Window Air Conditioner Compressor

[frankrede]

ok this thing will generate for you 300 bar
so you better go find scuba tank to fill it

You don't even make sense, we aren't talking about 300 bar, and according to you if it does create 300 bar, then how is it not worth it?(not that it does even get close to those pressures.
And why would he need a scuba tank?????

[POLAND_SPUD]

generally air conditioners use more electricicty than fridges which suggest that they are more powerful.... so IMO it's worth trying...


air condicitoning has to 'cool' more and faster than fridges.... more becasue it cools a lot of air (while fridges only cool the air inside them).. and it has to do it much faster than a fridge


IMO it's a good idea to check its power... most fridge compressors are about 80W...

but this thing is 515W --> generic window air conditioner

so if 'yours' is similar in size etc. then it should be really powerful... of course assuming that they do have compressors inside (lol I've never seen one... and I had to use google to understand what it is.... )

[jimmy101]

i ask air conditioner technician about this thing and he told me that the max pressure you can get is 300 psi
you know thats not a refrigerator compressor so he can make low temp

The AC tech would have no idea what the pressure capability of the pump is. In an AC system the pressure is largely limited by the liquefaction pressure of the coolant. For the various freons (R12, R134a, ...) that isn't all that high.

If two cooling systems use the same refrigerant I would expect them to operate at about the same pressures. An AC unit using R12 and a frig using R12 would be operating at about the same pressures since it is the coolant that determines the optimal pressures. To get to lower temperatures the frig will need to have larger heat exchangers and a larger volume pump. Note that the max pressure of the pump is not really related to the size of the pump.

The AC compressor is definitely worth a shot. Be careful though, even if it "only" reaches 150 PSIG that represents a hell of a lot of energy even in a small reservoir. The pump may well reach much higher pressures.

BTW, car AC units generally operate with the "low" pressure side at 25-50 PSIG and the "high" pressure side at 200-250 PSIG. Those pressures are set by the amount of refrigerant in the system, not by any limitations of the pump. So it looks like a car AC will do at least 150-225 PSIG differential between inlet and outlet. I would expect a window AC unit to be similar.

[daxspudder]

... I am still skeptical of what is being said here... the reason a a/c tech wouldnt know is because the design of an a/c is to compress the refrigerant just to DECOMPRESS it... compression makes heat, and decompression sheds heat, so the design will be different for every make and model of a/c unit so therefore the only real way to find out is to make it into a compressor, and measure the pressure.

[POLAND_SPUD]

fridge compressors converted to compressors produce much higher pressures than they normally produce in fridges... (when a compressor is still a part of a fridge the pressure is 85 psi on the high pressure side and 50 psi on the low pressure side)

so if a technician says that an AC compressor is capable of 300 psi (which most likely means that they normally run at these pressures) then it suggest that it can produce higher pressures when converted to a homemade compressor than the one made from fridge compressor

the only real way to find out is to make it into a compressor, and measure the pressure.

that's true.... but everything suggest that it should have higher flow and higher pressure than a fridge compressor....

[jimmy101]

... but everything suggest that it should have higher flow and higher pressure than a fridge compressor....

Everything suggest it may have a higher flow. I suspect the max pressure could well be the same.

In normal operation the different kinds of AC units probably all operate at similar pressures as long as they were designed to use the same refrigerant.

Edi: Engrish

[iisthemuffin]

Im glad to see some of you so interested in this topic. I know i ertainly am.

My uncle wont give it to me any sooner. Im trying so hard.

I kind of feel as though it may operate at high pressures as well.

And i am certain that A/C's have compressors. I researched them. Im not entirely sure what one looks like because i could not find a picture of one for sure. But hopefully it is simple to rig up.

What would you guys suggest i use as a tank to test the pressures?

[Gippeto]

Co2 fire extinguishers would be a good choice.

Rated for 1800psi and proof tested to 3000psi.

You should be able to find a dead one. The ones I got hold of even have NPT threads.

Check with whoever does the fire extinguisher inspections where you live. (Fire hall?)

[psycix]

generally air conditioners use more electricicty than fridges which suggest that they are more powerful.... so IMO it's worth trying...

air condicitoning has to 'cool' more and faster than fridges.... more becasue it cools a lot of air (while fridges only cool the air inside them).. and it has to do it much faster than a fridge

Remember, that even though AC cools more volume and material, it doesnt cool it down that much as a fridge. At least, I think most people do not cool their cars or rooms to about 5*C.

If two cooling systems use the same refrigerant I would expect them to operate at about the same pressures. An AC unit using R12 and a frig using R12 would be operating at about the same pressures since it is the coolant that determines the optimal pressures.

Hmmm, true on one hand, but when different temperatures rule, there are different boiling points and vapor pressures. I would imagine a fridge to run on lower pressures then an AC since the fridge is lower in temperature.

[POLAND_SPUD]

@psycix... it's not about temperature.. but about temperature differential... and it's more less the same for fridges and AC... and remember that AC has a very limited amount of time to cool air down

[jimmy101]

Like poland said (we agreed on somethin!). I would expect that for efficiency sake once the coolant is selected the high and low pressures in the system are pretty much defined by the whatever is best for that particular coolant. The capacity of the system would be changed by increasing the throughput of the pump (but not necisarily the pressure) and the size of the two radiators.

[golfball 4]

Just a random thought but do you think one of these could power a cloud or vortex?

[potatoflinger]

Just a random thought but do you think one of these could power a cloud or vortex?

Nope, it says it can inflate a tire in less that 3 minutes and 30 seconds. That sucks.

[golfball 4]

What if I hooked it up to a 10 gallon tank and hooked that up to the cloud/vortex?

[potatoflinger]

What if I hooked it up to a 10 gallon tank and hooked that up to the cloud/vortex?

Then it would take you a half hour to fill the 10 gallon tank to a decent pressure (100PSI).