How do HVAC compressors work?
In: Engineering
Compressors in HVAC are more-or-less the same and any other refrigerant compressors, like what’s in your refrigerator. There are special compressors that that are equipped with speed controllers and solenoid valves so that they can compress different amounts of refrigerant to match the need, but most compressors are just on/off.
As another commenter explained, they work kind of similar to a combustion engine, where a piston moves back, which draws in gaseous refrigerant, then pushes forward, suddenly compressing and superheating it. The variable speed compressor, a common type is called a digital scroll compressor, uses a metal scroll which rotates to draw in refrigerant, and a special mechanism to lift the scroll, causing the compression and pushing the refrigerant further into the system.
If you’re asking about how refrigerant systems cool in HVAC, that’s a slightly more involved question. Compressors are only 1 piece of a slightly more complex system then.
Latest Answers