Has anyone used a A/C compressor from a car?

[ak_47_boy]

I have been thinking about this for a while, i think some are scroll or rotary, is this one is quad piston?:
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3428/accompressorinside9xd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Anyway they could be drivin by a 1HP electric motor with rheostat speed control... since the drive is very veriable alot of thing could be experimented with, maby even a torque converter drive. I would figure it would not be too too loud.

[[XC] Lead Head]

I have been thinking about this for a while, i think some are scroll or rotary, is this one is quad piston?:
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3428/accompressorinside9xd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Anyway they could be drivin by a 1HP electric motor with rheostat speed control... since the drive is very veriable alot of thing could be experimented with, maby even a torque converter drive. I would figure it would not be too too loud.

Although I could be wrong, I heard car compressors used any where between 15-30HP of the main engine...

[the_new_guy]

car compressors are belt drive so you will have to put a external motor.

[Movieman]

No figures to back this up but think of how much your gas milage drops when you use your AC in the car..Also the "feel" and sound of your engine when you turn on your AC. Leadhead may well be right..and maybe more so.

[[XC] gomeler]

While it might be cool to create a project like this, AC compressors in cars sap between 10 and 25 horsepower, depending on how much HP the engine generates. Unless you can get everything for free, I think standard compressors are the way to go. Plus, who wants a fast spinning belt in their room whizzing away? Sounds dangerous.

[[XC] MarioMaster]

i've always thought of coupling a car AC compressor with a small gasoline engine to make a sort of outdoor airconditioner :p:

[Cr@sh_D1n3r]

Ya, so you can cool the planet? hehe Honestly, I wouldn't even try this. I would be scared of the electric bill to run this thing of my house electrical outlets...

[[XC] MarioMaster]

i meant for your tent :rolleyes:

outdoor as in usable outdoors, not to cool the outdoors :D

[Cr@sh_D1n3r]

Hehe I knew it I was just messing around.

[martinjon666]

or better yet, has it been done before? i say try it and let us know how it does.

[Xeon th MG Pony]

it has been don befor a friend of mine in Nz Used one with a wind mill to cool his place (Only on windy days lol) it worked rather well, he since rebuilt it as just an air compressor for his shop work.



EDIT:

I'll try and pry more details from him on what he did next time I catch him on line

[epion2985]

I have been thinking about this for a while, i think some are scroll or rotary, is this one is quad piston?:
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3428/accompressorinside9xd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Anyway they could be drivin by a 1HP electric motor with rheostat speed control... since the drive is very veriable alot of thing could be experimented with, maby even a torque converter drive. I would figure it would not be too too loud.

there is no end to bad ideas is there. Yes it can be done, probbably looking at more then a 1hp motor, but more importantly why? Always ask why before asking if it can be done, the answer is probbably yes but whats the point. You can also use one and drive it with a steam turbine, and burn coal in your basement to heat the water to make steam, but why. There is no need, no point. Unlese like Xeon's friend you live in a very windy place and have a wind mill. Car ac compressors, helium, hard piping for watercooling, amonia cooling, it never ends :rolleyes:

[Thrilla]

A wind mill sounds uberly interesting, green cooling solution :D
Why? Maybe to experiment and take vaulable pictures or look good on your resume? But is it worth all the trouble?

If I had lots of green and time to spend, then I'd give it a try, maybe buy one of those 800watt solar panels and charge up a bank of batteries, green solution XD

[wdrzal]

A car a/c is around 5hp .

I sure detroitac could be more precise. I would be intersted in how new units compare to old ones? have the gains made in resendential been met or surpassed as compared to auto???

[Xeon th MG Pony]

his was from a moderately new Nissan and it worked nicely using R-290 with a high viscosity Mineral oil, and using an idler assembly he managed to hold a good load with it, I'm revising his idea to heat water, and on a plus I figured a way to heat the towel racks at the same go with out any big penalties using the wast heat from the drain water :D This shall be a very nice system for thoughs who are totally off grid like him. FYI Patent pending! (He has one for his system as well.

[star882]

Couldn't it be used as a recovery machine by connecting the shaft to a stationary bike somehow? (Yes, it would be underpowered. But it should work well enough for recovery purposes.)

[expansionvalve]

That compressor looks like a Sanden 508 or thereabouts, I'm very familiar with these types of compressor.
I use these compressor on transport refrigeration units and using one to cool a pc chip has crossed my mind on many occasions, the reason I havnt done so, is because it will be quiet noisy, thirsty on the electric and they hate running with little suction pressure which will result in a broke compressor before long. You will also need an electric motor with the correct size pulley to keep inside the max rpm for the drive pulley. They also suffer now again with leaking shaft seals which is a pain..

On the whole, playing with one of these compressors would be fun but oh so very impractical.

[DetroitAC]

I'm an automotive refrigeration engineer, and that is a Sanden 508. The power they draw...sounds simple, but depends on the LOAD! It's crazy to say they draw a fixed amount of power! Depends on the pressure ratio and RPM that it's working against. You could hook this up to an 1/10hp motor, with the appropriate pulley ratio to work against a given pressure ratio, it would be turning very slowly, and have small refrigerating capacity. You could hook this up to a 10hp motor and spin it at 7000 RPM against a very high pressure ratio, and a have high refrigerating capacity perhaps as high as 8kW.

expansionvalve is exactly right about the shaft seal, and it is the reason why you don't want to use this pump. These automotive compressors are open drive with a lip type shaft seal. The lip is held by pressure and it's own elasticity against the shaft. The seal is OK to hold against a vacuum when the compressor isn't turning, but with the compressor turning they will allow air to slowly enter. It gets worse with higher RPM's, lower suction pressures, and the more hours the pump has on it. It's totally unsuitable for the kinds of chip temperatures you guys expect.

[[XC] mysticmerlin]

i meant for your tent :rolleyes:

outdoor as in usable outdoors, not to cool the outdoors :D

Doing his part against global warming :banana:

[Firechicken]

I'm an automotive refrigeration engineer, and that is a Sanden 508. The power they draw...sounds simple, but depends on the LOAD! It's crazy to say they draw a fixed amount of power! Depends on the pressure ratio and RPM that it's working against. You could hook this up to an 1/10hp motor, with the appropriate pulley ratio to work against a given pressure ratio, it would be turning very slowly, and have small refrigerating capacity. You could hook this up to a 10hp motor and spin it at 7000 RPM against a very high pressure ratio, and a have high refrigerating capacity perhaps as high as 8kW.

expansionvalve is exactly right about the shaft seal, and it is the reason why you don't want to use this pump. These automotive compressors are open drive with a lip type shaft seal. The lip is held by pressure and it's own elasticity against the shaft. The seal is OK to hold against a vacuum when the compressor isn't turning, but with the compressor turning they will allow air to slowly enter. It gets worse with higher RPM's, lower suction pressures, and the more hours the pump has on it. It's totally unsuitable for the kinds of chip temperatures you guys expect.


Perfect explanation, one of the reasons we got out of using seperate motors to drive home and buisness hvac.

[Xeon th MG Pony]

Two words, Semi-Hermetic :D Never go with out one :D

[wdrzal]

DetroitAc your picture looks remarkable like my best employee who was killed in a auto accident 10 years ago.:( Do you ever feel you lived another life and your name was Micky.???????? ;) Still miss him to this day,he was a a/c engineer also.

Do you work for one of the major manufactures????? I have a buch of relitives up near there, Lincoln park and dearborn.


One more Question, is ther any "great stop leak" for aluminium evaporators????????????? I know rip out the dash and replace it:fact: :rolleyes:

[wdrzal]

Two words, Semi-Hermetic :D Never go with out one :D


HUH ,Hermetic is the way to go. Then you don't have to rebuild them:D

[DetroitAC]

Sorry to hear about your friend, he must have been a handsome fellow :woot: couldn't resist that!

I worked for Chrysler for a while, but I've been with suppliers since 2000, including Visteon (dearborn).

Sorry, but all stop leaks, so far as I know, are as good as a death sentence for the TXV/orifice, compressor, and the condenser if it's a micro channel . I honestly don't know how it is still legal to sell that stuff. They do sometimes stop a pinhole leak...so your non-functioning, compressor is shrapnel, condenser is plugged up system can finally hold a charge! :toast:

[wdrzal]

I wish they would stop making aluminium evaps, they plain suck. The problem just happens to be in a chry. concord.

Why aluminium? is it weight or cost they are concerned about?

Arn't they useing electric a/c compressors on the toyota prius???

[Thrilla]

Some people run their radiator fan off the battery instead of belt driven, I think most cars run on electrical now, lol, to get a few more horses out of the engine, I guess same with the compressor?

The condensor in my Honda Civic 03 is aluminium too, looks like a double pass water cool radiator, so bad, grrrr

[wdrzal]

mine has twin electric fans, they don't rob hp from the engine and the only time they come on if you sitting in a trafic jam on a hot day.

where getting way off topic of cooling pc's ,

[DetroitAC]

Chrysler was the last of the big 3 to make their own evaps, their Dayton plant was just horrible before they sold it to Behr. Chrysler evaps of the 90's were just lousy with pinholes due to poor process and quality control at that plant.

Aluminum is a fine material for heat exchangers, but obviously it must be done correctly. The main reason for aluminum is cost, almost all evaps are made from 3003 alloys, an evap sells to the OEM for about $17. Automotive evaps are really quite good in reliability and warranty compared to the rest of the car. It's just a pity Chrysler made so many bad ones, sorry for your luck.

Prius and many of the next generation hybrids will be using electric compressors. They are a bit less efficient due to energy conversion losses, but the benefits of an engine start-stop strategy makes it worthwhile. They are mostly automotive designs with a motor bolted on, like a semi-hermetic.

[wdrzal]

It not the price of the new evap, Its the work ripping the dash out!!!!:eek: if you don't do it every day, you always seem to take out twice as many bolts and screws than necessary,:rolleyes: but you do find out it works just fine when you only replace half of them:D

I replaced one in my ford truck but the evap enclosurer was located forward of the firewall and could be opened and acessed from the engine compartment. about 1 hour to change.

Concord 2 day:eek: