EXPANSION DEVICES The expansion device is an important device that divides the high pressure side and the

low pressure side of a refrigerating system. It is connected between the receiver and the evaporator. The expansion device performs the following functions: 1. It reduces the high pressure liquid refrigerant to low pressure refrigerant before being fed to the evaporator. 2. It maintains the desired pressure difference between the high and low pressure sides of the system, so that the liquid refrigerant vaporizes at the designed pressure in the evaporator. 3. It controls the flow of refrigerant according to the load on the evaporator. TYPES OF EXPANSION DEVICES: Following are the main types of expansion devices used in industrial and commercial refrigeration and air conditioning system. 1. Capillary tube. 2. Hand operated expansion valve 3. Automatic or constant pressure expansion valve 4. Thermostatic expansion valve 5. Low side float valve and 6. High side float valve Capillary tube: The capillary tube is used as an expansion device is small capacity hermetic sealed refrigeration units such as in domestic refrigerators, water coolers, room air conditioners and freezers. It is copper tube of small internal diameter and of varying length depending upon the application. The inside diameter of the tube used in refrigeration work is generally about 0.5mm to 2.25mm and the length varies from 0.5m to 5m.it is installed in the liquid line between the condenser and the evaporator. A fine mesh screen is provided at the inlet of the tube in order to protect it from contaminants small filter drier is used on some system to provide additional freeze up application. In its operation the liquid refrigerant from the condenser enters the capillary tube. Due to the frictional resistance offered by a small diameter tube the pressure drops. Since the frictional

resistance is directly proportional to the length and inversely proportional to the diameter therefore longer the capillary tube and smaller its inside diameter, greater is the pressure drop created in the refrigerant flow. In other words greater pressure difference between the condenser and the evaporator is needed for a given flow rate of the refrigerant. The diameter and length of capillary tube once selected for a given set of conditions and load cannot operate efficiently at other conditions. The refrigeration systems using capillary tube have the following advantages: 1. The cost of capillary tube is less than all forms of expansion devices. 2. When the compressor stops, the refrigerant continues to flow into the evaporator and equalizes the pressure between the high side and the low side of the system. This considerably decreases the starting load on the compressor: which is great advantage. 3. Since the refrigerant charge in a capillary tube system is critical, therefore no receiver is necessary. HAND OPERATED EXPANSION VALVE: The hand operated valve is the simplest type of expansion valve but it requires an operator to regulate the flow of refrigerant to the evaporator manually. The conical shaped needle valve extends down into the valve port and restricts the flow area through the port. When closed the valves rests on its conical seat. The use of the hand operated valve is limited to systems operating under nearly constant loads for a long period of time, such as in ice making plants and cold storages. It is not suitable for installations where the load varies and the compressor runs intermittently to maintain a constant temperature. AUTOMATIC OR CONSTANT PRESSURE EXAPNSION VALVE: The automatic expansion valve is also known as constant pressure expansion valve, because it maintains constant evaporator pressure. It is used with dry expansion evaporators where the load is relatively constant. Automatic expansion valve consist of a needle valve and a seat a metallic diaphragm or bellows, spring and an adjusting screw. The opening and closing of the valve with respect to the seat depends upon the following two opposing forces acting on diaphragm: 1. The spring pressure and atmospheric pressure acting on the top of the diaphragm, and 2. The evaporator pressure acting below the diaphragm. When the compressor is running the value maintains an evaporator pressure in equilibrium with the spring pressure and atmospheric pressure.The spring pressure can be varied by adjusting the tension of the spring with the help of spring adjusting screw.once the spring is adjusted for a

desired evaporator pressure then the value operates automatically to maintain constant evaporator pressure by controlling the flow of refrigerant to the evaporator. When the evaporator pressure falls down the diaphragm moves downwards to open the valve. This allows more liquid refrigerant to enter into the evaporator pressure till the desired evaporator pressure is reached. On the other hand when the evaporator pressure rises the diaphragm moves upwards to reduce the opening of the valve. The decrease the flow of liquid refrigerant to the evaporator which in turn lowers the evaporator pressure till the desired evaporator pressure is reached. When the compressor stops, the liquid refrigerant continuous to flow into the evaporator and increases the pressure in the evaporator. This increase in evaporator pressure causes the diaphragm to move upward and the valve is closed. It remains closed until the compressor starts again and reduces the pressure in the evaporator. THERMOSTATIC EXPANSION VALVE: The thermostatic expansion valve is most commonly used expansion device in commercial and industrial refrigeration system. This is also called a constant super heat valve because it maintains a constant superheat of vapour refrigerant at the end of the evaporator coil by controlling the flow of liquid refrigerant through the evaporator. The thermostatic expansion valve consists of a needle valve and a seat, a metallic diaphragm, spring and an adjusting screw. In addition to this it has a feeler or thermal bulb which is mounted on the section line near the outlet line of the evaporator coil. The feeler bulb is partly filled with the same liquid refrigeration system. The opening and closing of the valve depends upon the following forces acting on the diaphragm: 1. The spring pressure acting on the bottom of the diaphragm. 2. The evaporator pressure acting on the bottom of the diaphragm, and 3. The feeler bulb pressure acting on the top of the diaphragm. Since the feeler bulb is installed on the suction line therefore it will be at the same temperature as the refrigerant at that point. Any change in the temperature of the refrigerant will cause a change in pressure in the feeler bulb which will be transmitted to the top of the diaphragm.