Is it possible to make Air conditioner without a compressor?

Question

Is there any new method available A/C without a compressor ?(solid state technique)What is the merits & demerits?.Cost factor , power consumption factor explain briefly ,I need clear answer pl

Answer 1

An absorption refrigeration system doesn't use a compressor.

This refrigeration device is widely used in domestic refrigerators, and recreational vehicles. It is also used in year-around air conditioning of both homes and larger buildings. The unit consists of four main parts the boiler, condenser, evaporator and the absorber. When the unit operates on kerosene or gas, the heat is supplied by a burner. When operating on electricity, the heat is supplied by an element.

The unit charge consists of a quantity of ammonia, water, and hydrogen. These are at a sufficient pressure to condense ammonia at room temperature. When heat is supplied to the boiler system, bubbles of ammonia gas are produced. They rise and carry with them quantities of weak ammonia solution through a siphon pump. This weak solution passes into tube, while the ammonia vapor passes into the vapor pipe and on to the water separator. Here any water vapor is condensed and runs back into the boiler system, leaving the dry ammonia vapor to pass to the condenser. Air circulating over the fins of the condenser removes heat from the ammonia vapor. It condenses into liquid ammonia and then flows into the evaporator.

Answer 2

Air Conditioner Without Compressor

Answer 3

Nothing in air conditioning is new. It has been done for many years.

There are three types of "compressorless" refrigeration that I can think of.

1. ) swamp coolers or evaporative coolers - these work on the process of adiabatic saturation in low humidity environments. Evaporating water removes energy from the air, makes it cooler and more humid. This is a win-win when the air is very dry, but the process doesn't work well in humid environments, were water evaporates less readily.

2.) Peltier junction solid state coolers. These are essentially a thermocouple driven in reverse. Conduction between the hot and cold plates is hard to control and at low voltages these devices need a lot of current. These units are not as efficient as mechanical refrigeration.

3.) Absorption refrigeration cycle. In these systems a solution of ammonia in water (or water in a lithium bromide brine) is used. Heating the water (or brine) drives out the ammonia (or water vapor) and takes the place of the compressor in the cycle. This cycle is useful if you have a source of waste heat. You essentially recover the energy in the waste heat to run a refrigeration unit. A few demo units have used solar energy as the heat source, but I don't think this is common.

Answer 4

There is a device that if you put a dc current one way it will heat up,if you reverse it it will turn cold
This is a solid state device but there is another gas absorption system used in much earlier fridges that had no moving parts other than the circulation of gases.
The information must be available some where.
I am 81 and this happened when I was a kid.
Sorry I can't remember just how it worked.

Answer 5

There are Peltier devices on the market that use arrays of thermocouples to effectively transfer heat. No moving parts!

Coleman and others make a portable cooler with a Peltier electric cooler. All you do is plug it in to 12 volts. They do use alot of current, though and are not as efficient as an A/C unit with a compressor.


My house is cooled with an evaporative cooler. These are definitely more efficient than A/C units.

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Answer 6

There also is an evaporative type cooler that uses steam powered air ejectors on a tank filled with heat exchange tubes. As pressure lowers the water flashes to steam and takes latent heat with it, cooling the water. It's not overly effective below about 90 degrees, and you need a 150 pound steam source.

Answer 7

FYI RESPONDERS
Compressor-less absorption refrigeration has been very common in commerce and industry for many decades either as the ammonia-type or as the lithium bromide (LB) salt -type.
Some absorption A/C units have been manufactired for residential use and like larger ones, could have utilized solar energy as the motivating (heat) source.

Answer 8

I know that there are ice chests that plug into the cigarette lighter socket in a car and have no compressor. The technology seems to be there.

Answer 9

Yes, and you can get them. The device is called a swamp cooler, and works by evaporating water. They are suitable only for a desert climate where the humidity is very low. I consider them to be inferior.

Answer 10

a) Yes, there are indeed solid state heat pumps.
They are woefully inefficient, and produce more heat than they pump.

b) Where I live (Los Angeles), evaporative coolers, a.k.a swamp coolers, are practical.