High temperature refrigerant vapor is discharged from the compressor into the condenser.
In the water-cooled condenser, water is pumped through the shell and tube exchanger tubes while the refrigerant vapor fills the space around the tube bundle. A baffle plate on the condenser helps to distribute the refrigerant evenly. As heat transfers from the heated refrigerant vapor and the high pressure to water, the refrigerant condenses on the surface of the pipes.
The cooling water flows first through the lower pipes and then through the upper pipes. This produces an approximately constant temperature differential between downstream refrigerant and pipe surfaces, resulting in a uniform heat transfer rate in the pipe bundle.
Condensed liquid refrigerant is collected at the bottom of the exchanger and flows through the liquid line to the expansion and economizer devices.
