Plate Heat Exchangers Freon - Gas

Heat exchangers Gas to Liquid from Nordic Tec offer

Heat exchangers Gas-Water is a generic name for the category of PHE, in reality, plate heat exchangers grouped here are used not only with Freon but also with similar gas media, including high-pressure ones and similar refrigerants. On the water side, it can also be nearly any other fluid - such as glycol, for example.

A common feature of heat exchangers Gas to liquid and their advantage over standard brazed plate heat exchangers is their resistance to higher working pressures. The working pressure of our Freon heat exchangers is calculated for 45 bar - 4.5 MPa, which is sufficient for the operation of most heat pumps, refrigeration units, or air conditioners.

Heat exchangers for Refrigerant-Water - or simply gas-liquid heat exchangers - are available in our catalog in two series. The first series of high-pressure models up to 45 bar is the Ba-26-F series, based on a smaller plate size of 308x106mm. On the refrigerant/gas side, it is equipped with a 5/8" connection tube. The second series - Ba-68-F - is based on a larger plate size of 526x119mm and comes with a larger 7/8" gas connection. On the liquid side, both series of heat exchangers have a standard 1-inch threaded connection.

On the left side, click on the appropriate series of Freon-Water heat exchangers to continue.

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Is a gas-liquid heat exchanger the same as a refrigerant-water or refrigerant-glycol heat exchanger?

Refrigerant-water heat exchangers, often referred to as gas-liquid heat exchangers, are a generic term for a category of products commonly known as gas-liquid heat exchangers . In essence, the plate heat exchangers grouped here are used not only with refrigerant but also with similar gas media, including high-pressure gases. On the water side - it can also be nearly any other liquid, such as glycol (refrigerant-glycol heat exchanger). Example combinations of media that gas-liquid heat exchangers can work with have been listed in the following point.

What media do gas-liquid heat exchangers work with?

In fact there are quite o lot of opportunitnies. Our gas-liquid heat exchangers can work with the following media:

  • refrigerant-water (e.g., refrigerant R404A-water or R32-water) - this is the example of a heat exchanger working in a heat pump
  • refrigerant-glycol (e.g., refrigerant R404A-glycol or R32-glycol) etc.

Of course, gas-liquid heat exchangers can also work with a glycol solution, although undiluted glycol is rarely used due to the fact that in European climate, the antifreeze properties are also possessed by glycol diluted with water in proportions of 30/70 % or 50/50 %.

In what variants do refrigerant-water heat exchangers appear?

Refrigerant-water heat exchangers, or simply gas-liquid heat exchangers, are available in two series in our catalog.

1. The first series consists of high-pressure models up to 45 bar, known as Ba-26-F refrigerant-water heat exchangers, based on smaller plates sized at 308x106 mm. On the refrigerant / gas side, they are equipped with a 5/8" connection tube. This series includes heat exchangers for refrigerants with plate surfaces of up to approximately 1.6m². In practice, heat exchangers from this series can handle heat pumps or air conditioners ranging from the smallest sizes up to roughly 16 kW.

2. The 2nd series, called Ba-68-F refrigerant-water heat exchangers, is based on larger plates sized at 526x119 mm and equipped with larger 7/8" gas connections, so a larger one. This series comprises larger refrigerant-water heat exchangers designed for larger heat pump or air-conditionner units. The series offers a wide range of plate quantities, with Ba-68-F refrigerant heat exchangers available in variants ranging from 10 to 60 plates, totaling 8 models.
The largest heat exchangers in this series can accommodate heat pumps or air conditioners with a power output exceeding 40 kW, and even up to 50 kW in the right configuration.

On the liquid side, both series of refrigerant-water heat exchangers feature standard threaded connections sized at 1 inch.

Refrigenrant heat exchangers for converting an air conditioner into a heat pump - up to 45 bar

This is a very common application of refrigerant heat exchangers in this category. Converting an air conditioner into an air-to-water heat pump requires a refrigerant heat exchanger - that is designed to work with the media present in this installation. On one side, there will be some liquid - water (or water mixed with glycol), and on the other side, there will be refrigerant - some kind of freon. Refrigerant can come in various types, such as R404, R410, R290, R32, or similar, but it will always be a similar high-pressure medium. Below, we will provide basic information on how to size a heat exchanger to convert an air conditioner into an air-to-water heat pump.

Sizing a refrigerant plate heat exchanger for converting an air conditioner into an air-to-water heat pump

Sizing a refrigerant plate heat exchanger for converting an air conditioner into a heat pump is not easy if you have only basic information on the subject. However - for experienced individuals, it becomes quite straightforward, as there is a clear correlation between the surface area of the heat exchanger plates and the power of the air conditioning unit (or air-to-water heat pump - as the principles of selecting plate heat exchangers for refrigerant are similar here).

In the descriptions - we provide an approximate range of the power of the air conditioning unit for which we recommend a particular heat exchanger. It is usually advisable to select a heat exchanger with a margin - that is, to choose a refrigerant heat exchanger whose upper power limit in kW is slightly higher than the nominal power of our air conditioner. A good practice here is to have a margin of 2-3 kW.

The pressure of the refrigerant in an air conditioning or heat pump system - will it not rupture the heat exchanger?

This is a crucial issue - when the refrigerant in an air conditioning or heat pump system is heated, it can quickly reach high pressures. For heat pumps (or conversions from air conditioners), heating water to temperatures around 50 °C can easily result in pressures exceeding 30-40 bar, and sometimes even higher. That's why ordinary liquid-liquid heat exchangers shouldn't be used for refrigerant, as they are usually rated for 20 bar or 30 bar. This pressure is sufficient for water-based HVAC systems, where the pressure rarely exceeds a few atmospheres.

Using a standard plate heat exchanger destinated for traditional central heating in a refrigerant-water system will likely expose it to damage and void the warranty. The main design difference between heat exchangers for refrigerants and standard ones is their higher pressure resistance.
In our case, this pressure resistance is up to 45 bars.

What about low-temperature systems? Can regular heat exchangers be used for refrigerants?

Some heat pumps or air conditioners operate in low-temperature systems, for example, in supplying a house based solely on underfloor heating. The supply temperature of such a system is often 30-35°C and does not always cause a significant increase in pressure. Can a regular heat exchanger rated for 30 bars be used in this situation, assuming that the heat pump will not generate higher pressures on the refrigerant?

This is not a good idea because even at low pressures, a refrigerant-water system can generate relatively large pressure spikes (sudden changes). Most standard plate heat exchangers are brazed in a way that does not provide resistance to these spikes, as this phenomenon does not occur in the standard use of plate heat exchangers, such as in a heating system. Most manufacturers do not honor warranties if a regular model, not certified for these media, is used in a refrigerant-water system.

Heat exchanger for refrigerants - what is it?

A heat exchanger for refrigerants is essentially a plate heat exchanger designed for use with refrigerants - also sometimes known as cooling agents. Refrigerants are characteristic media used in heat pumps, air conditioners, and refrigerators. They possess unique properties, capable of "extracting" heat from the surroundings, even at negative temperatures. This property makes them suitable for use in the mentioned devices, as their operation can be reversed to produce cooling.

A heat exchanger for refrigerants appears outwardly as a typical plate heat exchanger, but it has certain design differences. One of the channels is specifically adapted for the refrigerant. This channel must withstand high pressures, as refrigerants at temperatures around 50 °C can easily exceed 35-40 bar. Typically, this channel does not have threaded connections but rather tubes intended for brazing, as threads would not withstand the pressure.

The second channel in plate heat exchangers for refrigerants such as R410, R290, R32, or R404 - is standard, threaded, and intended for the working medium, which is usually a liquid. Typically, this is water, the cheapest, most readily available, and most effective medium for heat transfer. However, depending on the requirements, it can also be glycol or mineral oil.

The most important feature of plate heat exchangers adapted for refrigerants, capable of working in heat pumps, is their high resistance to pressure, typically rated for minimum pressures of 40-45 bar.

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