EXPANSION VALVES

THE EXPANSION VALVE IS SITUATED IN THE LIQUID LINE

BETWEEN THE CONDENSER AND THE INLET OF THE EVAPORATOR. IT
OPERATES ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SYSTEM, RELATIVE TO
THE COMPRESSOR. WHEREAS THE COMPRESSOR OPERATES TO INCREASE
THE PRESSURE AND PUMP THE REFRIGERANT THROUGH THE SYSTEM,
THE EXPANSION DEVICE RELEASES THE PRESSURE BETWEEN THE
HIGH-PRESSURE CONDENSATION SIDE AND THE LOW-PRESSURE
EVAPORATION SIDE. THE PURPOSE OF THE EXPANSION VALVE IS TO
CONTROL THE FLOW OF REFRIGERANT FROM THE HIGH-PRESSURE
CONDENSING SIDE OF THE SYSTEM INTO THE LOW-PRESSURE
EVAPORATOR. IN MOST CASES, THE PRESSURE REDUCTION IS
ACHIEVED THROUGH A VARIABLE FLOW ORIFICE, EITHER
MODULATING OR TWO-POSITION.

TYPES OF EXPANSION VALVES

1. THERMAL EXPANSION VALVES
THERMAL EXPANSION VALVES, OR
THERMOSTATIC EXPANSION VALVES,
ARE THE EXPANSION DEVICES USED
MOST COMMONLY WITH BPHE
EVAPORATORS. TEVS ARE POPULAR
EXPANSION DEVICES DUE TO THEIR
SIMPLICITY AND AVAILABILITY,
AND THEIR RELATIVELY GOOD
SENSITIVITY AND ACCURACY IN
REGULATION. THE LARGE CHOICIE OF
EXPANSION VALVE SIZES AND BULB
CHARGES MEANS THE CAPACITY AND
TEMPERATURE RANGES ARE VERY
GOOD. THE DISADVANTAGE OF TEVS IS
THE NECESSITY FOR RELATIVELY
HIGH SUPERHEATING, WHICH "STEALS"
HEAT TRANSFER AREA FROM THE
EVAPORATION PROCESS.
2 MANUAL OPERATED VALVE
THE MANUAL VALVE , OR HAND EXPANSION
VALVE, IS A MANUALLY OPERATED NEEDLE
VALVE. THE NEEDLE POSITION IS FIXED,
AND THE MASS FLOW THROUGH IT DEPENDS
ON THE PRESSURE DIFFERENCE ACROSS THE
VALVE. THE HAND EXPANSION VALVE IS
NORMALLY USED AS A SUPPLEMENTARY
SAFETY VALVE INSTALLED IN A BYPASS
LINE. IT IS ALSO COMMONLY USED TO
CONTROL THE FLOW RATE THROUGH OIL
BLEEDER LINES. THE MANUAL THROTTLE IS
A NON-REGULATING VALVE AND SHOULD NOT
BE USED AS AN EXPANSION VALVE WITH A
BPHE EVAPORATOR, BECAUSE ANY CHANGES
IN OPERATING CONDITIONS WOULD
INSTANTLY CHANGE THE EVAPORATION
PROCESS INSIDE THE RAPIDLY
RESPONDING PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER.

3. CAPILLARY TUBES
CAPILLARY TUBES ARE THE SIMPLEST OF
ALL REFRIGERANT FLOW CONTROLS, WITH NO
MOVING PARTS. THEY NORMALLY CONSIST
ONLY OF A COPPER PIPE, DIAMETER 0.5 TO
1.5 MM AND LENGTH 1.5 TO 6 M. THE
EXPANSION FUNCTION IS CAUSED SIMPLY
BY THE PRESSURE DROP INDUCED BY THE
LONG, NARROW TUBE. THE MASS FLOW
THROUGH THE TUBE DEPENDS ON THE
PRESSURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
CONDENSING AND EVAPORATING SIDES.
CAPILLARY TUBES CAN BE FOUND ON SMALL,
HIGH-VOLUME COMMERCIAL SYSTEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD REFRIGERATORS, BUT CAN
ALSO BE USED FOR LARGER SYSTEMS
IF THE OPERATING CONDITIONS ARE
RELATIVELY STABLE.
4. AUTOMATIC VALVES

AUTOMATIC VALVES OPERATE WITH A

CONSTANT COUNTER-PRESSURE THAT
REGULATES THE MASS FLOW OF REFRIGERANT
THROUGH THE VALVE TO OBTAIN A CONSTANT
EVAPORATION PRESSURE. THE AUTOMATIC
VALVE, OR CONSTANT PRESSURE VALVE, CAN
BE USED IN SYSTEMS WITH SMALL
VARIATIONS IN HEAT LOAD AND A MAXIMUM
OF ONE EVAPORATOR. THE TECHNOLOGY IS OLD
-FASHIONED, AND IS NOW OFTEN REPLACED BY
THE MORE ADVANCED THERMAL EXPANSION
VALVE.

5. ELECTRONIC EXPANSION VALVE

ELECTRONIC EXPANSION VALVES ARE
THEREFORE MOSTLY FOUND ON VERY LARGE
SYSTEMS AND SYSTEMS WITH A HIGH DEMAND
FOR PRECISE REGULATION. ELECTRONIC
EXPANSION VALVES HAVE BEEN INCREASING
IN POPULARITY, AND THE TECHNOLOGY HAS
EVOLVED TO COPE WITH INCREASINGLY
SOPHISTICATED DEMANDS. HOWEVER, THE
COST OF ELECTRONIC VALVES, WHICH INCLUDES
THE SENSORS, REGULATOR, ACTUATOR AND
THE VALVE ITSELF, IS STILL MUCH HIGHER
THAN FOR THE SIMPLE AND MECHANICAL
THERMAL EXPANSION VALVE.

6. LOW-PRESSURE FLOAT VALVE

THE LOW-PRESSURE FLOAT VALVE CONTROLS
THE LIQUID LEVEL, AND IS NORMALLY
MOUNTED IN A CHAMBER PARALLEL TO THE
LIQUID/VAPOR SEPARATOR. IF THE LEVEL OF
REFRIGERANT IN THE SEPARATOR
INCREASES, THE VALVE WILL CLOSE AND VICE
VERSA. BALANCE IS MAINTAINED WHEN THE
REFRIGERANT FLOW INTO THE EVAPORATOR
IS EQUAL TO THE VAPOR FLOW FROM THE
EVAPORATOR.
7. HIGH-PRESSURE FLOAT VALVE
THE HIGH-PRESSURE FLOAT VALVE IS LOCATED
ON THE HIGH-PRESSURE SIDE OF THE SYSTEM
AND IS IN OPEN CONNECTION TO THE CONDENSER.
IT CONTROLS THE EVAPORATOR LEVEL
INDIRECTLY BY MAINTAINING A CONSTANT
LEVEL OF REFRIGERANT INSIDE THE FLOAT
CHAMBER. THE EVAPORATOR LEVEL
THEREFORE DEPENDS ON THE TOTAL
REFRIGERANT CHARGE OF THE SYSTEM, AND
MUST BE ADJUSTED TO THE SYSTEM. IF THE
CHARGE IS TOO GREAT, IT WILL LEAD TO
EXCESSIVE FLOODING OF THE EVAPORATOR,
WHILE IF THE CHARGE IS TOO SMALL IT WILL
LEAD TO STARVATION. HIGH-PRESSURE FLOAT
VALVE. THE FLOAT (1) FLOATS ON THE HIGH-
PRESSURE LIQUID AND THE NEEDLE FORMS A
CONSTRICTION (2). THE FLOAT CHAMBER IS IN
OPEN CONNECTION WITH THE CONDENSER, AND
THE CONDENSED REFRIGERANT ENTERS THE
CHAMBER CONTINUOUSLY. WHEN THE LIQUID
LEVEL INCREASES, THE NEEDLE OPENS THE
FLOW TO THE EVAPORATOR.