Condenser HVAC: Description and Operation

The condenser consists of a refrigerant coil mounted in a series of thin cooling fins to provide a maximum of heat transfer in the minimum amount of space. It is mounted directly in front of the car radiator so that it receives the full flow of RAM AIR. RAM AIR is the air flow induced by the forward motion of the car and the suction of the cooling fan. The condenser receives heat laden high pressure refrigerant vapor from the compressor. The refrigerant enters the inlet at the top of the condenser as a high pressure very hot vapor, and as the vapor passes down through the condenser coils, heat will follow its natural tendency and move from a hot refrigerant vapor into the cooler RAM AIR as it flows across the condenser coil fins. When refrigerant vapor reaches the temperature and pressure that will induce a change of state, a large quantity of heat will be transferred to the outside air and the refrigerant will change from high pressure hot vapor to a high pressure warm liquid.