VietNam National University

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology

Chemical Engineering Faculty
Process and Equiment Department

REFRIGERATION ENGINEERING
SEMINAR: REFRIGERATION COMPRESSION

Phạm Nguyễn Đăng Khôi – 1552178

Nguyễn Hương Trà My – 1552231
Nguyễn Phúc Khôi Nguyên – 1552254
Trình Yến Nhi - 1552268
I. Overview about refrigeration compressor and Classification
I.1 Overview
Refrigeration compressors provide air conditioning, heat pumping, and refrigeration for large-
scale facilities and equipment. They use compression to raise the temperature of a low-pressure
gas, and also remove vapor from the evaporator. Most refrigeration compressors (refrigerant
compressors) are large, mechanical units that form the heart of industrial cooling, heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Many air conditioning compressors are
also large-scale mechanical devices; however, these compressors are designed specifically for air
conditioning systems and do not provide heating or ventilation functions
I.2 Classification
 In a refrigeration cycle, the compressor has two main functions:

One of all is to pump the vapor from the evaporator so that the desired temperature and
pressure can be maintain in the evaporator.
 Another function is to increase the pressure through the process of compression, and the
temperature of refrigeration vapor also increases.
 Refrigeration compressor, the heart of vapor-compression refrigeration system, is divided
into 2 main categories:
 Displacement
 Dynamic
COMPRESSOR

DYNAMIC POSITIVE COMPRESSOR

AXIXAL CENTRIFUGAL ROTARY RECIPROCATING

SCROLL SCREW LOBE VANE

 Both displacement and dynamic compressors can be hermetic, semihermetic, or open

types.
 Hermetic Compressor:
 - All these parts of the hermetic compressor are assembled and enclosed in a weled steel
shell. The steel shell comprises of two half rounded steel bodies that are welded
together to form a casing for the compressor.
- In these compressors, which are available for small capacities, motor and drive are
sealed in compact welded housing
- Almost all small motor-compressor pairs used in domestic refrigerators, freezers, and
air conditioners are of the hermetic type
- Hermetic compressors can work for a long time in small-capacity refrigeration systems
without any maintenance requirement and without any gas leakage
- They are sensitive to electric voltage fluctuations, which may make the copper coils of
the motor burn.
- The cost of these compressors is very low.
 Semihermetic Compressors:
- Compressor are constructed in a fabricated enclosure with bolted sections or access
panels to facilitate servicing
- These compressors are manufactured in small and medium capacities and their motor
capacities can reach 300kW.
- They can be operated with the refrigerants R-134a, R-407C, R-404A, R-507A, and R-
22.
 Open Compressors:
- The main advantage of open compressors is that they can be driven by sources other
than electricity, such as a turbine or an internal combustion engine.
- However, they are susceptible to leakage over time, particularly as the seals begin to
age and degrade.
- Used for refrigerators having high capacities (NH3 refrigerant).
- Be easy for maintenance.
II. Types of Refrigeration Compressor
II.1 Dynamic compressor
II.1.1 Centrifugal Compressor
a. Structure

b. Working Principle
A rotating impeller imparts velocity to the gas, flinging it outward. The housing slows the gas
flow, converting a portion of the kinetic energy (the velocity pressure) into a static pressure.
A centrifugal compressor is also called a turbo or a radial compressor which compresses refrigerant
to a high pressure and temperature by adding kinetic energy to the cool vapor refrigerant via
rotating impellers The cool vapor refrigerant is forced to pass into and through the impeller, and
the impeller forces the fluid to spin faster and faster. The high-speed refrigerant gas is then forced
to pass through the diffuser where the refrigerant gas volume expands as its speed decreases. This
process converts the kinetic energy of the high-speed low-pressure gas to a low-speed higher-
pressure gas. The higher the impeller speed, the higher the pressure.
Unlike the reciprocating piston compressor that has different actions for every stroke (i.e. suction,
compression, discharge), centrifugal compressors perform these actions continuously and
concurrently. The capacity can be adjusted through an inverter drive and inlet guide vane.
A centrifugal compressor can also be sub-classified by the number of stages (single- stage, two-
stage and multi-stage) and lubricating method (splash lubricated, forced lubricated, or oil-free).
The oil-free type adopts friction-free magnetic bearings.
As a result, there are no mechanical wear surfaces, which enhances the efficiency, reliability,
reduces the noise level, and the maintenance cost.
c. Application
A centrifugal compressor is best suited for large cooling applications above 200 tons (700 kW),
and is the most popular compressor type for commercial and industrial air conditioning and
refrigeration systems. It competes with screw compressors and large reciprocating compressors.
Centrifugal compressors are also appropriate to multi-stage refrigeration applications, where two
or more compression stages may be incorporated within the same turbine housing with interstage
gas injection between the rotors.
These compressors are commonly used for large-capacity refrigeration systems (e.g. from 200 kW
to over 10.000kW of cooling) with low-pressure ratios and operate with adiabatic compression
efficiencies of up to 80%.
Centrifugal compressors are limited in their compression ratio per impeller. Therefore,
applications calling for high temperature lifts (such as with ice thermal storage) may require multi-
stage designs.
II.1.2 Axial Compressor
a. Structure
Axial compressors consist of rotating and stationary components. A shaft drives a central drum,
retained by bearings, which has a number of annular airfoil rows attached usually in pairs, one
rotating and one stationary attached to a stationary tubular casing. A pair of rotating and stationary
airfoils is called a stage. The rotating
airfoils, also known as blades or rotors,
accelerate the fluid. The stationary
airfoils, also known as stators or vanes,
convert the increased rotational kinetic
energy into static pressure
through diffusion and redirect the flow
direction of the fluid, preparing it for the
rotor blades of the next stage.
b. Working Principle
An axial flow compressor compresses a large volume of low pressure air at low velocity into a
small volume of high velocity air at high pressure. The rotating blades draw air into the
compressor. These rotating blades induce a velocity, also known as kinetic energy, into the air
forcing it to move aft through the compressor assembly where it impacts the stationary stators.
The stators are stationary blades attached to the outer casing of the axial flow compressor. When
the air contacts the stators, it reduces the velocity and converts part of the kinetic energy into static
pressure and heat. The mass airflow is then directed to the next set of rotating blades. This process
is then repeated through each stage until the desire pressure is obtained.
The apparent contradiction in the operation of the axial flow compressor is that high pressure is
generated, although the overall divergent shape would appear to cause lower output pressure.
Output pressure is increased by divergence in each static interstage section. Rotating compressor
blades between each static stage increase the velocity that is lost by injecting energy.
c. Application
Axial flow compressors produce a continuous flow of compressed gas, and have the benefits of
high efficiency and large mass flow rate, particularly in relation to their size and cross-section.
They do, however, require several rows of airfoils to achieve a large pressure rise, making them
complex and expensive relative to other designs (e.g. centrifugal compressors). Axial compressors
are integral to the design of large gas turbines such as jet engines, high speed ship engines, and
small scale power stations. They are also used in industrial applications such as large volume air
separation plants, blast furnace air, fluid catalytic cracking air, and
propane dehydrogenation. Due to high performance, high reliability and flexible operation
during the flight envelope, they are also used in aerospace engines.
They used for constant and high volume flow rates at a relatively moderate pressure, for instance,
in ventilation systems. Given their high rotational speed, they are ideally coupled to gas turbines
for electricity generation and aircraft propulsion.

II.2 Positive Displacement

These compressors use the shaft work to increase the refrigerant pressure by reducing the
compression volume in the chamber. The compressors of this group are reciprocating and rotary
compressors.
II.2.1 Reciprocating compressor
a. Structure
A reciprocating compressor or piston compressor compresses refrigerant vapor in a cylinder using
a piston. Reciprocating compressors are like automobile engines. The pistons are directly driven
through a wrist pin and connecting rod from a crankshaft. Depending on their size, reciprocating
compressors may have one or more cylinders. Multiple cylinders may be arranged in line, opposed
or in a V.
In each cylinder, reciprocating compressors have both a suction valve and a discharge valve. These
valves give the compressor its ability to pump refrigerant vapor against a pressure difference. They
are usually located in the head of the cylinder in passages connected to the high or low pressure
side of the system.
b. Working Principle
During one complete revolution of the crankshaft, starting with the piston at the top of its stroke
or at top dead center, the piston begins to move downward as the crankshaft rotates. Because both
valves are closed, the downward moving piston reduces the pressure in the cylinder. As the
pressure in the cylinder falls below the low side pressure in the suction line, the pressure difference
opens the suction valve, letting refrigerant vapor flow into the cylinder.
The piston continues down and pulls in more vapor until the cylinder is filled with low pressure
vapor at the bottom of its stroke. Once, pass bottom dead center, the piston begins its upward
stroke. The suction valve closes. As the piston moves up, reduces the volume of the space in the
cylinder, increasing the pressure of the vapor. When the pressure in the cylinder exceeds the high
side pressure in the discharge line, the pressure difference pushes the discharge valve open, letting
the compressed vapor flow out of the cylinder. This continues until the piston reaches the top of
its stroke and most of the compressed vapor has been expelled into the discharge line. When the
piston begins its downward stroke, the discharge valve closes. The complete cycle then repeats
during each revolution of the crankshaft.
c. Application
Applications include oil refineries, gas pipelines, chemical plants, natural gas processing plants
and refrigeration plants.
Advantages:
  Easy maintenance (easy to understand the inner working)
 Suitable for high pressures (high pressure ratios)
 Achieve high pressures with a multi-stage reciprocating compressor
Disadvantages:
 Very noisy. You really need to put this type of compressor in a sound-isolated room
 Multiple machines required if you want to achieve high pressure
 The flowrate, volume is relatively small (small capacity)
 Performance gradually degrades over time. Air quality is typically low, with high levels of
oil (about 50ppm) and often high discharge temperatures that cause moisture to travel down
line to the end users.
II.2.2 Rotary compressor
Rotary compressors have a rotary or circular motion instead of a reciprocating motion. Rotary
compressors are of four general design configurations.

a. Rotary screw compressor

All screw compressors operate according to the basic principle of a positive displacement machine
whose key element is a pair of spiral rotors.
During operation, the rotors turn, and the spiral teeth meshed together forming chambers between
the rotors and the casing wall. Rotation causes the chambers to move from the suction or intake
side to the compression or discharge side. These chambers are connected to the suction nozzle via
ports. As the chambers enlarge, they are filled with gas flowing in through the nozzle. Air sucked
in at one end and gets trapped between the rotors and get pushed to other side of the rotors .The
air is pushed by the rotors that are rotating in opposite direction and compression is done when it
gets trapped in clearance between the two rotors. The rotors now transport the gas to the discharge
side where the chamber shrinks and the retained gas is compressed again. Once the gas is
compressed, the chamber reaches another port connected to a discharge nozzle and the gas flows
out. In fact, all the chambers between two rotors are being filled and emptied continuously. This
means that with screw compressor, compression process is more or less ongoing.
Rotary screw compressors are of two types oil-injected and oil-free. Oil-injected is cheaper and
most common than oil-free rotary screw compressors.
Advantages:
 Less noisy
 Supply large amount of compressed air (large capacity)
 Air supply is continuous as compared to reciprocating compressors
 Relatively low end temperature of compressed air (oil-injected)
Disadvantages:
 Expensive than reciprocating compressors
 More complex design
 The maintenance is difficult due to complex design
 Minimum one day use is important to avoid rusting

b. Rotary scroll compressor

This is one of the best compressor type in rotary compressor. Rotary scroll compressor consists of
a shell with an end and an outlet. The lower part of the shell contains the lubricant which is used
to lubricant the bearings. A motor sets a scroll which is found in the upper part of the shell in
motion. The scroll housing has an inlet as well as a discharge port and a fixed scroll. The scroll
housing has a base plate, the fixed scroll is attached to the underside of this base plate.
The gas is absorbed in the forming chambers and transported to the center of the scroll set. As the
rotation progresses, the chamber becomes much smaller so that the gas is compressed within the
compressor. Therefore, this type of compressor is called internal compression. In the middle of the
scroll housing, there is a discharge port, through which the compressed gas can escape.
There are several compressor designs. On the one hand, the movable scroll can move with an
extremely small distance to the other scroll, the scrolls therefore do not touch each other. On the
other hand, there are also designs in which the scrolls are in contact, such scroll compressors
usually have a better seal and thus have a higher efficiency.
Scroll compressors are used in air-conditioning systems, heat pumps and vehicles.
Advantages:
 Low noise emission
 Simple design with not so many parts
 Very reliable due to small number of moving components
 High efficient due to special design
 Oil-free design and low maintenance
Disadvantages:
 Output capacity is low
 Relatively expensive
 Have to buy a new scroll element with the failure of older one even if there is not any big
problem
 The temperature of compressed air is too much high

c. Vane type rotary compressor

This is another type of rotary compressor. It consists of vanes mounted to a rotor. Especially, the
vanes are on an off-center drive shaft. As the shaft rotates, the variable-length vanes slide in and
out to maintain contact with the compressor housing. The tension in the vanes is maintained by
either springs or hydraulic pressure. As the vanes rotate, they create chambers of varying sizes
within the compressor. Gas enters at the largest chamber. As the vanes rotate and retract, the
chambers get smaller, forcing gas to exit through the discharge port. Because the chambers get
smaller, it means that the area gets smaller, the pressure increases.
Advantages:
 Easy maintenance
 Simple in design
 Low cost and compact dimensions, making these the best choice for low capacity home
applications (fridge-freezers, air conditioners).

Disadvantages:
 Lower efficiency
  Difficulty with high pressure

d. Lobe type air compressor

This is one of the simplest compressor type. In this there is no complicated moving part. There are
two lobes attached to the driving shaft by the prime mover. These lobes are displaced with 90
degrees to one another. Thus if one of the lobe is in horizontal direction the other lobes will be
exactly positioned at 90 degree i.e in vertical direction.
The air gets trapped from one end and as the lobes rotates the air gets compressed as shown in
image. The compressed air is then delivered to delivery line.
III. Lubricant in Refrigeration Compressor
III.1 What is lubricant?

 A lubricant is a substance, usually organic, introduced to reduce friction between surfaces

in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move.
 All lubricants start with a base oil. There are three types: mineral, synthetic, and vegetable.
In industrial applications, we mostly deal with mineral and synthetic, so I would like to
focus on these. Mineral oil comes from crude oil and the quality depends on the refining
process.
 There is a grading scale for oil and different applications require different oil quality.
Mineral oil is mainly made up of four different types of molecules – paraffin, branched
paraffin, naphthene, and aromatic. Paraffinic oils have a long, straight chained structure,
while branched paraffinic oils are the same with a branch off the side.
 There are 2 main type of lubricant:

 Mineral oil: is referred to lubricating based oil derived from crude oil.
 Synthetic oil: petroleum derived lubricant which included three main types Polyalpha
olefin (PAO), synthetic esters, Polyalkylene glycols (PAG)

 The lubricants must provide the following when working with compressors

 Long life without need for changeout

  Prevention of acidity, sludge, deposit formation
 Excellent protection against rust and corrosion, even during shutdown
 Good demulsibility to shed water that enters the lubrication system
 Easy filterability without additive depletion
 Good foam control

 Compressor lubricants are often a specialized blend of additives and base oils in order to
provide the necessary lubricating properties while still being compatible with the refrigerant.
Any incompatibility of the base oil and the refrigerant could have disastrous results for the
equipment.

II.2 Usage

Lubricants perform several functions in a compressor system. Of course, they must be able to
lubricate the machine. In some systems, the lubricant is required to act as a cooling fluid as well
as a sealant.

Nearly all compressors require a form of lubricant to either cool, seal or lubricate internal
components. Only static jet compressors (ejectors) and late 20th- and early 21st-century oil-free
machines with rotors suspended in magnetic or air bearings are exempt from the need for some
type of lubrication. This article deals with the lubrication of dynamic compressors

The major factors involved in the selection of compressor lubricants include:

 Type, size and speed of compressor

 Gas being compressed
 Number of stages
 Pressure and temperature at each stage
 Environment
 Type of lubrication system

The majority of compressor lubricants are synthetic. This allows them to have a longer service life
and handle the rigors of the system better than mineral-based fluids. Most home air conditioners
now use a blended refrigerant known as R-410a. A polyolester (POE) base oil is employed to help
lubricate the system, but this oil can also separate from the refrigerant.

Although the compatibility between the refrigerant and the lubricant is perhaps the most pressing
issue in terms of lubrication, there are many others as well. For instance, moisture contamination
can be very detrimental to some synthetic base oils that are hydrolytically unstable. Moisture reacts
with the base oil to form acids, change the viscosity and impair the oil’s lubricating properties.
This can lead to premature compressor failure as well as improper system cooling.

Lubricant problems are common in any system. One way to avoid having issues with the gases
being compressed is to simply remove the lubricant from the equation. This is a frequent
occurrence with the “dry” compressors becoming more widely used. “Dry” refers to the lack of oil
in the compression chamber.
The major lubrication areas and components on a compressor are as follows:

 Compressor Frame
o Main bearings
o Connecting rod bearings
o Cross head bearings
o Motor bearings
 Cylinder Region
o Rider bands
o Compression rings
o Packing
o Valves

Flooded screws have the same problems as reciprocating compressors in processing hydrocarbon
and reactive gases that react with the lubricant. The typical viscosities used are 32-68. When a
hydrocarbon gas is in contact with most lubricants, the viscosity will be lowered because of
dilution. Therefore, to achieve the target viscosity, a higher-viscosity fluid will be needed. The
best lubricant for this application is a PAG, which is diluted less than any other type of product.
For normal applications, mineral oils, PAOs and diesters have been used.
 For flooded compressor system, a oil separation chamber must be installed to separate oil
from the compressed air coming out of the compressor

 Flooded compressor lubrication on the motor in dry compressor