the resulting decrease in pressure and partial boiling lowers its temperature to its new boiling point. As the refrigerant flows through the evaporator, passenger compartment air passes over the outside surface of the evaporator coils. As it boils, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the air and thus cools the passenger compartment. The heat from the passenger compartment is absorbed by the boiling refrigerant and hidden in the vapor. The refrigeration cycle is now under way. The following functions must be done to complete the refrigeration cycle:

1. Disposing of the heat in the vapor

2. Converting the vapor back to liquid for reuse

3. Returning of the liquid to the starting point in the refrigeration cycle

The compressor and condenser (fig. 7-35) perform these functions. The compressor pumps the refrigerant vapor (containing the hidden heat) out of the evaporator and suction accumulator drier, then forces it under high pressure into the condenser which is located in the outside air stream at the front of the vehicle. The increased pressure in the condenser raises the refrigerant condensation or saturation temperature to a point higher than that of the outside air. As the heat transfers from the hot vapor to the cooler air, the refrigerant condenses back to a liquid. The liquid under high pressure now returns through the liquid line to the fixed orifice tube for reuse.

It may seem difficult to understand how heat can be transferred from a comparatively cooler vehicle passenger compartment to the hot outside air. The answer lies in the difference between the refrigerant pressure that exists in the evaporator and the pressure that exists in the condenser. In the evaporator, the compressor suction reduces the pressure and the boiling point below the temperature of the passenger compartment. Thus heat transfers from the passenger compartment to the boiling refrigerant. In the condenser, the compressor raises the condensation point above the temperature of the outside air. Thus the heat transfers from the condensing refrigerant to the outside air. The fixed orifice tube and the compressor simply create pressure conditions that permit the laws of nature to function.

AUTOMOTIVE COMPRESSORS

There are three basic types of air-conditioning compressors in general use in automotive applications. Each of these uses a reciprocating (back-and-forth motion) piston arrangement - two-cylinder reciprocating, swash plate, and scotch yoke. Most automotive compressors are semihermetic.

Two-cylinder compressors (fig. 7-36) usually contain two pistons in a parallel V-type configuration. The pistons are attached to a connecting rod, which is driven by the crankshaft. The crankshaft is connected to the compressor clutch assembly, which is driven by an engine belt. Reed valves generally are used to control the intake and exhaust of the refrigerant gas during the pumping operation. These compressors are usually constructed of die cast aluminum.

In the swash plate or "wobble plate" compressor (fig. 7-37), the piston motion is parallel to the

Figure 7-36. - Two-cylinder reciprocating compressor.

Figure 7-37. - Five-cylinder swash plate compressor.