TECHNICAL SECTION – CAR AIR CONDITIONING

REFRIGERATION CYCLE OF CAR AIR CONDITIONING

i. The compressor discharges high temperature and high-pressure refrigerant that contains the
heat absorbed from the evaporator and the heat created by the compressor in a discharge
stroke.

ii. This gaseous refrigerant flows into the condenser. In the condenser, the gaseous refrigerant is
condensed into liquid refrigerant.

iii. The liquid refrigerant then flows into the receiver, which stores and filters the liquid
refrigerant until the evaporator requires it.

iv. The expansion valve changes the liquid refrigerant into a low temperature, low pressure
liquid and gas mixture.

v. This cold and foggy refrigerant flows to the evaporator.

Vaporising the liquid in the evaporator takes heat from the warm air stream passing through
the evaporator. All the liquid will change into a gaseous refrigerant in the evaporator and only
gaseous refrigerant, which has a latent heat, goes into the compressor. The process is then
repeated.

Refrigeration Cycle in a Car Cooler

 PRINCIPLES OF CAR AIR CONDITIONING

a. Expansion and Evaporation

In a car air conditioner the air is cooled by the following method;

§ The high temperature and high pressure liquid refrigerant is stored in the receiver.

§ Then, the liquid refrigerant is released to the evaporator through a small hole, called the
expansion valve. At this time, the temperature and pressure of the liquid refrigerant is
decreased, and some of the liquid refrigerant changes to vapour.

§ The low temperature and low-pressure refrigerant flows into the evaporator.

In the evaporator, the liquid refrigerant evaporates and takes heat from the surrounding air.

b. How to Condense Gaseous HFC134a into Liquid

The air conditioning system cannot cool the air when the liquid refrigerant is used up (i.e. changed to
the gaseous refrigerant.)
A compressor in the air conditioning system is used to change the gaseous refrigerant into a liquid
refrigerant.

When the gas is compressed in the compressor, both the temperature and pressure increase. For
example, when the gaseous refrigerant is compressed from 2.1 kg/cm2 to 15 kg/cm2, the temperature
also increases from 00C to 800C.

The boiling point of refrigerant at 15 kg/cm2 is 570C . The temperature (800C,) of compressed gaseous
refrigerant is higher than its boiling point (570C) and also higher than the surrounding air. The
refrigerant stays in gaseous state.

c. Condensing of the Gaseous HFC 134a

In the car air conditioning system, the compressed gaseous refrigerant releases heat to the surrounding
air and is condensed back into a liquid. At this time, the refrigerant temperature becomes lower than
the boiling point (around 570C). The liquid refrigerant then returns to the receiver.

A B C
THE ROLE OF THE COMPRESSOR

The car air conditioning compressor is driven by the engine via a belt and magnetic clutch. The
gaseous refrigerant from the exit of the evaporator is taken in and compressed by the compressor, and
changed to a high-temperature, high-pressure gas. This gas is then sent to the condenser.

TYPES OF COMPRESSORS

Compressors are classified into displacement type and turbo type. All compressors used for car air
conditioning systems are of the displacement type.

The compressors can be classified according to the compression method and structure as follows;
Although the swash plate type is mainstream, the use of vane type and scroll type has been increased in
response to market needs for smaller, quieter units.
 Crank type (straight array) … Representative examples (2C90, 2M110, 3A188)
Reciprocating
Swash plate type (R-shaped) … Representative examples (6E, 6P, 10P, 10PA)
Type
Wobble Plate Type … Representative examples (6CA, 7SB)
Displace
ment
Eccentric rotor type Representative examples
type
Vane Type (TV)
Rotary
Concentric Rotor Type Representative examples
Type
(8V06)
Scroll type … Representative examples (SC08, SCS08)

STRUCTURE AND OPERATION OF SWASH PLATE COMPRESSOR

a. Structure

One feature of the swash plate compressor is

how the swash plate is fixed at a slant onto
the shaft. Five pairs of pistons (10 cylinders)
are set on the swash plate. When the shaft
rotates, the swash plate causes the pistons to
carry out reciprocal motion in the same
direction as the shaft.

Five pairs of pistons are placed inside the cylinder.

When one side is entering the compression stage,
the other side enters into the suction phase.

As a result, when the shaft rotates one time,

10 cylinders carry out suction and compression.
This smooths out torque fluctuation and discharge
pressure to reduce noise.
b. Operation

Suction Stroke

The rotation of the swash plate causes the piston to

move away from the valve plate so that the cylinder
internal volume increases and the pressure inside the
cylinder becomes lower than the low-pressure side
of the refrigerant cycle. This opens the suction
valve so that the refrigerant gas can enter the
cylinder.

In this case, the discharge valve is pressed against

the valve plate due to the pressure on the high-
pressure side. The discharge holes on the valve
plate are closed so that there is no reverse flow from
the high-pressure side to the inside of the cylinder.

Compression Stroke

The rotation of the swash plate causes the piston to

move toward the valve plate so that the cylinder
internal volume decreases and the pressure inside the
cylinder becomes higher than the high pressure side
of the refrigerant cycle.

As a result, the discharge valve opens and the high-

temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas is sent to
the condenser. At this time, the suction valve is
pressed against the valve plate due to the pressure
inside the cylinder. This closes the suction holes on
the valve plate so that the refrigerant gas does not
flow back to the suction side (low-pressure side).
STRUCTURE AND OPERATION OF SCROLL TYPE COMPRESSOR

a. Structure

The scroll type compressor is composed of two scrolls; a fixed scroll, and a rotating scroll, which
together, create a spiral configuration.

The fixed scroll forms a single unit with the housing. The rotating scroll carries out a circular motion
due to the rotation of the shaft (while maintaining the same angular position relative to the shaft).

As a result, the volume of space separated by the two scrolls varies, causing suction and compression
of the gas refrigerant.
b. Operation

Suction, Compression

When the volume between the fixed scroll and rotating scroll changes together with the circular motion
of the rotating scroll, the refrigerant is sucked in from the suction port and compressed.

Discharge

When the refrigerant pressure rises, the discharge valve is pushed open and the refrigerant gas is
discharged from the discharge port.

In this method, the refrigerant gas is discharged once every shaft rotation.

Notes:

§ The rotating scroll does not rotate. Instead it moves in an oval path.

§ The scroll has one cylinder (compression every 360 degrees).

Examine the figure again. On the outside of the compression chamber, a new compression
chamber starts to form after advancing 360 degrees. In other words, every 360 degrees (i.e. every
rotation) a new compression chamber is created and there is one discharge every 360 degrees.
This means the scroll is a one-cylinder compressor.
FUNCTION OF THE CONDENSER

The condenser is a heat exchanger used to cool down the high-pressure, high-temperature gaseous
refrigerant sent from the compressor into a liquid refrigerant. In this process, the heat released by the
condenser will become equal to the sum of the heat taken in by the evaporator and the heat added by
compression.

The condenser is constructed with tubes and fins, and installed in the front of the radiator. This
position allows cooling by the radiator or electric fan drawing in outside air.

The refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor exists in a high temperature and pressure state of
approximately 1.7Mpa and 80 degrees Centigrade, as shown in the figure below at point ‘A’. The
refrigerant gas passing through the tubes is cooled by outside air and becomes liquefied at point ‘B’.
CONDENSER TYPES

Condensers are classified according to the differences in construction of the tubes and fins, as
explained below. The compact, high performance multi-flow type condenser (also called the parallel
flow type), are used more than the conventional serpentine type.

FIN AND TUBE CONSTRUCTION

The plate fin type is constructed by inserting and expanding the tube inside the fin plate.
Unfortunately, the performance is not satisfactory and the condenser is large in size.

The corrugated fin type is constructed by bending the tubes into a shape, like a sharply winding road,
then inserting and joining the fins between the tubes. Unlike the plate fin type, the performance is
improved.

SERPENTINE TYPE CONSTRUCTION

The heating efficiency of this heat exchanger was

improved because the realisation of 2 and 3-pass
types results in a decrease in refrigerant flow
resistance.

The number of passes depends on the number of

tubes that are installed at each inlet and outlet
joints. This heat exchange is constructed by
bending the tubes and inserting corrugated fins, as
explained in the previous section.
MULTI FLOW TYPE (MF) CONSTRUCTION

The refrigerant flow resistance is reduced in

this type of condenser because the refrigerant
in the tubes at both ends of the tank is
flowing at the same time. The efficiency is
therefore greatly improved because the tubes
can be made thin and a large number of fins
can be used. Finally, the flow can be
optimised by inserting partition plates inside
the tank.

CONDENSER COOLING AND INSTALLATION POSITION

Generally, the condenser is located in front of the

radiator and fixed to the vehicle body by a rubber
base. In other words, the condenser is independent of
other parts.

Some vehicles use the radiator fan to cool the

condenser, and other vehicles have an electric fan
installed for specially cooling the condenser.

The condenser fan speed is controlled in two to three

stages by the refrigerant pressure and engine coolant
temperature.

FUNCTION OF THE RECEIVER

The receiver is located between the condenser and expansion valve. The receiver separates the gaseous
refrigerant from the liquid refrigerant by the weight difference and ensures a steady flow of liquid
refrigerant to be supplied to the expansion
valve. Also, the dryer and filter in the
receiver removes moisture and dirt from
the refrigerant.

Any moisture within the refrigeration

cycle will corrode parts or freeze inside
the orifice of the expansion valve and
inhibit the flow of the refrigerant.

The receiver is available as a block joint

or union type, depending on the
differences in how the piping is
connected.
SEPARATION OF GAS & LIQUID IN THE REFRIGERANT (GAS & LIQUID SEPARATION)

The receiver temporarily stores the refrigerant, and separates the gaseous refrigerant from the liquid
refrigerant.

Depending on the conditions of the outside air, the

refrigerant that was cooled inside the condenser is not
always completely liquefied. The cooling efficiency
will decrease if gaseous refrigerant is fed to the
expansion valve.

Since, liquid refrigerant settles to the bottom and

gaseous refrigerant rises to the top inside the receiver,
the receiver separates the two with a pipe which takes
in the liquid refrigerant from the bottom. The liquid
refrigerant is then discharged from the receiver.

SUPER-COOLING CONDENSER

Cooling efficiency can be increased by super-cooling the liquid refrigerant that was fed from the
condenser. However, there were many problems during development with conventional technology,
such as complicated construction, weight increase, difficulty in installation, and increase in the amount
of refrigerant.

At last, these problems have been solved with the development of the ‘super-cooling condenser’. In
comparison to the conventional receiver cycle, the development of the multi flow condenser and
modulator has not only brought about an improvement in efficiency, but also a decrease in the amount
of refrigerant and weight, and simpler installation.
CONSTRUCTION

The conventional receiver cycle (condenser and receiver) fed only liquid to the evaporator after the gas
and liquid refrigerants (2nd phase) are condensed in the condenser and separated with the receiver.

We were able to improve cooling performance (realisation of high efficiency) with our newly
developed super-cooling condenser, which is divided into two sections for the condensing and super-
cooling sections, with the modulator (gas and air separator) placed in the middle of the cycle. The
liquid refrigerant is cooled again to magnify the energy (entropy) stored.

1. EXPANSION VALVE

EXPANSION VALVE

Function

The expansion valve has the following two functions:

§ The expansion valve converts high-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant into a low-
temperature, low-pressure mist by spraying it from a small orifice.

§ The amount of refrigerant is adjusted according to the state of the refrigerant in the evaporator
outlet. In order to fully utilise to capacity of the evaporator, the liquid refrigerant must be kept in
such a state that is always captures the surrounding heat and is completely evaporated at the
evaporator outlet. Therefore, the amount of refrigerant is automatically controlled according to the
changes in the temperature in the passenger compartment (the thermal load), and the changes in
the compressor rotation rate.

Below are representative expansion valve structures and features.

BOX TYPE EXPANSION VALVE
Structure Box type expansion valve

The basic structure consists of a diaphragm,

temperature-sensing rod and needle valve
(ball). Refrigerant gas is sealed in the section
above the diaphragm.

The evaporator outlet pressure is applied to the

bottom of the diaphragm.

JOINT CONNECTION TYPE EXPANSION VALVE

Structure

The structure consists of the diaphragm, needle valve and temperature-sensing bulb, and can be
classified as follows according to whether or not there is a pressure equalising tube.

Type Pressure Application

Equalising Tube
External pressure Yes Large Capacity
equalising type
Internal pressure No Small Capacity
equalising

Joint Connection Type Expansion Valve

Refrigerant gas is sealed in the temperature-sensing
bulb, which is installed at the evaporator outlet to
detect the refrigerant temperature.

Also, the evaporator outlet pressure is applied to

the bottom of the diaphragm through the
pressure equalising tube.
 EVAPORATOR

STRUCTURE AND OPERATION

Like the condenser, the evaporator has a simple structure made up of tubes and fins. There are the
following types of evaporators:

§ Serpentine
§ ST : Single Tank
§ MS : Multi-Tank and Super-Slim Structure

Serpentine Type

Refrigerant enters the evaporator from the expansion valve as a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid in
mist form. As the refrigerant pressure drops after passing through the expansion valve, the refrigerant
starts to boil, and in doing so, absorbs heat from the air passing over the evaporator fins.

In this way, the refrigerant is changed in the evaporator to a low-temperature, low-pressure gas. The
cooled air passes through the cooling unit into the cabin.

MOISTURE CONDENSATION

As air passes through the evaporator, the moisture it contains freezes and builds up as ice on the fins.
This severely restricts the ability for the evaporator to exchange heat and cool the cabin. Therefore, a
thermistor attached close to the evaporator fins is used to sense an ice build up and, via an amplifier,
disengage the compressor clutch.

The melting water droplets fall to the base of the cooling unit which has been specially designed.
When the ice has melted, the thermistor senses the rise in temperature and allows the compressor clutch
to re-engage allowing cooling of the cabin.

Therefore, because water is continually being removed from the air, especially when the system is run
in ‘recirc’ mode, the evaporator dehumidifies the air inside the cabin. In removing water from the air,
it also removes dust and foreign matter clinging to the water molecules and purifies the air.
COOLING UNIT

Situated behind the glove box, the cooling unit is the only part of the air conditioner which is situated
inside the passenger compartment.

It typically consists of:

1. An evaporator to exchange heat.

2. A drain hose to allow water which condenses on the evaporator to escape.
3. A sealed plastic housing to prevent water from leaking inside the cabin.

Cooling units can also contain the thermostatic

expansion valve to regulate refrigerant flow and Cooling Unit
amplifier to control compressor function.

Some models have a stand-alone cooling unit

(separate type) and others combine the evaporator
and the heater core to form a single unit.

The warm air in the passenger compartment is

drawn in by the blower fan and cooled by passing
through the fins. If it is cooled below its
condensation point, the humidity in the air
condenses out and forms water drops on the
evaporator fins. This water is drained out of the
vehicle through the drain hose.

Cooling Unit. Figure 2