parallel operation of compressor

[joseloyd]

is it a good practice or not to operate two compressor in parallel?

[gregd1401]

Carrier chillers do it all the time, up to 5 or 6 compressors / circuit.

[low0tech]

parallel compressor achieve better control of the ref load and they consume less electricity than a big one. Oil by pass should exist in every compressor and something to control the amount of oil in each compressor

[joseloyd]

on board the ship, we have two sets of compressor & every compressor has a condenser. When we are in tropical areas, we used two compressor in parallel to coolin' it up, is there any disadvantage with this operation?

[chemi-cool]

Many units have two compressors in parallel.
On cooling units for Laser cutting machines its very common, when temp is close to set point, one of them is going out and coming in when load increase.
The controller is also controlling the working time of each one so they run equally.
The sumps are connected with a ball valve in between for easy replacing.

[joseloyd]

ok thanks for the info.