R2 Four Basic Components of a

Refrigeration System
#1 Evaporators
 Refrigeration Evaporator
The function of the refrigeration system:
Transfer heat form one place to another
The evaporator’s job:
Absorb heat from the space

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 2

 Forced Air Evaporator

Cool
air Warm air in
out

Courtesy of
Carrier Corp.
© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 3
 How Evaporators Absorb Heat
• Refrigerant enters as liquid droplets
• Warm air causes droplets to boil
• Heat is absorbed into refrigerant
Called “latent” heat
• Refrigerant becomes “saturated” vapor
• Now it can only absorb “sensible” heat
Called “superheat”

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 4

 Evaporator section of R22 A/C
69 278
psig psig
60º 40º

CONDENSER

EVAPORATOR

40º

50º

AMBIENT AIR 95o RETURN AIR 75o

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 5
Total Superheat Evaporator section of R22 A/C
69 278
psig psig
60º 40º

Evaporation Starts
CONDENSER

Fully EvaporatedEVAPORATOR
(Saturated)
40º

Coil Superheat 50º

AMBIENT AIR 95o RETURN AIR 75o

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 6
 The Evaporator
Warm air from the space enters evaporator
Refrigerant absorbs its heat
Cooler air leaves evaporator
Note:
Aluminum fins increase heat transfer

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 7

 Fin Tube Evaporator
Aluminum
Fins

Copper
Tubing

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 8

 Refrigerant inside Evaporator cutaway
tubing absorbs heat

Warm air
Cool air enters coil
leaves coil

Aluminum fins
increase heat
transfer
Coil tubing & fins 2
© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 9
 Measuring Superheat
Superheat =
Coil outlet temperature - Evaporator temperature
Superheat too high :
• “Starving”
Superheat too low:
• “Flooding”
The following picture shows where to take the
coil outlet temperature.

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 10

 Schrader fitting
on suction line
Suction line is about 18°

Clamp-on thermistor
at TEV bulb

Suction pressure is 36 psig

R404A at 36 psig is 3°
18°- 3° = 15° superheat
Taking superheat at the evaporator of a walk-in freezer
© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 11
 Evaporator Efficiency
Space at design temperature:
– Metering device keeps up with demand
– Evaporator maintains designed superheat
– Evaporator is efficient
The next slide shows the following condition
High space temperature (high load):
– Refrigerant boils off quickly,
– Metering device cannot keep up,
– Evaporator is starved, temporarily.
– Evaporator is inefficient
© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 12
 A/C Start-Up
Warm Space – Fixed Metering Device – 10 SEER A/C
40º

40º
Refrigerant boils off quickly

Refrigerant filling evaporator

EVAPORATOR

Evaporator properly filled

40º

High super heat

Super heat drops 70º 60º 50º
Super heat normal
Space cooling down
Space at design temp. RETURN
RETURN AIR AIR
RETURN
85 o
80
AIR
o
75°
© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 13
Understanding Evaporator TD
Type Space Evaporator
Refrigeration Temperature Temperature

Air Conditioning 75° 40°

Walk-in Refrigerator 35° 25°
Walk-in Freezer -10° -20°

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 14

 Evaporator TD
(temperature difference)
Difference between space temperature and
evaporator temperature
The greater the TD, the lower the humidity
Type System Coil TD Humidity
A/C 35º 50%
Reach-in 20º 65%
Walk-in 10º 85%
© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 15
 Slant Coil

UPFLOW OR HORIZONTAL
Courtesy of FLOW
DOWNFLOW
Carrier
© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 16
 Reach-in Evaporator

20° TD

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 17

 Walk-in Evaporators

10° TD

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 18

 Refrigeration and Humidity

Evaporators Dehumidify
Remove moisture from the refrigerated space
What effects humidity?
Temperature Difference (TD)
(TD = Entering air temperature - coil temperature)

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 19

 TD Affects Humidity
A/C = High TD , Low Humidity

20° TD 35° TD

75º
Ambient
55º 40º
Water Water
 TD versus ∆T
TD (Temperature Difference) =
Air temperature entering the evaporator –
refrigerant temperature inside the evaporator
∆T (Delta T) =
Air temperature entering the evaporator –
air temperature leaving the evaporator

Note: ∆T used most in air conditioning

TD used most in commercial refrigeration

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 21

 Typical A/C Evaporator
∆T=20o
TD=35o
75º 40º 55º

H=50%

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 22

 Examples of Coil types

Following are pictures of a few of the

many types of evaporators.

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 23

 Gravity Finned Coils

Drain Pans

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 24

Multi-Circuit Evaporator Multi-circuited
evaporator with
distributor tubes

Courtesy of

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 25

Residential Air Conditioning Coil

Courtesy of Trane
Air Conditioning Co.
© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 26
 Fan-Coil Unit
commercial refrigeration evaporator

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 27

 Low Velocity Evaporator
Commercial Refrigeration

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 28

 Plate Type Evaporator

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 29

 Distributors
Location:
– Outlet of the metering device
Application:
– Used on multicircuit evaporators
Why needed?
– Refrigerant is a mixture of vapor & liquid
– Tends to feed liquid to the bottom circuits
– Proper distributor feeds evenly
Sizing:
– Coil manufacturer determines proper distributor

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 30

 Distributor

distributor

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 31

 Examples of
Distributors

Feeds refrigerant evenly to

multi-circuited evaporators

Courtesy of
Sporlan Valve Co.

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 32

 Distributor Section

Refrigerant from TEV Distributors

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 33

 “Hot Pull Down”
When space temperature is above normal
there is a heavy load on the evaporator.
Following example: 35° box rises to 60°
• Pressure and TD relationship not valid
• Evaporator is starving
• Metering device performance is limited

Note: do not check superheat during hot pull down.

Space temperature should be within 5° of its design
conditions.

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 34

 Commercial Refrigeration System (40°)
High Heat Load
30º
20º
Refrigerant boils off at coil inlet

Higher coil temperatures 30º

Tstat won’t satisfy

Frost may start at inlet EVAPORATOR

20º

50º
30º

RETURN AIR 60o

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 35
 Evaporator Troubleshooting
There are only 3 main problems:
1. Air flow:
A. Dirty filter, dirty or iced evaporator
B. Blower / ductwork problems
2. Refrigerant:
A. Metering device
B. Refrigerant charge (too little, or too much)
3. Load:
A. Too high
B. Too low (tstat set too low)
For more info see R4 – Subject 4 System Problems

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Commercial Refrigeration System (40°)
Example of starving evaporator
10º
20º
Reduced refrigerant boils
off quickly 10º

Compressor lowers pressure

Pressure drop =
temperature drop EVAPORATOR

20º

50º
30º

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 37

 Commercial Refrigeration System (40°)
Starving Evaporator
10º
20º
Frost begins to build on evaporator.
10º
Frost is an insulator, refrigerant 20º
seeks warm tubing to boil off.

Frost moves down the evaporator.

EVAPORATOR

Refrigerant moves ahead

50º 20º
30º

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 38

Commercial Refrigeration System (40°)
Starving Evaporator
10º
20º

Frost gets thicker

EVAPORATOR
Refrigerant moves ahead
trying to boil off 10º
40º

Until there is no super heat

50º 20º 10º

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 39

Commercial Refrigeration System (40°)
Starving Evaporator
10º
20º
Frost turns into ice

Troubleshooting Tip:
Thicker ice at coil inlet =
starving evaporator EVAPORATOR

20º
50º 10º

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 40

 Commercial Refrigerator Air Defrost

Medium temperature refrigerators will frost:

If space temperature is 36° to 40°
And evaporator temperatures are 15° to 25°
Then coil frosting is normal
Coil will defrost during its “off-cycle”

© 2004 Refrigeration Training Services - R2 Subject 1 Evaporators v1.2 41

 Commercial Refrigerator (40°)
Air Defrost
Slight frost is normal during refrigeration cycle 40º
20º

Refrigerator’s 20° coil builds frost

Tstat becomes satisfied
Compressor shuts off
Fans continue to run EVAPORATOR

Coil temperature rises to 40 ° 20º

40º
Frost melts
40º
40º
30º 25º

Coil clear, ready for next cycle

Space Temp. 40o
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