Difference Between Condenser and Cooler

There are three main differences in the design of condensers and coolers. The first point is whether there is a phase change, the second point is the difference in heat transfer coefficient, and the third point is the series heat exchanger. Let's talk about these three points in turn.

1. Whether there is a phase change; the condenser will condense the gas phase into a liquid phase, and the cooling water of the cooler is only cooling, there is no phase change, just a simple temperature change; in addition, the cooling medium they use is not the same. The purpose is also different. The cooler is used to cool the material without phase change. The condenser is used to cool down and condense the gas phase, and there is a phase change.

2. The heat transfer coefficient is different; generally speaking, since the heat transfer film coefficient of the condensation process is much larger than that of the cooling process without phase change, the total heat transfer coefficient of the condenser is generally much larger than that of the simple cooling process, sometimes an order of magnitude larger. Condensers are generally used to cool gas into liquids. Generally, the shell of a condenser will be very hot, and the concept of a cooler is relatively broad, mainly referring to a heat exchange that converts a hot cold medium into room temperature or a lower temperature. equipment.

3. It lies in the heat exchanger in series; if there are two heat exchangers in series, how to distinguish the condenser from the cooler? Under normal circumstances, the one with the big mouth and the small mouth is the condenser, and the one with the same diameter is generally the cooler, which can be easily seen from the shape of the device.

In addition, when two heat exchangers are connected in series, under the same mass flow rate, since the latent heat is much higher than the sensible heat, under the same type of heat exchanger, the larger heat exchange area is the condenser, that is The larger one should be the condenser.

The condenser is a heat exchange device that condenses the gaseous material into a liquid material by absorbing the heat of the gaseous material. There is a phase change, and the change is quite obvious. The cooling medium can absorb heat directly or indirectly from the medium being condensed, but there is no change in phase change. The plate cooler only reduces the temperature of the cooled medium without phase change. In the cooler, the cooling medium and the cooled medium are generally not in direct contact, and the heat is transferred by tubes or jackets. In addition, the general cooler has a more complex structure than the condenser.