Heat Pumps Refrigerant Flow

1. Heat Pumps Refrigerant Flow North Seattle Community College HVAC Program Instructor – Mark T. Weber, M.Ed.

2. Here we have the basic refrigerant cycle with an evaporator and a condenser

3. But with a heat pump, they become the inside unit and outside unit or coils

4. To make this into a heat pump, we need to add a reversing valvea

5. And, re-plumb these lines

6. The discharge from the compressor goes into the discharge port of the reversing valve and the middle on the bottom goes into the suction side of the compressor. Review reversing valves if necessary

7. Since both the inside & outside coils can be evaporators, they both need metering devices

8. Now we’ll add a line from this port on the reversing valve to the outside coil.

9. Then from this port to the inside coil

10. Refrigerant will only flow in one direction thru a metering device (and work)

11. So we’ll add a check valve in parallel to each metering device.

12. Cooling mode This how the refrigerant flows in the cooling mode. Condenser Condenser Evaporator Evaporator

13. Heating mode This how it flows in the heating mode. Evaporator Condenser Condenser Evaporator

14. For more information please contact Mark T. Weber At North Seattle Community College WWW.NorthSeattle.edu Mark.weber@seattlecolleges.edu