System Components: Compressor: Notes
The compressor in an automotive A/C system serves two important functions:
- It creates a low-pressure zone at the compressor inlet, to draw refrigerant vapor from the evaporator.
- It compresses the low-pressure refrigerant vapor into a high-pressure vapor and sends it toward the condenser.
The compressor is a swash plate unit with variable displacement, bolted to an engine bracket, driven by an electromagnetic clutch.
By matching refrigerant flow to the thermal load of the evaporator, the variable compressor maintains a relatively constant evaporator outlet temperature of approximately 3 to 4°C (37 to 39°F).