CONDENSERS

REPORT BY-
ASHNA
ANAMIKA
MUGDHA
PRATISHTHA
 INTRODUCTION

• IN SYSTEMS INVOLVING HEAT TRANSFER, A CONDENSER IS A DEVICE OR

UNIT USED TO CONDENSE A SUBSTANCE FROM ITS GASEOUS TO
ITS LIQUID STATE, BY COOLING IT.
• IN SO DOING, THE LATENT HEAT IS GIVEN UP BY THE SUBSTANCE AND
TRANSFERRED TO THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT.
• CONDENSERS CAN BE MADE ACCORDING TO NUMEROUS DESIGNS, AND
COME IN MANY SIZES RANGING FROM RATHER SMALL (HAND-HELD) TO
VERY LARGE (INDUSTRIAL-SCALE UNITS USED IN PLANT PROCESSES).
• FOR EXAMPLE, A REFRIGERATOR USES A CONDENSER TO GET RID
OF HEAT EXTRACTED FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE UNIT TO THE OUTSIDE
AIR.
 TYPES OF CONDENSERS
CONDENSER
S
AIR- WATER- EVAPORATIV
COOLED COOLED E

1. NATURAL
1. SHELL & TUBE
CONVENTIO
2. SHELL & COIL
N
3. TUBE & TUBE
2. FORCED
CONVENTIO
N
 AIR COOLED CONDENSER
1. THE CONDENSER USES AIR AS COOLING MEDIUM
TO CONDENSE REFRIGERANT.
2. IF THE CONDENSER IS LOCATED ON THE OUTSIDE
OF THE UNIT, AIR COOLED CONDENSER CAN
PROVIDE THE EASIEST ARRANGEMENT.
3. THESE TYPES OF CONDENSERS EJECT HEAT TO THE
OUTDOORS AND SIMPLE TO INSTALL.
4. A GREAT FEATURE OF THIS CONDENSER IS THEY
ARE VERY EASY TO CLEAN.
5. THEY REQUIRE LARGE SURFACE AREA BECAUSE OF
LOW SPECIFIC HEAT OF AIR.
6. MATERIALS USED – STEEL, COOPER OR ALUMINUM
TYPES OF AIR COOLED CONDENSER
 NATURAL CONVECTION CONDENSER
 FORCED CONVENTION CONDENSER
 NATURAL CONVENTION FORCED CONVENTION
CONDENSER CONDENSER
NEEDS LARGE SURFACE AREA NEED FAN OR BLOWER TO
DECREES AURFACE AREA
SIMPLE IN CONSTRUCTION COMPLEX IN CONSTRUCTION
LOW COST HIRE COST COMPARATIVELY
1. ADVANTAGES
a. USED IN LOCATIONS WHERE WATER IS DIFFICULT TO USE
b. VERY SIMPLE CONTRUCTION
c. LOW INITIAL COST AND MAINTENANCE COST
d. LESS PIPING WORK TO DO
e. LESS CHANCES OF FOULING
f. VERY EASY TO CLEAN
2. DISTADVANTAGES
a. LOW HEAT TRANSFER RATE
b. NOISY OPERATION WHILE APPLICATION
c. LARGE SURFACE AREA REQUIREMENT
d. IN HOT WEATHERED CONDITIONS IT IS LESS EFFECTIVE
e. IT IS LESS EFFECTIVE THAN WATER COOLED CONDENSER
f. IT CAN NOT BE USED ALONG WITH REFRIGERANT HAVING HIGHER
COMPRESSION INDEX
 WATER COOLED
CONDENSER
1. THE CONDENSER USES WATER AS A COOLING MEDIUM IT
MAY BE RECIRCULATED OR FRESH WATER DEPENDS UPON
AVAILABILITY
2. ALTHOUGH A LITTLE MORE EXPENSIVE TO INSTALL THESE
CONDENSERS ARE THE MORE EFFECTIVE TYPE.
3. THEY REQUIRE REGULAR SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE.
4. THEY REQUIRE COOLING TOWER TO CONSERVE WATER.
5. TO PREVENT CORROSION AND THE FORMING OF ALGAE,
THEY REQUIRE CONSTANT SUPPLY OF MAKEUP WATER
ALONG WITH WATER TREATMENT.
6. ITS SELECTION DEPENDS UPON LOAD IN
• EVAPORATOR CONDENSER TEMPTRATURE,
• AVAILABILITY OF WATER
• WATER INLET AND OUTLET TEMPRATURE
 TYPES OF WATER COOLED CONDENSER
 SHELL & TUBE TYPE
 SHELL & COIL TYPE
 TUBE & TUBE TYPE
• SHELL & TUBE TYPE CONDENSER
• COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE GAS FLOWS THROUGH THE TUBES
IN THE CONDENSER
• WATER IS PIPED INTO THE SHELL
• THE SHELL ACTS AS A RECEVIVER
• THE ENDS OF THE SHELL ARE REMOVED FOR CLEANING
• MOST EXPENSIVE TYPE OF CONDENSER
• SHELL & COIL TYPE CONDENSER
• COIL OF TUBING ENCLOSED IN A WELDED SHELL
• REFRIGERANT FLOWS THROUGH THE COIL
• WATER IS DISCHARGED INTO THE SHELL
• WHEN REFRIGRENT COMES IN CONTACT WITH THE COOL
WATER, IT CONDENSES AND DISCHARGED THROUGH OUTLET
VALVE
• TUBE & TUBE TYPE CONDENSER
• HEAT EXCHANGE TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE FLUIDS IN THE
INNER AND OUTER TUBES
• REFRIGERANT FLOWS IN THE OUTER TUBE
• WATER FLOWS IN THE INNER TUBE
• WATER AND REFRIGRENT FLOW IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TO
MAXIMIZE THE HEAT TRANSFER RATE.
 EVAPORATIVE
• WHILE THESE REMAIN THE LEAST POPULAR
CHOICE, EVAPORATIVE CONDENSERS CAN BE
USED INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF A BUILDING AND
UNDER TYPICAL CONDITIONS, OPERATE AT A
LOW CONDENSING TEMPRATURE.
• ALTHOUGH EFFECTIVE, THEY ARE NOT
NECESSARILY THE MOST EFFICIENT.
• THE REFRIGERANT IS FLOW THROUGH A PIPE
• THROUGH SPRAY OF WATER THE REFRIGERANT
IS CONDENSED
• A LATENT HEAT TRANSFER TAKES PLACE
THROUGHOUT THE PIPE
• ADVANTAGES
• EVAPORATION IS A PART OF HEAT
TRANSFER PROCESS, HEAT
ABSORPTION CAPACITY OF WATER IS
HIGHER THAN AIR IT NEEDS LESS
COIL SURFACE.
• NO NEED OF COOLING TOWER
• DISADVANTAGES
• NEEDS SEPRATE SYSTEM FOR
WATER SPRAY
• NEEDS REGULAR MAINTENANCE
• THIS TYPE OF CONDENSER CAN BE
USED ONLY FOR MEDIUM SIZED
REFRIGERATION PLANT.
 WORKING
Condenser, as the name suggests, is a heat exchanger and
rejects heat to the environment (the room in case of
domestic refrigerators). A condenser converts a high-
pressure high-temperature refrigerant vapor to a high-
pressure high-temperature liquid refrigerant. A condenser
is generally coil-shaped to increase the surface area to
facilitate heat transfer.
The compressor compresses the hot gas back into a liquid
and removes it through the condenser coil. Hence the term
condenser coil. It changes the gas back to a liquid where it
is pumped to the evaporator coil and released through an
expansion valve to flash it back to a cold gas to pick up the
eat from the evaporator coil and then it starts all over.
An air cooled condenser (ACC) is a direct dry cooling
system where steam is condensed inside air-cooled
finned tubes. The cool ambient air flow outside the finned
tubes is what removes heat and defines the functionality
of an ACC. In thermal power plants (T), the steam from
the turbine exhaust flows into the ACC where
condensation occurs. Then the condensate returns to the
boiler (B) in a closed loop. Since the steam coming from
the turbine is at a low pressure, the ACC works at a
pressure close to a vacuum, and non-condensable gases
(G) are removed continuously by an air evacuation unit
• In a water-cooled air
conditioner, the heat in the
refrigerant that has been
collected from the house is not
discharged into the air outside,
but is discharged into water.
• The gas discharges from the
compressor into the inlet connection of
the condenser. Heat from the
refrigerant dissipates through the coil
tubes to the water cascading
downward over the tubes.
Simultaneously, air is drawn in through
the air inlet louvers at the base of the
condenser and travels upward over the
coil opposite the water flow. A small
portion of the water evaporates,
removing heat from the system. The
warm moist air is drawn to the top of
the evaporative condenser by the fan
and discharged to the atmosphere. The
remaining water falls to the sump at
the bottom of the condenser where it
recirculates through the water
distribution system and back down over
 USES
CONDENSERS ARE USED IN AIR CONDITIONING, INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES SUCH
AS DISTILLATION, STEAM POWER PLANTS AND OTHER HEAT-EXCHANGE SYSTEMS. USE OF COOLING
WATER OR SURROUNDING AIR AS THE COOLANT IS COMMON IN MANY CONDENSERS

 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER INSTALLED AT THE OUTLET OF EVERY STEAM

TURBINE IN THERMAL POWER STATIONS. COMMONLY, THE COOLING WATER FLOWS
THROUGH THE TUBE SIDE AND THE STEAM ENTERS THE SHELL SIDE WHERE THE
CONDENSATION OCCURS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE HEAT TRANSFER TUBES. THE
CONDENSATE DRIPS DOWN AND COLLECTS AT THE BOTTOM, OFTEN IN A BUILT-IN PAN
CALLED A HOTWELL. THE SHELL SIDE OFTEN OPERATES AT A VACUUM OR PARTIAL
VACUUM, PRODUCED BY THE DIFFERENCE IN SPECIFIC VOLUME BETWEEN THE STEAM
AND CONDENSATE. CONVERSELY, THE VAPOR CAN BE FED THROUGH THE TUBES WITH THE
COOLANT WATER OR AIR FLOWING AROUND THE OUTSIDE.
• THE AIR-COOLED CONDENSER
(ACC) OF WATER STEAM IS USED FOR
THE REMOVAL OF LOW-POTENTIAL HEAT
DURING THE WATER STEAM
CONDENSATION. IN PRINCIPLE, IT COOLS
WITH ATMOSPHERIC AIR WITH A FORCED
AIR DRAFT. OLS WITH ATMOSPHERIC AIR,
WITH FORCED AIR DRAFT.
• AN EVAPORATIVE CONDENSER IS USED
TO COOL WATER BY PASSING THAT FLUID
THROUGH A HEAT EXCHANGER WHICH IS
ITSELF COOLED BY CONTACT WITH WATER
PASSING THROUGH A STREAM OF AIR.
 
COMMON USES OF COOLING TOWERS ARE
PROVIDING COOLED WATER FOR AIR-
CONDITIONING, MANUFACTURING
PROCESSES AND ELECTRIC POWER
GENERATION. IF YOUR COMPANY HAS AIR
CONDITIONED OFFICES OR CARRIES OUT A
MANUFACTURING PROCESS THAT INVOLVES
THE USE OF WATER AS A COOLANT, IT MAY
HAVE A COOLING TOWER. 
THANK
YOU