Introduction on automotive a/c compressor type - Part 1

In this post, i gonna talk about compressor type that is use in the automotive industries. There are several type of compressor that is used in car a/c. Among those, there is two type that is popular  which can category into Reciprocating type and Rotary type.

Reciprocating type can also be called as Piston type compressor. This type of compressor provide excellent and efficient refrigerant movement inside a/c system and it is the most commonly used compressor to this day.

Reciprocating compressor is a fixed volume compressor, it using the movement of piston to create suction and compress to move the refrigerant inside the a/c inlet. This kind of compressor have a certain volume ratio that cannot be altered, hence the volume of refrigerant a piston compressor can suck and discharge at a time is fixed.

The properties of fixed volume provide the car manufacturer an easier way to do the math on how much is the refrigerant, and also how big is the condenser and evaporator needed to be used on their vehicle to provide a adequate cooling for car user.


                                   Picture show piston type compressor with cut away

The picture above is common piston compressor that can be found easily. Many manufacturer comes with their own design, but all with a same basic principle like below:

I not gonna talk bout how is the compressor work in this post, as this is just a introduction to the type of compressor that can be found in car a/c, so i will leave the detail for future.I will talk on Rotary type compressor on my next post. Stay tune for more.