🔍 Key Concepts

• Heat interchanger (liquid-suction heat exchanger) in a refrigeration system • Relationship between subcooling liquid refrigerant and superheating suction gas • How system design helps protect the compressor

💭 Think About

• Think about what happens when warmer suction gas and colder liquid refrigerant pass near each other in a heat interchanger. What changes for each flow? • How would slightly warming the suction line affect the chance of liquid refrigerant entering the compressor? • If the suction line is colder than surrounding air, what visible effect might you see on the outside of the line, and how could a heat interchanger influence this?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify how a liquid-suction heat interchanger affects the temperature of the liquid line before the expansion valve. • Check how superheating the suction gas can help prevent liquid refrigerant from returning to the compressor. • Consider whether a change in suction line temperature would increase or decrease line sweating and whether that is a design goal.