Basic components of Air

conditioner

The parts we find in a airconditioning

system are
compressor
condeser
expantion valve
evaporator
accumulator
drier
sight glass

compressor

positive displacement compressors

This reduces the volume of a constant
amount of gas
This could be divided further
1. reciprocating compressors
2. rotary compressors

Reciprocating compressors
A reciprocating compressor or piston
compressor is a positive-displacement
compressor that uses pistons driven by a
crankshaft to deliver gases at high
pressure.

 Reciprocating compressor are used for

large duty cycle work
They are basically energy hungry
They have a longer life time

Advatages

Simple design, easy to install

Lower initial cost
Large range of horsepower
Special machines can reach extremely high
pressure
Two stages models offer the highest efficiency

Disadvatages

Higher maintenance cost

Many moving parts
Potential for vibration problems
Foundation may be required depending on
size
Many are not designed to run at full
capacity

Reciprocating compressor could be further

divide into
a) single acting compressor
b) Double acting compressor
c) dighpram compressor

 single and double acting compressors

were once the most commonly used
compressors
These compressors have been replaced
by rotary screw compressors
The reciprocating compressors are
smaller and requires lesser foundation

 it is lesser efficient since it uses lesser

horse power
It produces more noise in comparison with
a screw compressor
It has a longer life time

single acting compressors

It is a compressor that has one discharge per
revolution of crankshaft.

piston rings

Piston rings provide a seal that prevents or minimizes

leakage through piston and liner. Metal piston rings are
made either in one piece, with a gap or in several
segments. Gaps in the rings allow them to move out or
expand as the compressor reaches operating
temperature.

crankshaft

 The crankshaft is built in a single piece.

On the inside of the shaft are holes for
passage and distribution of lube oil.
Lubricants reduce friction and therefore
wear between moving compressor parts.
Lubricant also serves as a coolant.

piston
For low speed compressors (upto 330 rpm) and
medium speed compressors (330-600 rpm),
pistons are usually made of cast iron.
Upto 7 diameter cast iron pistons are made of
solids. Those of more than 7 diameters are
usually hollow
(to reduce cost).
Carbon pistons are sometimes used for
compressing oxygen and other gases that must
be kept free of lubricant.

cylinder and liner

Piston reciprocates inside a cylinder. To provide for
reduced reconditioning cost, the cylinder may be fitted
with a liner or sleeve. A cylinder or liner usually wears at
the points where the piston rings rub against it. Because
of the weight of the piston, wear is usually greater at the
bottom of a horizontal cylinder. A cylinder liner is usually
counter bored near the ends of the outer ring travel i.e.
counter bores are made just ahead of the points where
the end piston rings stop and reverse direction.
Shoulders may form in the liner where the rings travel
stops unless counter bores are provided.

piston rod packing

 Piston rod packing ensures sealing of the compressed

gas. The piston rod packing consists of series of cups
each containing several seal rings side by side. The
rings are built of three sectors, held together by a spring
installed in the groove running around the outside of the
ring.
The entire set of cups is held in place by stud bolts.
Inside channels are there for cooling, gas recovery and
lubrication of the piston rod packing.

piston rods and piston

 Generally, the piston rod is fastened to the piston by

means of special nut that is prevented from unscrewing.
The surface of the rod has suitable degree of finish
designed to minimize wear on the sealing areas as much
as possible. The piston is provided with grooves for
piston rings and rider rings.
The function of rider rings, is to support or guide the
piston and rod assembly and prevent contact between
the piston and the cylinder (risk of seizure).

crank case
Crank case supports the crankshaft. All
bearing supports are bored under setup
condition to ensure perfect alignment.
Crankcase is provided with easy
removable covers on the top for inspection
and maintenance. The bottom of the
crankcase serves as the oil reservoir.

connecting rod
The connecting rod has two bearings. The
big end bearing is built in two halves. It is
made of metal with inner coating of
antifriction metal. The connecting rod
small end bearing is build of steel, with
inner coating of antifriction metal. A hole
runs through the connecting rod for its
entire length, to allow passage of oil from
the big end to the small end bush.

Cross Head
Crosshead fastens piston rod to the connecting rod
It permits to slide back and fort within the cross head slide
it has channels fro distribution of oil

Lubrication system

Double acting compressors

 This type of compressor operates in exactly the

same way as the single acting with respect to its
action. The difference is, that the cylinder has
inlet and outlet ports at each end of the cylinder
As the piston moves forward, liquid is being
drawn into the cylinder at the back end while, at
the front end, liquid is being discharged. When
the piston direction is reversed, the sequence is
reversed.

Dighpram compressor

 Dighpram compressor is a kind of

displacement compressor driven by
displacement motor.
The particularity of dighpram compressors
is that there are two chambers in a
cylinder body
A hydraulic oil chamber and a gas
chamber

 when the machine is started the

electromotor drives the crankshaft making
rotational moments
The crankshaft is connected with a piston
by a connecting rod which can transform
the rotational moment of the crankshaft
into reciprocating moment of the piston

 when the piston is pulled to the down end

the hydraulic oil will flow back to the
cylinder
The pressure difference will mske the
dighprams have a downward elastic
deformation.
The volume of the gas chamber will be
enlarged

 The gas inlet valve will open automatically

In this way the gas is sucked in
when the con-rod pushes the piston to the
top end the piston will further push the
hydraulic oil to make the dighpram have a
upper elastic deformation

 The voulume of the gas chamber reduces

and the gas is compressed
The gas discharge valve will be opened
automatically when the gas pressure
reaches a certain value
As a result of dighprams periodic elastic
derformation ,the gas is sucked
compressed and discharged periodically.

Rotary compressors
Rotary compressors are those
compressors which use rotors instead of
piston to compress gas.
The different types of rotary compressors
are screw ,vane ,scroll ,lobe and liquid ring
compressors

 Rotory compressors are energy effictient

Rotary compressors have a lower duty
cycle
They have a shorter life span in
comparison with a reciprocating
compressor

Advantages

Simple design
Low to medium initial and maintenance cost
Two-stages design provide good efficiencies
Easy to install
Few moving parts

Disadvatages
High rotational speed
Shorter life expectancy than any other
designs
Single-stage designs have lower efficiency
Difficulty with dirty environment

screw compressors

 one of the most appealing factor of this

compressor is that its excellent return on
investment.
Low initial installation and maintenance
cost
it requires smaller floor space and it is
lesser noisy when compared with a
reciprtocating compressor

Rotary screw compressors use two meshing

helical screws, known as rotors, to compress the
gas. In a dry running rotary screw compressor,
timing gears ensure that the male and female
rotors maintain precise alignment. In an oilflooded rotary screw compressor, lubricating oil
bridges the space between the rotors

 A typical oil flooded twin screw

compressor consists of male and female
rotors mounted on bearings to fix their
position in a rotor housing which holds the
rotors inclosely toleranced intersecting
cylindrical bores

The driving device is generally connected

to the male rotor with the male driving the
female through an oil film
Some designs connect the drive to the
female rotor in order to produce higher
rotor speeds thus increasing
displacement. However, this
increasesloading on the rotors in the area
of torque transfer and can reduce rotor
life.

One screw has a right-handed thread, and the

other screw has a left-handed thread and they
rotate in opposite directions.The screws rotate in
closely fitting cylinders that have overlapping
bores. All clearances are small, but there is no
actual contact between the two screws or
between the screws and the cylinder walls.

Suction gas is drawn into the compressor

to fill the void where the male rotor rotates
out of the female flute on the suction end
of the compressor. Suction charge fills the
entire volume of each screw thread as the
unmeshing thread proceeds down the
length of the rotor.

Gas is compressed by pure rotary motion

of the two intermeshing helical rotors. Gas
travels around theoutside of the rotors,
starting at the top and traveling to the
bottom while it is transferredaxially from
the suction end to the discharge end of the
rotor area.

vane compressor
When a gas is compressed in the compressor,
its temperature is increased considerably. To
prevent spontaneous combustion of the
lubricant, the compressor is equipped with water
cooling (with a pipe for water supply) or air
cooling. In this way, the air compression process
will approximate an isothermal process (with
constant temperature), which is theoretically
most advantageous.

 Rotary compressors have one or more

rotors, which may be of various designs.
Considerable use is made of rotary
(sliding-vane) compressors (Figure 2),
which have a rotor with slots into which
the vanes fit freely. The rotor is located
eccentrically in the cylinder of the casing.
Upon clockwise rotation of the rotor,

spaces bounded by the vanes, as well as the

surfaces of the rotor and cylinder casing, will
increase in the left half of the compressor, thus
causing the inlet of gas through the aperture. In
the right half of the compressor the volume of
the spaces decreases and the gas within them is
compressed and then delivered from the
compressor to the cooler or directly into the
pressure piping. The casing of rotary
compressors is cooled by water, which is
supplied and discharged through pipes

scroll compressor

This compressor is a wonderful invention,

since it has only 1 moving part. The
compressor exists of two spiral elements.
One moves in eccentric circles and the other
one is stationary.

 What happens? Air gets trapped between

the two spirals at the suction side and get
transported to the center of the spiral. This
way the air is compressed. It takes about
2.5 turns for the air to reach the center
exhaust pipe.

Lobe compressors
Rotary Lobe type Air Compressor has two
mating lobe-type rotors mounted in a case. The
lobes are gear driven at close clearance, but
without metal-to-metal contact. The suction to the
unit is located where the cavity made by the lobes
is largest.

As the lobes rotate, the cavity size is

reduced, causingcompression of the vapor
within. The compression continues until the
discharge port is reached, at which point the
vapor exits the compressor at a higher
pressure.

Liquid ring compressor

The liquid ring pump compresses gas by rotating

a vaned impeller located eccentrically within a
cylindrical casing. Liquid (usually water) is fed into
the pump and, by centrifugal acceleration, forms a
moving cylindrical ring against the inside of the
casing. This liquid ring creates a series of seals in
the space between the impeller vanes, which form
compression chambers. The eccentricity between
the impeller's axis of rotation and the casing
geometric axis results in a cyclic variation of the
volume enclosed by the vanes and the ring.

Gas, often air, is drawn into the pump via

an inlet port in the end of the casing. The
gas is trapped in the compression
chambers formed by the impeller vanes
and the liquid ring. The reduction in
volume caused by the impeller rotation
compresses the gas, which reports to the
discharge port in the end of the casing.

Dynamic compressors
Adding more amount of gas in a constant
amount of volume. Common
types of dynamic compressors include
centrifugal compressors
axial compressors

 The dynamic compressor is characterized

by rotating impeller to add velocity and
pressure to fluid. Compare to positive
displacement type compressor, dynamic
compressor are much smaller in size and
produce much less vibration.

 It is widely used in chemical and

petroleum refinery industry for specifies
services. They are also used in other
industries such as the iron and steel
industry, pipeline booster, and on offshore
platforms

Axial compressors

Axial flow compressors are used mainly as

compressors for gas turbines. They are
used in the steel industry as blast furnace
blowers and in the chemical industry for
large nitric acid plantsThe efficiency in an
axial flow compressor is higher than the
centrifugal compressor.

Advatages
High peak efficiency
Small frontal area for given airflow
Increased pressure rise due to increased
number of stages with negligible losses

Disadvatages
Good efficiency over narrow rotational
speed range
Difficulty of manufacture and high cost.
Relatively high weight
High starting power requirements

Axial-flow compressors are dynamic rotating compressors

that use arrays of fan-like airfoils to progressively compress
the working fluid. They are used where there is a
requirement for a high flow rate or a compact design.
The arrays of airfoils are set in rows, usually as pairs: one
rotating and one stationary. The rotating airfoils, also
known as blades or rotors, accelerate the fluid.

 The stationary airfoils, also known as

stators or vanes, decelerate and redirect
the flow direction of the fluid, preparing it
for the rotor blades of the next stage.Axial
compressors are almost always multistaged, with the cross-sectional area of
the gas passage diminishing along the
compressor to maintain a high pressure.

Applications
Axial compressors can have high
efficiencies; around 90% polytropic at their
design conditions. However, they are
relatively expensive, requiring a large
number of components, tight tolerances
and high quality materials. Axial-flow
compressors can be found in medium to
large gas turbine engines, in natural gas
pumping stations, and within certain
chemical plants.

centrifugal compressors

Advantages
High efficiency approaching two stages
reciprocating compressor
Can reach pressure up to 1200 psi
Designed to give lubricant free air
Does not require special foundations

Disadvantages
High initial cost
Complicated monitoring and control systems
Limited capacity control modulation,
requiring unloading for reduced capacities
High rotational speed require special
bearings and sophisticated vibration and
clearance monitoring
Specialized maintenance considerations

Centrifugal compressors use the rotating action

of an impeller wheel to exert centrifugal force on
refrigerant inside a round chamber (volute). A
diffuser (divergent duct) section converts the
velocity energy to pressure energy.
Unlike other designs, centrifugal compressors do
not operate on the positive displacement
principle, but have fixed volume chambers. They
are well suited to compressing large volumes of
refrigerant to relatively low pressures.

 The compressive force generated by an

impeller wheel is small, so systems that
use centrifugal compressors usually
employ two or more stages (impellers
wheels) in series to generate high
compressive forces. Centrifugal
compressors are desirable for their simple
design, few moving parts, and energy
efficiency when operating multiple stages.

applications
Many large snowmaking operations (like
ski resorts) use this type of compressor.
They are also used in internal combustion
engines as superchargers and
turbochargers. Centrifugal compressors
are used in small gas turbine engines or
as the final compression stage of medium
sized gas turbines.

Expansion valve
There are basically two types of expansion
valves
Internally equalised valve
Externally equalised valve

constant pressure expansion valve

The constructional details of the constant pressure

expansion valve are shown in the figure above. It
comprises of the metallic body inside which is the metallic
diaphragm or bellow. On the upper side of the diaphragm is
the spring which is under pressure and its pressure is
controlled by the adjusting screw.
Below the diaphragm there is thin plate or seat that has the
small opening. The opening in the seat is controlled by the
needle or stem connected to the diaphragm.

As the diaphragm moves down the needle

also moves down thus opening the valve.
The the seat and the needle form the orifice
for the constant pressure valve.
There are also two opening in the valve.
From one side the refrigerant from the condenser
enters the expansion valve and from the other side
the refrigerant leaves the valve to enter the
evaporator.

The spring above the diaphragm is under compression thus

the spring pressure along with the atmospheric pressure
acts on the diaphragm. Due to the pressure the diaphragm
tends to move down due to which the needle also tends to
move down away from the seat leading to the opening of
the valve.
Below the diaphragm there is refrigerant at the evaporator
pressure thus the evaporator pressure tends to move the
diaphragm in the upward direction. Due to this the needle
tends to move in the upward direction towards the seat to
close the valve.

Thus the spring pressure and the evaporator

pressure act against each other and
whichever is greater would determine the
position of the needle and the opening of the
orifice of the valve. In the normal running
condition of the plant the valve maintains
equilibrium between the evaporator pressure
and the spring pressure and maintains
certain opening of the valve to allow the flow
of refrigerant through it.

The tension of the spring can be adjusted as

per the requirements by the adjusting screw.
The constant pressure expansion valve
maintains the pressure inside the evaporator
constant and automatically as per the
setting
of the spring pressure. This means that the
evaporator pressure can be varied by
changing the position of the spring.

Internally equalised expansion

valve

Opposed to this opening force on the underneath

side of the diaphragm and acting in the closing
direction are two forces: (1) the force exerted by
the evaporator pressure and (2) that exerted by
the superheat spring. In the first condition, the
valve will assume a stable control position when
these three Forces are in balance (that is, when
P1 = P2 + P3).

In the next step, the temperature of the refrigerant

gas at the evaporator outlet (remote bulb location)
increases above the saturation temperature
corresponding to the evaporator pressure as it
becomes superheated. The pressure thus
generated in the remote bulb, due to this higher
temperature, Increases above the combined
pressures of the evaporator pressure and the
superheat spring (P1 greater than P2 + P3) And
causes the valve pin to move in an opening
direction.

Conversely, as the temperature of the

refrigerant gas leaving the evaporator
decreases, the pressure in the remote
bulb and Power assembly also decreases
and the combine evaporator and Spring
pressure cause the valve pin to move in a
closing Direction (P1 less than P2 + P3).

Externally equalised expansion

valve
In order to compensate for an excessive
pressure drop through an evaporator, the
thermal expansion valve must be of the
external equalizer type, with the equalizer
line connected either into the evaporator
at a point beyond the greatest pressure
drop or into the suction line at a point on
the compressor side of the remote bulb
location.

Drier

 The functions of drier in brief are (i) to

receive and store liquid refrigerant for the
evaporator,
(ii) to filter out any dirt from the refrigerant,
(Hi) to absorb mdisture if present in the
refrigerant, and (iv) to trap any refrigerant
vapour that did not condense in the
condenser.

Accumulator

 Some air conditioners use an accumulator to prevent

liquid refrigerant from entering the compressor. The
accumulator also serves as a tank to store excess liquid
refrigerant and contains a desiccant. The desiccant in
the accumulators serves the same function as in
receives-drier.

 Liquid refrigerant is collected at the bottom

of the tank. Refrigerant vapour remains at
the top of the tank, and is passed to the
compressor through the pickup tube. At
the bottom of the tank, the pickup tube
contains a small hole or orifice,

 which allows a very small amount of

trapped oil or liquid refrigerant to return to
the compressor, without damaging the
compressor. The accumulator cannot be
serviced unlike the receiver-drier, and
hence if found defective, has to be
replaced.

Types of refrigeration evaporators

Bare Tube Evaporators

The bare tube evaporators are made up of
copper tubing or steel pipes. The copper tubing
is used for small evaporators where the
refrigerant other than ammonia is used, while
the steel pipes are used with the large
evaporators where ammonia is used as the
refrigerant. The bare tube evaporator comprises
of several turns of the tubing, though most
commonly flat zigzag and oval trombone are the
most common shapes.

 The bare tube evaporators are usually

used for liquid chilling. In the blast cooling
and the freezing operations the
atmospheric air flows over the bare tube
evaporator and the chilled air leaving it
used for the cooling purposes. The bare
tube evaporators are used in very few
applications, however the bare tube
evaporators fitted with the fins, called as
finned evaporators are used

Plate Type of Evaporators

 In the plate type of evaporators the coil usually made up

of copper or aluminum is embedded in the plate so as so
to form a flat looking surface. Externally the plate type of
evaporator looks like a single plate, but inside it there are
several turns of the metal tubing through which the
refrigerant flows. The advantage of the plate type of
evaporators is that they are more rigid as the external
plate provides lots of safety. The external plate also
helps increasing the heat transfer from the metal tubing
to the substance to be chilled. Further, the plate type of
evaporators are easy to clean and can be manufactured
cheaply.

Finned Evaporators

 The finned evaporators are the bare tube type of

evaporators covered with the fins. When the fluid (air or
water) to be chilled flows over the bare tube evaporator
lots of cooling effect from the refrigerant goes wasted
since there is less surface for the transfer of heat from
the fluid to the refrigerant. The fluid tends to move
between the open spaces of the tubing and does not
come in contact with the surface of the coil, thus the bare
tube evaporators are less effective. The fins on the
external surface of the bare tube evaporators increases
the contact surface of the of the metallic tubing with the
fluid and increase the heat transfer rate, thus the finned
evaporators are more effective than the bare tube
evaporators.

Shell and Tube types of

Evaporators
The shell and tube types of evaporators are
used in the large refrigeration and central air
conditioning systems. The evaporators in these
systems are commonly known as the chillers.
The chillers comprise of large number of the
tubes that are inserted inside the drum or the
shell. Depending on the direction of the flow of
the refrigerant in the shell and tube type of
chillers, they are classified into two types: dry
expansion type and flooded type of chillers.

 In dry expansion chillers the refrigerant

flows along the tube side and the fluid to
be chilled flows along the shell side. The
flow of the refrigerant to these chillers is
controlled by the expansion valve. In case
of the flooded type of evaporators the
refrigerant flows along the shell side and
fluid to be chilled flows along the tube. In
these chillers the level of the refrigerant is
kept constant by the float valve that acts
as the expansion valve also.

Air-Cooled Condensers
An air-cooled condenser consists of a coil of
ample surface that air is blown by a fan or
induced by natural draft. This type of condenser
is universally used in small capacity
refrigerating units. Mostly designed for
residential or small office air conditioners.
Air-chilled condensers should be kept from free
from dirt, lint and other foreign materials
because they tend to reduce the airflow around
the tubes and fins if they are allowed to
accumulate just like evaporators.

Combined Air- and Water-cooled

Condensers
This type of condenser is also know as an
evaporative condenser and consists of a coil
cooled by water sprayed from above and then
cold air enters from the bottom and is blown
across the coils. As water evaporates from the
coil it creates a cooling effect that condenses
the refrigerant within the coil. The refrigerant
gas in the coil is hot which changed to the liquid
state by combining the sprayed water and the
large column of moving air supplied by the fan.
The water that does not evaporate is
recirculated by means of a pump.

Water-Cooled Condensers
A water-cooled condenser is similar to a
steam surface condenser in that cooling is
accomplished by water alone that
circulates through tubes or coils enclosed
in a shell. IN a water-cooled condenser the
refrigerant circulates through the annular
space between the tubes or coils. Because
of its construction, a water-cooled
condenser is also referred to as a doublepipe condenser