ISO/TC 86/SC 4 - Testing and rating of refrigerant compressors

This document specifies the rating requirements, published ratings and marking provisions of centrifugal refrigerant compressors. This document applies to centrifugal compressors and their performance in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning applications. This document provides guidance and requirements for the industry, including manufacturers, engineers, installers and contractors. It defines the minimum amount of information in a standardized form to enable the evaluation and comparison of different compressors for use in an application and suggests a method to be used to guarantee the accuracy of that information.

This document specifies normative references, terms and definitions, rating requirements, published rating, tolerance and marking provisions of positive displacement refrigerant compressors. This document applies to positive displacement refrigerant compressors and their performance in air-conditioning, heating, refrigeration and dehumidification applications. Single stage, two-stage and refrigerant-injected compressors without intermediate temperature load (only one evaporator) are included in this document. Subcritical operation and transcritical operation are also included in this document. Compressors for other applications, compression types and operations can also refer to this document. The manufacturer is solely responsible for the determination of values to be used in the published product information. This document is intended as guidance for the industry, including manufacturers, engineers, installers and service contractors. It defines the minimum amount of information in a standard form to enable the evaluation and comparison of different compressors for use in an application.

This document applies to the performance testing of compressor driven refrigerating systems (hereafter referred to as refrigerating systems) that operate according to the principle of vapour compression and consist of the circuit parts for compression, condensation, and evaporation as well as the connecting pipes and any necessary associated ancillaries required for a complete refrigeration circuit. This document does not apply to the testing of other refrigeration systems such as absorption or steam jet refrigerating systems. Testing of the suitability of a refrigerating system for a specific use, such as household refrigerators, refrigerated commercial and display cabinets, air conditioners, is not covered by this document. This document includes testing outside laboratories or where specific laboratory testing standards for systems do not exist and which is performed according to agreed operating conditions.

The provisions of this document apply to Single-Stage and economised refrigerant compressors of the positive displacement type. Selected test methods are described for the determination of the refrigerating capacity, the power, the isentropic efficiency and the coefficient of performance. These test methods provide results of sufficient accuracy to permit consideration of the suitability of a refrigerant compressor to operate satisfactorily under any set of basic test conditions required for a given refrigeration installation. Attention is drawn in particular to a number of special precautions necessary to reduce testing losses to a minimum. This document applies only to tests carried out at the manufacturer’s works, or wherever the necessary equipment for testing to the accuracy required can be made available. The accuracy of measurement are specified in Clause 4. NOTE - Tests on complete refrigeration installations are dealt with in ISO 916. Annexes B and C, which provide additional information, do not form integral parts of this document.

The provisions are applicable to single-stage refrigerant compressors of the positive-displacement type only. Selected test methods are described for the determination of the refrigerating capacity, power, isentropric efficiency, and the coefficient of performance. The test methods described may also be used as a guide for testing other types of refrigerant compressors. - Replaces the first edition (ISO 917:1974) and constitutes its technical revision.

The rating conditions are given in publications produced by various organizations such as CECOMAF for different practical uses. Because of many varying conditions in the presentation of performance data, it is not possible to make a direct comparison. Specified are therfore the items of performance data relating to the refrigerating capacity and power absorbed so that such comparisons may be made.