The evaporative condenser can be employed in air conditioning and industrial refrigeration installations, representing in their operation an alternative to the classical water-cooled condenser with evaporative cooling tower or systems with aircooled finned coils.
The refrigerant gas to be condensed is fed to the upper
header of a coil of smooth-surface tubes which, continuously wetted by water appropriately sprayed and in contact with an adequate countercurrent airflow, permits the progressive condensation of the gas. The gas, thus cooled and condensed to the liquid state, can be returned via the lower header to the installation.
Hence the evaporative condenser, in the context of water- cooled condensing systems combines the “open circuit cooling tower condenser” system in a single and compact unit exploiting, inside the unit, the forced evaporation of a small quantity of the recirculating spray water to achieve the heat load rejection which is necessary to condensate the refrigerant gas.
Some advantages of evaporative condensers for refrigeration and cooling.