REFRIGERANT
PIPING
GENERAL
Piping design, sizing and installation information presented
in ASHRAE Handbooks should, where applicable, be followed
in the design and installation of piping. McQuay type ALP
condensing units are adaptable to either chilled water or air
handling air conditioning applications. The only restriction on
applications is that the evaporator be selected for a system
using refrigerant R-22.
REFRIGERANT PIPING
Piping between the condensing unit and the cooling coil must
be designed and installed to minimize pressure drop, pre-
vent liquid refrigerant carryover to the compressor and to
assure a continuous return of compressor oil from the system.
Piping sketches and tables are not intended to provide infor-
mation on all of the possible arrangements. For example,
when dual circuit evaporators are used with an unloading
compressor, two liquid line solenoid valves may be used to
reduce coil capacity with compressor unloading. Note
especially that dual circuit evaporators should not be piped
with common liquid and suction lines to more than one com-
pressor circuit. Separate evaporators, evaporator circuits and
piping must be run for each compressor circuit.
Piping recommendations include:
1. The use of type K or L clean copper tubing. All ioints should
be thoroughly cleaned and brazed with high temperature
solder.
Piping sizes should be based on temperature/pressure
limitations as recommended in the following paragraphs.
Under no circumstances should pipe size be based upon
the coil or condensing unit piping connection size.
Suction line piping pressure drop should not exceed the
pressure equivalent of
2”
F (3 psi) per 100 feet of equivalent
pipe length. After the suction line size has been deter-
mined, the vertical suction risers should be checked to
verify that oil will be carried up the riser and back to the
compressor. The suction line(s) should be pitched in the
direction of refrigerant flow and adequately supported.
Lines should be free draining and fully insulated between
the evaporator(s) and the compressor. Table 7, page 8,
shows piping information for units operating at suction
temperatures between
40” F and 45” F and a condenser
entering air temperature of 95” F. If operating conditions
are expected to vary substantially from these operating
levels, the pipe sizing should be rechecked.
Vertical suction risers should be checked using Table 5
to determine the minimum tonnage required to carry oil
up suction risers of various sizes.
The liquid line should be sized for a pressure drop not to
exceed the pressure equivalent of
2°F
(6 psi) saturated
temperature. The liquid line(s) on all units must include
a liquid solenoid valve wired into the circuit as shown on
the applicable unit wiring diagrams.
The control circuit for all compressors has been de-
signed to include a
pumpdown
cycle. The use of a liquid
line solenoid is required for proper unit operation. In ad-
dition, a filter-drier should be located between the liquid
line service valve and the solenoid valve and a combina-
tion moisture indicator/sightglass should be located in the
liquid line ahead of the expansion valve.
Suggested piping arrangements are shown on page 7. All
multiple compressor units require a separate refrigerant
circuit for each compressor. The figures shown are for an
air handling installation, but all components shown are
recommended for chilled water vessel installations except
that a refrigerant distributor is not usually required for
shell-
and-tube evaporators.
If dual suction risers are used:
Double risers are sized so that their combined
cross-
sectional internal area will allow full load unit operation
without excessive pressure drop (see notes, Table 7). Riser
“A” is sized to provide adequate suction gas velocity for
proper oil return at minimum load conditions. This riser
becomes effective only when the trap shown in riser
“B”
fills itself with oil. It should be emphasized that the trap
shown in riser “B” should be designed to contain a
minimum internal volume to keep the total system oil re-
quirements at a minimum. Table 7 gives recommended
line sizes for both single and double suction lines and for
liquid lines.
The combined cross-sectional areas of the two risers
must be capable of maintaining adequate refrigerant
velocity for oil return at full unit tonnage.
The extra riser should be of a smaller diameter than
the main riser. The extra riser must include its own trap
at the bottom and should enter the main suction header
at twelve o’clock.
The trap serving the extra riser must be as short as fit-
tings permit. A “U” fitting or the combination of a
90”
standard
"L"
and a 90” street-l is recommended.
The suction line leaving the coil should also include a
trap if the expansion valve control bulb is to be on the
horizontal section leaving the coil outlet. See the pip-
ing sketches on page 7.
Table 5. Minimum tonnage (R-22) to carry oil up
suction riser at 40
o
F saturated suction.
NOTE: When compressor minimum tonnage is less than shown in the above
table for a given line size, double suction risers will be required.
Table 6. Equivalent feet of straight tubing for copper fittings and valves
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