Air conditioning compressors

Savings now and for a lifetime

Danfoss air conditioning compressors reduce costs across the entire product lifespan in the application. They support system design for high efficiency performance and for the use of alternative refrigerants for light commercial, commercial and industrial HVAC applications such as rooftops units, chillers, process cooling, packaged units etc.

Development, operations, servicing: 3 levers for a lifetime of savings.

Development costs:
The versatility, flexibility and efficiency of Danfoss air conditioning compressors ensure competitive design costs and shorter development times for HVAC units ranging from 2.5 to 350 tons. This offer includes the pioneering oil-free centrifugal Danfoss Turbocor Compressors as well as Danfoss Scrolls with Danfoss Intermediate Discharge Valves (IDVs), that optimize part-load efficiency, are backward compatible and minimize redesign costs.

Running costs:
Danfoss technologies offer the widest portfolio for superior full and part-load efficiencies to reduce the running costs of the system. Staged and continuous modulation with state-of-the-art manifolding and variable speed solutions and highly efficient compression technologies, including oil-free magnetic bearing centrifugal and scrolls with IDVs, are Danfoss options to achieve the most demanding energy efficiency standards.

Service costs:
The reliability, design and long working life of Danfoss compressors minimize maintenance and servicing costs while eliminating unplanned downtime. Frequent on/off cycling, high ambient start-up, defrost mode, low superheat conditions, high ambient operations and oil return at part-load conditions can all have severe effects on the entire lifetime of compressor applications. Building on this knowledge, Danfoss reliability and R&D teams use advanced tools and labs to improve compressor durability in many different applications.

Recent and coming releases:

Danfoss Inverter Scrolls: VZH 4-7 TR for R410A in 2015
Danfoss Scrolls with IDVs: DCJ 7.5 TR and DSH 7.5-40 TR for R410A in 2016
Danfoss Turbocor Compressors: TG 90 TR for R1234ze and VTT 250-350 TR for R134a in 2015

Alternative refrigerants for air conditioning systems

To support the market transition, Danfoss qualifies its product ranges for the use with lower GWP refrigerants.

Depending on the system capacity, the dominant refrigerants are R134a, or R410A. For air-conditioning applications where Danfoss has the widest portfolio for superior part load efficiency – ranging from 3 to 350 TR, is testing its compressor ranges with the following alternative refrigerants:

Danfoss fixed-speed scrolls: the new, R410A based, DSH scroll compressors with IDVs, that will be released in 2016, are being tested with the high density R454B (DR5A), DR55, R32 as alternatives to R410A. Currently, the DR5x-blends shows the best characteristics to pursue a drop-in strategy that minimizes the transition effort and product complexity from either a compressor or a system standpoint, both of which are showing good performances in preliminary results for what efficiency, capacity, operating envelope and oil compatibility aspects are concerned. These alternatives have global warming potentials (GWPs) ranging from 490 to 676, representing a 68 to 78 percent reduction compared to R410A and are in line with the European estimated GWP average value by 2030.
Danfoss inverter scrolls: the inverter scrolls VZH will be made available to operate with the same alternatives as Danfoss scrolls with IDVs.
Danfoss Turbocor compressors: in 2013, the company launched the Danfoss Turbocor TG310, the first centrifugal compressor that operates with the ultra-low GWP refrigerant HFO-1234ze. The TG310 compressor has a 3% higher efficiency than the equivalent Danfoss Turbocor compressor using HFC-134a. In 2016, Danfoss plans to expand the TG product range for ultra-low GWP from 60Tons (220kW) to 145Tons (500kW) of cooling capacity. This expansion will not only include high efficiency products to operate with the ultra-low GWP HFO-1234ze, but also other low-GWP refrigerant blends.

Alternative refrigerants for air conditioning systems - Danfoss Commercial Compressors

Illustration 1: COP comparison; the numbers in the map represent the advantage (in %) of the COP of a compressor operating with DR55 vs. a similar one operating with R410A

Alternative refrigerants for air conditioning systems - Illustration

Illustration 2: the Discharge Gas Temperature of scroll compressor using R32 illustrates the challenges of applying R32 as a drop-in solution

Alternative refrigerants for air conditioning systems

Products in focus

Turbocor® - TG

Danfoss Turbocor^® model TG oil free compressors are available in four different models ranging from 40 tons to 150 tons / 140 kW to 540kW utilizing ultra-low GWP HFO1234ze.

Turbocor® - TT

Danfoss Turbocor^® model TT oil free compressors are available in four different models ranging from 60 tons to 200 tons / 200 to 700 kW utilizing R134a or non-flammable, low GWP R513A.

Turbocor® - VTT

Danfoss Turbocor® model VTT oil free compressor is available with a capacity up to 400 tons / 1430 kW using R134a. This compressor is designed for water and evaporative cooled chiller applications.

Inverter scrolls - VZH

Danfoss inverter scroll compressor VZH offers effectiveness and reliability. Over 30% energy savings is possible in rooftops, chillers, close controls etc.

Inverter scrolls - VRJ

Danfoss inverter scroll compressor solutions for commercial air conditioning and process-cooling applications. R410A, single units. VSH: first-generation commercial inverter scroll compressors with frequency converter CDS302. VZH: second-generation commercial inverter scroll compressors with frequency converter CDS303. VRJ: first high-tier residential inverter scroll compressors with frequency converter CDS801.

Scrolls - S & H and IDV technology

Danfoss scrolls can be used in a wide application envelope in rooftops, chillers or process cooling, reducing the number of items held in reference and inventory.