SuperTest has successfully commissioned its new Unicla compressor calorimeter, marking a significant advancement in compressor performance testing capability within Australia and the broader mobile HVAC industry.
The purpose-built calorimeter has recently completed its inaugural full-scale test, establishing a new benchmark for precision and data accuracy in the testing of both belt-driven and electric compressors used in transport and mobile air-conditioning applications.
The newly installed system is designed to deliver highly controlled and repeatable testing conditions through a fully integrated vapour compression refrigeration circuit. Key performance variables – including suction and discharge pressure, superheat, and subcooling – are precisely regulated using advanced digital PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative) control systems.
This configuration enables accurate replication of real-world operating conditions, providing highly reliable and repeatable performance data.
The calorimeter’s primary output provides detailed insight into compressor performance through:
These outputs enable engineers and customers to better understand compressor behaviour under defined conditions, supporting improved product development, validation, and application matching.
A Unicla UD150 compressor was set up on the new calorimeter to operate conditions set at standard JIS conditions for mobile Ac compressor testing, which is 1.81 bar (gauge) suction pressure and 15.2 bar (gauge) discharge pressure with a 10 K superheat and 5 K subcooling at 1850 rpm
The graph shows the p-h diagram of the refrigeration cycle of the UD150 on the calorimeter. The testing conditions and results are shown in tables 1 and 2.
The compressor capacity is 5.37 kW, the condenser capacity, 7.17 kW and the cooling capacity 5.26 kW. The isentropic efficiency is calculated to be 82% using Equation 1:
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