometimes called the outdoor fan,
which draws outside air across the condenser coil. The tempera-
ture of the refrigerant vapor flowing through the condenser tubes
is 120°F. At the same time, the 90°F outside air is passing over the
condenser tubes. As before, heat travels from a higher tempera-
ture to a lower temperature. Since the air passing over the con-
denser coil is cooler than the refrigerant in the tubes, heat will be
picked up by the outside air. In other words, the refrigerant is
cooled and the air is heated. The condenser is said to be discharg-
ing or rejecting its heat into the atmosphere.
Let’s back up for a minute. Where did we get this heat that
is in the condenser? Well, about 75% of it is the unwanted heat
from the conditioned space. The other 25% is heat from the com-
pression stage. So now we have taken the unwanted heat from
one place, the conditioned space, and discharged it to another
place, the outside.
In order for the refrigerant to be able to pick up more heat
from the supply air it must once again become a low-temperature
liquid. The cooling of the vapor in the condenser causes the re-
frigerant to change state from a vapor to a liquid. This process is
called condensation. As the refrigerant vapor passes through the
tubes the condensation process continues. As long as the refriger-
ant is changing state from a vapor to a liquid the temperature
remains at 120°F.
However, once the entire vapor has been changed to liquid,
the liquid can reject additional heat. As the refrigerant, which is
now a high-pressure, high temperature liquid (120°F @ 260 psig)
flows through the liquid line to the pressure reducing device it
continues to give up heat. This is called “subcooling.” The liquid