Department of Refrigeration and Cryogenics

Faculty of Environment and Life

Progress Report

Microcontroller Based Power Modulation in Domestic Air

Conditioners

Najam ul Qadir

31st Oct, 2023

Research Objective
• Design a self-monitoring control system for a domestic air-conditioner which can
automatically detect the most optimum combination of V, t and f and apply it
using a microcontroller interface resulting in a minimum possible energy
consumption for a given ambient and load condition

Research Benefits
• Regardless of the ambient and load condition, the air-conditioner will NOT
require any manual temperature setting throughout the year while always
maintaining the minimum energy consumption
• Both the setpoint and the actual temperatures can be visualized on an LCD and the
difference between the two can aid in periodic maintenance if needed
A/C compressor
Domestic and Commercial Benefits

• Even a heavy duty will consume a minimum power for a very small room
• Post-harvest storage houses can benefit with lower economic investment
• Central air-conditioning and heating units can benefit from this design
Limitations

• How to set the desired tolerance?

• Should the tolerance remain constant with increasing iterations or should reduce
periodically?
• The proposed design might work for a closed room, BUT:
• What if the setpoint is never achieved for an open room?
 Select setpoint
(SP) and record
ambient (AMB)

Supply full
voltage

NO
AMB SP TOL

YES

Decrease supply
voltage by DV

NO
AMB > SP TOL

YES

Increase supply YES

AMB < SP TOL
voltage by DV

• Record the optimized voltage (Vopt)

AMB SP TOL YES
NO • Turn off compressor
&
AMB SP TOL • Resume normal operation with
constant value of Vopt