What Are The 6 Types of A/C Compressor?

As the core of the air system of mechanical equipment, the AC compressor plays an important role in the circulation of the air system. This article mainly introduces the main functions and types of air conditioner compressors. Help you choose the most suitable air conditioner compressor.

What does an a c compressor do

Through the power provided by the engine, the low-temperature and low-pressure gas from the evaporator are compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid, which is sent to the A/C condenser. Two zones of the compressor: low-pressure evaporator zone, and high-pressure condenser zone. The function of the AC compressor is to apply the necessary pressure to the car's refrigerant to activate its heat transfer capacity and change its temperature. Keeps you cool in the hot months and warm in the colder months.

A/C compressor types

There are several A/C compressor types:

1. Fixed Displacement Compressor: Its displacement increases as the engine speed increases. It cannot automatically change the power output according to the cooling demand, which leads to more fuel consumption for the engine.

2. Variable displacement air conditioner compressor: The variable displacement compressor can automatically adjust the power output according to the set temperature. The system adjusts the compression ratio by collecting pressure changes in the pipeline, and then dynamically adjusts the output power.

3. Crankshaft connecting rod compressor: works through three steps including compression, exhaust, expansion, and suction. When the crankshaft rotates, the connecting rod drives the piston to reciprocate. The working volume composed of the inner wall of the cylinder, the cylinder head, and the top surface of the piston will change periodically, thus playing the role of compressing and transporting refrigerant in the refrigeration system.

4. Axial piston compressor: It can be divided into rocker or swash plate compressors, which are more common in vehicle air conditioning compressors. Each cylinder is arranged around the main shaft of the compressor, and the direction of movement of the piston is parallel to the main shaft of the compressor.

5. Rotary vane compressor: The cylinder shape of the rotary vane compressor is circular and oval. In a circular cylinder, there is an eccentric distance between the main shaft of the rotor and the center of the cylinder, so that the rotor clings to the suction and exhaust holes on the inner surface of the cylinder. In an elliptical cylinder, the major axis of the rotor coincides with the center of the ellipse. The vanes on the rotor divide the cylinder into several spaces. The change of space causes the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant to change correspondingly.

6. Scroll compressor: The structure of the scroll compressor mainly includes the dynamic and static types and double rotary types. At present, the static and dynamic type is the most widely used, and its working parts are mainly composed of a moving turbine and a static turbine. Dynamic and static turbines are very similar in construction and basically consist of an endplate with involute wraps protruding from the endplate.

Test ac compressor on car

How to judge if your ac compressor is bad? Firstly, identify the 3 terminals on the air conditioner compressor, which are S, R, and C. S is the starting winding, R is the running winding, and C is the common terminal. Secondly, use a multimeter to measure its resistance value, where the resistance value between SC and RC is equal to the resistance value between RS, which is normal data. For example, the resistance between RC is 5 ohms, the resistance between SC is 3.5 ohms, then the resistance between RS is 8.5 ohms. If the resistance deviation is too large, or there is no resistance between the three values, then this compressor is likely to be bad.