CHAPTER 7
COMPRESSOR SELECTION
7.1 COMPRESSOR
The purpose of the compressor in a mechanical refrigeration system is to create a
pressure difference in the system to generate a flow of the refrigerant from one part of the system
to the other. It is the difference in pressure among the high side and the low side that forces
liquid refrigerant through the control valve and into the cooling unit. The vapor pressure in the
cooling unit must be above the pressure at the suction side of the condensing unit to force the
low-side vapor to leave the cooling unit and flow to the condensing unit.
Table 7.1 Compressors Classifications
Table
The compressor both pumps refrigerant round the circuit and produces the required
substantial increase in the pressure of the refrigerant. The refrigerant chosen and the operating
temperature range needed for heat pumping generally lead to a need for a compressor to provide
a high-pressure difference for moderate flow rates, and this is most often met by a positive
displacement compressor using a reciprocating piston.
7.2 COMPRESSOR SELECTION
In choosing a type of compressor, it must be taken into consideration its power. To
determine the actual power of the compressor, its theoretical power and its efficiency must first
be determined. The typical efficiency of the compressor ranges from 65-70%. Take the average
of the range as the efficiency of the compressor, 68 %, that will be used in the computation
(Stoecker, 2002). The theoretical power, TP, of the compressor was computed in Chapter IV,
giving a value of 20.94 kW. Solving for the Actual Power, AP:
TP
AP=
e compressor
Solving for the Actual Volume Flow Rate
V theo
V actual =
ev
Where:
Vactual = Actual Flow Rate
Vtheo = Theoretical Flow Rate
ev = Volumetric Efficiency
The computation below is done in order to compute the ideal volume flow rate of the
compressor. The picture of the selected compressor from the market as well as the specification
in the table is shown after the computation.
V theo =M ( v 1 )
V1 = Vg @h1 or t = 18 °C = 659.57L/kg
( )
1
P2 n
e v =1+C−C
P1
Where:
C = Clearance = 5%
P1 = Pressure @ -18 °C = 208.26 KPa
P2 = Pressure @ -14 °C = 1352.2 KPa
N = 1.304
Calculation
( )
1
P2 n
e v =1+C−C
P1
V theo
V actual =
ev
7.3 SELECTED COMPRESSOR
Through calculations, the parameters needed for the select the compressor was attained.
Its actual power was found to be 30.79 kW (41.27 HP) and its actual volume displacement is
equal to 220.99 m3/hr. The values will be used to select the fit compressor for the refrigeration
design.
Figure
Figure 7.1: High Speed Three-Cylinder Ammonia Compressor
Figure 7.1 shows the actual compressor to be used in the refrigeration design in the
system. It has a 3 cylinder with a cooling capacity of 50 Hp. Specifications for the selected unit
are shown in Table 7.1.
Table 7.2 Specifications of the Selected Compressor
Table
Table 7.1 shows the specification of the selected compressor. A compressor has a cooling
capacity of 50 HP and a swept volume of 305 m3/hr, the values needed for the designer to
determine the appropriate compressor for the storage and the number of the compressors to be
used.
Calculating the number of compressors to be used in the cold storage:
VA
N=
V compressor
Where:
VA = Actual Flow Rate
Vcompressor = Flow Rate of Compressor
N = number of Compressor
VA
N=
V compressor
Substituting the values on the equation above, N= 0.725. Approximating the calculated
value, the storage would use only 1 compressor. It has a cooling capacity of 50 HP. The
summary of computed against selected compressor is shown on Table 7.3.
7.4 COMPUTED AND SELECTED COMPRESSOR
The values from the computed to the selected compressor is shown on the table below.
Table 7.3 Summary of Computed Against Selected Compressor
Table