ASHRAE Journal

Refrigeration

Automatic Purgers in
Refrigeration Systems
By Douglas T. Reindl, Ph.D., P.E., and James L. Denkmann
Member ASHRAE
Member ASHRAE

purger is an essential component for the proper and efficient operation of an industrial refrigeration system. A purger gathers, separates
and expels non-condensable gases from the system. Successfully
purging non-condensables from a refrigeration system leads to increased refrigeration capacity, improved system efficiency, and enhanced system safety.

In this article, we review the types of noncondensable gases (NCG) that can accumulate in systems, consequences of NCG,
purger operation, application considerations and factors that influence purger performance. Our emphasis is on vapor compression-based industrial refrigeration systems that use anhydrous ammonia as the
refrigerant because this choice covers the
majority of industrial systems in use today.
Background
Most industrial refrigeration systems
currently in use are based on the vapor
compression cycle. Vapor compression refrigeration systems function through a continuous closed cycle whereby a volatile
working fluid (refrigerant) undergoes a series of phase changes, which leads to the
ability for providing a useful refrigeration
effect. In the condenser, heat is rejected
from the system converting hot gaseous
refrigerant at high pressure to pure liquidphase refrigerant also at high pressure. The
high-pressure liquid is subsequently
throttled to lower pressures to be available
for absorbing heat into the system through
the evaporator as part of a refrigeration process. In the evaporator, low-pressure liquid refrigerant boils as a result of heat
added from a space or a process load. The
low-pressure vapor refrigerant generated
is then raised in pressure by the compressor and directed to the condenser to reject
heat from the system again. The effective30

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ness of a refrigeration system is dependent

on the ability for the phase-change processes to proceed unimpeded.
Non-Condensable Gases
In the context of vapor compressionbased ammonia refrigeration systems, we
want only pure refrigerant (anhydrous ammonia) present in our systems. Unfortunately, refrigeration systems can and will
accumulate foul substances. Apart
from water, the foul substances, gaseous
in nature, are commonly referred to as
non-condensable gases (NCG). Foul gas
is another term used to describe a gaseous refrigerant stream that contains NCG.
Non-condensable gases eventually will
accumulate in all ammonia vapor-compression refrigeration systems if adequate
means are not provided for their removal.
In some cases (i.e., newly built high-suction temperature systems with screw compressors), it may be many years before
abnormal operation becomes evident.
Non-condensable gas constituents commonly include air, nitrogen, hydrogen, and
hydrocarbons. The nomenclature noncondensable means that these gases will
not liquefy at the temperatures and pressures present in condensers consistent
with industrial refrigeration systems. For
example, anhydrous ammonia will change
phase from gas to liquid if heat is removed
while at a temperature of 95F (35C) and a
pressure of 196 psia (1349 kPa). At the same

pressure, any nitrogen present would have

to be cooled to 264F (164C) in order
to liquefy. As a result, any nitrogen that
may accumulate in a refrigeration system
always will remain in a gaseous state. Lets
take a closer look to see how noncondensables infiltrate into, or accumulate
within, ammonia refrigeration systems.
Air is the most abundant non-condensable gas impacting industrial refrigeration
systems. Air can infiltrate into systems
during continuous operation and as a result of system servicing. Most low-temperature refrigeration systems (i.e., working temperatures below 28F [33C])
have a significant proportion of the system piping, valves, and vessels operating
with working pressures below atmospheric
pressure. Any pathways for leaks will result in air infiltrating into the system rather
than the refrigerant leaking out. Pathways
for air leakage during operation include:
valve stem packings, bonnet gaskets,
compressor shaft seals, non-welded connections, and control transducers.
Another pathway for air entry into systems occurs as a result of inadequate
evacuation after system servicing. For example, if a portion of the system is opened
to clean a strainer or replace a component,
air will occupy that part of the system immediately after reassembly. Ideally, the service technician will evacuate the air from
that part of the system prior to bringing it
back into service. Unfortunately, this is seldom done. The net result is that the refrigeration system ingests a large gulp of air
when brought back into service and the
About the Authors
Douglas T. Reindl, Ph.D., P.E., is
associate professor and director of the
Industrial Refrigeration Consortium at
the University of Wisconsin, Madison,
Wis. James L. Denkmann is president of DTS, Chicago.

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Refrigeration
trapped air must be removed by purging.
Secondary types of NCG include hydrogen and nitrogen.
Hydrogen and nitrogen gases accumulate as a result of the
refrigerant (NH3) dissociating (breaking-down) over time. The
two most important factors that influence the breakdown of
ammonia into its constituent parts are temperature and pressure. At higher temperatures, ammonia is more prone to irreversibly breaking down into nitrogen and hydrogen. Older systems (>25 years) and those with reciprocating compressors
appear to experience an accelerated rate of breakdown. However, the gross quantity of NCG generated by this mechanism is
relatively small. Even small dissociation rates lead to the accumulation of large quantities of hydrogen and nitrogen over time
if they are not removed from the system on a regular basis.
Tertiary sources of NCG arise from the breakdown of lubricating oils. Most industrial refrigeration systems use mineralbased lubricating oils. As a result, the oil will breakdown and
liberate a complex series of hydrocarbon gases. Some of the
gases will have lower molecular weights when compared with
ammonia (e.g., CH4) while others will be heavier (e.g., C8H18).
Table 1 lists each of the gases potentially present in a noncondensable gas mixture, along with their molecular weights
and densities at a design condensing pressure for many ammonia refrigeration systems (196 psia [1349 kPa]). Refrigerant R-22
is also shown for reference.
Consequences of Non-Condensable Gases
The total heat rejection requirement for a vapor compression
system is the sum of the gross refrigeration effect plus the
aggregate work input to the system by the compressors. Industrial refrigeration systems commonly use evaporative condensers as the means of rejecting heat from the system to the out-

Automatic vs. Manual Purging?

The need for purging exists in all refrigeration systems. A
question often asked is: Do I need an automatic purger?
This question has to be answered on a case-by-case basis.
Generally speaking, systems with reciprocating compressors
or any systems operating under sub-atmospheric conditions
will directly benefit from an automatic purger.
Before the days of reliable automatic purgers, this process
was accomplished using manual purgers. Typically, individual
purge points were each provided with a manual globe valve.
Separate purge piping was run from each valve into the engine
room, then this piping was combined into a single header that
connected to the purger. This consisted of a modified inverted
bucket steam trap with an internal heat exchanger. To purge an
individual condenser, the operator would open individual globe
valves from condensers suspected of having non-condensable gases. A bucket of water and a rubber hose served in lieu of
todays water bubblers integrated with automatic purgers.
This manual method continues to be viable and cost-effective
today, especially on smaller systems. However, manual purgers
require direct operator interface during the purging process; typically, more ammonia vapor is expelled along with foul gas. Manual
August 2001

Gas
Hydrogen
Ammonia
Nitrogen
Air
Oil Decomposition
R-22

Mol. Weight
2
17
28
29
1544
86

Density, lb/ft3 (kg/m3)

0.057 (0.91)
0.52 (8.3)
0.79 (12.7)
0.82 (13.1)
0.452.03 (7.132.6)
2.75 (43.9)

Table 1: Gas properties including common NCG and industrial refrigerants for reference.

side environment. The heat rejection capacity of any given

evaporative condenser is dependent upon:
Outside air wet-bulb temperature (lower wet-bulb temperatures translate into greater heat-rejection capacity);
Refrigerant saturated condensing temperature (higher saturation temperatures translate into increased heat rejection capacity at the condenser);
Wet operation (water flow over the outside surface of the
condenser tubes greatly enhances heat-rejection capacity); and
Airflow rate (increased airflow rate will increase heat-rejection rates).
One of the places where NCG accumulate is in the lower
portions of evaporative condenser heat exchange coils. This is
because the refrigerant has been liquefied at that point and the
NCG are prevented from flowing further downstream (due to Ptraps located at the drop leg for each condenser outlet) or upstream (due to convective forces as a result of the continual
flow of gas into the condenser).
Since the NCG remain in their gaseous state, they will occupy a
relatively large volume of the evaporative condensers heat exchanger. Their presence interferes with the condensers ability to
change the phase of the gaseous refrigerant to a liquid. With the
heat transfer capacity of the evaporative condenser diminished
purgers also cost more to operate (compressor energy) than
automatic purgers, because the only source of makeup liquid to
their flooded evaporators must come from a high-pressure source.
On the other hand, the chief advantages of a manual purger are
that they cost less to install, they can be arranged to quantify
foul gas entering the system and are normally less susceptible
to foreign substances in the piping system (dirt).
The following are advantages and disadvantages in an automatic purger system:
Advantages
Safety: automatic purgers
eliminate the need for
refrigeration staff to manually
open the system on a
frequent basis
Effectiveness: a properly
installed and operated
multipoint purger can
continually function to
scavenge and remove NCG
from systems
Labor: eliminates the labor
associated with personnel
regularly removing NCG by
manual operation

Disadvantages
Capital cost: for the purger
unit, purger piping, solenoid
valves, and controls
Maintenance costs: for the
purger unit, accompanying
solenoid valves, and
transducers required for
purger control

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due to the presence of NCG, the temperature of the condensing refrigerant (and its
pressure) must increase to reject the necessary heat from the system. The consequences of increased condensing (or head)
pressure are undesirable and include:
Decreased system refrigeration capacity;
Increased system electrical demand
and energy consumption (attributed to
compressors and condenser fans);
Decreased system efficiency;
Increased compressor discharge superheat (accelerating oil breakdown and
refrigerant dissociation);
Increased head pressure leading to
increased compressor wear and tear and
greater likelihood of system shutdowns
due to high head pressure; and
Increased condenser scaling, which
leads to increased maintenance costs and
decreased condenser life.
How A Purger Works
Functionally, there are two types of
purgersautomatic and manual. The automatic purger is a mechanical device integrated into a system that gathers, separates, and removes NCG from multiple
points in the refrigeration system without operator assistance. A manual purger
can be as simple as an angle valve that
requires a mechanic or technician to manually open the valve and dispel any vapor
(which will include mixture of ammonia
and NCG) into a water bucket.
A diagram of how most automatic purgers function is shown in Figure 1. A single
condenser purge solenoid valve has been
shown for simplicity although all systems
will have a multiplicity of purge points. A
mixture of NCG and ammonia vapor should
be drawn into a purge connection during
the time its respective solenoid valve is
open. This gas mixture flows down the foul
gas line to the purger unit piping connection. It is important that all gas purge lines
are free of any places where vapor can condense and collect, blocking further NCG
removal. Liquid traps cannot be tolerated
in this piping, particularly as it pertains to
some purger models. All purge piping
should be pitched down to the purger as
recommended by purger manufacturers.
The foul gas line is connected to a drain
trap at the purger. The function of the drain
trap is to separate and expel any liquid
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ASHRAE Journal

Figure 1: A simplified diagram of how an automatic purger functions.

ammonia entrained with the gases drawn

at the purge point. Separated high-pressure liquid flows out of the bottom of the
drain trap through a throttling device (a
metering valve or an orifice), is flashed,
then passes into a flooded evaporator
a vessel containing a vapor condenser and
an air-separation chamber. Cold boiling liquid completely surrounds the vapor condenser and the air-separation chamber.
The temperature of the cold liquid ammonia corresponds to the saturation pressure at which it evaporates. This is equal
to the suction-side pressure connecting
the purger. The resulting vapor is returned
to the system via the suction connection.
Meanwhile, the gaseous mixture leaving
the drain trap is comprised of a condensable gas (ammonia), plus NCG (air, nitrogen, etc.). After this mixture leaves the
upper portion of the drain trap it enters
the vapor condenser.
Upon entering the vapor condenser, the
ammonia vapor is gradually liquefied out
of the gaseous mixture by the surrounding cold-boiling ammonia. At the end of
the cool-down cycle, only NCG along
with some ammonia liquid will remain in
the vapor condenser. These proceed into
a separation chamber where the heavier
liquid falls by gravity to the bottom of
the chamber and the lighter air and other
NCG are discharged out to a water bubbler, where any residual ammonia vapor
is absorbed. The resulting weak aqua ammonia mixture is then discharged down
the sewer drain. Remaining liquid refrig-

erant inside the air separation chamber is

returned back to the system.
The high-pressure ammonia liquid supply line is installed to make up any shortfall of needed liquid inside the evaporator. If little or no liquid enters a purge
point, more makeup liquid from the highpressure receiver will be required in order
to maintain an adequate liquid level in the
evaporator. However, if the reverse occurs and excessive liquid is present in
the foul gas line, two events occur: head
pressures rise and the purger temporarily
stops condensing vapor until it is able to
push all the excess liquid out of the vapor condenser. This takes time because
the orifices in purgers are very small.
Do I Need a Purger?
The need for purging exists in all ammonia refrigeration systems. However, the
need for automating this procedure is not
so clear. Generally speaking, systems with
reciprocating compressors or any systems operating under sub-atmospheric
conditions will directly benefit from an
automatic purger. Before the days of reliable automatic purgers, this process had
to be done manually.
One indicator suggesting the presence
of NCG is excessive operating compressor
head pressures. High head pressures are
most pronounced on hot, humid days
when most compressors are working at
their maximum capacity and compression
ratio. However, winter head pressures are
affected as well. During wintertime opera-

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August 2001

Figure 2: Purge connection with their

respective solenoid valves atop condenser drain legs.

tion, operators are doing their best to keep

head pressures up anyway, so few look for
NCG during cold weather. If a refrigeration
system has been designed for a maximum
head pressure of 196 psia (1349 kPa) (i.e.,
95F [35C]) saturated condensing temperature) and the system operating head pressure begins to exceed that maximum, you
should suspect accumulation of NCG. If
your system is controlled to some minimum head pressure during winter months,
detection of NCG becomes problematic.
If any of the following apply to your
system, either invest in an automatic purger
or perform frequent manual purging as part
of normal preventive maintenance.
System operating temperatures below 28F (33C);
Presence and use of reciprocating
compressors; and
Older refrigeration systems or systems requiring frequent servicing.
Application Considerations
To maximize the benefit of a purger, it
is important to understand where NCG
tend to accumulate in systems and the
other factors that influence the performance of a purger.
Where to Purge Non-Condensables
It is commonly believed that any gas
lighter than ammonia will be preferentially
purged from a high point in the high-pressure hot gas piping system. We were not
able to find any published papers, research,
or experimental data that corroborated this
claim. In operating systems, it is unlikely
that non-condensable gas constituents
would accumulate at high points of the system since the convective forces of ammonia gas flow would quickly dominate the
buoyancy forces (driven by density differAugust 2001

Figure 3: Twelve-pass evaporative condenser heat exchanger.

ences) of the non-condensable gas in the

ammonia stream. In idle systems, NCG constituents will stratify only when the buoyancy forces exceed the diffusive forces.
Assuming evaporative condensers are
located at the highest physical elevation in
your refrigeration system, NCG will tend to
migrate down through the high-pressure
piping system driven by convective forces
until it is trapped from falling further.
One type of trap is formed by the presence of liquid ammonia in the piping
(highly undesirable in foul gas lines as
mentioned previously). If liquid completely
seals a section of pipe, then NCG are
blocked from passing any further, so long
as the seal remains under all pressure fluctuations across it. The presence of a liquid trap affords the most opportune place
for purging NCG in the vapor space above
the trap. Since all evaporative condenser
heat exchangers are provided with a liquid
trap at the base of each drain leg, placing a
purge connection at the uppermost portion of the drain leg affords the surest place
for gathering a NCG-rich gas mixture.
Figure 2 shows recommended purge
connections with their respective solenoid valves at the top of each condenser
drain leg. If condenser drain leg traps have
been constructed of sufficient depth such
that they do not blow through due to
pressure imbalances (discussed later), the
need for purging piping and vessels
downstream of the trap(s) is eliminated.
NCG will also be found on the low-pressure side of systems operating below atmospheric pressure due to leaks as previously discussed. NCG will also be found
on the low-pressure side of systems using hot gas for defrosting evaporators.
In this situation, the source of NCG is
from foul gas that accompanies the hot
gas for defrosting the evaporators. A

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formerly in this space.

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ASHRAE Journal
small concentration of NCG on the low-pressure side of a system will be relatively benign since it does not interfere with the phase
change process in the evaporators and has
no effect upon gas/liquid separation in accumulators and knockout vessels. Compressors
quickly move any NCG from the low-pressure
side to the high-pressure side of the system
where it can be removed by the purger.
Purging From High-Pressure Vessels
Thermosiphon receivers are not customarily provided with purge connections. One reason is that any NCG that enters this vessel is
pushed out the oil cooler gas return line and
back up to the condensers. Since this vessel
is not designed with heat transfer in mind, a
slight accumulation of NCG can be tolerated.
Figure 4: Diagram of multiple evaporative condensers showing the effect of
But this same rule could also apply to a highunequal pressures between heat exchangers and pressure differences between
pressure receiver (HPR) as well. If one cubic
condensers and thermosiphon receiver.
foot (28 L) of liquid enters this vessel, it will
displace an equal volume of NCG. This will be pushed up the hang-up. In some cases,
gas return line (commonly referred to as an equalizer line) and the liquid hang-up in the
into the evaporative condenser gas inlets. If the gas return line evaporative condenser is
is too small (which the authors have found to be quite com- so severe that the purge
mon), the pressure in the HPR increases. Even slight pressure solenoid opens only to
differences between the HPR and condenser drain outlets can see liquid refrigerant.
pose difficulties with proper condenser drainage.
Foul gas piping that
Many HPRs are installed outdoors, and with few exceptions creates liquid traps leads
are located on-grade. Most HPR foul gas line installations form to difficulty in establishliquid traps whenever the outside air ambient dry-bulb tem- ing an unimpeded flow of
perature is below the refrigerant saturation temperature. At- foul gas to the purger.
tempting to remove NCG from an HPR can be problematic if this
The purger is located
Figure 5: Evaporative condenser
situation is not recognized.
above one or more conwith extra deep condenser drain
denser purge points.
traps.
Factors Influencing Purger Performance
The purger is malSeveral factors influence the ability of a purger to collect functioning, usually due to dirt.
NCG from the system:
While purgers normally are equipped with liquid drain traps,
More than one purge solenoid valve is open simultaneously. the liquid-handling capacity of these traps is quite small. If a
This should never occur.
purge point gathers liquid refrigerant instead of vapor, all of this
Pressure imbalances exist between adjacent evaporative liquid cannot be completely passed by the liquid drainer; excescondenser heat exchangers, creating opportunities for liquid sive quantities then back up into the purgers vapor condenser.
If the vapor condenser fills with liquid, it becomes subcooled as
it passes through to the air separation chamber. A control senses
the higher liquid level in the air separation chamber and expels it
to the flooded evaporator. If the evaporator is already full of
liquid, then liquid will exit the purger via the suction line. This is
why purgers must be connected to a protected (wet) suction
line and not piped directly to the compressor suction.
Advertisement for the print edition
A fundamental requirement for purging NGC from a system is
formerly in this space.
to get NCG into the purger. Although this sounds trivial, complexities in system operation often prevent the purger from processing foul gas. One of the most overlooked conditions preventing a purger from receiving foul gas is liquid hang-up in
evaporative condensers.
It is not uncommon for a large evaporative condenser in an
ammonia refrigeration system to hold up >700 lb (318 kg) of liquid
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August 2001

Refrigeration
with only a 0.25 psi (1.7 kPa) pressure difference between adjacent
circuits in the condensers. A pressure difference on the order of
0.25 psi (1.7 kPa) is normally sufficient to flood the liquid drain
header box and bottom two passes of most evaporative condenser
heat exchangers as shown in Figure 1. Under this situation, the
purge point becomes flooded with subcooled liquid. When the
purge solenoid opens to draw foul gasit draws in liquid refrigerant. If this continues over days or weeks, non-condensables will
continue to accumulate in the system and the condenser will slowly
lose heat-transfer effectiveness. In some severe cases, entire
evaporative condensers have been rendered nearly useless by
the end of a season (usually during winter). It now appears that
this may be more commonplace than originally thought.
Figure 3 shows a 12-pass evaporative condenser heat exchanger. The single condenser heat exchanger shown in this
figure is comprised of one inlet connection (the header at the
top of the tube bundle) and one outlet connection (the header
at the bottom of tube bundle) with many parallel tubes interconnecting the upper and lower header boxes. Individual tube
lengths vary between condenser sizes, ranging from approximately 70 lineal feet (21 m) (six-pass models) up to >200 lineal
feet (61 m) (12 pass models). Evaporative condenser heat exchangers are typically fabricated from nominal 1 in. (25 mm) hotdipped galvanized steel tubing. Evaporative condensers having dual inlet and outlet connections are equipped with two
heat exchangers. In this configuration, ammonia is prevented
from flowing from one heat exchanger directly into its neighbor. However, any slight pressure difference between evaporative condensers will force refrigerant liquid and/or vapor from
one condenser into another via the outlet drain piping whenever P-traps are shallow. This is mainly true of ammonia, and to
a lesser extent, the halocarbon refrigerants.
Condenser Drain Traps: How Deep Should They Be?
Figure 4 presents a typically accepted arrangement for draining multiple evaporative condensers. This figure assumes that
all drain connections are on a common elevation, but the heat
exchangers are of different sizes and the fans on condenser C3 have stopped. The condensers are shown draining to a common vessel. A thermosiphon receiver (TSR) is shown, although
an HPR also is common when thermosiphon oil coolers are not
used. In some cases, the HPR and TSR are combined into a
single vessel. The pressures at each node are numbered P1, P2,
etc. This figure also assumes that the oil cooler gas return line
imposes an excessive pressure drop.
From this figure it is evident that purging NCG has been
impaired in active condensers C-1 and C-2. Why does this occur? Three reasons explaining the phenomena are shown in
Figure 4:
The pressure within the thermosiphon receiver is greater
than the pressure at any of the condenser drain outlet connections, P1 > P5, P6, P7. This occurs as a result of an excessive
in the oil cooler gas return line.
Active condensers C1 and C2 are built from different
tubing lengths, therefore each imposes a different pressure drop,
(P2P5) (P3P6) 0.
The pressure at the bottom of condenser C3 is nearly equal
August 2001

to the pressure at its inlet, P4P7 0, whenever the condenser

fans stop.
The aforementioned scenario is encountered frequently, representing roughly half of all industrial refrigeration systems
that the authors have seen. This phenomenon can be felt by
holding the evaporative condenser drain legs. Cool legs denote the presence of sub-cooled liquid; hot legs denote the
presence of vapor. Another sign is a nearly continuous frost
layer on the 0.25 in. (6 mm) stainless steel line (inside the purger)
that runs between the bottom of the purgers liquid drainer and
the flooded evaporator.
In view of the these findings, drain trap depths should be sized
to withstand the greater of these two pressure differences:
between individual heat exchangers under all operating
conditions, or
between each heat exchanger and the receptor vessel
under all variances in mass flow.
Nothing can be done about operating pressure differences between dissimilar sized evaporative condensers. However, increasing the condenser drain trap depths to overcome any operating
can easily mitigate this impact. Doing so increases the ability
of the purger to collect NCG instead of high-pressure liquid, which
it was not built to handle in any substantial quantities.
Figure 5 shows an ammonia evaporative condenser with
deeper drain traps than customarily installed. This particular
condenser does not experience any cool weather liquid holdback problems nor any difficulty in purging NCG. The traps
shown in this photo are each 15 in. (381 mm) deep, which was
sufficient for the operating conditions at this particular facility.
This condenser has a total of four heat exchangers and four
drain traps. Note that the condenser gas inlets have not been
yoked as normally recommended. However, if the drain traps
are deep enough (which they were here), this added cost is no
longer necessary. The only additional recommendation (not
shown) would be to move the drain leg pipe reducers down a
point to immediately above the condenser outlet stop valves.
Another possible (but less desirable) solution is to add a
statement to the condenser purge solenoid valve control algorithm that blocks gas purging from a particular point if the respective fan is running and any other fans are stopped. This
solution is less desirable because liquid management difficulties have not been addressed, nor are the condensers able to
operate under reduced compressor head pressures during winter months. The inability of achieving floating head pressures
will have significant annual energy implications.
Conclusions
Historically, purging non-condensable gases from systems
was a manual operation. Today, reliable mechanical purgers can
be installed and controlled to operate on a continuous basis.
However, the effectiveness of any purger to collect and remove
NCG is governed by the external influences discussed here.

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