Types of Compressors Used in HVAC Installation

Types of Compressors Used in HVAC Installation 1/31/2020

A compressor is known to be one of the most important parts of an air conditioning system. The compressor in an HVAC system plays an important role in compressing the refrigerant as it enters inside the machine to increase its overall temperature. Once the HVAC system is heated, the gas then leaves the compressor and then goes into the condenser. A condenser is the place where the process of cooling begins. The HVAC compressors are available in different kinds in the market today.

While all kinds of AC compressors perform the same job, they work in a different manner. All these HVAC compressors come with their own pros and cons. Listed below are the different kinds of compressors that are present in the AC units.

Reciprocating air conditioner compressor:

This kind of compressor is known as the most popular kind of HVAC compressor available in the AC units. Under this compressor, a piston helps to compress the air. This is done by the way of moving up and down inside a cylinder. As the piston begins to move down, it then creates a vacuum-like effect that sucks in the refrigerant. As the piston begins to move up, the gas compresses itself and then moves into the condenser. This kind of HVAC compressor is known to be an efficient choice of an AC compressor. This is because the AC units could have up to eight cylinders within the compressor.

Scroll air conditioner compressor:

Scroll air conditioner compressor is known to be the newer kind of compressors available in the market. These compressors comprise of one fixed coil known as scroll. Scroll is located in the center of the unit. There is another coil which rotates around the first coil. During the process, the second coil pushes the refrigerant towards the very center and compresses it. Scroll compressors are becoming one popular choice of HVAC compressors in the present time. This is because they do not come with a lot many moving parts. They make one reliable choice of compressors for an air conditioner.

Screw air conditioner compressor:

This kind of HVAC compressor is considered to be reliable and efficient. This compressor is used in large buildings where the vast amount of air requires continuous cooling. This kind of air compressor comes with two different helical rotors moving the air from one end to the other. As the refrigerant begins to move through the compressor, the space gets small and gets compressed.

Rotary air conditioning compressor:

The next kind of HVAC compressor that is available in a number of air conditioner units is the rotary AC compressor. This compressor is small in terms of its size and quiet. Thus, this one is considered to be a favorable choice in all the locations where noise is considered to be a major concern. Inside the compressor, is located a shaft that comes with many blades attached to the same. The shaft then rotates inside the cylinder. This helps to push the refrigerant via the cylinder, thereby compressing it simultaneously.

Centrifugal air conditioning compressor:

This kind of HVAC compressor makes the use of centrifugal force to pull in the gas of the refrigerator. After this, it spins the gas rapidly using an impeller which helps to compress the same. This kind of air conditioning compressor is reserved for all the extra-large HVAC systems.

Different kinds of HVAC compressors are used for different purposes and in different HVAC systems depending upon their features and applications.

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