Refrigeration
Compressors
Refrigeration
compressors are a special type of compressor used for refrigeration, heat
pumping, and air conditioning. Those compressors are large mechanical units,
designed to be the core of industrial and air conditioning systems. Small,
portable compressors do not fit into this category.
Refrigeration
compressors are designed to turn low-pressure gases into high-pressure and
high-temperature gases. Additionally, technically speaking, they are also used
to maintain a low boiling point. This is achieved by removing vapor from the
evaporator. There are three main types of refrigeration compressors.
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| Refrigeration Compressors |
The first type of
refrigeration compressor is the screw compressor. Screw compressors pass the
refrigerant vapor through screw spindles. Each screw spindle compresses the
intake of gas. Although there are refrigeration compressors with multiple
spindles, most screw compressors have just two screw spindles.
The second type of
refrigeration compressor is the scroll compressor. Scroll compressors achieve a
lower rate of leakage and therefore are more efficient. They are the most
common type of refrigeration compressors on the market.
The third type of
refrigeration compressor is the piston compressor. These compressors achieve
high pressure levels and are mostly used for commercial purposes. Piston
compressors are also known as reciprocating compressors.
Though other types of
refrigeration compressors exist aside from the main three described above, they
fit only very specific situations and are usually not very effective. These
types are less common and their usage is very rare.
To sum it up,
refrigeration compressors are large modules aimed at refrigeration, heat
pumping, and air conditioning of large facilities. They should not be confused
with small, stand-alone compressors. The three main types are of refrigeration
compressors screw compressors, scroll compressors, and piston or reciprocating
compressors. Out of these three, scroll compressors are the most efficient,
while reciprocating compressors are used for heavy industrial purposes.
Refrigerator Air Temperature Regulation
As the food inside
your refrigerator gets colder and colder it radiates less heat to the air
inside the refrigerator. The air temperature inside the refrigerator will
remain colder as this process occurs. To regulate the temperature inside most
refrigerators and freezers either a thermostat is used or a thermostat/control
board combination.
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| Refrigeration Compressors |
Thermostat Operation
A thermostat called a
cold-control will cycle the compressor on and off to keep the temperature
inside the refrigerator within a specified range. Typical average temperature
settings of most refrigerators will be around 45 F. You can always adjust the
fresh-food temperature setting by turning the dials on the cold control. Most
cold-controls on Whirlpool, Maytag, Whirlpool, and GE refrigerators are located
in the fresh-food side of the refrigerator, top and front near the interior
light.
Thermostat/Control
Board
A thermostat is an
electrical device which changes resistance when a change in temperature occurs.
Thermostats are typically mounted on the inside walls of the fresh-food
compartment, and also the freezer compartment. The thermostat is connected
electrically to the control board circuit. The firmware in the control board is
designed so that resistance of the thermostat will correspond to a given
temperature and will adjust fan speed, fresh-food damper door, and compressor
operation to achieve the set temperature.
On most Whirlpool,
Kenmore, Maytag, and GE refrigerators all the cold air for both the fresh-food
compartment and the freezer compartment is produced by one evaporator, which is
located behind the rear interior panel of the freezer compartment. Since the
freezer air is so much colder than the fresh-food compartment, it is easy to
see why it is logical to use this one evaporator to provide the necessary cold
air for both the freezer and fresh-food compartments of most refrigerators.
Most of the cold air
that is produced by the freezer/refrigerator evaporator circulates in the
freezer compartment by the evaporator fan. The evaporator fan also circulates
air to the ice maker and through the damper door to provide cold air to the
refrigerator. Most of the damper door assemblies are located in the
rear-top-left of the fresh food compartment. Only a small amount of cold air
needed in the food compartment to keep it down to the proper temperature so the
damper door will close when the proper temperature is reached. The control for
this damper door is the other of the two dials within your refrigerator cold
control or is adjusted via control board user interface.
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