ae eae Gz | TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM e COMPONENTS e CYCLE PERFORMANCE \~ @ CYCLE PROTECTIONACKNOWLEDGEMENT. We want to thank the Sporlan Valve Company and the Sporlan Respresentatives who contributed so much to the information contained in this Technical Development Program, We also want to thank then for their suggestions, and help in the final formation of this work.TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM APPLIED DIRECT EXPANSION - METERING DEVICES & ACCESSORY COMPO TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction. 6. eee ee ee eee The Metering Device... - eee eee eee Thermostatic Expansion Valve... ee eee ee The Electronic Expansion Valve... 1... 4 The Capillary Tube... ee ee eee Distributor 6. eee ee ee eee Solenoid Valve. ee tee ee ee eee Sight Glass... ee ee ee ee oiler Driers gee) ACCUmNI GLO Se ENe asa asaya OtiiSeparatorsi site) te [on Gococc0qggon0p ono DOOD Check Valve 2. ee ee ee eee Mee lec Me ae ee ee) oe TXV & Distributor Sizing. 6... ee ee Hot Gas Bypass 2 ee ee ee ee Appendix Worksession No. le. eee ee ee te ee Worksession No. 2... eee eee eee eee Worksession No. 3. ee eee eee ee es Worksession No. 4. 6 eee ee et et / 23 24 32 34 36 39 40 4L ENTS PageAPPLIED DIRECT EXPANSION - METERING DEVICES & ACCESSORY COMPONENTS The direct expansion air conditioning system, such as illustrated in Figure 1, uses a number of accessories which assist in its performance. The direct expansion system gets it name from the cooled, fact that the medium being usually air, exchanges its heat directly with the liquid refrigerant flowing through the tubes of the evaporator. The liquid refrigerant as state it absorbs this heat changes from a liquid te a vapor. During this change of state, expansion of the Asie DIRECT EXPANSION REFRIGERATION SYSTEM vr: eo Pe, er suction COMPRESSOR isTRIRUTOR Figure 1 refrigerant takes place as the liquid becomes vapor. Thus the term direct expansion is often used to describe this type of system. The major system components consist of the compressor, the condenser, the evaporator, the refrigerant piping and the refrigerant metering device. The first four components are covered in other Technical Development Program pieces. However, the refrigerant metering device, a Thermostat Expan- sion Valve (TXV), shown, and accom~ panying distributor will be detailed here. Along with these major compo nents of the refrigeration and air conditioning system we shall detail some of the more common accessories. Accessory items are articles or devices which add to the convenience or effectiveness of the system, but are not normally essential. Much of the reason for these accessory itens as we shall see is tied in with startup, shut down or operation of the equipment at loads less than the equipment was selected to meet. The components making up an air conditioning system are selected to meet the maximum design building cooling load. Most of the operating@ ~2- life of the air conditioning system however, will be spent at lower cooling loads. A system using the simple on-off type control results in longer "off" cycles when operating at lower loads, This has no affect upon the refrigeration or air conditioning system operating during the "on' cycle. We will see, however, thet certain other types of system control schemes such as, compressor unloading at part loads, place demands upon the require refrigeration system that careful design to meet. ‘The minimum load on a building may be 15 to 20% of design load. This presents no problem with chilled water coils in an air handler, either the water can be throttled, or if unthrot- tled, the return water temperature can be permitted to drop. Direct expansion coils, however have certain pitfalls to be avoided. For instance, permit- ting the system to operate at full capacity as the load is decreased will soon result in a frosted coil, and flow, Further loss of air more, reduction of compressor capacity indiscriminately may result in trap- liquid flood-back, could ping of of1 or either of which cause the untimely death of the compressor. The Direct Expansion Refrigeration System shown in Figure 1 includes a variety of accessory items required to insure safe and proper operation of the system at both part load as well as design full load duties. As mentioned, most of the time the air conditioning load will be less than design full load, This results in the need for a variety of accessory items to handle changing loads as well as start up and shut down of the equip- ment in the system. For example, reduced loads, depending on the type of DX System controls could result in reduced refrigerant flow in the system. This in turn would mean lower refrigerant veloci~ ties hindering the ability of the system to return ofl back to the DX compressor, At the same time lower flow rates may affect the ability of the flow control device (Thermostatic Expansion Valve or Electronic Expan~ within its sion Valve) to operate stable range. Shut down and start up of the equipment also mandates certain precautions be taken. The affinity and miscibility of oil and refrigerant for example require some means be used to separate the two during shut down refrigerant from to prevent liquid migrating to the compressor oil sump. Recapping then, these major problens resulting from load variations, shut down, or start up of the equipment maybe categorized as follows:A, Oi1 Return to the Compressor The mechanical lubrication of the compressor cylinder walls result in roughly 5 percent of the of, by weight, continually being pumped through the system during compressor operation, Steps must be taken to assure its return to the compressor. B, Oil and Refrigerant Migration Because of the affinity of oil for refrigerant, during shut down refrigerant would migrate into the oil in the compressor. At start up, the refrigerant being pulled from the oil would cause the ofl to be pulled along with it, resulting in lubrication problems for the compressor. Something has to be done to make eure that liquid refrigerant does not enter the compressor nor dilute the oil in the compressor. C. Component Operation Instability Many components of the system have a stable operating range. When the component operates outside its stable operating range performance of the entire system is adversely affected. In some cases unstable operation can lead to damage of other compo~ nents in the system. D. Refrigerant Purity During operation water and other impurities and particles may enter into the system. These impurities may contaminate the system in a number of ways. Ways must be implimented to renove the impurities from the system before they cause trouble. THE METERING DEVICE We shall see how the various acces~ sories are used to deal with these problems. However, first we shall look at the metering device since it's proper application can go along way toward reducing many of these prob- lems. Control reduce the systems which capacity of the compressor in an effort to meet reduced cooling loads also reduce the system's refrigerant flow rate. There are minimum refrig- erant flow limits that the evaporator coils and sone of the accessories must not experience. Figure 2 shows an evaporator with a thermostatic expan- (Txv) and feeder tube assembly, sion valve distributor/‘THeAMosraniC connects — FELen Bus Tuyo tive EOnDENSER suction xPANSION feaoee = "ASEM % Deepen rune COmrnesson Sucron. FEELER BULB | cisrmebtor woz tne Figure 2 Controllable low load capacity of this system is within limited by three devices this group of refrigeration system components! LL THERMOSTATIC EXPANSION VALVE LOAD LIMIT. Thermostatic expansion valves (TXV's) give smooth evaporator capacity modulation by maintaining a fixed superheat for the gas leaving the evaporator. The TXV feeler bulb and external equalizer line shown in Figure 2 monitor this superheat and keep it within a narrow tolerance of the level set within the TXV. A thermostat expansion valve cannot smoothly modulate down to zero refrigerant flow. Below a certain load limit the valve's clearance between its needle and seat alternates between being too \ eR ner cin far open (over capacity with too little closed (under capacity with too superheat) and too far much superheat). During low load conditions the valve becomes oversized resulting in an over sensitive valve, (Small movement in valve stroke creates large flow rate change). This "Hunting" causes loss of action system control and poses the Liquid being (iguid flood this capacity threat of returned to the compressor these reasons unstable of should be avoided. back). For operation The range stable operating range for a typical thermostatic expansion valve used on a comfort systen is from slightly more than 100% to about 50% of design capacity. The low capacity figure used here is That is to say the which 50% For example, conservative. valve models exist can operate stably below of design capacity. one of the leading manufacturers of TXVe publishes a minimum capacity as low as 25% of design capacity for their broad range valve model, while their standard comfort air conditioning models are rated at a minimum of 35%, NOZZLE LOW LOAD the DISTRIBUTOR LIMIT. Figure 2 of displays placement the nozzle within the distributor. is normally selected by the The distributormanufacturer for D-X coils used in central station air handlers. these The nozzle for product types, however, is usually selected by the system designer. The nozzle performs the function of equally distributing the nixture of gas and liquid refrig- erant which leaves the TXV to each of the feeder tubes leaving the distributor and entering the coil circuits. The nozzle does it's job well from 50% to 200% of rated capacity. Below 50% the nozzle does not add enough turbulence to the refrigerant stream to produce a homogenous mixture of gas and liquid on its leaving side, The liquid refrig- erant tends to enter the bottom feeder cubes and circuits while the upper ones get only gas. This results in inefficient evaporator operation, incorrect superheat sensing by the TXV feeler bulb and possible liquid refrigerant flood back to the compressor. Operation below 50% of design cepacity should there~ avoided. Flow fore be rates greater than 200% of rated capacity are more than the distributor can handle adequate- ly. PORATOR CIRCUIT LOW LOAD LIMIT, Velocity of the refriger- -5- ant which flows within the coil tubes must be maintained above a minimum level, This level is set at a rate which causes compressor oil clinging to the inside of the tube walls to return to the compressor. Because the compressor of] has an affinity for refrigerant and the two mix along the compressor cylinder walls, oil continually escapes from an operating compressor and is pumped out into the system. This oil flow is normal and acceptable it returns to the compressor crankcase at roughly the same rate at which it leaves, Low gas velocity in the evaporator caused by compressor displacement reduction, unloading, (in response to system load reduction) can cause the evaporator to become a point of of] flow stagnation. This is particularly true in the evaporator where operating tempera~ tures are the lowest. Should the loss of compressor lubrication be experi- burnout can enced then compressor result. Minimum acceptable tube velocity is commonly stated in terms of tonnage (capacity) per circuit. Carrier Air Conditioning, for example, stipulates a minimum of 0.4 tons per circuit for their 39E central station air handling unit D-X coils. This number varies by product type and manufacturer. The system designer should consider this in coordinating coil control with compressor capacity control.-6- DEACTIVATING COTL CIRCUITS Each of these 3 limiting factors can become problems where compressor cycling or unloading, in response to mass and load reduction, reduces volumetric flow rate within the refrigeration systen. If this reduced flow can be passed through only part of the coil, however, controllable and safe system operation can be sus- tained, The reduced refrigerant velocity through the evaporator coil is effec- tively doubled by shutting off half the coil. This forces the velocity to increase since the volume flow rate (CFM) of refrigerant is passed through The coil split may be row split or intertwine half the area. face split, circuited as discussed in the Techni~ cal Development Program piece covering Air Cooling Coils. The split coil requires two TXV's (one for each half), two solenoid valves. distributors and two The solenoid valve is used to shut down the circuit at the proper part load point. Later we will discuss the points where the compressor(s) are shut down/unloaded in relationship with cutting off the refrigerant flow to half of the coil. Since each half of the coil has its own solenoid valve, TXV and distribu- tor, the size of these accessories is matched against the capacity of the portion of the coil it serves, We have discussed the general opera~ tion of these important components. Now lets look at their details as well as accessories used in the refrigera~ tion system. THERNOSTATIC EXPANSION VALVE The function of the thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) is to control the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator under all load conditions. ‘As seen in Figure 3 a temperature sensing bulb is located at the leaving line from the evaporator. The bulb senses the temperature of the refrig- erant leaving the evaporator and inturn signals this information back to the TXV in the form of a corre~ sponding pressure. Basically, thermo- static Expansion Valve Operation is determined by 3 fundamental pressures: P, Bulb pressure acts on one side of the diaphragm, tends to open the valve. Evaporator pressure acts on the 2 opposite side, tends to close the valve, P, Spring pressure - which also assists in the closing action - is applied to the pin carrier and is transmitted through push rods to a buffer plate on the evapora- tor side of the diaphragm. This is normally known as the superheat spring.When the valve is modulating, bulb pressure is balanced by the evaporator pressure plus the spring pressur pure Teme = EATURATION TEMP oT SUPERMEAT BULB TEMPERATURE Figure 3 When the same refrigerant is used in both the thermostatic element (sensing bulb and its line connecting it back TxV) each if to the and the will their refrigeration system, exert the same temperatures are pressure identical. the After evaporation of liquid refrigerant in the evaporator suction gas is superheated - its temperature will increase. This increase is caused by the imbalance created by the superheat spring. However, the evaporator pressure, negiecting pressure drop, _—is unchanged. This warmer (superheated) vapor flowing through the suction line increases the bulb temperature. Since the bulb contains both and liquid vapor refrigerant (not superheated vapor alone as in the suction line) its temperature and ine This higher bulb pressure pressure creases. acting on the top (bulb side) of the diaphragn is greater than the opposing evaporator pressure plus spring pressure, causing the valve pin to be moved away from the seat. The valve is opened until the spring pressure, combined with the evaporator pressure balance the bulb sufficient to pressure. Figure 3 illustrates a systen with the same refrigerant in both the bulb and evaporator. Bulb pressure is shown in dark grey, evaporator pressure in light grey, and spring pressure in black. The total closing pressure (evaporator plus spring) is shown by a grey and black dash curve. If the valve does not feed enough the evaporator pressure bulb is refrigerant, drops or the temperature increased by the warmer vapor leaving the evaporator (or both) and the valve opens, admitting more refrigerant until the three pressures are again in balance. Conversely, if the valve eds too much refrigerant, the bulb temperature 4s decreased, or the evaporator pressure increases (or both) and the spring pressure tends to close the valve until the three pressures are in balance.With an increase in evaporator load, the liquid refrigerant evaporates at a faster rate - moving the point of complete vaporization further from the outlet of the coil, This action leaves more coil surface for super- which in- heating the refrigerant creases, the bulb temperature and pressure, With the increased pressure exerted on top of the diaphragm, the valve moves to a more open position to handle the new load condition with a slight change in superheat. The thermostatic expansion valve will fully under all load conditions. maintain @ active evaporator TRE CONVENTIONAL TXV Design Characteristics: 1, Employs same refrigerant in thermostatic element as used within system. 2, Bulb volume and amount of charge it contains is such that suffi- cient liquid will remain in the bulb under all conditions of the diaphragm case temperature and capillary tubing. Advantages: Bulb will always control refrigerant flow despite a colder valve or diaphragm case. Disadvantages: 1, When the compressor is started, the suction and _—_ evaporator pressures drop. But since the valve bulb is not immediately cooled, the comparatively high bulb pressure opens the valve too much resulting in: a. Low superheat and possible Floodback to the compressor. b. Delayed suction pressure pulldown and possible over~ loading of the compressor motor, 2, With the same valve adjustment, the superheat increases at lower evaporator temperatures where high superheats are more detri- mental to system capacity. 3. During Off-Cycle, 1f bulb is ina comparatively warm location, the bulb pressure may be great enough filling the This is to open the valve, evaporator with liquid. another possible cause of flood- back at start-up. 4, Conventional liquid charged valves have no inherent anti-hunt features. Because of the disadvantages of the conventional TXV, manufacturers~9- developed new units. ‘These units differ in that they contain special materials in the sensing bulb. These special materials allowed the TXV to operate with out the disadvantages that affected the conventional TXV. Design Characteristics: Pressure limit or maximum operat~ ing pressure (MOP) feature. The constituents of the charge are such that at a predetermined valve bulb temperature a maximum bulb pressure is reached. Any increase in bulb temperature above this point results in virtually no increase in bulb pressure, causing the valve to throttle. 2, The material used is also design- ed to be effective in stabilizing valve control and in materially reducing system hunt. Advantages of the special developed charges: 1, Valve closes tightly during Off- cycle. During the normal warm-up of the evaporator, the point of maximum bulb pressure is reached. Above this point an increase in results in in bulb pressure (opening force). The bulb temperature virtually no increase evaporator pressure (closing force), however, continues to rise and, assisted by the spring valve pressure, closes the cightly. . Valve throttles during pulldown. While the evaporator temperature is relatively high, the valve remains throttled or closed until the evaporator temperature is reduced below the maximum operat- ing pressure (MOP) of the charge. This prevents overloading of the compressor motor. Figure 4 illustrates the operating characteristics of the TXV utilizing these special developed sensing bulb charges. TEMPERATURE Figure 4, = 10- The External Equalizer As we pointed out, the operation of the thermostatic expansion valve is dependent upon the relationship of the three See fundamental pressures. Figure 3. Bulb pressure acting on top of the diaphragm must always equal the sun of evaporator (or suction pres~ sure) and spring pressure applied to the under-side of the diaphragm. On an internally equalized valve, the pressure at the valve outlet (or evaporator inlet) is transmitted to the under-side of the diaphragm via a passageway within the valve or through clearance around the push rods. Refer to Figure 5. Valve with INTERNAL equates | Valve with EXTERNAL equalizer Gye Figure 5 On an externally equalized valve the under-side of the diaphragm is isolet- ed from valve outlet pressure by packing around the push rods or by closely fitted rods making a metal-to- metal seal. See Figure 5. Suction pressure is transmitted to the under side of the diaphragm by a line usually connected between the suction line near the evaporator outlet (generally downstream of the bulb) and an external fitting on the valve. While internally equalized valves may be used with evaporators that have a low pressure drop, valves with an external equalizer must be used when there is an appreciable pressure drop between che valve outlet and bulb location. This is illustrated in Figures 6,7, and 8. The refrigerant in the system is assumed to be R12. SUPERHEAT we Figure 6 Figure 6 shows an internally equalized valve feeding an evaporator ~ which, for purpose of illustration, has no pressure drop. The pressure at the valve outlet and at the bulb location is 27 psig. So, the under-side of the valve diaphragm senses the evaporator pressure of 27 psig - which acts toclose the valve, A spring pressure of 7 pressure in attempting to close the assists the evaporator psi also valve, The valve consequently adjusts its flow rate until the suction line vapor becomes sufficiently superheated to create @ bulb temperature of 37°F, which develops a pressure of 34 psig - assuming the same refrigerant in the bulb as in the system ~ balancing the evaporator and spring pressure. The resulting superheat is 9°F. SUPERHEAT, er Figure 7 Tf this same internally equalized valve with the same spring adjustment is installed on an evaporator of equivalent nominal capacity but with a drop, the operating 15°F as 6 psi pressure superheat will increase 7. to shown in Figure Now the valve senses a comparatively high pressure of 33 psig at the valve outlet. The ie total closing pressure is 33 + 7 or 40 psig. Since the bulb pressure must equal the total closing pressure, the valve reduces its flow rate to create the necessary superheat and bulb pressure. © Consequently, excessive evaporator pressure drop causes an internally equalized valve abnormally high serious loss of evaporator capacity to operate at superheat, and results. The problem of improper valve control illustrated in Figure 7 may be cor- rected by thermostatic with applying a valve an external equalizer. Figure 8 shows the same system, but with an externally equalized valve. The the bulb location is transmitted to the under— suction pressure at side of the diaphragm via the external equalizer line. Valve operation is now identical to that shown in Figure 9, and the superheat returns to 9°F. Ser eat nie rinse Wrens wad Figure &EXTERNAL VS. INTERNAL EQUALIZER As evaporating temperature drops the maximum pressure drop that can be tolerated between the valve outlet and the bulb location without serious capacity loss for an internally equalized valve also decreases, This is shown in Table 1 (Figure 9). There are, of course, applications which may satisfactorily employ the internal equalizer when higher pressure drop is but be by general recommendations given in Table field this present, ould usually verified laboratory tests. The 1 are suitable for most ine stalled systens. Use external equali~ zer when pressure drop between valve outlet and bulb location exceeds values shown in Table 1. TABLE 1 TEVAPORATING TEMPERATURE __Degres F. perme a5 aya ae PRESSURE DROP — psi 50 [77 15 [1 [ors [os [2 [3[2 [as fio [ow we [3 | 28 [17s [125 | 10 m7 inmoniay | & | 2 |? [4° [0% IMPORTANT: The External Equalizer must be used on evaporators which employ refrig- ‘etant distributor, Figure 9 When the expansion valve is equipped with an External Equalizer, it must be connected - never capped - or the valve may flood, starve, or regulate erratically. There is no operational disadventace in using an External Equalizer even i? the evaporator has a low pressure €rop. Further, on any evaporator using a refrigerant distributor, the external equalizer must be used because of the pressure drop intre- duced by the distributor in the system. The external equalizer _ connect icv should be made at a point that will clearly reflect the suction Tire pressure existing at the TxV bull location. TXV BULB LOCATION The suction piping immediately down stream of the evaporator and a head 0! have a the TXV bulb location should minimum of two 90 degree elbows. The thermal bulb must be strapped to a vertical riser following the second or at third elbow. This riser must be 15 pipe diameters high and the be 10 diameters above the preceding elbow. further illus- least bulb should fastened pipe See Figure 10 and for trations refer to the ‘Technical Development Program covering Refriger™ ant Piping Systems. The purpose of these recommendations is to achieve good mixing of the refrigerant leaving the evaporator suction header for proper TXV bulbeo CUS BOTTOM CONNECTED HEADER aight Hato) AL ren. crs Oy We COMPRESSOR ABOVE SINGLE RISER ot RETURN ‘TOP CONNECTED HEADER (Leer HAN) COMPRESSOR 8ELOW Figure 10 -1- sensing. When the compressor is located below the evaporator, the riser need not extend to the top level of the evaporator. After the 15 diameter length riser has beon provid ed, the su tion line may elbow down immediately. TRV ADJUSTMENT Shaner pers Figure 11 Not all TXV's are adjustable. Those that are may be adjusted by turning the adjustment stem (Figure 11) clockwise to increase the desired amount of superheat. Conversely to reduce the superheat turn the adjust- ment stem counter clockwise. When- ue adjusting the valve, make no more than half a turn of the stem at a time. Then observe the change in superheat closely. This will prevent over shooting the desired setting. Note that as much as 30 minutes may be needed for the new balance to take place after en adjustment is made. ‘TXV CAPACITY RELATIONS 1. Superheat A thermostatic expansion valve gradient curve is a plot of capacity verses superheat, Figure 12, Superheat of the suction vapor, which increases the temperature and so the pressure of the bulb, is the primary factor that causes the valve to open. With respect to valve capacity, superheat may be described as follows: a. Static Superheat - The amount of superheat necessary to overcome @ part of the spring force so that any additional superheat will cause the valve to open. b. Opening Superheat ~ The amount of superheat required to move the valve pin avay fron the seat to permit refrigerant flow. Figure 12 shows schematically the amount of opening superheat required to obtain rated flow or capacity. Operating Superheat - is the superheat at which the valve operates on a refrigeration system, Operating superheat is the sum of static and opening superheats. Figure 12 The most desirable operating superheat for a particular system usually depends on the Temperature Difference (TD) between the refrigerant and medium being cooled, ise, in an evaporator coil the air passing through the coil and the refrigerant passing through the tubes. For maximum evaporator capacity, low superheats are required with low TD's.Wigher superheats can be toler- ated when high TD's exist. When a TXV is properly selected from the Capacity Tables, it will produce rated capacity but the valve pin will not be at the wide The valve will y which open position. still have reserve capa is available only at the expense of a higher superheat. The velve has reserve capacity in addition to the capacity shown in the rating tables. The reserve capacity should not be considered when a valve is selected and in most cases is not utilized when a2 valve is properly chosen and applied, But reserve capacity is an important and necessary characteristic of the well designed expansion valve. Reserve capacity enables the valve to automatically adjust its flow rate, with a slight change in superheat to compensate for; temporary increase in load, periods of low condensing pressure, moderate amounts of flash gas in the liquid line, refrigerant shortage, slight errors in original estimates of system capacity, ete. 2. VALVE SETTING The thermostatic expansion valves will produce rated capacity at the standard factory setting. If the adjusting stem is turned clockwise, the additional spring Pressure will increase the static superheat and decrease the valve's capacity, Rotating the stem counter-clockwise will decrease the static superheat and crease the valve's capacity within a limited range. Figure 13 shows the effect that setting has on valve capacity. Figure 13 Curve A in Refer to Gradient 13. Capacity A, is 1 achieved with a valve setting of Figure A and an operating superheat of C, Turning the adjusting stem clockwise will increase the static the curve will superheat and now occupy the positionidentified as Gradient Curve B. At the same operating superheat, will have With c, valve capacity decreased from A) to By. valve setting B, therefore, the valve can only produce capacity Ay, at the expense of a higher superheat, D. On an operating system where a given valve capacity 1s required, any adjustments made will merely change the superheat at which the valve is operating. EVAPORATING TEMPERATURE Figure 14 Pressure-temperature curves of all refrigerants flatter are (less slope) at low temperatures. low evaporating bulb Therefore, at temperature, 2 given temperature change causes a - 16 - emaller Thus, bulb pressure change. with the same superheat change, less pressure difference is produced across the diaphragm when evaporator temperatures are low. This results in less valve opening and a reduction in the mass flow rate, 4, THERMOSTATIC CHARGE ‘The pressure-temperature curves of the various thermostatic charges have different charac- teristics. The same amount of euperheat will not produce equal valve opening on each type of charge. The ratings shown at a given evaporator temperature in the capacity tables are based on the use of the selective thermo~ recommended for static charges the particular temperature range. The TXV functions on some equipment is being handled by a never addition to refrigerant flow control devices. This new device, the Electronic Expansion Valve, takes the Technical Development of the micro advantage of computer in controlling the refriger~ ant flow. THE ELECTRONIC EXPANSION VALVE The Electronic Expansion Valve (EXV) function is similar to the TXY. It controls the flow of refrigerant toeT the evaporator and maintains the refrigerant returning to the compres~ sor in the superheat regions. Unlike the TXV it does not use sensing bulb Pressure acting against suction and spring pressure to position the opening of the valve, Instead as the name implies it uses an electrical or electronic signal from a microproces- sor ~ based electronic control system to position the valve. This signal inturn controls a stepper motor causing the valve to position itself depending upon the signal passed on by the microprocessor. The stepper motor (Figure 15) rotates which inturn causes a lead screw to turn changing rotating motion into linear motion. The lead screw causes a piston to nove up or down covering or uncovering slots in the side of the valve orifice assembly. Through the movement of the stepper motor and lead screw, 760 discrete steps of piston travel are obtained. The stepper motor, as mentioned, is controlled by the processor which nainteins a superheat of 15°F entering the compressor cylinders. This is accomplished by measuring the temperd- ture of the refrigerant entering the evaporator and the temperature of the refrigerant after the compressor otor. Suction gas leaves the evaporator and passes over the her~ metic compressor motor windings before Figure 15-18- entering the compressor. The differ- ence between these two temperatures is the superheat. adds about 15°F to 20°F superheat to The compressor motor the refrigerant. By controlling the superheat as measured after the motor to 15°F, then effectively the super- heating done in the evaporator itself is reduced to 2°F or 3°F, This increases the performance of the evaporator and the chiller efficiency. Normally, you may remember the super- heat from the evaporator when using a TRV is more like 8 to 10 degrees. ‘Thermistors, measuring these tempera- tures, signals the processor which determines how far the superheat is from 15°F and the rate at which the superheat is changing. It then uses this information to determine how much to move the valve, The valve's position is updated about every three seconds. The processor and the EXY also limit the saturated suction temperature to 55°F. This is to keep from overloading the compressor. This is known as MOP (maximum operating pressure) and is sensed by the evapor- measures the ator thermistor which saturated suction temperature. The processor and the EXV also work together to control the saturated condensing temperature. Based on the valve position the condensing tempera- ture and head pressure is maintained as low as possible while insuring the EXV has enough pressure across it to feed the liquid refrigerant properly. This allows for significant part load efficiency {mprovements. The TXV (thermostatic expansion valve) needs at least 70 psid for proper feeding of The EXV on the other refrigerant. hond can properly feed refrigerant to the system with just 15 psid across it. Thus with an EXV the system can operate at lower condensing tempera tures and pressures. In turn the compressor can operate at smaller compression ratios and better part load efficiencies. Depending on how the EXV and micro- processor controls are combined it is possible for the EXV to also replace the liquid line solenoid for the pump out cycle at start-up and shut down. When the circuit is to be stopped, the processor closes the EXV and the circuit is operated for an added ten seconds, providing a single pump out feature. At start up the EXV is also prevented from opening for ten seconds Liquid flooding back to the compressor. to prevent refrigerant from ‘THE CAPILLARY TUBE We have looked at two of the nore sophisticated of metering devices, the TXV and the EXV. The capillary tube on the other hand is types the most simple of all metering devices. See Figure 16, Because ofits small tube size it creates a considerable pressure drop. By. testing, a piece of capillary tube can be cut to a length that will, under conditions, desired given create a pressure drop. Pressure difference controls the flow of refrigerant when 4 capillary is used. ‘This type of metering device is generally used only on small equipment with fairly constant loads, such as domestic refrigerators, home food freezers, room air conditioners, etc. Figure 16 DISTRIBUTOR The distributor is a refrigerant distributing device designed to uniformly feed the refrigerant to all passes of a multicircuited evaporator. It may be used with any conventional thermostatic externally equalized expansion valve. The body or housing of the distributor generally contains a removable nozzle and retainer ring at the inlet (although a permanent -19 = nozzle is used on some models), The outlet is drilled to receive tubing that connects the distributor to the See Figure 17, evaporator circuits. 7 Figure 17 The tubing connected to the distribu- tor is inturn connected to the direct expansion coil A portion of liquid refrigerant as it passes through the TXV flashes into vapor. The resulting mixture at the valve outlet, by weight is predomin- ately liquid, but the vapor occupies the greater volume. The vapor and the different quid tend to move at velocities and separate into layers. The force of gravity pulls the heavier liquid to the bottom. If a distributor is not used chances are some evapora- tor circuits will receive a greater share of the liquid while others, more vapor. This inequality will result inreducing the effective area of the coil since the circuits receiving a greater share of vapor will be rele~ tively inactive. Thus, i¢ is impor tant that the liquid and the vapor maintain a homogenous mixture to insure equal portions of each are cuit. delivered to each evaporator The liquid and expansion valve, enter the distributor vapor, leaving the independently. However, the nozzle orifice increases the refrigerant velocity, creating turbulence, and a Moving at thorough mixing. a high velocity, equal proportions of the mixture are deflected by the conical pin into each passageway spaced evenly the cone. The around the base of refrigerant is then carried by the connecting tubing to each evaporator circuit, The high turbulence caused by the velocity and distributor nozzle orifice results in additional pressure This addi drop. mal drop causes more liquid to flash into vapor. This turbulence and inturn increases the aids in homogenizing the mixture. Note that in any system the refriger— ant must drop in pressure from high side to low side. If the system doesn't have a distributor, all this taken pressure drop is across the valve. When a distributor is used a portion of the pressure drop occurs in Pore the distributor while the rest occurs across the valve. The total pressure drop and refrigeration effect are the This does affect same in either case. the sizing of the TXV in that less pressure drop is available across the valve. Without the distributor this means possibly a smaller TXV could have been used since more pressure would be available to push the refrig- erant through it. However, the distribution of the refrigerant to the DX coil would be adversely affected. The distributor generally may be installed in any position. However, it is recommended it be mounted vertically for best performance. This is particularly true where wide variations in loading or accurate selection of nozzle orifice number cannot be made, See Figure 18. Figure 18-21- The distributor may be separated from the TXV by up to 24" provided there is no restriction between the TXV and distributor, However, when it is separated from the TXV it is recom mended the distributor be installed in @ vertical position. However, for best performance it is much preferred that the distributor be mounted directly to the thermostatic expansion valve outlet. See Figure 19, Figure 19 SOLENOID VALVE The function of the solenoid valve is to isolate a portion of the system at Part load and to isolate the eystem at pump down to prevent refrigerant from flooding the compressor. They are available in two general types, normally open (N.0.) and normally closed (N.C.). Normally open means that when the electric coil in the solenoid is de-energized, the valve is open. Conversely normally closed means the valve is closed to refriger- ant flow when the valve is de-ener- gized. Energizing the electrical coil of the solenoid valve causes it to go om its normal position to the opposite position. Electricity applied to the coil of normally closed solenoid, for example, will cause it to open. The normally closed type solenoid valve may be further sub-divided into direct acting and pilot operated types. The pilot operated solenoid valve is used as a supplementary device to the thermal expansion valve. It is used in place of large capacity solenoid valves for positive closing of liquid lines. The solenoid pilot control does not directly close the liquid line, but acts on the TxV, causing the expansion valve to close tightly or operate normally, depending on whether the solenoid pilot control is energized or de-energized. (See Figure 20) Utilizing either high pressure from the high pressure side of the system or true suction pres- sure, in conjunction with the TXV's equalizer line, the selected pressure acts on the underside the TXv's diaphram . When the solenoid coil is de-energiz- ed, the low pressure port (40 PSI in diagram in Figure 20) is closed, thereby closing the equalizer line from the valve to the suction line, The high pressure port (120 lbs. in diagram Figure 20) is open and liquid line pressure is applied to themoa underside of the thermostatic expan- sion valve diaphram, This high side pressure instantly overcomes the bulb pressure and supplements the valve spring immediately closing the port of the expansion valve, See Figure 20. Ap 7 Thermostat Exper High Pressure Port Open — Low Pre sure Port Closed Figure 20 The pilot control solencid valve is available in a single size for all capacity systems, Since it actually acts to either pass high liquid line pressure on to the TXV for closing or opens the external equalization line to suction pressure for control a is all that is single size valve required. Also, since the valve essentially is acting as a conduit to pass one or the other pressure on to the TXV, the pilot solenoid valve may be installed in either the vertical or horizontal position with out affecting its function. other than the pilot When selecting control solenoid valve the selection is dependent upon the type of refrig- erant in the system and the capacity or flow rate the valve must be able to 21 is supplied by handle when open. Figure a chart for valves Sporlan Valve Company. Just for an example, let's select a valve to meet a maximum LIQUID CAPACITY SELECTION TABLE TPE NUMBER = TORS OF REFRIGERATION eave” | NEWoE™ REFRIGERANT 12 REFRIGERANT 22 REFRIGERANT 602 senus | SeRes : PRESSURE DROP — pl VALVES VALVES: 2 3 4 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 At = 7 tap te] 18 a elon za[ ea] 39 iepasp safer | 6 6 ao] ee] sr} sa] 1a] 26] a2] a7] 41 8 es eel eof safes] a0] aa s2] 61] 7 a0 E10 si nap wat st at] sa] 72] ez 99 a ei 2a[ sept} 2s] se | 03 [m2 | 7 | i a9 eo [ior x0] 133] 8] m2] co] a3] a0] 128 | 158] wer | 203 5 eases | 288 oleae] er] wat are] sia) see] 218 | 268 | aoe 2 es [ass [aso so] s2[ so] wef ees] spare] oats] aa] ara WA = te ta os [s [as fie in [re fare [ ss fer [a [rr = ew [oss [var | a7 ios_[ 734 [ior rer fvar [owe _[ 59 | ord ae | 57 [06 ‘MASO = 92 [120 156 [169 [s06__[is2_ [sve [ie [ats | 77 400 fair [ize [140 NOTE: Rotierant 0 Yow cape maybe delermied by muting Heliern! 1 xt byte E7115 Figure 21-23- capacity at design of 35.65 tons using R-22, Referring to the Figure 21, we find that a B25 or E25 size solenoid valve will handle 41.4 chart in tons with a resulting pressure drop of 3 pst. At design flow of 35.65 tons the pressure drop across the valve could be interpolated between 3 psi passing a flow rate equivalent to a 41.4 ton capacity, and 2 psi passing 33.7 tons. Capacity PSE 33.7 2 35.65 41a 3 Ree en 22s Os E=naSe Lees (1.4 ~ 33.7) XK = 24,25 = 2,25 psi Note that the table provided by the manufacturer also applied to Refriger- ant 500. found for Refrigerant 12 by a factor of 1.15. Simply multiply the valves Most solenoid valve used for this duty are the normally closed variety. The reason for normally closed is because it will close the circuit should there loss of be a electric power, The vanually operable solenoid valve silows an operator to lift or open the pumping out the valve for system, (renoving the refrigerant from the system). The area between the sclenoid valve and the TXV would be closed from both sides (between the two valves) during a pump down procedure. To remove the refrigerant in this area the normally closed valve needs to be open, If the solenoid valve does not have a manual lift stem then it would need to be energized under these circumstances. It could also be used to manually open the valve if the solenoid coil should happen to fail. Note that the pressure drop through a properly selected solenoid valve generally adds 3 psi or less to the system. line of This particular manufacturers solenoid valves, sizes Al through B33 and ES through E33 may be mounted in either a horizontal or vertical line, All others from this manufacturer must be installed in a vertical horizontal line. position in a SIGHT GLASS The sight glass (Figure 22) is located in the refrigerant line to allow an operator to see the condition of the refrigerant in the system. It is of major interest to determine the condition of the liquid as it enter the TXV. It showld be total liquid with no gas bubbles. Therefore, it is important to locate the sight glass near the inlet of the TXV. If a aes~ 24 solenoid valve, filter drier or other device is located between the sight glass and the TXV the operator can not be sure what the extra pressure drop might do. pressure drop might cause some of the It is possible that the liquid to start to vaporize forming bubbles. The bubbles of refrigerant vapor which have flashed course are es the pressure of the liquid fell below the saturated liquid line for the specific temperature of the refrigerant liquid. Since the TXV is selected and sized based on liquid refrigerant the valve, the addition of entering vapor, which has far greater volume, prevents the valve from passing the proper amount of refrigerant. It greatly reduces the valves capacity and impairs the operation of the system. Therefore, it is good practice to make sure no other device is located between the sight glass and the TXV. Figure 22 Often the sight glass is designed to do double duty. Incorporated with the sight glass is a moisture indicating material. The material changes color depending upon the amount of moisture in the refrigerant. The moisture of course, when combined with the refrigerant and oils in the system, forms acids and sludge. These materials inturn attack the other materials in the system. One moisture indicating sight gless for example has a spot with a material which changes from dark green to bright yellow. the dark green indicating dry and bright indicating wet. A color supplied with the yellow indicating sight determine chart glass allows the operator to roughly the amount of, moisture in the system based on the change from dark degree of green toward bright yellow. Figure 22 shows an example of a sight glass with the moisture indicator. FILTER-DRIER iz the compressor is the heart of the air conditioning refrigerant is the lifes blood and the system then the filter-drier is the liver. Like blood, refrigerant too, one way or another gets its share of impurities that have to be dealt with by the system, The question arises why does chemical break down occur and what happens if it does. Let's look at the impurities that can enter in the system that gives rise to the need for the filter- drier, (See Figure 23)Figure 23 Moisture Water or moisture is always present in refrigeration systems. Acceptable imits vary from one unit to another and from one refrigerant to another. Moisture is harmful even if "freeze- ups" do not occur. Moisture is an important factor in the formation of acids, sludge, copper plating, and corrosion. To be safe and sure, keep the moisture level as low as possible. Dirt Dirt, sludge, flux, and metallic particles are frequently found in refrigeration systems. Numerous metallic contaminants - cast iron dust, rust, scale, plus steel, copper, and brass chips ~ can damage cylinder walls, bearings, and plug capillary = 25 tubes or thermostatic expansion valve screens. In addition to mechanical damage and "plug-ups", these contami- nants catalyze chemical reactions that contribute to decomposition of the refrigerant-oil mixture at elevated temperatures. Acids Refrigerants 12 and 22 by themselves are very stable, even when heated to a high temperature, However under some conditions, reactions do occur which can result in the formation of acids. For example, at elevated temperatures, Refrigerant 12 will react with the ofl to form hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids, These acids are usually Present as a gas in the system and are highly corrosive. Refrigerant 22 will decompose at high temperatures to form acid "acid hydrochloric where an acceptor" such as electrical insula~ tion paper is present. The reaction of refrigerants with water may cause the formation of hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids. In ordinary usage this reaction is negligible, but in a very wet system operating at abnormally high temperatures, some hydrolysis may occur. All of these reactions are increased by elevated temperature and are catalytic in effect, resulting in formation of corrosive compounds.= 26 - Another significant source of acidity in refrigeration systens is the organic acid formed from ofl break- down. These acids will also corrode the netals in a system, and therefore they must be removed. Acid may be neutralized by the intro- duction of an alkali, but the chemical combination of the two creates further release addition hazards. They moisture plus the formation of a salt, both of which are detrimental to the system. udge and Varnish Although the utmost precaution may be taken in the design and fabrication of a system, once in operation, unusually high discharge temperatures will cause down, and form the oi] to break sludges and varnish. Temperatures may vary in different makes of compressors and under differ- While ent operating conditions. temperatures of 265°F are not unusual at the charge valve under normal operation, temperatures well above 300°F frequently occur under unusual conditions. Common sources of high temperatures in refrigeration systems are dirty condensers, non-condensible gases in the condenser, high compres- sion ratio, high superheat of suction gas returned to compressor, fan failure on forced convection conden- sers, and others. In addition to high discharge tempera— tures, there are certain catalytic metals that contribute to the oil~ refrigerant mixture breakdown. The most noted of these in a refrigeration system is iron. It is used in one forn or another in all systems and is an active catalyst. Copper is in the same category as iron, but its action is slower. However, the end result is he same, This reaction causes eludges and other corrosive materials that will hinder the normal operation control of compressor valves and devices. In addition, air in a system will accelerate the deterioration of the ofl. In order to assist in meeting the problems associated with chemical breakdown the porous core (See Figure 24) of the filter drier performs these tasks. Figure 2427 - Removes Moisture The Filter-Drier renoves moisture from the refrigerant and ofl by adsorbing and retaining it deep within the desiccant granules which make up the substance of the core, The core removes a large amount of water in one pass, thereby protecting valve from freezeup. flow the expansion Since the refrigerant must through the core, maximum contact between the two is assured, thus giving rapid drying. Removes Foreign Matter Scale, solder particles, dirt, and all types of foreign substances must be removed to protect the compressor, solenoid valves, expansion valves, capillary tubes, and other close refrigeration smoke like tolerance parts of a system. The ultra-fine particles sometimes found in @ systen seldom cause difficulty because they are so small they will pass through the small clearances, Large particles of solder or scale are easily removed. It is the intermediate size particles of metal powder, carbon, sludge, and fine copper oxide that are the most difficult to remove. These particles will go through an ordinary strainer. The solution to this problen is thorough filtration, instead of mere The Filter-Drier has been It removes straining. designed to do this job. these particles, down to the minimum size, in one pass filtration. Further- more the large filtering surface available on the core results in the ability to collect a large amount of dirt with negligible pressure drop. Removes Acids The hydrochloric, hydrofluoric and various organic acids found in used harmful oil samples can produce corrosive effects on the system. These acids are adsorbed and held on the desiccant in a manner similar to the adsorption of moisture. The Filter-Drier is used in cleaning up severely contaminated systems, whether due to acid, ofl breakdown, or even to hermetic motor burnout, should it occur. It is used in this way because of its ability to remove acid and the products of oil breakdown, Removes Sludge and Varnish Even the best refrigeration oils frequently break down to produce varnish, sludge, and organic acids. These products of oil decomposition are formed due to excessive heat or air in the system, This varnish will plug small orifices and build up on the compressor valves causing eventual valve failure.~ 28 - The ability of desiccants to remove these products of of1 decomposition makes the Filter-Drier highly effec- tive in cleaning up systems that h ve had a hermetic motor burnout, and in protecting new systems by preventing a se oil breakdown build up of th products. The filter-drier is available in either a welded shell such as pictured in Pigure 23 or with a disassemble design with a replaceable filter core. (See Figure 25) CAPACITY ASHRAE-ART_ STANDARDS The American Society of Refrigeration % —- Ungineers Standard 63-68, "Methods of © Rating and Testing High Side Liquid Line Driers," sets up a procedure to follow for determining the water holding capacity and refrigerant flow capacity under certain conditions. The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration stitute subsequently issued ART Standard 710-71, Its specifications for performance characteristics cover water capacity, refrigerant flow capacity and safety requirements only. This Standard is intended to provide comparison points only. It is a basis for drier evaluation at the specified < rating conditions, but does not attempt to govern the performance of a drier over the entire range of possi- ble ratings for water capacity, Figure 25aha refrigerant flow capacity, and safety requirements. Water Capacity - is the amount of water (in drops or grams) that a drier will hold at the standard temperatures and end point dryness (EPD) specified. Refrigerant Flow Capacity - is the maximum flow of liquid refrigerant (in tons) that a drier will pass at a 2 psi pressure drop. Safety - is based on drier shell bursting pressure. All liquid line driers manufactured under ARI Stan- dard 710 - 71 must meet the require~ ments of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. Standard 207. Selection When selecting a filter-drier the following should be considered: Water Capacity and Refrigerant Flow can be hendled by comparing ART Standard data supplied by the manufac turer. However, it should be remen- bered that flow ratings are based on the ideal situation of @ completely clean system. Flow is reduced as dirt accumulates on the filtering surface. Filtration - characteristics of a drier are not readily defined or evaluated since a standard does not exist. The ability to filter end hold foreign matter varies wi brand and type of drier. Untii szendards are developed, the simplest zutde to follow is that filter ¢ is proportional to filtering the table that follows, © areas of the Filter-Drier ulated. Filters should with an adequate reserve allow for the contaminaticé most systems because exce sure drop can often affe** ; mance. ; Acid Removal - is also measure. There are ratings to follow. ratings e final should Drier manufacturers establi# for their product, but selection of the correct ért#* be based on the conditions expected for each job. Consideration should be given to providing extra water capaci ty and filtering area within economm example art form ical limits. Figure 26 is 4" of a Filter-Drier selection ch (sporlan valve one manufacturer Company). te select a job Using the chart in Figure 26 a filter-drier for let's s6/ eireute 45.68 ty be where the capacity of the served by the filer drier 1 tons, a type C-969 would probab the choice.~30- This agrees well with the Selection Reconmendations shown in the chart. The chart shows that at air condition ing levels this filter drier would handle 40 Tons capacity for 0.E.M. self contained units or 35 Tons for field installations. The size C-969 is with high Generally, unless the system has been available either replaceable standard or capacity cores. open to the atmosphere or otherwise suspected to have very high amounts of water in the System, the standard core will be adequate. The C-969 Filter-Drier will see a 2 psi pressure drop when the refrigerant flow capacity is at 67 tons, Note this is based on R-22 liquid at 86°F and a flow rate of 2.9 pounds per minute per ton (or @ flow rate of 194.3 pounds per minute). The pres~ sure drop in our example problem would be in the area of approximately 1 psi, since our flow rate is at maxinum of 35,65 Tons. Filter-Drier Location The Filter-Drier is most effective in the liquid line. Place it immediately ahead of other liquid line controls, such as thermostatic expansion valve, solenoid valve, and moisture & liquid indicator. When applied in this way the filter-drier maximum protection for the expansion valve and provides solenoid valve from any dirt that may be in the system. If the system contains appreciable moisture, then this location gives the best results in protecting the expansion valve from freeze-up, If possible, Filter-drier in a cold location. The place the acid removal ability of the filter- drier is roughly the same regardless whether it is installed in the liquid line, suction line, or discharge line. Filter-Driers are frequently in- stalled in the suction line just ahead of the compressor. This procedure is used to clean up a new system or a system chat has had a hermetic motor burnout, The main advantage of this location is that it is directly ahead of the compressor, and therefore offers maximum protection to the compressor from all contaminants, even those that may be in the low side of the system. The suction line filter- drier gives excellent performance in removing water, dirt and acid, al~ though a larger size filter-drier is required than if it had been placed in the liquid line, The refrigerant velocity in the suction line is about six times the velocity in the liquid line. Therefore, a larger filter- drier is required in order to get a sufficiently low pressure drop.-31- REFRIGERANT 22 SELECTION RECOMMENDATIONS (Tons) REFRIGERATION | —— a coNOTIONIN ‘Commarea els low OEM nepateant oe Tepertre iba Up Tepe Sats 1 1 vs ws 1 a4 vs a 2 1” 1 34 1 ‘ 2 in 5 2 Te z TE 2 5 3 i a Te 5 | 3 0 5 z = z i 5 % ™% I 15 ™% | z ua @ 5 ™% % 1 5 0 ra w w ! ee 1s » "LACEABLE CORE TYPES WITH HIGH CAPACITY CORES (RCW-A8l em] ow Te Tae a —— | Cser 7 = a0 = | [“eae7 oes | 0 eee s a x Gite a1 a 0 2 ewer is |e | ae |} @ fa Eat a & % ® cum] 36 | ame [ee [Fe 35 ToD = i REPLACEABLE CORE TYPES WITH STANDARD CORES (Gee Page 13) a 5 TE z o | or | as = : 7 2 w = 7 F « | «= | om c z z 128 490 aH is 2 7 wo = rn we | ms | ae 2 2 a isa 7 a [eres] 8 | seo 3 ion Samo} “aa aes Tom Ts Too 2 28 1s 1 130 Figure 26~32- The main disadvantage of the suction line location is that a larger, more expensive filter-drier is required. Filter-Driers are seldom used in the discharge line. There are other better locations, The water capacity in this location would be reduced due to the high operating temperature. The filter-drier may be installed in any position, with top or bottom feed. mount However, it is advisable to replaceable core models so that foreign material cannot drop into the fitting when the outlet cores are removed. It is important to make sure that they are installed with the refrigerant flow in the proper direc should not be tion. Pilter-driers subjected to reverse flow. ACCUMULATORS ‘There are many means by which slugs of refrigerant (or oil) can accumulate in the suction line, either while the equipment is running or shut dow. The evaporator coil or low side distributor feed may not be uniform due to disturbing factors at light load. Air-side thermal stratification may make it impossible for the dis~ tributor to compensate. The expansion valve may hunt excessively and never match its response lag to the system requirement. During shutdown, liquid refrigerant nay accumulate in the suction line due to migration or condensing of the gas in the line. With all of these possible, in some cases, it may seem that it is impossi- ble to keep liquid slugs out of the even if extreme care is compressor, used in providing loops and selecting che expansion valve and distributor nozzle. In doubtful applications, a suction line accumplator is advisable. dur sre ete METERING OAFICES Suction Accumulator Figure 27 Figure 27 shows a suction accumulator. It will intercept slugs before they reach the compressor. The suction accumulator should be positioned close to the compressor. Note that the inlet stream is directed to the casing wall and thus encourages slugs of Liquid refrigerant or oil to impinge and flow to the bottom. A small