Glossary

A
adsorptioncharge
Inadditiontorefrigerant,thebulbalsocontainsasolidadsorbentsuch
ascharcoalorsilicagel.Theadsorbedrefrigerantreactsmoreslowlyto
temperaturechangesthandirectchargedbulbs,andgivesaslower
response.
alkalinity
Thequantitativecapacityofwatertoneutralizeanacid,i.e.themeasure
ofhowmuchacidcanbeaddedtoaliquidwithoutcausingasignificant
changeinpH.ExpressedasmgCaCO3/l.
AMP
Adenosinemonophosphate.
ASHRAE
AmericanSocietyofHeating,RefrigeratingandAirConditioning
Engineers,Inc.
asymmetricoperation
Whenthetemperaturechangeinafluid(ortheflow)ononesideofthe
BPHEismuchlargerthanontheotherside.

B
Bmodel
SWEP'sstandardcompactbrazedheatexchanger,madeofstainless
steel316andcopper.
backpressure
Higherpressureinthesystemaftertheheatexchangerthanintheheat
exchanger.Thispressurepreventsthecondensatefrombeingdrained
insteamapplications.
boilingpoint
See:bubblepoint.
BPHE
BrazedPlateHeatExchanger.
bubblepoint
Thetemperature(pressurerelated)whereboilingstarts.100%saturated
liquid.
bulb
Apressureprobeconnectedtotheexpansionvalveinordertocontrol
theamountofsuperheating.
burnoutpoint
Atthispointintheboilingprocess,vaporwillformtosuchanextentthat
ithinderscontactbetweentheliquidrefrigerantandtheheattransfer
area,leadingtolowerheattransferefficiency.

C
Carnotheatengine

Aheatengineisanenginethatusesheattoproducemechanicalwork
bycarryingaworkingsubstancethroughacyclicprocess.TheCarnot
heatengineusesaparticularthermodynamiccycle,whichisafour
stagereversiblesequenceconsistingof:1.Isothermalexpansionofthe
gasathightemperature2.Adiabaticexpansion3.Isothermal
compressionofthegasatlowtemperature4.Adiabaticcompression
centrifugalcompressor
Alsocalledaturbocompressor.Compressesthegasbyacceleratingit
withanimpeller.Thevelocityisthentransformedtopressure.
CFC
ChloroFluoroCarbon
CHP
CombinedHeatandPowerplant,producingbothelectricityandheat.
circulationnumber
Infloodedsystems,thenumberoftimesaspecificvolumehastopass
theevaporatortobefullyevaporated.
cleaninginplace(CIP)
ThemineralscalingandotherfoulingthatmayforminaBPHEcanbe
removedusingthiscleaningmethod.
closetemperatureprograms
Whentheprimaryandthesecondaryfluidtemperaturesarecloseto
eachother.
compressionratio
Ratioofcondenserandevaporatorpressures.
compressor

Removesrefrigerantvaporformedintheevaporatorandbringsittoa
higherpressure.Thecompressorisusuallypoweredbyelectricity.
compressorshutoffvalves
Safetydevicestoprotectthesystemfromexcessivelyhighorlow
compressorpressures,i.e.low/highevaporationtemperatures.Also:
servicevalves.
condenser
Aheatexchangerturninggasintoliquid.
conduction
Heattransferthroughasolidmaterial.
conductor
Conductorsarematerialsthatcontainmovableelectricalcharges.When
anelectricalpotentialdifferenceisappliedacrossseparatepointsona
conductor,anelectriccurrentflowsbetweenthosepoints.Whilemany
conductorsaremetallic,therearealsomanynonmetallicconductors.
convection
Heattransferbyeddiesinafluid.
COP
CoefficientOfPerformance.COPisameasureofefficiency,andcanbe
calculatedforthechiller,thecondenserandtheheatpump.COPref=
THA/W(=compressorwork)andCOPhp=THR/W.COPhp=COPref+
1
criticalheatflux
Atthispoint,vaporwillformtosuchanextentintheevaporatorthatit
hinderscontactbetweentheliquidrefrigerantandtheheattransferarea,
leadingtolowerheattransferefficiency.

cryogenic
Verylowtemperatureapplications,e.g.liquidnitrogenat120C.
cyclotrons
Acyclotronisamachineforacceleratingbeamsofchargedparticles.It
usesahighfrequencyalternatingvoltageacrossamagneticfieldto
spiralthebeamoutwardsandeventuallytodeflectitoncethebeam's
radiusequalsitsthecontainer's.Atthispointtheparticles'speedis
generallyveryhigh(approachingthespeedoflight).Cyclotronsare
usedtodayinthetreatmentofcancer,becausetheparticlesionize
tumorsandhelptostoporslowcancerousgrowth.

D
detergents
Detergentsaresurfaceactiveagents,substancesthatlowerthesurface
tensionofwater.
dewpoint
Atthedewpoint,allliquidhasevaporatedandsuperheatingstarts.The
gasis100%saturated.
directexpansion(DX)system
ThebasiccompressioncycleisaDXsystem.Theexpansionvalveis
mounteddirectlybeforetheevaporator.

E
electrongun
Anelectrongunisacomponentthatproducesanelectronstreamwitha
precisekineticenergy.ItisusedinallTVsandmonitorsusingcathode
raytube(CRT)technology.TheCRThasthreeelectronguns,each
producingadifferentstreamofelectrons.Thesemakered,greenor
bluephosphorsilluminate,eachpixeloftheTVscreenbeingmadeby
combiningthesethreecolors.

electronicallycontrolledON/OFFvalves
TheelectronicON/OFFvalveisactuallyanelectronicallycontrolled
solenoidvalvethatfunctionsbothasanexpansionvalveandasa
solenoidvalve.Whenfunctioningasanexpansionvalve,ON/OFF
controlisused.
evaporator
Heatexchangerturningliquidintogas.
EWT
EnteringWaterTemperature
excitedstate
Theenergystateofeachatomintheactivemedium(ofagaslaser,for
example)ischaracterizedbyasetofenergystatesinwhichitmayexist.
Thesestatesmaybevisualizedasunevenlyspacedstepsonaladder,
withhigherstepsrepresentinghigherenergystates.Instimulated
emission,anatomintheexcitedstateisstimulatedbythepresenceof
lighttofalltoalowerenergystate,emittingadditionallightwhiledoing
so.
expansionvalve
Avalvethatmaintainsthepressuredifferencebetweenthehigh
pressureandlowpressuresidesinacondenser/evaporatorsystem.
Seealso:valves.
externalpressureequalization
Anexpansionvalvewithexternalpressureequalizationcomparesthe
bulbpressurewiththesuctionlinepressureinordertocontrolthe
superheat.RecommendedinconnectionwithBPHEevaporatorsdueto
theextraVringpressuredrop.
externallyequalizedexpansionvalve

Anexpansionvalvewithexternalpressureequalizationcomparesthe
bulbpressurewiththesuctionlinepressureinordertocontrolthe
superheat.RecommendedinconnectionwithBPHEevaporatorsdueto
theextraVringpressuredrop.

F
flooded(wet)evaporator
Generictermforthermosiphonsandforcedflowsystems.The
forcedflowsystemissimilartoathermosiphon,buttheforcedflow
systemhasapumpinstalledbeforetheevaporator.
floodedsystems
Floodedevaporationisalsocalledwetevaporation.Infloodedsystems,
therefrigerantenterstheevaporatoras100%liquid,andtheoutletflow
maycontainliquid.Theoutletflowmustnotbesuperheated.
foaming
Dropletsofrefrigerantenteringtheoilsump,wheretheyareimmediately
evaporated.
footprint
Inthiscontext,thefloorareaunderneathaheatexchanger.
forcedcirculationsystems
Theforcedflowsystemissimilartoathermosiphon,buttheforcedflow
systemhasapumpinstalledbeforetheevaporator.
forwardingtemperature
Temperatureofthehotfluidwhenitentersthedeviceinquestion
(radiator,heatexchanger)
foulingfactors

Contaminationfactors.Usedasameasureofthecontaminationof
(amountofdirtin)aBPHE.

G
glide
Withreferencetorefrigerants,glideisaphenomenonthatoccurswith
somemixedrefrigerantsduetodifferentrefrigerantsboilingoffat
differenttemperatures,i.e.atconstantevaporationpressure,the
temperaturevaries.
GWP
GlobalWarmingPotential

H
halons
Generictermforcarboncompoundscontaininghalogens(F,Cl,Br,I)
HCFC
HydroChloroFluoroCarbon
heatflux
Ameasuretodescribetheheattransferefficiency.Theunitforthis
measureistransferredenergyperunitarea(kW/m2).
hermeticcompressor
Housesbothmotorandcompressorhouseinsideaweldedshell,which
providesatrulyhermeticsealtothesurroundings.Theweldedshellofa
hermeticcompressordoesnotopen.
HFC
HydroFluoroCarbon

highpressurefloatvalve
Locatedonthehighpressuresideofthesystemandinopenconnection
tothecondenser.Itcontrolstheevaporatorlevelindirectlyby
maintainingaconstantlevelofrefrigerantinsidethefloatchamber.Float
valvescanbefoundinfloodedsystems.
highthetapattern
Largeangled"herringbone"pattern.Thepressuredropishigherina
BPHEwithahighthetapatternthaninaBPHEwithalowthetapattern.
Increasedpressuredropleadstoincreasedturbulenceinthefluid=
higherheattransferefficiency.
hunting
Aphenomenonthatcanhappenin(e.g.)steamsystemsifthe
condensatedrainageisincorrect.Condensatebacksupintheheat
exchangerandinduceson/offregulation.Thisleadstowearonthe
controlvalve,theriskofcavitation,andtemperaturefluctuationsinthe
secondaryfluid.
hydraulicblock
Inaboiler,blockconsistingofconnectionstotheBPHE,insteadof
pipes,inordertosavespace.Itcontainsanumberoffunctions,suchas
threewayvalve,bypassvalve,fillupvalveandtemperaturesensors.
hygroscopic
Absorbswater.

I
indirect
Inanindirectsystem,thefluidisnotdirectlyheatedbytheheating
source.Theheatingsourceheatsanintermediatefluidthatheatsthe
fluidbymeansofaheatexchanger.
inhibitors

Compoundsthatmakeachemicalreactiongomoreslowly,by
obstructingthereaction.
instantaneoustapwater
Hottapwaterproducedonlywhenthedemandoccurs(no
accumulation).
internallyequalizedexpansionvalve
Anexpansionvalvewithinternalpressureequalizationcomparesthe
bulbpressurewiththepressureinthegas/liquidlinebeforethe
evaporatorinletinordertocontrolthesuperheat.NOTrecommendedin
connectionwithBPHEevaporatorsduetotheextraVringpressure
drop.
isentropicefficiency
Isentropicefficiency=actualwork/isentropicwork.Isentropicwork=no
heatlossestothesurroundings,noheatgainedfromthesurroundings,
nochangeinentropyduringtheworkprocess.

L
lagtime
Thetimeaprocesstakestoreacttovariouschanges.
latentenergy
Theenergythatisabsorbedorrejectedwhenaphasechangeoccurs
betweentwostatesofaggregation(gas/liquid/solid).
latentheat
Theheatthatisabsorbedorrejectedwhenaphasechangeoccurs
betweentwostatesofaggregation(gas/liquid/solid).
Legionella

Bacteriathatdevelopinstagnanthotwaterandcausethedeadly
Legionnaires'disease.
liquidcooler
Here,aBPHEbeingusedtocoolliquid.
liquidhammer
Incompressors,ifaconsiderableamountofliquidentersthe
compressorhouse,averylargepressurecanbebuiltupwhenthe
pistonreachesitstopposition.Thisphenomenoniscalledliquid
hammer,andmaycauseseveredamagetothevalvesorcrankshaft.
liquidheatcapacity
Amountofenergyneededtoincreasethetemperatureofaspecific
liquid1Kelvin.
liquidline
Thatpartoftherefrigerationcyclewheretherefrigerantisintheliquid
phase(afterthecondenser,beforetheevaporator).
Liquidlinefilterdriers
Positionedintheliquidlinetoprotecttheexpansionvalvefromparticle
contaminationandtoabsorbpotentialhumidityintherefrigerant.N.B.
Createsadditionalpressuredrop.
liquidstatichead
Apressureheadcreatedbyliquid.
liquidchargedbulb
Aliquidchargedbulbhasalargechargeofrefrigerantandwillnever
"rundry".Itwillalwayscontainbothliquidandgaseousrefrigerant(see:
bulb).

LMTD
LogarithmicMeanTemperatureDifference.
lowpressurefloatvalve
Controlstheliquidlevelinthereceiver,andisnormallymountedina
chamberparalleltotheliquid/vaporseparator.Floatvalvescanbefound
infloodedsystems.
lowthetapattern
Smallangled"herringbone"pattern.Thepressuredropislowerina
BPHEwithalowthetapatternthaninaBPHEwithahighthetapattern.
Reducedpressuredropleadstoreducedturbulenceinthefluid=lower
heattransferefficiency.
LWT
LeavingWaterTemperature.

M
minimumstablesignal(MSS)
Thermalexpansionvalvesmustalwaysoperatewithaminimalworking
superheatingtoachievestableregulation.Theminimumstablesignal
(MSS)issenttotheTEVattheminimumsuperheating.
modulatingelectronicexpansionvalves
Modulatingelectronicexpansionvalvesarecontrolledbytemperatureor
pressuresensors.
MOPbulb
AnMOP(MaximumOperatingPressure)bulb,alsocalledagas
chargedbulb,hasamuchsmallerquantityofrefrigerantmixtureinside
thebulbthanaliquidchargedbulb(see:bulb).
multipass

Thefluidpassesthroughmorethanonechannellengthbeforeleaving
theBPHE.

N
nominaloperationpoint
Themostusualoperatingcase.Thesystemdesigncase.
NTU
NumberofheatTransferUnits,anexpressionforthethermallengthofa
plate.

O
ODP
OzoneDepletionPotential
oilfilters
Ofteninstalledintheoilreturnlinebetweentheoilseparatorandthe
compressortoprotectthecompressorfromcontaminants.Ifthisfilteris
blocked,itcanleadtoexcessiveoilcarryover,whichaffectsheat
transferintheevaporator.
oilseparator
Separatesoilfromrefrigerantandreturnsittothecompressor.
opencompressor
Themotorandcompressorhousearemountedwithoutashell,although
theshafthasaseal.
openingsuperheating
Theadditionalsuperheating(inadditiontothestaticsuperheating)
requiredtoopentheexpansionvalveforoperation.

operatingpoint
Inarefrigerantsystem:theequilibriumpoint,wheretheperformanceof
theevaporatormatchestheperformanceofthecompressor.
oversurfacing
Theoverdimensioningofaheatexchangerasapercentage.Aheat
exchangerwithoversurfaceislargerthanisnecessarytoaccomplish
thethermalduty.

P
pAlk
Thenegativelogarithmofthealkalinity,expressedasmgCaCO3/L.
pCa
Thenegativelogarithmofthecalciumconcentration,expressedasmg
CaCO3/L.
pH
ThepHofasolutionisthenegativecommonlogarithmofthehydrogen
ionactivity,aH+:pH=log10(aH+)
pinch
Theminimumtemperaturedifferencebetweentherefrigerantandthe
secondaryfluidinacountercurrentcondenser.
positivedisplacementcompressors
Compressorswhereacertainvolumeofgasistrappedinaspacethatis
continuouslyreducedbythecompressingdevice(piston,scroll,screw
orsimilar)insidethecompressor.
pressuregauges

Permanentlyinstalledtomonitorcompressorsuctionanddischarge
pressures.
primarycircuit
Intermediatefluidtransportingtheheatfromtheheatingsourcetothe
fluidrequiredtobeheated(inheatingsystems).
pS
Thenegativelogarithmofthecontentofsolidparticlesinafluid.
PV
Photovoltaic.Aphotovoltaicpanelconvertssunlightintoelectricity.

R
Radiation
Nomediumneedexistbetweenthetwobodiesforheattransfertotake
place(cf.conductionandconvection).Inradiation,theintermediaries
arephotonsthattravelatthespeedoflight.
receiver
Positionedafterthecondenser.Compensatesforvaryingrefrigerant
flowinevaporatorandcondensersystems.Makessubcooling
impossible.
reciprocatingcompressors
Anothernameforpistoncompressors.
recirculationtypeevaporator
Floodedevaporator.
redoxpotential

Theredoxpotentialisameasure(involts)oftheaffinityofasubstance
forelectronscomparedwithhydrogen(whichissetat0),itisthe
electronegativityofasubstance.Substancesmorestrongly
electronegativethan(i.e.,capableofoxidizing)hydrogenhavepositive
redoxpotentials.Substanceslesselectronegativethan(i.e.,capableof
reducing)hydrogenhavenegativeredoxpotentials.
refrigerant
Afluidusedincoolingsystems,usuallywithalowboilingpointat
atmosphericpressure.

S
saturationpoint
Astatewhereaphasechangemayoccurwithoutachangein
temperatureandpressure.
scaling
Afoulingphenomenon:theinorganicsaltsdissolvedinwaterprecipitate
andformascaleonasurface.
scrollcompressors
Thesecapturethegasinthevolumeformedbetweenonefixedandone
orbitingscroll.
secondarydistributionloop
Safetycircuitbetweencorrosive/explosive,etc.,fluidsandtheprimary
circuit.Intheeventofleakage,thehazardousfluidisconfinedinan
areawhereitwillnotdoanyharm.
secondaryheatexchanger
Transferstheheatfromtheprimarytothesecondarycircuit.
semihermeticcompressor

Themotorandthecompressorhousearelocatedinatwopieceshell.
Thecoversareboltedtogether.
semiinstantaneoustapwater
Hotwateraccumulatedinatanktoensureashortresponsetimewhen
ademandoccurs.
sensibleenergy
Theenergyaddedtoorrejectedfromagas,liquidorsolidwithouta
phasechange.
sensibleheat
Theheatabsorbedbyorrejectedfromagasorliquidwithoutanyphase
change.
sightglass
Usedforinspectionoftherefrigerantflowbeforetheexpansionvalve.
singlepass
ABPHEwherethefluidspassthroughthechannelsonlyonce.
singlescrewcompressor
Aconfigurationofascrewcompressorconsistingofasinglescrewrotor.
solenoidvalve
Thesolenoidvalvewillmaintainthepressuredifferencebetweenthe
condenserandtheevaporatorsidesduringoffperiodsandthereby
preventliquidfromflowingintotheevaporator.
SSP
TheSWEPSoftwarePackage.

stallingpoint
Conditionwherethesteampressureinsidetheheatexchangerisequal
tothebackpressureinthecondensatesystem.
statichead
Liquidcolumninaverticalpipe.
staticsuperheating
Theminimumlevelofsuperheatingthatisrequiredtoallowthepressure
fromthebulbtostartpushingbackthespringandthusopeningthe
expansionvalve.
subcooledliquid
Whensaturatedliquidiscooledatconstantpressure,itstemperature
decreasesanditbecomessubcooled.
substation
Installationtransferringheatfromthedistrictheating/coolingnetwork
(primarysystem)tothebuildingnetwork(secondarysystem).
suctionline
Thepartoftherefrigerantcyclethatislocatedbetweentheevaporator
andthecompressor.Therefrigerantisusuallyinthestateof
superheatedrefrigeranthere.
suctionlineaccumulators
Installedtoavoidliquidcarryovertothecompressor,whichcouldaffect
lubricationand,intheworstcasescenario,leadtodamageifliquidoroil
foamentersthecompressionchamber.
suctionlinefilters

Protectsthecompressorfromparticlecontaminationandabsorbs
potentialhumidityintherefrigerant.N.B.inducesadditionalpressure
drop.Theevaporationpressuremustbemeasuredbeforethefilter.
superheatedgas
Whenadrysaturatedgasisheatedatconstantpressure,its
temperaturerisesanditbecomessuperheated.
surfactants
Anysubstancethatwillreducewater'ssurfacetensioniscalleda
surfaceactiveagent,orsurfactant.Usingtheanalogyofthethin,elastic
surfacemembrane,asurfactantcutsthatmembranetoribbons.
systemhunting
Onoffregulation.See:hunting.

T
tandemcompressors
Twoormorecompressorworkinginparallel.
TDS
TotalDissolvedSolids
TEV
ThermalExpansionValve.
TEWI
TotalEnvironmentalWarmingImpact
THA
TotalHeatofAbsorption.

thermocouple
Thejunctionbetweentwometalsgeneratesavoltagethatisafunction
oftemperature.Thermocouplesrelyonthiseffect.Almostanymetals
canbeusedtomakeathermocouple.Standardtablesshowthevoltage
producedbythermocouplesatanygiventemperature.
thermosiphonsystems
Afloodedsystemwherenopumpisneeded.
THR
TotalHeatofRejection.
tripletcompressors
Threecompressorsinparallel(alsocalledtrio).
twinscrewcompressor
Consistsoftworotorswithmatchingprofiles.Therotorprofilesare
designedtodecreasethevolumebetweenthemcontinuouslyfromthe
inlettotheoutletofthecompressor.
twopassoveronepass
ABPHEwhereoneofthefluidspassesthroughthechannelsonlyonce
buttheotherpassesthroughthechannelstwice.
twophasestatichead
Apressureheadcreatedbyaliquid/gasmixture.

V
Vring
ASWEPdistributiondevice,securingagooddistributionofgasand
liquidinSWEPevaporators.

volumetricefficiency
Theratiobetweentheactualvaporvolumeandthemaximumvolume
thatcanbetheoreticallycontainedinthecompressorcylinder.

W
Wankelengines
IntheWankelengine,thefourstrokesofatypicalOttocycleengine
occursequentiallyaroundanoval,unlikethereciprocatingmotionofa
pistonengine.InthebasicsinglerotorWankelengine,asingleoval
housingcontainsathreesidedrotorthatturnsandmoveswithinthe
housing.Thesidesoftherotorsealagainstthesidesofthehousing,
andthecornersoftherotorsealagainsttheinnerperipheryofthe
housing,dividingitintothreecombustionchambers.
waterhammer
Waterpropelledintheheatexchangerwithahighvelocity,which
causesdamage.
waterhammerarrester
Absorbsunstablepressureduetosuddenclosingofgate,and
moderatestheimpactofthefluidinsidethepipe.
waterheater
Providesonlyhottapwater(cf.boiler,whichprovideshottapwaterand
spaceheating).
workingsuperheating
Therealsuperheatingthatcanbemeasuredinthesystem.Working
superheating=openingsuperheating+staticsuperheating.