Condenser HVAC: Description and Operation

CONDENSER







The compressor pumps the refrigerant to the top of the condenser. Almost all of it is a high-pressure vapor, at this point. Because of its high pressure, the temperature at which it can condense is much lower. The high pressure allows the refrigerant to change from a vapor to a liquid, when ambient air, passing over the condenser, carries some of its heat away. Most of the refrigerant is a high-pressure liquid by the time it reaches the bottom of the condenser. The condenser (like the radiator and the heater core) is also a "heat exchanger."