In recent years, technology has been advancing by leaps and bounds. This provides us with many truly interesting solutions, such as the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) and many other refrigerants for the thermal regulation of spaces. The machine responsible for using these compounds to move thermal energy within a room is the evaporator. Would you like to know more about how evaporators work and the many types available? Discover it with us.
What is an evaporator?
Evaporators are the machines responsible for exchanging heat between refrigerant fluids. In this heat exchange, thermal energy is transferred within the evaporator itself. During this process, the refrigerant fluid receives this thermal energy, as heat is always transferred from the material at a higher temperature to the one at a lower temperature.
Currently, the evaporator is a vital component in a wide variety of industries, such as the chemical and medical sectors. They are found in the form of cold rooms, air conditioning units, and central heating systems.
How do evaporators work?
The operation of evaporators is based on the Principle of Enthalpy. This principle explains that heat passes from the body with the higher temperature to the one with the lower temperature. In this case, the refrigerant acts as the receiver of said thermal energy. Once received, the refrigerant evaporates, changing its state from liquid to gas.
Over time, the liquid refrigerant located inside the evaporator will slowly begin to release the accumulated thermal energy, returning to its usual temperature. This is the basis of how evaporators operate.
Types of evaporators
Having understood how evaporators work, it is time to look at the various types available. There are two different ways to categorize evaporators: based on the refrigerant feed and based on the evaporator’s construction type.
Evaporators based on refrigerant feed
- Dry expansion: undoubtedly the most widespread type of evaporator in today’s market. The operation of this specific type of evaporator is based on the fact that the evaporation of the refrigerant takes place inside the evaporator circuit, with only the vapor containing the absorbed thermal energy exiting it.
- Flooded: this type of evaporator operates with liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant fills the interior of the evaporator and, once the thermal energy is absorbed, it evaporates and is collected by the evaporator’s vapor manifold.
- Overfed: in this type of evaporator, the refrigerant circulation is controlled by regulating the flow through a fixed valve which, in turn, feeds a pump. The name is due to an excess of liquid that is separated from the vapor and recirculated once again.
Evaporators according to their construction
- Bare tube: this type of evaporator can be manufactured from two materials: copper and steel. Steel is used in large-scale evaporator tubes, or when ammonia is the refrigerant used in the evaporator’s operation. If neither of these cases applies, copper is the most commonly used material.
- Plate surface: the distinguishing feature of this type of evaporator is that it is composed of two hermetically welded metal plates. The refrigerant flows specifically through the space located between the two metal plates. What enhances the use of these evaporators is the possibility of using several in a group.
- Finned: the final type of evaporator. Its composition is based on tube coils containing metal plates through which heat transfer takes place.
Characteristics of our evaporators
Now that you are fully aware of how evaporators work and their different types, it is time to explain the specific characteristics of our evaporators—the foundation upon which Inditer’s success has been built, leading us to become one of the industry leaders in heat exchangers for domestic, commercial, industrial, and automotive refrigeration systems.
Firstly, all our evaporators feature the best designs on the market, being easy to clean, intuitive, and durable. However, if these were the only highlights of our evaporators, they would hardly be special.
The aforementioned characteristics refer to our basic range of evaporators, but we also want to highlight our CO2 evaporator range. Our CO2 evaporators pose no risk of toxicity, as CO2 itself is not a toxic compound. It is also non-flammable, which represents a real advantage compared to other products on the market.
It is also worth mentioning that the operation of our evaporators does not cause any impact on the ozone layer. The benefit to the planet is clear, especially when you consider that the risk of producing a greenhouse effect is eliminated, which is one of the clear disadvantages of the halogenated hydrocarbons used in other machinery in the sector.
We hope that our post on how evaporators work has helped you perfectly understand both the various types and the methods used to cool a room through the movement of thermal energy. If you have any questions, contact us. At Inditer, we will be happy to help you with any queries you may have. We love our industry!