Types of Condensers (PDF)

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Sikandar Choudhury January 29, 2022

A Condenser is a mechanical device that converts a hot vapor/steam into a liquid using
heat transfer and/or compression. Condensers are widely used in Automotives, Building
services, Process industries, Refrigeration industries, and Steam power turbines. Various
international standards developed by ASME, HEI, AHRI, ASHRAE, etc govern the design,
performance, environmental compliance, and safety of condensers. Condensers are
usually made up of copper, brass, aluminum, carbon steel, and stainless steel. In this
article, we will explore the basics of Condensers, their specification, types, functions, and
selection.

The condenser is the ‘hot’ end of a refrigeration system and can be used as a heat
source when heat is required at low temperatures, such as for washing water. The
ramifications of raising the condenser temperature to enhance the usability of the
available heat, on the other hand, should be carefully evaluated. The oil cooler is another
potential heat source—higher temperature heat recovery is achieved by desuperheating
the compressor discharge gas. Energy recovery from oil coolers can be useful when large
compressors are used (ICAEN, 1998). Before specifying heat recovery from a
refrigeration facility, a full inspection is needed

The Function of a Condenser

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Every condenser has three distinct phases. The desuperheating phase is the initial step.
The vapor entering the condenser has already been superheated and pressured in the
evaporator and compressor. Desuperheating is removing the heat from vapor and
converting it to a liquid. The next phase is the changing or condensation state when we
lose additional heat and reach a point where 10% of the refrigerant is vapor, and 90% is
liquid. A sub-cooling condition is a third and final phase. The sub-cooling condition
ensures that the liquid refrigerant does not become vapor again even if the temperature
rises.

Condenser Specification
Condenser specification is usually set by the client in the form of a condenser datasheet.
All those requirements or specifications of the condenser are included on the
manufacturer’s design and selection sheet. In general, the following details constitutes
the specification of a typical condenser:

Design and Operating Temperature

Design and Operating Pressure
Flow rate
Allowable pressure drop
Condensing Capacity
Coolant or Refrigerant Capacity
Condenser Material

Types of Condensers
Condensers are classified depending on various parameters like condensing medium,
method of heat transfer, applications, etc.

Depending on methods of heat transfer, condensers are classified as

Direct Contact Condensers: Heat transfer takes place through direct contact
between the gas and liquid.
Indirect Contact Condensers: Heat exchange happens through a thermally
conductive boundary medium like a plate, shell, or tube.
Surface Condensers: They are basically shell and tube heat exchangers used in
large thermal power plants and refrigeration systems. They are again classified as
tube-side condensation and shell side condensation.

Depending on application condensers are classified as:

Refrigeration and HVAC condensers

Car or Automotive condensers
Process Condensers like distillation column condensers.
Marine Condensers

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However, the major classification of condensers is based on condensing media. Three
types of condensers are based on the condensing medium used to extract heat from the
system. None of the three condensers offers a significant advantage over the others.
Each one should be used wisely, depending on the situation.

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1. Air-cooled Condenser:

A finned constant tube coil is used in this type of condensers. The vapor from the
compressor discharge enters the top of the coil and leaves the bottom, where it flows into
receivers beneath the base. The condenser coil is blown across by a fan positioned on
the compressor motor pulleys. The unit should be kept in a well-ventilated, cool
environment. The lower the ambient air temperature, the less power is required for a
given capacity.

The main benefit of this type of condenser is its ease of installation and inexpensive cost.
The most common uses are self-contained units, such as residential refrigerators, freezer
cabinets, display cases, water coolers, and air conditioners. This condenser uses air as
the external fluid to reject heat from the system. The refrigerant travels through copper
coils in air-cooled condensers. But that’s not the whole picture; natural convection and
forced convection are two subsets of this type.

The air-cooled condenser has two

categories:

Fig. 1: Examples of typical Air-Cooled

Condenser (PC: pmengineer.com)

i) Natural Convection Type:

Heat is transferred from the condenser through buoyancy-induced natural convection and
radiation in the natural convection type. The total heat transfer coefficient in these
condensers is minimal because the airflow rate is low, and the radiation heat transfer is
likewise low. As a result, a comparatively large condensing surface is required to reject a
given quantity. As a result, these condensers are employed in low-capacity refrigeration
systems such as refrigerators and freezers in homes.

Condensers with natural convection are either plate surface or finned tube types. The
refrigerant carrying tubes of plate surface condensers used in compact refrigerators and
freezers are attached to the refrigerator’s outer walls. Except for the door, the entire body

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of the refrigerator functions as a fin. Insulation is given between the outside cover, which
functions as a fin, and the refrigerator’s inner plastic cover. The outer body of the
refrigerator is always heated due to this. Because the surface is heated, moisture
condensation on the refrigerator walls is not an issue in these systems. Flat-back
condensers are another name for these condensers.

ii) Forced Convection Type:

A fan or a blower maintains air circulation across the condenser surface in forced
convection condensers. For efficient heat transfer, these condensers usually have fins on
the airside. Fins can be plate-shaped or annular-shaped. The compressor, induction
motor, condenser with condenser fan, accumulator, HP/LP cut-out switch, and pressure
gauges are installed on a single chassis in the chassis-mounted type. It’s known as a
condensing unit with rated capacity components that are matched to condense the
required refrigerant mass flow rate to rate cooling capacity.

Window air conditioners, water coolers, and packaged air conditioning plants use forced
convection condensers. These can be put on the chassis, or they can be mounted
remotely. The remote-mounted kind can be vertical or horizontally put on the roof. For
economical design, air velocity is typically between 2 and 3.5 m/s, with airflow rates of 12
to 20 cm per tonne of refrigeration (TR). The air density is 1.2 kg/m3, and its specific heat
is 1.005 kJ/kg-K. With an average airflow rate of 16 cm, the temperature rise ta =
3.5167/(1.2×1.005 x 16/60) = 10.9°C for 1 TR. As a result, the air temperature rises 10 to
15 degrees Celsius, compared to 3 to 6 degrees Celsius for water in water-cooled
condensers.

2. Water-cooled Condenser:
With compressors of one horsepower and up, water-cooled condensers are utilized. They
are typically the most cost-effective option for condensers when there is an adequate
supply of clean, inexpensive water with minimal corrosion and an adequate and
inexpensive means of water disposal. Water is used to cool the hot refrigerant and turn it
into a liquid in this sort of condenser. The components are matched to condense the
required refrigerant mass flow rate for calculating cooling capacity. the lesser the amount
of water utilized in a water-cooled condenser, the higher the condensing temperature and
the greater the electricity cost.

A water-cooled Condenser has three different kinds:

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 Fig. 2: Water-cooled Condenser (PC:
blog.drakechiller.com)

i) Double Tube Condenser:

The cold water passes through the condensers’ inner tube, while the refrigerant passes
through the annulus in the opposite direction.  Headers are utilized at both condenser
ends to shorten their length and reduce pressure loss. By free convection and radiation,
the refrigerant in the annulus loses some of its heat to the environment. If the tubes are
long, the heat transfer coefficient is frequently low due to poor liquid refrigerant drainage.
Double pipe condensers are commonly utilized up to 10 TR capacity.

ii) Shell and Coil Condenser:

A welded shell houses a coil of finned water tubing in a shell-and-coil condenser. The hot
refrigerant flows in the shell while the cooling water circulates inside the coils and
condenses the refrigerant in this type of water-cooled condenser.

iii) Shell and Tube Condenser:

This is the most common form of condenser, with capacities ranging from 2 TR to
thousands of TR. The refrigerant travels through the shell of these condensers, while
water runs through the tubes in single to four passes. At the bottom of the shell, the
condensed refrigerant gathers. The coldest water makes contact with the liquid
refrigerant, allowing for some sub-cooling. The liquid refrigerant is discharged to the
receiver from the bottom. For smooth liquid refrigerant drainage, there may be a vent
linking the receiver to the condenser for smooth liquid refrigerant drainage. In addition to
being a transmitter, the shell also serves as a receiver.

Furthermore, the refrigerant rejects heat from the shell to the environment. The horizontal
shell type is the most typical. Vertical shell-and-tube condensers are commonly employed
with ammonia in large capacity systems so that the tubes are cleaned from the top while
the plant is operating.

3. Evaporative Condenser:
Finally, the evaporative condenser is the final form of the condenser. It’s a condenser
that’s both air-cooled and water-cooled. The condensing medium in evaporative
condensers is air or water. The water is sprayed over the coils by a sump in the

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condenser. Air is blown into the condenser by a fan. The sprayed water evaporates
across the coils, and the required heat for the vaporizing water is drawn from the
refrigerant’s heat. Some water circulated by descending into the sump, but additional
water is provided to the sump’s water supply to compensate for the amount evaporated.

Comparison of three types of condensers is as follows:

Air-cooled condensers are easier to make than those that are water-cooled. Furthermore,
there is constant access to air. Air-cooled systems are less expensive to maintain than
water-cooled systems. Evaporators are frequently less expensive than water-cooled units
that require a cooling tower. Evaporators are utilized in areas where water is scarce.
Because the evaporator sits outside, the water pump is shut off in cold weather to prevent
the water from freezing.

Selection of Condensers
Condenser selection is governed by application and various parameters like:

Condensing Capacity, Full or Partial condensing, Heat rejection calculation

Industry type
Temperature (Design, operating, Dry bulb, wet bulb)
Condenser material
Pressure drop criteria
Space availability
Types of condensing medium
Corrosion
Fouling factor, etc

References:

1. W. (2019, April 3). What Are the Different Types Of Condenser And What Type Of
Condenser Is the Most Efficient? – Wikihubs24. Wikihubs24.
https://www.wikihubs24.info/2019/04/what-is-condenser-and-their-types-in.html.
2. 3 Main Types Of Condensers, How Does It Work? | Linquip. (2020, July 13).
Industrial Manufacturing Blog | linquip. https://www.linquip.com/blog/different-types-
of-condensers/.

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