AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM
AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR
GROUP MEMBERS
NIMRA /67
ABDULLAH /08
INTRODUCTION
A compressor acts as the heart of a refrigerant based mechanical cooling system. Its functions
include drawing in the cool vaporized refrigerant that carries the heat energy from the
evaporator coils, compressing it from a low pressure and temperature to a high pressure and
temperature, and pushing it around the refrigeration loop for the purpose of heat rejection.
TYPES OF COMPRESSORS
There are basically 5 types of air conditioner compressor that are commonly used in the HVAC
industry.
Reciprocating compressor (single-acting)
A reciprocating compressor is also called a piston compressor which adopts the back and forth
piston motion in a cylinder synchronized with suction and discharge valves to compress the
vaporized refrigerant from a low pressure and temperature to a high pressure and temperature.
The motion of the piston is achieved via a crankshaft which converts motor rotations to piston
reciprocations.
Depending on the location of the working fluid, the reciprocating compressor can be sub
classified as single-acting or double-acting. Single-acting means that the refrigerant acts only on
one side of the piston while double-acting means the working fluid acts on two sides of the
piston.
Benefits
Broad applications: this compressor type is capable of compressing a wide range of gases such
as refrigerant, hydrogen, natural gas, etc. As a result, it can be used in different industries such
as building, refrigeration, mining, metallurgy.
Limitations
Low energy efficiency: this compressor type suffers from higher losses as a result of clearance
volume, resistance due to suction and discharge valves, and gas leakage between the piston
and cylinder.
Rotary-vane compressor
A rotary-vane compressor is also known as a rotary piston compressor because the function of
the vane is similar to that of a piston. The fixed casing is known as a cylinder. The vane splits the
space between the cylinder and the rolling piston into two sections (suction and discharge). As
the rolling piston rotates, these two volumes are increased and decreased to achieve gas
suction, compression and discharge.
Benefits
Compared with the reciprocating compressor, the rotary-vane compressor has:
• Higher efficiency due to less losses from clearance volume and discharge valve resistance.
• Smaller dimensions and lighter weight per unit capacity (40%-50% savings).
Limitations
Compared with other compressors discussed below, rotary-vane compressor has:
• Smaller capacity, normally below 5 tons (18kW) due to the limitation of its structure.
• lower reliability due to more components.
• Lower energy efficiency due to the losses from clearance volume, dis. valve.
Applications
• Appliances such as household refrigerators and freezers
• Residential air conditioning and heat pump products below 5 tons (17.6 kW)
Rotary-scroll compressor
Compared with rotary-vane compressor, a rotary-scroll compressor is used to compress larger
volumes of gaseous refrigerant to a higher pressure and temperature via a fixed and orbital
scroll. The cool vapor refrigerant is drawn in from outside the fixed scroll, then compressed in
between the fixed and the orbital scroll, and finally the compressed refrigerant is discharged
from the center of the fixed scroll with a continuous displacement.
Benefits
Compared with the reciprocating and rotary-vane compressors, a rotary-scroll compressor has
the following benefits:
• Higher reliability due to simpler structure and less components
• Higher efficiency due to less losses because it requires neither suction nor
discharge valves, meanwhile there is no clearance volume.
Limitations
Compared with the rotary-screw and centrifugal compressors discussed below, the
rotary-scroll compressor has lower efficiency and smaller capacity.
Applications
This compressor type is normally used for commercial air conditioning and refrigeration
applications which requires compressor capacity from 5 to 10 tons (18-35kW).
Rotary-screw compressor
A rotary-screw compressor uses rotors to compress larger volumes of gaseous refrigerant to a
high pressure and temperature. The compression is performed by male and female rotors that
reduce the refrigerant gas volume as they rotate. Cool vapor refrigerant enters from the suction
port, is forced by the meshing rotors through the threads as the screws rotate, and exits at the
discharge port with high pressure and temperature.
Benefits
Compared with the reciprocating and rotary-vane compressors, a rotary-scroll compressor has
the following benefits:
• Higher reliability due to simpler structure and less components
• Higher efficiency due to less losses because it requires neither suction nor discharge valves,
meanwhile there is no clearance volume.
Limitations
Compared with the rotary-screw and centrifugal compressors discussed below, the rotary-scroll
compressor has lower efficiency and smaller capacity.
Applications
This compressor type is normally used for commercial air conditioning and refrigeration
applications which requires compressor capacity from 5 to 10 tons (18-35 kW).
Rotary-screw compressor
A rotary-screw compressor uses rotors to compress larger volumes of gaseous refrigerant to a
high pressure and temperature. The compression is performed by male and female rotors that
reduce the refrigerant gas volume as they rotate. Cool vapor refrigerant enters from the suction
port, is forced by the meshing rotors through the threads as the screws rotate, and exits at the
discharge port with high pressure and temperature.
Benefits
Compared to the compressors discussed above, the rotary-screw compressor has
the following benefits:
• Simpler structure, less components, larger capacity, and higher efficiency
• Less vibration and less surging due to continuous gas displacement via the sweeping motion
of the rotors.
Limitations
• Impractical to design to a capacity below 20 tons (70 kW), due to the rotor processing
technology.
Applications
Screw compressors have been developed to compete with large reciprocating and small
centrifugal compressors in both air conditioning and refrigeration markets. It is used for
commercial and industrial air conditioning and refrigeration applications with a capacity range
from 20 to 750 tons (70-2,637 kW).
Centrifugal compressor
A centrifugal compressor is also called a turbo or a radial compressor which compresses
refrigerant to a high pressure and temperature by adding kinetic energy to the cool vapor
refrigerant via rotating impellers. The cool vapor refrigerant is forced to pass into and through
the impeller, and the impeller forces the fluid to spin faster and faster. The high-speed
refrigerant gas is then forced to pass through the diffuser where the refrigerant gas volume
expands as its speed decreases. This process converts the kinetic energy of the high-speed low-
pressure gas to a low-speed higher-pressure gas. The higher the impeller speed, the higher the
pressure. Unlike the reciprocating piston compressor that has different actions for every stroke
(i.e. suction, compression, discharge), centrifugal compressors perform these actions
continuously and concurrently. The capacity can be adjusted through an inverter drive and inlet
guide vane.
Benefits
Compared with other compressors discussed in this paper, a centrifugal compressor has the
following benefits:
• Largest capacity which can be up to 10,000 tons (35,000 kW) per unit.
• Higher efficiency under partial loads which is typical of data center loads.
Limitations
• Capital cost premium, but lower operation cost offsets the increased investment.
• Requirements for higher quality.
Applications
A centrifugal compressor is best suited for large cooling applications above 200 tons (700 kW),
and is the most popular compressor type for commercial and industrial air conditioning and
refrigeration systems.
