D & D Mechanical

Refrigeration
Renan Gonzalez, Service Tech.

Air Flow Adjustments

 Why the amount of air flow is so important?

There are three reasons to be careful when the air flow is adjusted
1. Improper adjustment of airflow can cause serious damage to the
air conditioning system
2. Proper moisture removal depends on the correct adjustment of
airflow
3. Improper airflow can lead to misdiagnosis of the air conditioning
system
 1. Improper adjustment of airflow can cause serious damage to the
air conditioning system
“The relationship between air flow and the refrigeration cycle is critical. Circulating air is the
source of heat needed to boil liquid refrigerant in the evaporator.” (Air Conditioning And
Heat Pumps, Preparing For The Nate Exam, page 171)
• If the air flow is too low, not enough heat will be available to evaporate the entire amount of liquid
refrigerant fed into the coil by the metering device.
• If the air flow is too low, not enough heat will be available to evaporate the entire amount of liquid
refrigerant fed into the coil by the metering device.
• All of the refrigerant entering the compressor must be in the vapor state, otherwise some liquid
refrigerant can reach the compressor and mechanical damage can happen.
• If the air flow is too low, not enough heat will be available to evaporate the entire amount of liquid
refrigerant fed into the coil by the metering device.
• All of the refrigerant entering the compressor must be in the vapor state, otherwise some liquid
refrigerant can reach the compressor and mechanical damage can happen.
• If the air flow across an evaporator is excessive, too much heat will be added to the refrigerant.
• System pressures will rise, resulting in operating conditions that can easily overload a compressor
motor.
 2. Proper moisture removal depends on the correct
adjustment of airflow
 The human comfort depends on several factors, two of them, very important
are temperature and humidity.
 With high humidity, bacteria and mold can grow and compromise the health of the
occupants
 Low temperature and high humidity give to the customer the sensation of cold and
damp
 Very little air flow has insufficient heat, so the evaporator surface temperature will be well
below the dew point.
 Much air flow will cause the evaporator surface is above the dew point. Little or no condensation
will occur, the relative humidity will be high in the conditioned space

There are two types of heat that must be removed

from the mass of air passing through the condenser:
• Sensible heat, it means the heat that you can
measure with a thermometer.
• Latent heat, it means the heat used to change the
phase of any substance. Latent heat is associated
with humidity removal from air crossing
evaporator.
 How many Cfm x Tons?

 “The airflow in an air conditioning system is normally 400 cfm/ton in average humidity climates. A
different airflow may be used for other climates. In humid coastal areas, airflow may be 350
cfm/ton, and 450 cfm/ton may be used in desert areas.” (Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
Technology, Seventh edition, page 1055.)
 It is not uncommon to find the target cfm range for a higher efficiency house with higher
efficiency equipment to fall closer to 350 cfm per 12.00 MBtu/h.” (Us Department of Energy.
Strategy Guideline HVAC Equipment Sizing. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/52991.pdf)
 • “…LOW airflow (350 cfm/ton) is COMFORT & HUMID CLIMATE setting…” (Trane XV95. Two
Stage Condensing Gas-Fired Furnace.)
 In studies in the field we have found that when the air flow is adjusted to 350 cfm / ton sufficient
latent heat is removed achieving proper humidity levels for human comfort

Conclusion: We must adjust the air flow to meet 350 cmf/ton.

 3. Improper airflow can lead to misdiagnosis of the air
conditioning system
“How important is a properly designed and installed ductwork system? All too often,
refrigeration cycle components fail due to improper air flow. It is equally common for
technicians to mistakenly condemn those components that are performing poorly due
to improper air flow.” (Air Conditioning And Heat Pumps, Preparing For The Nate Exam,
page 171)
First example :
9127 Hollow Creek Point Cypress, 77379.
First report: “Txv is bad causing a restriction in the system and the coil to freeze.
Need to changed TXV from coil that goes to the Master Bedroom.”
Data from Refrigeration gauge:
Suction Pressure: 108 psig
Superheat: 4 degrees
High side Pressure: 268 psig
Subcooling: 22 degrees
Air Filter clean
Good Air System Distribution Calculations

What is the Correct diagnosis for this system?

We got one section of the Evaporator Coil clogged with
the insulation.

After solving the problem:

Data from Refrigeration gauge:
Suction Pressure: 133 psig
Superheat: 11.4 degrees
High side Pressure: 300.9 psig
Subcooling: 11.7degrees
 Example # 2: Evaporator coils CNPHP
 On the first Installation Manual for Carrier CNPHP evaporator coils the manufacturer provided the
below configuration for Left and Right Installation.
 Many of these evaporators were returned to the manufacturer for the same reason: Evaporators
froze frequently when furnace is installed in the right configuration.
 Some service technicians point out TXVs as cause, others thought there was something wrong
with the design of the evaporators.
 The true cause, insufficient air flow
How to Use a magnehelic
and a Blower Air Delivery
Table to adjust properly the
air flow?
We are going to discuss it in
the second part of the
presentation.