Condenser (Air Cooled Heat Exchanger)

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Fig 1: Condenser (Air Cooled Heat Exchanger)

Courtesy of VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA.

The task of the condenser is to cool, so converting the hot, gaseous refrigerant to a liquid.

The compressor pumps in hot refrigerant gas under high pressure. The gas has a temperature of between 70 and 110 °C in the intake on top of the condenser. When the hot gas flows through the pipe loop, it is cooled down and condensed. The heat that is removed from the gas during this process is transferred to the surrounding air. The engine cooling fan (FC), which is the same fan used by the engine cooling system, increases the airflow through the condenser. The air flow increases the transfer of heat from the refrigerant to the outside air.

The engine cooling fan (FC) is controlled by the linear pressure sensor (high-pressure and safety valve), located on the drier, via the engine control module (ECM) and via the control module for the engine cooling fan (FC). The engine cooling fan (FC) is also controlled by the engine coolant temperature (ECT).