CAPACITY CONTROL OF RECIPROCATING COMPRESSORS

 refrigerant compressors are normally designed for peak load conditions

 without capacity regulations the Evaporator temperature decreases during part load
conditions
 reduced evaporated temperatures lead to problems such as low air humidity in the
refrigerated space, frosting of the evaporator coils and freezing of external fluids
 this indicates a need for controlling the capacity of compressor

various methods available for capacity control of compressors are

 CYCLING OR ON OFF CONTROL
 BACK PRESSURE REGULATION BY THROTTLING OF SUCTION GAS
 HOT GAS BYPASS
 UNLOADING OF CYLINDERS IN MULTI CYLINDER COMPRESSORS
 COMPRESSOR SPEED CONTROL

CYCLING OR ON OFF CONTROL

 Normally used in small refrigeration systems such as domestic refrigerators, room air
conditioners, water coolers etc
 a thermostat which senses the temperature of the refrigerated space or evaporator
temperature control the compressor on off
 when the refrigerated space and evaporator attains a cutout temperature. the
thermostat switches off the compressor
 a compressor is switch on when the temperature rises to a cut in value
 the temperature in the refrigerated space or evaporator temperature varies between
the cutout and cut in values
 the difference between cutting and cut out temperature is known as a differential
 the differential of the thermostat can be varied by an internal adjustment
 the level of the temperature at which the thermostat operates is called as the range
of the thermostat
 range of the thermostat can be varied by the customer by turning the thermostat
knob
 instead of a thermostat which takes control action based on temperature it is also
possible to use pressure sensing device to initiate on off control
 this type of device is called a pressostat and is designed to take control action by
sensing the evaporator pressure

 the on off control is satisfactory in application where fluctuation in the product

temperature due to on off control is acceptable
 thus it is suitable when thermal capacity of the product of the refrigerated space is
large so the small variation in it can be sufficient variation in evaporator temperature
  on off control is not good when the temperature has to be regulated within a small
range in which case the compressor has to start and stop very frequently
 small compressor motor can be secured for about 10 cycle per hour where is large
compressor motor are normally not allowed to start and stop for more than one or two
times in an hour
 though on off control introduced cycling losses , it may be better than operating the
system at part load with poor COP.
 Since on off control is inexpensive and simple it is widely used in small capacity
systems.

BACK PRESSURE REGULATION BY THROTTLING OF SUCTION GAS

 this method is effective in reducing the compressor capacity

 however this method is not normally used for regular capacity control is it does not
reduce the compressor power input proportionately , consequently it is energy
inefficient
 this method is normally used during the pull down period so as to avoid the power
peak

HOT GAS BYPASS METHOD

 hot gas bypass to suction side is an effective method of controlling the capacity
 when the evaporator pressure Falls below a predetermined value a hot gas bypass
wall is opened and hot refrigerant from the discharge side flows back into the
suction side of the compressor
 a constant pressure expansion valve can be used as a hot gas bypass valve
 the disadvantages of this method are
 little or no reduction in compressor power consumption at reduced loads
 excessive superheating of the suction gas resulting in overheating of the
compressors
 overheating of the compressor can be reduced by sending the hot bypass gas to
the evaporator inlet.
 this also maintains sufficiently high refrigerant velocity in the evaporator so that oil
returns to the compressor can be improved during low cooling loads
 hot gas bypass is normally used for regulating the capacity of small system
  however in conjunction with the other efficient methods, hot gas bypass is used
when it is required to regulate the capacity down to 0% for unloaded starting

UNLOADING OF CYLINDERS IN MULTI CYLINDER COMPRESSORS

 unloading of cylinders in multi cylinders compressors is another effective method of
regulating compressor capacity
 this is achieved usually by keeping the suction valves of some of the cylinders open during
the compression stroke
 as a result the suction vapour drawn into the these cylinders during suction stroke is
returned to the suction line during the compression stroke
 this is done with the help of pressure sensing switch which senses the low pressure in the
evaporator and open some of the suction valves
 in addition to capacity regulation this method is also used during pull down so that the peak
power point can be skipped
 this method is efficient as the required power input reduces with reduced cooling load
though not in same proportion.

COMPRESSOR SPEED CONTROL

 controlling the capacity of the compressor by regulating its speed is one of the most
efficient methods as the required power input reduces almost in the same
proportional with the cooling load
 however for complete control a variable frequency drive may be required which
increases the cost of the system
 in addition reducing the speed too much may be effect the compressor cooling and
oil return
Capacity Control Methods

To maintain constant temperature, a constant pressure must be present in the EVAPORATOR.

Ideally, the compressor should remove from the EVAPORATOR exactly the volume of refrigerant that
boils off in it. Change in loading: change in quantity of boiling off the refrigerant.

 Manual start/stop

 Speed variation

 Cylinder unloading reciprocating compressor

 Suction side throttling centrifugal compressor

 Inlet guide vane centrifugal compressor

 Hot gas bypass

 Compressor in parallel

 Slide valve Screw compressor - control effective working length of rotor.

Unloading device
Screw compressor
Screw compressor

Capacity Control Refrigeration Compressor

The following media explains about the Capacity Control Refrigeration Compressor

Capacity Control of refrigeration system

Any refrigeration or air-conditioning system must be designed to handle the maximum refrigeration
load anticipated. In refrigeration and Air conditioning system only during 10 to 15% of the operation
time, this maximum load occurs. 85 to 90% of the time there is part load operation and less than
about 50% of refrigeration capacity is needed for over 60% of the operational time.

During operating periods of a multi-box refrigeration system using a capacity-controlled compressor,

when all of the evaporators of a plant are actively being fed with liquid refrigerant, the control oil
pressure acting on the hydraulic relay piston will be at the highest value.

In the capacity control system, the fluid used as a source of actuating power against the underside of
the unloader piston is obtained from the discharge of the compressor lube oil pump.

cylinder unloading by holding suction valves open

A common method of varying the capacity of multi-cylinder compressors is to vary the number of
active cylinders by holding the suction valves open. The capacity control system unloads cylinders
(that is, cuts cylinders out of operation) in response to changes in refrigeration load based on
monitoring the suction pressure. Compressor lubricating oil is used to operate the valve lifting
mechanism. Under high loads (high-suction pressures), oil is admitted to the actuating cylinders and
the suction valves are allowed to operate normally. As the load decreases (and the suction pressure
drops), the oil pressure is cut off to the actuating cylinder and the suction valves are held open,
stopping the compression of the controlled cylinders. Typically, compressor cylinders are unloaded in
pairs, or in banks, by having different set points on the hydraulic mechanism, thus maintaining an
even load on the crankshaft.

If the suction pressure continues to fall off after all controlled cylinders are cutout, the compressor
will stop on the low pressure switch. Since oil pressure is required to load the cylinder, the
compressor will start with all controlled cylinders unloaded, thus reducing the starting load on the
compressor motor.
Cylinder unloader

Cylinder unloader is a device used to hold open the refrigeration compressor suction valve during
starting to reduce the compression load, working as a safety device, is also used for the purpose of
capacity control.
Cylinder Unloader

Most large reciprocating compressors (above 10 tons [35 kW]) are fitted with cylinder unloader that
are used to match the compressor’s refrigerant-pumping capacity with the falling evaporator load, by
progressively deactivating piston–cylinder pairs.

The cylinder unloader shown in this example reciprocating compressor uses an electrically actuated
unloader valve to close the suction passage to the cylinder that is being unloaded.

In response to a decreasing load, an electronic controller sends a signal to open a solenoid valve. This
solenoid valve diverts pressurized refrigerant vapor from the compressor discharge to the top of the
unloader valve, causing the unloader valve to close and shut off the flow of refrigerant vapor into the
cylinder. Even though the piston continues to travel back and forth inside this cylinder, it is no longer
performing compression since it cannot take in any refrigerant vapor.

In response to an increasing load, the controller sends a signal to close the solenoid valve. This closes
the port that allows the pressurized refrigerant vapor to travel to the top of the unloader valve. A
controlled leakage rate around the unloader valve relieves the pressure, allowing the valve to open
and refrigerant vapor to once again flow to the cylinder to be compressed.

Another type of cylinder unloader uses either pressure or electrically-actuated valving mechanisms
to hold open the suction valve of the piston–cylinder pair. Since the suction valve is prevented from
closing, no compression occurs in that cylinder and the discharge valve does not open. Still other
types of cylinder unloaders divert the compressed refrigerant vapor back to the suction side of the
compressor. Unloading devices, assisting in reducing the system load at the time of start, also acts
like a safety device.