What is an Evaporator?
An evaporator is a device in a process used to turn the liquid form of a chemical substance such as water into its gaseous-form/vapor. The liquid is evaporated, or vaporized, into a gas form of the targeted substance in that process.
The evaporator works the opposite of the condenser, here refrigerant liquid is converted to gas, absorbing heat from the air in the compartment.
When the liquid refrigerant reaches the evaporator its pressure has been reduced, dissipating its heat content and making it much cooler than the fan air flowing around it. This causes the refrigerant to absorb heat from the warm air and reach its low boiling point rapidly. The refrigerant then vaporizes, absorbing the maximum amount of heat.
This heat is then carried by the refrigerant from the evaporator as a low-pressure gas through a hose or line to the low side of the compressor, where the whole refrigeration cycle is repeated.
The evaporator removes heat from the area that is to be cooled. The desired temperature of cooling of the area will determine if refrigeration or air conditioning is desired. For example, food preservation generally requires low refrigeration temperatures, ranging from 40°F (4°C) to below 0°F (-18°C).
A higher temperature is required for human comfort. A larger area is cooled, which requires that large volumes of air be passed through the evaporator coil for heat exchange. A blower becomes a necessary part of the evaporator in the air conditioning system. The blower fans must not only draw heat-laden air into the evaporator, but must also force this air over the evaporator fins and coils where it surrenders its heat to the refrigerant and then forces the cooled air out of the evaporator into the space being cooled.