Influence of altitude on the performance of FNH, FNV, FNVT, DL, DD and DJ evaporators
Most refrigeration equipment catalogues show the calculated output at an altitude close to sea level. When installed at high altitude, the lower air density will change the heat exchange between condenser and evaporator, which needs to be corrected at the project scale stage.
The higher the height, the lower the air density. For the same fan volume flow, the air quality passing through the blades is low. Less air mass means less ability to absorb or transfer heat, so the performance of the heat exchanger is reduced.
In FNH, FNH,FNV,FNVT condensers, the direct consequence is greater compression heat loss. If it is not corrected, the condensation pressure will rise above the design value, which will increase energy consumption and reduce the overall refrigeration power of the refrigeration system.
In evaporators DL, DD and DJ, the low air density also reduces the heat transfer capacity. In addition, the amount of flowing air with the same mass is larger, which changes the speed of flowing inside the refrigerator. It takes longer for the equipment to reach the set temperature.
The correction factor depends on the meters above sea level. Above 1000 meters, the capacity reduction factor is mandatory. At an altitude of 2000 meters, the performance loss of the switch may be as high as 12% to 18%.
A common solution is to slightly oversize the equipment according to the altitude factor, or choose a fan with higher volume flow to make up for the lower air density. It can not only maximize the speed of the existing fan, because it will produce too much noise and shorten the service life of the engine.
Fan motors are also affected at high altitudes. The less dense air makes the vortex cooling of the engine worse. Therefore, in areas above 1500m above sea level, it is recommended to choose high-altitude engines to avoid overheating and shutdown.
Many projects installed in mountainous areas have performance problems only in summer, precisely because altitude correction is not considered when selecting evaporators and condensers.
FAQ
Why does altitude affect heat exchange equipment? By reducing the air density, it reduces the air mass available for heat transfer.
From which height should the correction be made? It is suggested to correct the size from 1000 meters above sea level.
What will happen to capacitors at high altitude? Poor heat dissipation, increased condensation pressure and higher power consumption.
Did you solve all the problems by maximizing the fan speed? No, it will produce high noise and accelerate engine wear.
Will fan engines be affected at high altitudes? Yes, cold air is more distorted, so a special engine is recommended.
Key words: altitude effect refrigeration equipment, altitude correction coefficient, air density, FNH condenser, FNV condenser, FNVT condenser, DL series air cooler, DD series air cooler, DJ series air cooler, heat exchanger performance.
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