Water Cooling Condenser for Water Chillers: How Does It Work?

The water cooling condenser is one of the most important components of a chiller, and it plays a significant role in chiller. Understanding the water cooling condenser can help you make important choices when you purchase and select a refrigerator.

Definition of Water Cooling Condenser

The equipment that uses water as cooling medium to condense high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant is called water-cooled condenser. Water cooling condensers are mostly used in commercial ice buckets to improve refrigeration efficiency. In areas with high temperature and high humidity, water-cooled condensers can still operate efficiently.

Working Principle of Water Cooling Condenser

How does a water cooling condenser work? Simply put, a water-cooled condenser converts high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas into liquid. It mainly completes the condensation process through water circulation and heat exchange system. Let’s take a look.

High-Temperature and High-Pressure Refrigerant Enters the Condenser

After being compressed by the compressor, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant enters the refrigeration pipe of the condenser through the outlet of the refrigerator. At this time, the refrigerator carries a lot of heat and has a high temperature.

Water Circulation

After pre-cooling, the water at room temperature is transported to the water pipe of the condenser by the water pump in the refrigerator.

Heat Exchange

The gaseous refrigerant and the pre-cooled water transfer heat through the pipe wall or heat exchange plate. In the heat transfer, the cooled water is indirectly in contact with the high-temperature refrigerant, and the heat is transferred from the high-temperature refrigerator to the lower-temperature cooling water. In this process, the heat of the refrigerant will gradually decrease and be converted into liquid, preparing for the next step.

Common Types of Water Cooling Condenser

After understanding the working principle of water cooling condensers, let’s take a look at the types of water-cooled condensers.

Shell and Tube Condensers

Shell and tube condensers include horizontal shell and tube condensers and vertical shell and tube condensers.
The horizontal shell and tube condenser is an inverted cylindrical cylinder. Two circular plates are installed at both ends of the cylindrical cylinder. Many small holes for inserting pipes are installed on the plates.
Vertical shell and tube condensers are suitable for vertical installation and occupy a small area. The condensation method of vertical shell and tube condensers is different. The water flow mainly condenses from the top of the vertical shell and tube condenser, while the refrigerant mainly enters the pipe from the middle and upper part of the vertical shell and tube condenser.

Shell and Tube Condensers

The shell and tube condenser is made of two kinds of tubes, the small tube is sleeved in the large tube, and the tube is wound into a spiral shape. The refrigerant enters the pipe from the top of the tube and flows out from the bottom. The cooling water enters from the lower pipe opening and flows out from the upper pipe opening, forming a countercurrent with the refrigerant.
This type of shell-and-tube condenser has a simple structure, is easy to manufacture, and has good heat conduction effect.
The disadvantage of the shell-and-tube condenser is that because it has too many pipes, dust and scale are easily generated in the pipes, and it is not easy to clean.

Common Problems and Solutions for Water Cooling Condensers

When you use refrigerants equipped with water cooling condensers, you may encounter the following problems. The following will introduce common faults and solutions for water cooling condenser affairs.

Scale Deposition

With the long-term use of the refrigerator, a thick layer of water ditches will form inside the pipes. The ditch deposition needs to be cleaned with an anti-scaling agent. It is worth noting that after timely cleaning, regular cleaning is still required to prevent scale from forming again in the pipes, affecting the heat transfer effect.

Pipeline Blockage

Pipeline blockage is generally caused by the accumulation of foreign matter. For example, debris, gravel, etc. The long-term accumulation of these foreign matter will cause pipe blockage.
When you are using a refrigerator equipped with a water-cooled condenser, if the water flow slows down and the condensation efficiency becomes low, you can check whether the filter is in normal use.
The solution to pipe blockage is to check whether the filter is in normal working condition and clean up foreign matter in the pipe in time.

It is easy to presume that, the water cooling condenser plays a key role in the refrigeration process of the chiller. It can help convert high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant into liquid refrigerant. A deep understanding of the water-cooled condenser can help refrigerator manufacturers purchase suitable water-cooled condensers and users choose suitable refrigerators, and help retailers deal with user failures in a timely manner and improve user satisfaction.