Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Applied Thermal Engineering

j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s e v i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / a p t h e r m e n g

Research Paper

Investigation on output capacity control strategy of variable

refrigerant flow air conditioning system with multi-compressor
Qiu Tu a,*, Deqiu Zou b, Chenmian Deng a, Jie Zhang a, Lifeng Hou a, Min Yang a,
Guicai Nong a, Yuhai Feng a
a Research and Development Center, Aux Electric Co., Ltd, Ningbo City 315191, China
b Faculty of Maritime, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China

H I G H L I G H T S

• The control model of compressor output capacity has been built.

• The control strategy of compressor switching has been presented.
• The switching process of standard compressor has been described.
• The characteristics of EER and noise have been presented.
• The control strategy and model have been proved by experiments.

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Article history: A set of 14 HP variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system (VRF AC) with multi-compressor has been
Received 18 October 2015 designed, and the output capacity control strategy of compressor(s) including the switching control model
Accepted 28 December 2015 of standard compressor has been built. In the output capacity control model, a certain suction pressure
Available online 21 January 2016
is used as the pressure control target to adjust the output capacity of compressors, and a little pressure
fluctuation is taken into account to amend the target pressure. Furthermore, in the compressor switch-
Keywords:
ing control model, the most favorable operation frequency region is determined on base of the energy
Variable refrigerant flow (VRF)
efficiency characteristic and noise characteristic of the compressor. And, in order to solve the large fluc-
Inverter-driven compressor
Output capacity of compressor tuation problem of the system running and frequent ON-OFF action of the standard compressor, the equal
Energy efficiency ratio output capacity switching principle can be used to determine the thermo-on and thermo-off switched
frequency points, and control the switching process of the compressor. Experiments demonstrate the
feasibility of this control strategy to ensure the stability and reliability, improve the energy efficiency
and reduce the compressor noise.
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Background capacity to realize these targets according to the characteristics of

the compressor.
With the popularization and application of inverter-driven tech- One of the characteristics of VRF AC is that the system is made
nology, the variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system (VRF up of multi-compressor, including an inverter-driven compressor
AC) has been favored by more and more users because of its high [1] and one or two standard compressor(s), can be equipped with
energy efficiency, convenient installation, easy maintenance, cen- dozens of indoor units, and the thermal load demand of indoor units
tralized management, variety of indoor types and flexible layout. varies according to the amounts of indoor units and the corre-
So it can meet the needs of the market. For VRF AC, the key tech- sponding environmental temperature. Therefore, the output capacity
nology is to achieve high efficiency, make low noise, gain good of the compressors needs to be adjusted to satisfy the varied load
cooling effect, and to obtain the stable and reliable operation. demand. The multi-compressor enables wide capacity modula-
The compressors are the most important parts in VRF AC. It is tion with high part-load efficiency for the VRF AC [2], in which the
significant to study the control strategy of the compressor output inverter frequency generally varies from 20–30 to 105–120 rps [3–5].
But, if the operation of the compressors cannot harmoniously be
controlled, excessive or insufficient adjustment of the output ca-
pacity will occur. Finally, it will result in low energy efficiency and
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 574 88072400; fax: +86 574 88072407. high noise, frequent on-off action of the compressor, unstable op-
E-mail address: [email protected] (Q. Tu). eration of the system, even damage of the compressor.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.12.102
1359-4311/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290 281

As an example of VRF AC with an inverter-driven compressor and orator also changed due to the coupled system dynamics. It was
a standard compressor, the adjustment process of output capacity concluded that a control algorithm should also include the EEV in
is described in detail below. order to maintain the pressure of the second evaporator at the
At the beginning of the operation, only the inverter-driven com- desired value.
pressor starts to run, and the standard compressor keeps standby Obviously, these authors [4,6–13] mainly concentrated on the
status. When the indoor thermal load increases, the compressor im- study about the control method of EEV to adjust the refrigerant flow
proves the output capacity subsequently. If the output capacity of rate to achieve good refrigeration effect. But they did not study the
the inverter-driven compressor still cannot meet the indoor thermal adjustment method of the inverter-driven compressor to realize
load demand, the standard compressor will start to work. So, it is stable running.
necessary to properly determine the frequency switching point and Wu et al. [14] proposed a control strategy for VRF with three
switching course of the standard compressor to ensure the high ef- indoor units, in which the suction pressure was taken as the
ficiency, low noise and stable operation. For example, if the frequency controlled variable to modulate the compressor speed, and at the
switching point is set as a high value, it will result in high noise of same time, the room air temperatures were used to regulate the
the compressor. Furthermore, the total output capacity of the two opening of the individual EEVs. A self tuning fuzzy algorithm with
compressors exceeds the thermal load demand, thus, the inverter- a modifying factor was incorporated in the controller. Controlla-
driven compressor sharply decreases the running frequency, and the bility tests showed that the proposed control strategy with fuzzy
standard compressor stops. And then the control process results in control algorithm could achieve the desired control accuracy for
insufficient output capacity. So the inverter-driven compressor is the controlled parameters. Lin and Yeh [15] proposed the control
required to increase the running frequency, and even the standard strategy with flow distribution capability for multi-evaporator air
compressor starts to work again. So repeatedly, the system has been conditioners to accommodate different thermal demands in differ-
in an unstable operation state. On the other hand, if the frequency ent rooms. The structure in the control strategy is based on a
switching point is set as a low value, it will result in insufficient low-order, linear model obtained from system identification. To
output capacity even if the standard compressor works. It will take determine appropriate control parameters, theorems regarding
a long time to adjust the operation frequency of the inverter- stability of the closed-loop system were given. Tu et al. [16]
driven compressor to meet the thermal load demand gradually. So studied the heating control strategy of VRF AC with multi-module
the long adjustment course affects the consumers’ usage, and the outdoor units, and proposed the heating control model including
system has been in a state of instability. heating frequency adjustment, module switching condition and
Thus, it becomes more and more necessary to study the control frequency allocation model. But the control strategy and control
strategy of the multi-compressor’s output capacity to realize the model are suitable for the system with only one compressor in a
stable switching process of the compressor, to achieve good refrig- module, but not for multi-compressor in a module. Moreover, Tu
eration results, gain high energy efficiency, and make low noise. et al. [17] studied the control strategy of the digital scroll compres-
Masuda et al. [6] developed a control method for VRF with two sor switching and built the control model of compressor output
indoor units, which could control the refrigeration flow rate of the capacity, in which the average suction pressure in an adjustment
indoor units individually and respond to the cooling loads. Shi [7] period was taken as the current pressure to regulate the output
proposed the cycle superimposition control method to study the capacity. But the model cannot be used in the inverter-driven
control strategy for VRF AC. Park et al. [8] presented a model to compressor, but the digital compressor.
analyze the relationship between coefficient of performance (COP) In conclusion, these control methods are not suitable for VRF with
and openings of EEV, operation frequency of the multi-type in- the inverter-driven compressor and the standard compressor(s). And
verter air conditioner. Xia et al. [4] adopted a continuous adaptation the energy efficiency and noise were not considered in the control
of the heat transfer coefficient method to maintain the same su- model at the same time.
perheating during thermo-on periods. In this control strategy, the At present, none of the investigations are concerned on the
suitable refrigerant mass flow rate was distributed to each indoor control strategy of VRF AC with multi- compressor due to the tech-
unit by individually adjusting each EEV to obtain required indoor nology bottleneck and experimental condition restriction. In this
room temperature. Choi and Kim [9] measured the performance of paper, as a study object of VRF AC with multi-compressor, the control
an inverter-driven multi-air conditioner having two indoor units with model is built to control the compressor output capacity and stan-
electronic expansion valves (EEV) by varying indoor loads, EEV dard compressor switching so as to ensure the stable and reliable
opening, and compressor speed, and discussed the operating char- operation, achieve good cooling effects and high energy efficiency,
acteristics and capacity modulation of the inverter-driven multi- and realize low noise running.
air conditioner based on the experimental results. Similarly, Aynur
et al. [10] studied the control method of the refrigerant flow rate
through the indoor unit heat exchanger by adjusting the EEV. Hu 2. Control strategy
et al. [11] developed a set of VRF AC with 5 indoor units. The mea-
sured results show that the regression functions of the relationship 2.1. System principle
between the opening of the electronic expansion valves (EEV) and
the digital compressor output ratio can form the basic parameters The system principle diagram of VRF AC with two compres-
of the system control. Lin and Yeh [12] studied a three-evaporator sors, one inverter-driven compressor and one standard compressor,
air conditioner for a feedback controller design. For the proposed is shown in Fig. 1. For VRF AC with three compressors, the princi-
control structure, the three evaporating temperatures were con- ple diagram is similar to that with two compressors.
trolled by the EEV openings in order to keep the indoor temperatures In Fig. 1, Tda, Tdb, Tao, Tdef, TC1, and TC2 are respectively discharge
at the set points with no steady-state errors. Besides, the compres- temperature of the inverter-driven compressor, discharge temper-
sor speed was used to control the three superheat temperatures ature of the standard compressor, ambient temperature and
associated with the three evaporators. Shah et al. [13] developed condenser coil temperature, temperature in the indoor unit gas pipe
a new methodology for the dynamic modeling of a multi-split VRF and temperature in indoor unit liquid pipe, which are measured by
system. The expansion valve was modeled as an isenthalpic orifice. the relevant temperature sensors. Pd and Ps are respectively dis-
It was found that the EEV of the first evaporator changed, while the charge pressure and suction pressure measured by the relevant
second one was kept constant, and the pressure in the second evap- pressure sensors. EEVa1 and EEVa2 are the electronic expansion
282 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290

Condenser EEVa1,A EEVa2

Accumulator Filter Filter Tc2
Liquid Pipe

EEVa1,B Fan M

Tao Tdef Gas Pipe

4-way valve Tc1
SV2 EEVa2
Filter Filter Tc2
One-way Oil Seperator
valve SV1
Fan M

Tda
Tdb
Capillary Ps Tc1

Indoor Units

Inverter Standard Vapor-liquid

Compressor Compressor Separator

Outdoor Unit
Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of VRF AC with multi-compressor.

valves (EEV) in the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, respectively. 3. Control model and method
SV1 is the solenoid valve for pressure balance between Pd and Ps
in order to reduce load when the compressors start. 3.1. Control model of output capacity

The control model of the compressor output capacity was pre-

2.2. Control strategy sented by Tu [17]. And the significance of this control strategy has
been verified by the experiment. The control model can be ex-
The overall control strategy is to combine the energy efficiency pressed as
and noise characteristics of the compressors to determine the fre-
quency switching point, and to ensure the high efficiency and low Ptar ∈[P0 − Δp , P0 + Δp ] (1)
noise operation. Moreover, it is to realize smooth and stable ON-
OFF switching of the standard compressor in accordance with the Here, Ptar , P0 and ΔP are respectively suction pressure control
switching principle of equal output capacity of the VRV AC. target, constant suction pressure target and pressure fluctuation. The
The energy efficiency characteristic of the VRF AC appears as an control model diagram is shown in literature [17].
approximate parabola shape. Among a certain frequency region, the For the system charged with refrigerant R410A, the gauge pres-
VRF AC can achieve higher energy efficiency. The relationship sure of the suction pressure target P0 is designed to be 7.5 bar, whose
between the energy efficiency and the frequency is determined by corresponding evaporation temperature is about 2 °C. The value of
the experiment or given by the compressor factory. On the other the pressure fluctuation ΔP cannot be large, otherwise the output
hand, the noise characteristic of the VRF AC is affected by the op- capacity of the compressor cannot be adjusted. And when the lower
eration frequency. The noise value rises with increase of the operation limit value of suction pressure ( P0 − Δp ) in Eq. (1) is lower than 7
frequency. bar, whose saturation temperature is 0 °C, the gas pipe will be
So, it is necessary to combine the characteristics of the com- covered with frost. Thus the value of the pressure fluctuation is de-
pressors to determine the frequency switching point of the inverter- termined to be ΔP = 0.5 bar .
driven compressor as to improve the efficiency and reduce the The opening of EEV in the indoor unit is adjusted according to
noise. superheated degree 1 °C, where the superheated degree is defined
In order to solve the large fluctuation problem of the system op- as the temperature difference between Tc1 and Tc2.
eration and frequent ON-OFF action of the standard compressor, the
equal output capacity principle can be used to determine the thermo-
on and thermo-off frequency switching points, and control the 3.2. Control model of switching
switching process of the compressor. Namely, the switching action
such as the action from one to two compressors, or from two to three 3.2.1. Increase of output capacity
compressors, is operated on base of the current output capability Assuming that the current total output capacity and power of
when the switching conditions can be satisfied. Similarly, the switch- the all compressors are respectively E cur and W cur , the energy ef-
ing action such as switching from two compressors to one ficiency ratio (EER) of the compressor(s) can be defined as
compressor, or from three to two compressors, is carried out in view
E cur E + sgn (E STD 1 ) + sgn (E STD 2 )
of the current output capability when the switching conditions can EER = = INV (2a)
W cur W INV + sgn (W STD 1 ) + sgn (W STD 2 )
be met.
 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290 283

⎧E STD 1,2 COMP (b , c ): thermo -on (a)

sgn (E STD 1,2 ) = ⎨ (2b)
⎩0 COMP (b , c ): thermo -off

⎧W STD 1,2 COMP (b , c ): thermo -on

sgn (W STD 1,2 ) = ⎨ (2c)
⎩0 COMP (b , c ): thermo -off

Output Cap acity (W)

COMP(a+b)
Here, E INV , E STD are respectively the output capacity of the
inverter-driven compressors and the standard compressor, W INV , W STD
are respectively the power of the inverter-driven compressors
and the standard compressor, and COMP(b), COMP(c) are respec-
tively the first standard compressor and the second standard
compressor. COMP(a)
For VRF AC with two compressors, i.e. an inverter-driven com-
pressor (COMP(a)) and a standard compressor (COMP(b)), only the
inverter-driven compressor runs and the standard compressor stops
under the condition of partial thermal load demand. Under a certain f INV ,min f 2→1, 2 f 1→2, 2 f 2→1,1 f 1→2,1 f Inv ,max
condensation temperature and a certain evaporation tempera-
Frequency (rps)
ture, the output capacity of COMP(a) is determined by the operation
frequency. The formula can be expressed as (b)
E cur = E INV = E (f INV ) (3)

Here, f INV is the running frequency of the inverter-driven

COMP(a+b+c)
compressor.
Thus the output capacity of the system and the running fre-
Output Capacity (W)
quency can be written as

E cur = E INV = E (f INV ) ≤ E (f 1→2,1 ) (4) COMP(a+b)

f INV ,min ≤ f INV ≤ f 1→2,1 (5)

Here, f INV ,min is the minimal running frequency, in common,

COMP(a)
f INV ,min = 20 rps . f 1→2,1 is the current frequency switching point from
COMP(a) running to COMP(a + b) running, shown in Fig. 2a.
When the thermal load increases, and the standard compres-
sor switching condition can be satisfied which will be explained in
Section 3.4, the standard compressor starts to work. Assuming that
the thermo-on switched frequency is f 1→2,2 after COMP(b) starts to f INV ,min f 2→1, 2 f 1→2, 2 f 2→1,1 f 1→2,1 f Inv ,max
work, according to the equal output capacity switching principle, f 3→2,3 f 2→3,3 f 3→2, 2 f 2→3, 2
the output capacity from COMP(a) running to COMP(a + b) running
Frequency (rps)
at the switching point can be written as

E cur = E (f 1→2,1 ) = E (f 1→2,2 ) + E STD 1 (6) Fig. 2. (a) Switch principle diagram of VRF AC with two compressors. (b) Switch prin-
ciple diagram of VRF AC with three compressors.

and f 1→2,1 > f 2→1,2 (7)

Here f 2→1,2 means the current switching frequency from

COMP(a + b) running to COMP(a) running. Here, f 2→3,2 is the current switching frequency from COMP(a + b)
And then the output capacity of the two compressors working running to COMP(a + b + c) running.
among the whole frequency region can be expressed as When the thermal load increases, and switching condition of the
second standard compressor (COMP(c)) can be satisfied, the COMP(c)
E INV = E (f INV ) + E STD 1 (8)
starts to work. Assuming that thermo-on switched frequency is f 2→3,3 ,
shown in Fig. 2b, the output capacity from COMP(a + b) running to
The running frequency band is limited in
COMP(a + b + c) running at the switching point can be written as
f 2→1,2 ≤ f INV ≤ f INV ,max (9)
E cur = E (f 2→3,2 ) + E STD 1 = E (f 2→3,3 ) + E STD 1 + E STD 2 (12)
Here, f INV ,max = 90 ∼ 120 rps . It is determined by the compressor
And then the system works among the whole frequency band.
performance and actual situation.
The output capacity is adjusted according to Eq. (1). The output ca-
Similarly, for VRV AC with three compressors, the switching prin-
pacity and the running frequency can be written as
ciple and method are shown in Fig. 2b.
The output capacity of the system and the running frequency E INV = E (f INV ) + E STD 1 + E STD 2 (13)
can be written as

E INV = E (f INV ) + E STD 1 (10) and f 3→2,3 ≤ f INV ≤ f INV ,max (14)

Here f 3→2,3 is the current switching frequency from

and f 2→1,2 ≤ f INV ≤ f 2→3,2 (11)
COMP(a + b + c) running to COMP(a + b) running.
284 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290

Table 1
Performance parameters of COMP(a) and COMP(a + b).

Compressor Performance parameter 30 rps 35 rps 40 rps 45 rps 50 rps 55 rps 60 rps 65 rps 70 rps 75 rps 80 rps 85 rps 90 rps

COMP(a) Capacity (kW) 9.15 10.64 12.03 13.54 15.22 16.79 18.04 19.97 21.43 23.06 24.75 26.41 28.23
Power (kW) 3.25 3.77 4.21 4.7 5.23 5.73 6.15 6.8 7.31 7.87 8.49 9.08 9.75
COMP(a + b) Capacity (kW) 22.76 24.25 25.64 27.15 28.83 30.40 31.65 33.58 35.04 36.67 38.36 40.02 41.84
Power (kW) 7.88 8.40 8.84 9.33 9.86 10.36 10.78 11.43 11.94 12.50 13.12 13.71 14.38

3.2.2. Decrease of output capacity E (a ) = E (f INV ) = 0.316f INV − 0.603 (21)

For VRF AC with three compressors, i.e. an inverter-driven com-
pressor (COMP(a)) and two standard compressors (COMP(b) and E (a + b ) = E (f INV ) + E STD 1 = 0.316f INV + 13.0 (22)
COMP(c)), when the three compressors work, the output capacity
and running frequency are shown in Eq. (13) and Eq. (14). According to Eq. (21) and Eq. (22), the cooling capacity at 20 rps
With decrease of thermal load demand, the compressors reduce and 25 rps can be calculated. The relationship between cooling ca-
the output capacity. When the switching condition of the second pacity and the running frequency is shown in Fig. 3.
compressor can be satisfied, it stops to work. According to the equal And according to Table 1 and definition EER = E cur W cur , the re-
output capacity switching principle, the switching control model lationship between EER and f INV is shown in Fig. 4.
and control process are shown in Fig. 2b. It can be seen from Fig. 4 that the higher energy efficiency op-
The output capacity from COMP(a + b + c) running to COMP(a + b) erating region is among 55–75 rps.
running at the switching point can be written as On the other hand, the noise characteristics of the compressor
should be considered in the determination of the frequency switch-
E cur = E (f 3→2,3 ) + E STD 1 + E STD 2 = E (f 3→2,2 ) + E STD 1 (15)
ing point. The noise test was made in the AUX semi-anechoic lab.
The test results are shown in Fig. 5.
Here f 3→2,2 is the thermo-off switched frequency after
COMP(a + b + c) running to COMP(a + b) running.
Thus the output capacity of the two running compressors can
be expressed as

E cur = E (f INV ) + E STD 1 (16)

and

f 2→1,2 ≤ f INV ≤ f 2→3,2 (17)

Furthermore, when the thermo-off switching condition of

COMP(b) can be satisfied, the output capacity at the switching point
can be rewritten as

E cur = E (f 2→1,2 ) + E STD 1 = E (f 2→11, ) (18)

And then the system works among the whole frequency band.
The output capacity of COMP(a) is adjusted according to Eq. (1). The
output capacity and the running frequency can be written as

E INV = E (f INV ) (19)

and f INV ,min ≤ f INV ≤ f 1→2,1 (20)

Fig. 3. Relationship between cooling capacity and the running frequency.

3.3. Determination of frequency switching point

The frequency switching point is a very important control pa-

rameter for VRF AC with multi- compressor. The determination
principle is based on the equal output capacity to achieve a stable
operation, avoid frequent ON-OFF switching of standard compres-
sors, and achieve high energy efficiency and low noise. The
determination method and process are explained in detail below.
Firstly, according to the energy efficiency characteristics of the
compressors, the most favorable operating frequency region is de-
termined, where the switching process avoids being carried out.
As an example of 14 HP VRF AC, it is made up of two compres-
sors, i.e. an inverter-driven compressor and a standard compressor.
The cooling capacity and power of COMP(a) and COMP(a + b)
under a certain condensation temperature (50 °C), a certain evap-
oration temperature (2 °C) and different operation frequencies are
presented by the compressor factory, shown in Table 1.
According to the cooling capacity and power in Table 1, the re-
lationship between the cooling capacity and the frequency is
obtained as: Fig. 4. Relationship between EER and frequency f INV .
 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290 285

Frequency switching basic condition: f INV ≥ 75rps lasting for 15s

& Suction constraint condition: Ps-pre > Ps0+0.5 bar

Delay protection condition: t off ≥ 4 min

Here Ps-pre means the suction pressure which is predicted after

3 min when the current switching frequency reaches or exceeds
75 rps. toff means the time that COMP(b) keeps thermo-off status.
When the above thermo-on condition of COMP(a) can be met,
COMP(a) begins to reduce the rotation frequency to the thermo-on
switched frequency point for 15 s, and then COMP(b) is turned on to
work.

3.4.2. Thermo-off condition and switching action of standard

compressor
In cooling mode, after the operation frequency of the inverter-
driven compressor is equal to or less than 25 rps lasting for 15 s,
the predicted suction pressure after running for 3 min is less than
the pressure target, and the below conditions can be satisfied at the
same time; the standard compressor, which keeps thermo-off status
for more than 3 min, will stop to work. The thermo-off condition
of COMP(b) is described as below.
Fig. 5. Noise test results under different frequencies.
Frequency switching basic condition: f INV ≥ 25rps lasting for 15s.

& Suction constraint condition: Ps-pre < Ps0-0.5 bar

In Fig. 5, Noise_F(a), Noise_F(a + b) are test results of noise in front
of the system respectively when the standard compressor was in Delay protection condition: ton ≥ 3min
thermo-off and thermo-on status. And Noise_B(a), Noise_B(a + b) are
test results of noise at the rear of the system respectively when the Here ton means the time that COMP(b) keeps thermo-on status.
standard compressor was in thermo-off and thermo-on status. When the above thermo-off condition of COMP(b) can be met,
It can be seen from Fig. 5 that the operation frequency can make COMP(b) stops to work; at the same time, COMP(a) begins to in-
great influence on the noise. The noise results rise with increase crease the rotation frequency to the thermo-off switched frequency
of the frequency. The inverter-driven compressor should work at point. And then the output capacity of COMP(a) will be adjusted
low frequency as long as possible in order to reduce noise. according to Eq. (1).
Based on the energy efficiency and noise characteristics of the
compressor, the current frequency switching point from COMP(a) 4. Experimental results and discussion
running to COMP(a + b) running is determined to be f 1→2,1 = 75 rps .
When COMP(a) running is switched to COMP(a + b) working, ac- 4.1. Experimental setup
cording to the equal output capacity switching principle,
f 1→2,1 = 75 rps is substituted into Eq. (6), Eq. (21) and Eq. (22), then A set of VRF AC with an inverter compressor and a standard com-
the frequency thermo-on switched frequency point is calculated as pressor was designed. The outdoor unit model is DLR-400W/DCZ-
f 1→2,1 ≈ 3 rps . ARVIII, whose nominal capacity is 40 kW, i.e. 14 HP. The system
Considering that the VRF AC can work in stable operation state matched with 5 medium static pressure duct indoor units, whose
for a long time, the running frequency gap from the next current nominal capacity is respectively 2.8 kW, 4 × 10 kW, was installed in
switching frequency point should be 10–15 rps. The current fre- 20 HP enthalpy difference lab of AUX Co. LTD. to make performance
quency switching point from COMP(a + b) running to COMP(a) experiment, shown in Fig. 6. The total capacity of the indoor units is
running is determined to be f 2→1,2 = 25 rps . The corresponding 42.8 kW.
thermo-off frequency switched frequency point can be calculated The self-made monitoring software was adopted to monitor the
to be f 2→11, ≈ 65 rps by the same method. f 2→11, = 60 rps is more ap- operation parameters, such as f INV , Tao, Tda, Tdb, Tdef, Pd as well as cor-
propriate considering 15 rps gap from 75 rps. responding saturation temperatures (P d_t , i.e., condensation
temperature), Ps and running status of components, for instance,
thermo-on or thermo-off status of COMP(b).
3.4. Switching condition and switching action of standard
compressor 4.2. Experimental results

3.4.1. Thermo-on condition and switching action of standard 4.2.1. ON-OFF phenomenon
compressor In the control model about the thermo-on condition of the stan-
In cooling mode, when the operation frequency of the inverter- dard compressor, the suction pressure constraint condition (Ps-
driven compressor reaches or exceeds 75 rps lasting for 15 s, at this pre < Ps 0 − 0.5 bar) can make great influence on the stable operation
point, the running time of the system is recorded by the calculagraph, of COMP(b). If the constraint condition is not added in the control
and the suction pressure after 3 min will be predicted in the control model, the thermo-on condition can be satisfied easily. So ON-
program. If the predicted suction pressure does not meet the pres- OFF switching of the standard compressor will occur frequently. In
sure target, the standby standard compressor, which keeps thermo- order to contrastively validate the influence of suction pressure con-
off status for more than 4 min, will start to work. The thermo-on straint condition on the operation status of COMP(b), it is firstly
condition of COMP(b) is given as below. cancelled in the control software to make experiment.
286 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290

Fig. 6. Equipment diagram of VRF AC.

Fig. 7. Experimental results under the condition of 49 °C DB in the outdoor chamber and 32 °C DB in the indoor chamber.
 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290 287

Fig. 8. Experimental results under the condition of 21 °C DB in the outdoor chamber and 21 °C DB in the indoor chamber.

The ambient dry bulb temperatures of the outdoor chamber From the analysis above, it demonstrates that the suction pres-
and the indoor chamber of the laboratory were adjusted to be sure constraint condition was essential for stable switching of
49 °C DB and 32 °C DB, respectively. Four 4 HP indoor units, COMP(b).
whose models are DLR-100F/DCZDG, were turned on to make And then in order to verify the essentiality of the constraint con-
high temperature cooling experiment. The experimental results dition, it was added in the control software to make experiment.
are shown in Fig. 7. Taking into account that it is very difficult to make the suction
The experimental results in Fig. 7 show that the system ran un- pressure lower than the pressure target under the condition of the
stably; pressure, frequency and discharge temperature oscillated high temperature refrigeration, the experiment was made under
frequently; and for COMP(b), there existed frequent ON-OFF phe- the condition of 21 °C DB in the outdoor chamber and 21 °C DB in
nomena within 16 min. the indoor chamber.
The analysis shows that when the operation frequency of the When four 4 HP indoor units (DLR-100F/DCZDG) were turned on,
inverter-driven compressor reached 25rps, and the suction pres- and the 1 HP indoor unit (DLR-28F/DCZDG) was kept in thermo-off
sure Ps was about 13bar, larger than then the pressure target, status, COMP(a) ran stably at 39 rps and COMP(b) worked. In order
COMP(b) was turned off. And then, COMP(a) increased the running to make the system suction pressure lower than the pressure target,
frequency because the pressure target was not satisfied. When the and verify the control model with the constraint condition, two 4 HP
frequency reached 75 rps, and the switching condition of COMP(b) indoor units were turned off, and the other two 4 HP indoor units
was met, it started to run. So repeatedly, the frequent ON-OFF phe- were kept in thermo-on status. And then the suction pressure began
nomena of COMP(b) occurred. to decrease, and was lower than the pressure target. When the running
288 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290

Fig. 9. Partial parameters drawn from Fig. 8 every 15 s within 3 min before COMP(b) was turned off and within 3 min after COMP(b) was turned off.

frequency reached 25 rps, and the thermo-off switching condition can Experimental results show that it took only 4 min to make the
be met, COMP(b) stopped to work, and then the suction pressure began suction pressure reach the pressure target; the system kept stable
to rise gradually. According to the equal capacity switching princi- running status and there did not exist ON-OFF phenomenon for
ple, COMP(a) increased the operation frequency to be thermo-off COMP(b); and the discharge pressure fluctuated only within 1 bar,
switched frequency point 60 rps. And then, for the suction pressure, and then COMP(a) remained at about 45 rps within 2 min.
there existed a slow downward trend with increase of the frequency Experimental results show that the switching control model and
from 40 rps to 60 rps. And then the output capacity was controlled control process are reasonable.
by suction pressure target. The suction pressure reached the pres-
sure target, quickly. The monitored curve is shown in Fig. 8. 5. Conclusion
A set of data including Pd, Ps, Tda, Tdb, and f INV was drawn from
the experimental curves every 15 s within 3 min before COMP(b) The output capacity control strategy of VRV AC with multi-
was turned off and within 3 min after COMP(b) was turned off. compressors is a key technology, which is directly related to the
Twenty-five sets of data including the data in the current switch- stability, reliability, energy saving and comfort of the system.
ing frequency point 25 rps were shown in Fig. 9, where Ps was Experiments confirmed that if the control model and process are
placed in the secondary vertical coordinate in order to be dis- not reasonable, it will lead to frequent on-off phenomenon of the
played clearly. standard compressor, unstable running, and bad comfort of the
Experimental results show that it took only 2 min to make the system. The following control strategies can solve these problems
suction pressure reach the pressure target; the system met stable and achieve proper running results.
running status and there did not exist ON-OFF phenomenon for
COMP(b); and the discharge pressure fluctuated only about 2 bar, 1. According to the output capacity and power data from the com-
and then COMP(a) remained at 50 rps. pressor manufacturer, the energy efficiency characteristics are
Experimental results show that the switching control model and obtained. The calculated EER shows that the system can obtain
control process are reasonable. higher energy efficiency among the middle frequency band, such
as 55–75 rps; on the contrary, EER is lower among the high fre-
4.2.2. Thermo-on switching of COMP(b) quency band and low frequency band.
The experiment was made under the condition of 30 °C DB in 2. The noise test results show that the noise value rises with in-
the outdoor chamber and 21 °C DB in the indoor chamber to val- crease of the running frequency.
idate the thermo-on switching control and process. The monitored 3. The most favorable operating region of the compressor is de-
curve is shown in Fig. 10. termined according to the energy efficiency and noise
It can be seen that when the four 4 HP indoor units were turned characteristics of the compressor. Furthermore, the character-
on, the operation frequency reached 75 rps, suction pressure was istics can provide the basis for determination of the frequency
about 8.2 bar, larger than the pressure target, which means the switching points.
system is required to improve its output capacity. So COMP(a) de- 4. The compressor switch control model has been established. In
creased running frequency to be thermo-on switched frequency point order to solve the problem of large fluctuations of the system
35 rps, and then COMP(b) was turned on. performance and frequent ON-OFF action of the standard com-
Similarly, twenty-five sets of data were drawn from the exper- pressor, the equal output capacity switching principle can be
imental curves every 15 s within 3 min before COMP(b) was thermo- used to determine the thermo-on and thermo-off switched
on and within 3 min after COMP(b) was thermo-on. Twenty-five sets frequency points, and control the switching process of the
of data were shown in Fig. 11. compressor.
 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290 289

Fig. 10. Experimental results under the condition of 30 °C DB in the outdoor chamber and 21 °C DB in the indoor chamber.

5. Experiments show that the control strategy is feasible for the E cur Current total output capacity of all the thermo-
stability, reliability and energy saving of the system. on compressors (W)
EER Energy efficiency ratio
Acknowledgements EEV Electronic expansive valve
EEVa1 Opening of EEV in the outdoor unit (PLS)
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foun- EEVa2 Opening of EEV in the indoor unit (PLS)
dation of China (Grant number 51206083) and Public Welfare Project E (f INV ) Output capacity of the inverter-driven compres-
of Zhejiang Province (Grant number 2012C21063). And the authors sor under different frequencies (W)
would like to thank the financial and experimental support from E INV Output capacity of the inverter-driven compres-
Aux Electric Co., Ltd (Project number 2012-055). sor (W)
E STD1 Output capacity of the first standard compressor
Nomenclature (W)
E STD 2 Output capacity of the second standard compres-
COMP(a) Inverter-driven compressor sor (W)
COMP(a + b) Inverter-driven compressor and one standard f i → j ,i Current switching frequency from i compres-
compressor sor(s) running to j compressor(s) running (rps) i,
COMP(a + b + c) Inverter-driven compressor and two standard j means numbers of compressors, i = 1,2,3; j = 1,2,3.
compressors And i-j = 1, or j-i = 1.
290 Q. Tu et al./Applied Thermal Engineering 99 (2016) 280–290

Fig. 11. Partial parameters drawn from Fig. 10 every 15 s within 3 min before COMP(b) was turned on and within 3 min after COMP(b) was turned on.

f i→ j , j Switched frequency after i compressor(s) running Subscripts

to j compressor(s) running (rps) i, j means numbers min Minimal
of compressors, i = 1,2,3; j = 1,2,3. And i-j = 1, or max Maximal
j-i = 1.
f INV Running frequency of the inverter-driven com-
References
pressor (rps)
Noise_B(a) Noise test results at the rear of the system when
[1] T.N. Aynur, Variable refrigerant flow systems: a review, Appl. Therm. Eng. 42
COMP(b) was in thermo-off status (dB(A)) (2011) 1106–1112.
Noise_B(a + b) Noise test results at the rear of the system when [2] W. Goetzler, Variable refrigerant flow systems, ASHRAE J. 49 (4) (2007) 24–
COMP(b) was in thermo-on status (dB(A)) 31.
[3] T.N. Aynur, Evaluation of a multi-split type air conditioning system under
Noise_F(a) Noise test results in front of the system when steady-state and transient conditions, Ph.D. thesis, Department of Mechanical
COMP(b) was in thermo-off status (dB(A)) Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, 2008 (in English).
Noise_F(a + b) Noise test results in front of the system when [4] J. Xia, E. Winandy, B. Georges, J. Lebrun, Testing methodology for VRF systems,
in 9th International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference at Purdue
COMP(b) was in thermo-on status (dB(A)) IN, USA, 2002.
Pd_t Saturation temperature corresponding to P d , [5] M. Masuda, K. Wakahara, K. Matsui, Development of a multi-split system air
namely condensation temperature (°C) conditioner for residential use, ASHRAE Trans. 97 (2) (1991) 127–131.
[6] M. Masuda, K. Wakahara, K. Matsui, Development of a multi-split system air
Ps Suction pressure (bar)
conditioner for residential use, ASHRAE Trans. 97 (2) (1991) 127–131.
Ps-pre Predicted suction pressure after running for 3 min [7] W.X. Shi, Investigation on characteristic and control strategy of variable
(bar) refrigerant flow air conditioning system[D]. Tsinghua University, China,
Ptar Suction pressure control target (bar) 2000.
[8] Y.C. Park, Y.C. Kin, M.-K. Min, Performance analysis on a multi-type inverter
P0 Constant suction pressure target (bar) air conditioner, Energy Convers. Manag. 42 (2001) 607–1621.
Tao Ambient temperature (°C) [9] J.M. Choi, Y.C. Kim, Capacity modulation of an inverter-driven multi-air
Tc1 Temperature in the gas pipe of the indoor unit (°C) conditioner using electronic expansion valves, Energy 28 (2003) 141–155.
[10] T.N. Aynur, Y. Hwang, R. Radermacher, Field performance measurements of a
Tc2 Throttled temperature in the liquid pipe of the VRV AC/HP system, in 11th international Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
indoor unit (°C) Conference at Purdue in USA, 2006.
Tda Discharge temperature of the inverter-driven com- [11] S.C. Hu, R.H. Yang, Development and testing of a multi-type air conditioner
without using AC inverters, Energy Convers. Manag. 46 (2005) 373–383.
pressor (°C) [12] J.L. Lin, T.J. Yeh, Identification and control of multi-evaporator air conditioning
Tdb Discharge temperature of the standard compres- systems, Int. J. Refrig. 30 (8) (2007) 1374–1385.
sor (°C) [13] R. Shah, A.G. Alleyne, C.W. Bullard, Dynamic modeling and control of
multi-evaporator air conditioning systems, ASHRAE Trans. 110 (1) (2004)
Tdef Condenser coil temperature (°C)
109–119.
toff Time during the thermo-off status (min) [14] C. Wu, Z. Xingxi, D. Shiming, Development of control method and dynamic
ton Time during the thermo-on status model for multi-evaporator air conditioners (MEAC), Energy Convers. Manag.
46 (2005) 451–465.
W cur Current total power of all the thermo-on com-
[15] J.L. Lin, T.J. Yeh, Control of multi-evaporator air-conditioning systems for flow
pressors (W) distribution, Energy Convers. Manag. 50 (2009) 1529–1541.
W INV Power of the inverter-driven compressor (W) [16] Q. Tu, Z. Feng, S. Mao, et al., Heating control strategy for variable refrigerant
W STD1 Power of the first standard compressor (W) flow air conditioning system with multi-module outdoor units, Energy Build.
42 (2001) 2021–2027.
W STD 2 Power of the second standard compressor (W) [17] Q. Tu, et al., Experimental study on multi-split air conditioner with digital scroll
ΔP Pressure fluctuation (bar) compressor, Appl. Therm. Eng. 31 (2011) 2449–2457.