FAQ

Q. How did the Turbocor Compressor improve energy efficiency?

A. Historically, all compressors, which are the heart of an air conditioning system, required oil for lubrication, in order to keep them running for extended periods of time. Ron was able to develop an innovative magnetic bearing system which allowed the rotating shaft to stay levitated in a magnetic field, thereby eliminating the need for lubrication. This gave the compressor signficantly more flexibilty in how it could operate, as for the first time, the need to circulate refrigerant in a system fast enough to ensure the oil return functioned correctly was no longer a consideration. The speed of a centrifugal is directly proportional to the cube of its power, and therefore, the Turbocor compressor leveraged this relationship to slow down when it was not required to run at full load, thereby dramatically reducing its energy consumption.

Therefore, Turbocor’s biggest contribution was enabling a system to run efficiently whilst operating at partial loads, which extensives studies around the world have shown occurs 99% of the time.

Q. How can you improve the efficiency of air-conditioning even further?

A. The Turbocor compressor represented a leap forward in efficiency of one of the principle components of an air-conditioning system, but it was still constrained by the limitations placed on air-conditioning by the century old approach still in use today. To radically take another leap forward, we are re-inventing air-conditioning, and have created a new approach and new technologies to make this possible.