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                                                 The Refrigeration Process

In Chiller Mfg. Inc. design, cold refrigerant gas is passed through a heat exchanger while a counter-flow of liquid passes through the other side of the heat exchanger. It is in this heat exchanger, that a heat transfer takes place. Heat energy is lost from the fluid medium and absorbed by the refrigerant gas. The refrigerant gas is then compressed by the compressor into a high pressure and high temperature gas. This gas is then sent to a condenser coil. In the condenser coil, ambient air is passed over the coil by a fan or fans. The air passing over the coil removes heat from the high pressure, high temperature refrigerant and causes it to condense into a high pressure, warm temperature liquid. The liquid refrigerant is then sent to a Thermal Expansion devise, otherwise known as an expansion valve. The expansion valve is a metering device for the liquid refrigerant. As the liquid refrigerant passes through the expansion valve, a large pressure drop takes place. Imagine when you take an aerosol can and spray it (spray paint can). You know there is liquid paint inside the can under high pressure. What comes out is a fine mist of paint. As you spray the paint, the can starts to become colder. The can becomes colder because of the large pressure drop caused by the expelling of pressure through the spray nozzle of the can. This is somewhat the same as what happens at the expansion valve of a refrigeration system. As the liquid refrigerant passes through the expansion valve and the pressure drop occurs, the refrigerant becomes very cold. The refrigerant is now a very cold mist.

This mist refrigerant then enters the heat exchanger and the whole process is repeated.

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