What is a common cause of liquid slop over in an ammonia refrigeration system?

Liquid slop over in an ammonia refrigeration system can indeed result from several factors, which is why the best answer encompasses all potential causes listed.

Overfeeding liquid refers to the scenario where excessive liquid refrigerant is introduced into the evaporator or the system. If the system is fed more refrigerant than it can handle, it can lead to slop over, where liquid refrigerant flows over into the discharge line instead of fully evaporating.

A leaking solenoid valve can also contribute to slop over. If this valve allows refrigerant to escape directly to the makeup line, it can cause a situation where liquid refrigerant accumulates instead of being properly managed within the system, potentially leading to slop over conditions.

Additionally, encountering too much heat load on the evaporator too quickly can stress the system's ability to absorb and evaporate refrigerant. This abrupt excess can overwhelm the system's capacity to convert liquid refrigerant to vapor, causing it to flood back into the system.

Each of these causes can independently trigger slop over, demonstrating that the interactions and conditions within an ammonia refrigeration system are intricate and require careful management. Therefore, recognizing that all these factors can lead to liquid slop over is critical in understanding the operational challenges of refrigeration systems.