Condenser Total Heat of Rejection

The load the condenser or cooling tower must shed, which the refrigeration side never computes.

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Details, formula, and sources

THR = Q_evap (1 + 1/COP), the evaporator load plus the compressor work. A 5-ton system at COP 2.4 rejects 85,000 Btu/h (7.08 tons) - a 1.42 heat-rejection factor, 42% more than it absorbs; drop to COP 1.5 and it climbs to 100,000 Btu/h, so a struggling system overloads its own condenser and drives head pressure higher still. No heat-recovery split or hermetic-motor heat. An engineering aid; the rated heat-of-rejection data govern.

Q_btuh = (unit == tons) ? Q x 12,000 : Q; W_comp = Q_btuh/COP; THR = Q_btuh (1 + 1/COP); factor = 1 + 1/COP; THR_tons = THR/12,000.

The condenser total heat of rejection THR = Q_evap + W_comp = Q_evap (1 + 1/COP), a standard refrigeration-cycle result, by name.

The total-heat-of-rejection relation is a public refrigeration-cycle result; the ASHRAE Handbook covers condenser sizing.

Estimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.

Field names used by the API: q_evap, unit_tons, cop, w_comp_btuh, thr_btuh, thr_tons, factor

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