# Small Refrigerant Compressors



## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

After reading the horsepower rating of the vertical axis wind turbines I'm once again thinking about using on to power a refrigerant compressor for off grid refrigerator and or freezer and or air conditioner. Seems there are possibilities but one would need a different style of refrigerant compressor than what most or all modern refrigerators have on them. An old belt drive unit would probably be simplest to work with but it would need to be small or at least matched to the function. 

Were the belt drive units ever used for very early refrigerators or home freezers? 

Would anything be available like them today as a substitution for an enclosed rotary compressor?

I think an auto compressor would require too much HP.

Thanks.


----------



## artificer (Feb 26, 2007)

There are projects that are easily done, and then there are those that just end up being an exercise in tilting at windmills... 

What are you going to use as power? Wind? Solar? Your vertical turbine? The easiest (and its not overly easy anyway) is to just make electricity and either use it directly, or store it, and use it at night.

Danfoss makes a really nice DC compressor and controller. Variable speed, battery protection, proven to work.

Bitzer makes a nice open drive compressor as well, if you want straight mechanical drive.

How big of a turbine do you want to have? Power is directly related to swept area.

An electrical power transmission path is going to be much simpler and easier than a mechanical one. You either need a very long drive shaft, or the compressor needs to be at the top of your tower. Interesting problems either way.

If your vertical turbine will not work with an electrical system (using an axial flux alternator, maybe) then it probably will not work as a straight mechanical system, either.

Michael


----------



## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

Thanks. Be careful around that Bitzer site. I attempted to access it yesterday and today and both time my anti-virus program gave warning that a virus had been detected so I didn't stick around long enough to get use of the site.

I do want to stick with mechanical compression rather than convert to electric and then back. Toying/planning on using the old half barrel Savionus rotor system for power. Average wind speed where I live is either 10Â½ or 11Â½ mph, I no longer remember which. 

I have a 20 foot reel of a salvage combine which can provide shaft, bearings, and even barrel mounting arms. A local oil company gives away leaking or dented barrels so I have those as well. In other words cheap play.

For added power needs for any purpose a person could set to rotors near each other on cross arms between uprights and use right angle drives to power the axles of a differential. The power coming through the differential and from the normal u-joint would, because of normal gearing, be sped up which might be beneficial for some applications. 

The power of the Savonius rotor is something to play around with and I'm still skeptical of just how much one will produce. The 1-2 hp seems a little strong to me but I would certainly appreciate that much.

Thanks for the information. The Bitzer might be just what I'm looking for.


----------



## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Windy in Kansas said:


> I think an auto compressor would require too much HP.



And yet an auto compressor barely manages to cool the inside of a car.

What would you possibly hope to do with less than that ?


And if you do manage to find something to connect, what does your fridge/freezer do in times of little or no wind, or what do you do with the excess cooling power in times of great wind ?


----------



## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Windy . . . .That auto compressor needs to turn at a high rate.
Only in extreme conditions (not very often) will that vertical axcess have enough torque to spin a gear box . . let alone a automotive differential .
And when those two mounted close together are aligned so as one is up wind of the other, the down wind unit will be in very turbulent *air* . . .it will drag down the other . . big time. 
And the weight of all these "gear cases" and oil drums is going to be a challenge to get up off the ground. 

don't let my doom and gloom stop you from thinking outside the box.......................


----------



## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

Sure wish I could visit that Bitzer site as it sounds like what I'm looking for. For the umpteenth time I have again attempted to visit the site and I always get a virus warning from my anti-virus program. Guess I'll have to pass on the information on them. 

TnAndy I think you are buying the wrong kind of car if yours doesn't have a good AC. I've not had one yet that does not do a good job of cooling the glassed in and solar heated space so that I'm comfortable in it with it on fairly high temp and low fan. With all the glass a car has, roof exposure, exhaust system heat, and heat from the drive mechanism I think they do a remarkable job. Would take a lot less compressor for a refrigerator or freezer in my humble opinion.

I'm in Kansas---there are few times that there isn't wind and besides an unopened frig during those times would maintain temp for a long time just like during power outages. 

Jim-mi, with a one horsepower rating from a Savionus rotor it sure ought to spin a few things. After all, think what all we power with fractional horsepower motors. 

As to being in turbulent air from one another--my thoughts are to have two units mounted on cross arms about 4 feet apart with the arms on an east/west axis. Most all of our wind comes from NW or SW so it would hit each unit separately without too much down wind pattern. Savionus is much different than a prop job and don't think air disturbance will be as important but I may be wrong. 

They also lend themselves to much lower installation height and work well with ground breezes----at least according to all I've read on them. Only experimenting would confirm if I would have success.


----------



## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

Windy in Kansas said:


> Sure wish I could visit that Bitzer site as it sounds like what I'm looking for. For the umpteenth time I have again attempted to visit the site and I always get a virus warning from my anti-virus program. Guess I'll have to pass on the information on them.
> 
> TnAndy I think you are buying the wrong kind of car if yours doesn't have a good AC. I've not had one yet that does not do a good job of cooling the glassed in and solar heated space so that I'm comfortable in it with it on fairly high temp and low fan. With all the glass a car has, roof exposure, exhaust system heat, and heat from the drive mechanism I think they do a remarkable job. Would take a lot less compressor for a refrigerator or freezer in my humble opinion.
> 
> ...


Hi,
My browser/antivirus does not object to the Bitzer site:
http://www.bitzer.de/eng/Home

But, I guess you could always try computer at your local library?

Gary


----------



## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

Tried the site again and I still get the virus warning. Don't know why mine picks it up and yours doesn't. I'm running Avast 4.8 home edition.


----------



## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

Windy in Kansas said:


> Tried the site again and I still get the virus warning. Don't know why mine picks it up and yours doesn't. I'm running Avast 4.8 home edition.


My firefox protector rates the site as trustworthy.


----------

