Influence of the position of recessed outdoor units and louvre blade angle on the performance of split air conditioners

In residential air conditioning systems, outdoor units are often installed in the recesses of building facades and shaded by louvres; however, different unit installation positions and louvre blade angles affect the thermal environment around the outdoor unit and the energy efficiency ratio (EER) of the air conditioner. In this study, the effects of the outdoor unit installation position and louvre blade angle on the EER when a single outdoor unit was installed in a recess were investigated by experiments on a 1.5 hp air conditioner (rated power of the air conditioner is 3.5 kW), and the influence of the spacing and angle between two outdoor units on the air conditioner EER when two outdoor units were installed in the same recess was explored. The results of the research indicate that when a single outdoor unit is installed in the recess, the EER increases with an increase in the distance between the inlet of the outdoor unit and the wall. To meet the three-level standard of air conditioner EERs, the distance between the inlet and wall needs to be greater than 300 mm. The EER first increased and then decreased slowly with the increase in the distance between the outdoor unit outlet and louvre; thus, the distance between the outlet and louvre should not be less than 300 mm. The EER first increased and then decreased with the increase in the blade angle, and thus, the blade angle should not be greater than 20°. When two outdoor units are installed in the same recess, each installation mode, “horizontal installation” (same height and collinear), “perpendicular installation” (same height and perpendicular), “angle installation” (same height and obtuse angle), and “up and down parallel installation” (different heights and parallel), has an optimum installation distance and angle.