How to Improve an Air Conditioner’s Efficiency at Low-Speed?
Ever since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1850, Earth’s temperature has increased by about 1.1°C[1]. ?Moreover, global temperatures have been rising by 0.08° C per decade since 1880[2]. No matter how small the figures seem, it has made a huge difference in the environment surrounding us.
This rise in global temperatures is responsible for longer and hotter summers, especially in temperate regions of the world, where people are facing the worst heat waves possible. Global warming is pressing people to buy air conditioners to save themselves from the killer heat.
As is universally known, no amount of technological advancement can cool the sun down, so the most convenient and widely available solution we have is an air conditioner. ?Air conditioning in U.S. homes has crept up from 77% in 2001 to 88% in 2020[3]. In fact, the International Energy Agency predicts that 10 new air conditioners are projected to be sold every second between 2023 and 2050[4].
The rise in global temperatures has led to an increased demand for air conditioners. Air conditioners are now more universal than any other heating or cooling device. Diverse usage patterns have emerged over the years among air conditioner users. End-users that only considered air conditioners a source of cooling in summer, now use it in spring and fall too.
?
The rise in diverse patterns has prompted the need for high-efficiency air conditioners that are also noise-free. Before, end-users only focused on the cooling performance of the system. However, nowadays noise and efficiency at low-speed operation have also become one of the decisive factors for customers when choosing an air conditioner.
?
As a result, the standards to measure an air conditioner’s performance have evolved and changed over time. The performance of an air conditioner does not solely depend on its cooling efficiency anymore. Noise has become a major factor in rating the performance of the device.?
Q. What has made a remarkable development in air conditioner technology?
Most air conditioners have an outdoor unit, where the compressor is located. Any cooling system requires a compressor to compress the refrigerant. A compressor is responsible for the refrigerant flow inside the system, in short, it is the most important component in a cooling system.
Air conditioners can typically be classified into two types: non-inverter and inverter air conditioners. The difference between these two is the speed of the compressor that compresses the refrigerant. If the speed of the compressor in an AC is fixed, it is a non-inverter AC. In case, the speed is variable, then it’s an inverter AC. Inverter air conditioners have revolutionized cooling technology and provided a more energy-friendly and efficient alternative.
?
A fixed-speed compressor, as the name indicates, works at a “fixed speed”. The speed of the compressor remains constant regardless of the required output. As opposed to this, the speed of the compressor is variable in a variable speed compressor.
?
Let’s take an example to have a better understanding of this. Let us assume that a certain person called ‘A’, desires a cooling of 25° C in a room temperature of 30° C, then the compressor will decrease its speed to reach the desired temperature to reach the small difference in the room temperature and desired temperature. Whereas, if another person called ‘B’ sets the cooling temperature to 18° C, the compressor will increase its speed to cover a difference of 12° in a shorter period of time.
?
In contrast to this, a fixed-speed compressor always rotates at the same speed regardless of the temperature settings because the speed of the compressor is fixed. ?Although a variable speed compressor beats a fixed-speed compressor in terms of performance, it comes with its own set of drawbacks.
Q. What are the limitations of a variable speed rotary compressor in an inverter air conditioner?
The most commonly used variable speed compressor in inverter air conditioners is a rotary compressor.
A rotary compressor requires a roller and a vane for compression. Low-speed operation is the biggest culprit for noise issues in a variable speed rotary compressor. Low-speed operation leads to an unstable movement of the vane, that touches the outer surface of the roller. Due to the unstable movement of the vane, it repeatedly loses and establishes contact with the roller, which causes abnormal noises.
领英推荐
The role of the vane and the roller is to separate high-pressure and low-pressure refrigerants while compressing the refrigerant. If they lose contact with each other, it causes a leak in the refrigerant and leads to the intermixing of low-pressure and high-pressure refrigerant affecting the performance of the compressor. That is why the roller and vane must stay in contact with each other at all times.
?
When the rotational speed of the compressor is lowered, the movement of the vane becomes unstable, it repeatedly falls and touches the roller, and the constant collision of steel components causes abnormal noises.
Q. How has LG overcome all limitations of variable speed rotary compressor?
Who doesn’t love a good night’s sleep? Abnormal noises from air conditioners are highly likely to disturb your sleep, especially if you are a light sleeper. Nowadays, a noise-free unit has become the most sought-after feature in air conditioners. Furthermore, a noisy air conditioner can not only become a headache for you but for your neighbor too. ?
?
However, no matter how complicated a problem is, LG is always a step ahead in the game. With years of rigorous research and hard work, LG Compressor and Motor has invented the LG Hinged-Vane Rotary Compressor.
?
In LG Hinged-Vane Rotary Compressor, roller and vane are structurally combined. This leaves no room for separation of the roller and the vane even at low-speed operation.
?
A combined roller and vane structure also means increased performance, and less consumption of energy which ultimately translates to high savings for end-users. LG Hinged-Vane Rotary Compressor has been designed keeping the concerns of air conditioner manufacturers and end-users in mind, hence it delivers high performance. If you are looking to add a competitive edge to your air conditioner and provide maximum comfort to your customers, the LG Hinged-Vane Rotary Compressor should easily be your first choice.
We at LG Compressor and Motor believe that the LG Hinged-Vane Rotary Compressor will revolutionize the air conditioning solutions in the HVAC industry and help HVAC business owners find the right solution for their business.