Air Conditioner Condensing Unit For Corrosive Environments

A condensing unit for use with an air conditioning system, the condensing unit is associated with a marine vessel and is resistant to salt water corrosion, the condensing unit is comprised of:

• a) a housing comprised of a corrosion resistant substantially flat baseplate having a first end and a second end and containing at least one drain hole, two corrosion resistant opposing side panels, a corrosion resistant top panel and a corrosion resistant rear panel, which rear panel contains a discharge port extending into the interior of the condensing unit and forming a shroud;
• b) a condenser coil assembly coated with a material that is resistant to corrosion with respect to a salt water environment and operatively secured to said first end of said baseplate, the condenser coil assembly being comprised of opposing vertically disposed header plates through which horizontally disposed refrigerant carrying tubing extend across the width of said condenser coil assembly and wherein the ends of said tubes are interconnected by return tube bends to form a continuous loop, and wherein there is provided a plurality of vertically disposed metallic fins penetrated by said horizontally disposed tubing wherein the number of fins per linear inch is from 8 to 19 to mitigate plugging between fins;
• c) a fan assembly comprised of a fan blade and a fan motor for rotating said fan blade, wherein the fan assembly is secured at said second end of said baseplate by use of a supporting bracket that is secured to the rear panel of said condenser unit and to which said fan motor is attached, wherein the fan assembly and condenser coil assembly are oriented so that a stream of air is drawn through said condenser coil assembly by operation of said fan blade and discharged horizontally with respect to the deck of a marine vessel through said discharge port at the rear panel;
• d) a corrosion resistant shroud surrounding said fan assembly, wherein there is a gap between the outermost edge of said fan blade and the interior wall of said shroud, which gap is between about 0.100 inch to 0.900 inch;
• e) a compressor operatively connected to said condenser coil and positioned between said fan assembly and said condenser coil assembly, which compressor is capable of compressing and moving a refrigerant through said condenser coil;
• and
• f) a corrosive resistant substantially water tight electrical enclosure wherein the main power, controller connections, and electrical components of said condensing unit are connected.