Compressors

The purpose of the compressor in the vapour compression cycle

is to compress the low-pressure dry gas from the evaporator
and raise its pressure to that of the condense. Compressors can
be:

1. Hermetic/sealed/welded
2. Semi-hermetic/accessible hermetic
3. Open

1
 Hermetic Compressor

Motor is sealed within

compressor housing and
is cooled by refrigerant,
either by refrigerant
vapour that is being
drawn into the
compressor from the
suction line or by liquid
refrigerant that is being
drawn from the liquid
line.
It eliminates the need for the shaft couplings and
external shaft seals that are associated with open
compressors.
2
Repair of hermetic compressor is tedious.
 Semi-hermetic Compressor
Motor for semi-hermetic compressor is contained within
the compressor housing and is cooled by the refrigerant.
The sealed housing is designed to be opened to repair or
overhaul the compressor or motor.

3
 Open Compressor
Open compressor is driven by external power source, such as an
electric motor, an engine or a turbine. Power shaft protrudes
through the compressor housing and seal is required to prevent
refrigerant from leaking out of the compressor housing.
Motor is cooled in a conventional manner by air that is drawn
in from the surrounding

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Types of Compressor

5
 Approximate range of capacity covered by various compressor types:

Positive displacement types compress discrete volumes of low-

pressure vapour by physically reducing the volumes causing a
pressure increase, whereas dynamic types raise the velocity of the
low-pressure gas and subsequently reduce it in a way which caused
pressure rise. 6
Reciprocating Compressor

7
Reciprocating Compressor

8
 Screw Compressor
Screw compressors are based on a mechanism made up of two
threaded rotors (screws) that are coupled together. The gas is
compressed due to the progressive overlapping of the lobes, causing a
reduction in the volume occupied by the gas. Continuous and step-less
capacity control is provided by moving a sliding valve toward the
discharge port, which opens a shortcut re-circulating passage to the
suction port

9
Scroll Compressor

10
Sliding and Rotary Vane Compressor

11
 Centrifugal Compressor
Centrifugal compressors are made up of a rotor located inside a
special chamber. The rotor is rotated at high speed, imparting high
kinetic energy to the gas, which is forced through the narrow outlet
opening, thus increasing its pressure. The characteristics of a
centrifugal compressor make it ideal for air conditioning applications
because it is suitable for variable loads, has few moving parts, and is
economical to operate.

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 Compressor Efficiency
The amount of gas pumped by the compressor will always be less than
the physical displacement of the pistons in the cylinders.
Volumetric Efficiency (VE) accounts for all the losses affecting the
flow rate of the compressor.

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