Condenser

Condenser is a device or unit used to condense a substance from its gaseous to its liquid state, typically by cooling it. In so doing, the latent heat is given up by the substance and will transfer to the surrounding environment. Condensers are used in air conditioning, industrial chemical processes, distillation, steam power plants and other heat-exchange systems. Use of cooling water or surrounding air as the coolant is common in many condensers.

Types of Condensers

There are several types of condensers used in different processes. Some of them include:

• Surface Condenser: A device in which steam is condensed by cooling from the shell side, that is, the coolant flows on the shell side and the steam on the tube side.

• Direct-contact Condenser: A direct-contact condenser uses a cooling liquid that is sprayed directly into the gas to be condensed.

• Air Cooled Condenser: It uses air as the cooling medium to cool and condense the incoming steam.

Applications

Condensers are used in various applications such as:

• Air Conditioning: In air conditioning systems, the condenser unit is the part of the system that releases heat to the atmosphere.

• Power Plants: In steam power plants, the condenser is a crucial part of the system as it condenses the output from the steam turbine, creating a vacuum that can pull more steam through the turbine.

• Refrigeration: In refrigeration systems, the condenser unit is responsible for expelling heat to the outside environment.

See Also

• Heat Exchanger
• Evaporator
• Cooling Tower

References

Condenser Resources
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