What Is a Heat Pump Reversing Valve?
Heat pump reversing valve is a component of the heat pump that makes it different from a standard air conditioner. It can be inferred from the name that the reversing valve has the responsibility of changing the direction of the flow. A heat pump could take the outside heat to the inside during colder days or take the inside heat outside in hotter days, and this becomes possible using the reversing valve.
The role of a heat pump reversing valve
The reversing valve on a heat pump can alter the direction of refrigerant flow by means of an electrical magnet. This electro-mechanical device is a valve that is energized when electrocuted. When energized the valve opens, letting the refrigerant pass through. This would lead to the cooling mode of the heat pump. When the valve is de-energized it closes, blocking the flow of refrigerant. The heat pump would be in its heating mode at this time.
The heat pump reversing valve is comprised of four capillary tubes, for which they are called four-way valves. There is also an electric coil, electric magnet, spring, slider, and block installed on the reversing valve.
Energized heat pump reversing valve – cooling modeThe compressor’s return, which has the low pressure refrigerant, is always connected to tube B and its high pressure discharge of refrigerant is connected to tube A. Now, when the electrical coil is energized for the cooling mode of the heat pump, it would energize the magnet pulling the block on capillary tube 3, resulting in compression of the spring.
At this point, capillary tube 2 (connected to the high pressure tube A) becomes connected with capillary tube 1. This leads to the slider being pushed to the right side, allowing the high pressure refrigerant flow from tube A to tube D that takes it to the outdoor coil then to the indoor, and then from tube C to tube B and back to the compressor’s return port.
De-energized heat pump reversing valve – heating modeWhen the heat pump reversing valve is de-energized during the heating mode of the pump, the spring would decompress, pushing the block towards blocking capillary tube 1 this time. The flow of the high pressure refrigerant would be from capillary tube 2 to capillary tube 3, pushing the slider to the left, taking the refrigerant from tube A to tube C which takes it to the indoor coil heating the interiors and then to the outdoor coil, after that tube D, and finally tube B which takes the flow to the return port of the compressor.
0 Comments