MAJOR COMPONENTS

OF AN RAC SYSTEM
SPLIT AIR
CONDITION
ER
SPLIT AC
EVAPORAT
OR

Cool air to room

CONDENS
ER OF
SPLIT AC
Window AC
CONDENSE
R COIL
BEHIND
FRIDGE
COMPRESSOR
RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR
SCROLL TYPE
COMPRESSO
R
SCROLL TYPE
COMPRESSOR
SCROLL COMPRESSOR
PRESSURE
GAUGE
VACUUM
GAUGE
COMPOUND
GAUGE
EXPANSION DEVICES
EXPANSION DEVICES
The purpose of expansion device is to:
• To maintain a pressure differential between the
high and low pressure sides of the system in order
to permit the refrigerant to vaporize under the
desired low pressure in the evaporator while at the
same time condensing at a high pressure in the
condenser.
• To meter the liquid refrigerant from the liquid line
into the evaporator at a rate commensurate with
the rate at which vaporization of the liquid is
occurring in the latter unit.
EXPANSION DEVICES

The common types of expansion devices are:

1. Capillary tube
2. Thermostatic Expansion Valve (TXV or TEV)
3. The Float valve

Used in domestic
refrigerators, deep freezers,
water coolers and air
conditioners.
Capillary tubes
The capillary tube serves almost all refrigeration
systems of capacity upto 10 kW. A capillary tube
is 1 to 6 m long with an inside diameter
generally from 0.5 to 2.28 mm.
The tube is so selected in length and bore that it
maintains the desired pressure differential
between the condenser and the evaporator.
Liquid refrigerant enters the capillary tube, and
as it flows through the tube, the pressure drops
because of friction and acceleration of
refrigerant.
 1. The tube is installed in the liquid line
in the form of a coil.
2. Some of the liquid flashes into vapor
as the refrigerant flows through the
Capillary tubes tube. The tube size should suit
pumping capacity of the compressor.
3. If the flow passage is too narrow, the
evaporator is starved, if too wide
evaporator is over fed and becomes
flooded.
Thermostatic
Expansion Valves

• A very common type of metering device is

called a TX Valve, TXV OR TEV
(Thermostatic Expansion Valve).
• This valve has the capability of controlling
the refrigerant flow.
• If the load on the evaporator changes, the
valve can respond to the change and
increase or decrease the flow accordingly.
 • The condenser changes the high
pressure refrigerant from a high
temperature vapor to a low
temperature, high pressure liquid and
leaves through the "Liquid Line".
Thermostatic • The high pressure refrigerant then
Expansion flows through a filter dryer to the TXV. 
The TXV meters the correct amount of
Valves liquid refrigerant into the evaporator.
• As the TXV meters the refrigerant, the
high pressure liquid changes to a low
pressure, low temperature, saturated
liquid/vapor. 
 • The TXV has a sensing bulb attached to the
outlet of the evaporator which senses the
suction line temperature and sends a signal to
the TXV allowing it to adjust the flow rate.

Thermostatic • This is important because, if all the refrigerant

in the evaporator does not change into a gas,

Expansion there could be liquid refrigerant returning to

the compressor.

Valves • This can be fatal to the compressor. Liquid is

incompressible and when a compressor tries to
compress a liquid, mechanical failure can
happen. The compressor can suffer mechanical
damage in the valves and bearings. This is
called “liquid slugging”.
TXV COMPONENTS
How TXV Works
• Three pressures are acting inside the TXV.
P1 is the pressure at the top of the TXV
acting inside the power element above the
diaphragm. Due to P1 the diaphragm tends
to move down causing the valve to open.
• When the evaporator temperature
becomes higher, the gas in the bulb
expands due to which gas pressure inside
the power element increases. This causes
the downward movement of the needle to
open the valve
How TXV Works
• P2 is the pressure acting on the lower side
of the diaphragm due to the refrigerant
pressure inside the evaporator. This tends
to move the diaphragm upwards and close
the opening of the valve.
• P3 is spring pressure that tends to close the
opening of the valve. This pressure remains
constant.
• P2 and P3 act against P1. Thus if the valve
has to open, P1 should be greater than
combined forces of P2 and P3.
 How TXV Works
• When the refrigeration load increases, the
temperature inside the evaporator also
increases. In such cases there is need of the
more refrigerant to take care of the
increased load.
• Increased temperature in the evaporator is
sensed by the bulb. This causes expansion
of gas in the bulb and increase in P1. Due to
this the diaphragm of the TEV moves down
and opens the valve further to increase the
flow of the refrigerant to the evaporator.
High Pressure Float Valve
• The high-pressure float valve is located on the high-pressure side of the system.
• It controls the evaporator level indirectly by maintaining a constant level of
refrigerant inside the float chamber.
• The evaporator level therefore depends on the total refrigerant charge of the
system, and must be adjusted to the system. If the charge is too great, it will lead
to excessive flooding of the evaporator, while if the charge is too small it will lead
to starvation. The function of a high-pressure float valve is shown in the Fig
 High Pressure Float Valve
The float (1), floats on the high-
pressure liquid and the needle
forms a constriction (2).
The float chamber is in open
connection with the condenser,
and the condensed refrigerant
enters the chamber
continuously.

When the liquid level increases, the needle opens the flow to the evaporator.
The mechanical high-pressure float valve is now often replaced with an
electronic alternative where the float provides impulses to control a solenoid
valve.​​