Investigation on the Suction Reed Valve Motion with Sticky Force in a Refrigerator Compressor

The valve motion strongly couples with the differential pressure between the cylinder and the suction and discharge plenum, which has a significant influence on the performance of the refrigerator compressor. To examine the interaction between the pressure and the reed valve motion, this paper presents an experimental investigation into the inner workings of the refrigerator compressor, particularly the p-V diagram and the motion of the suction valve. The refrigerator compressor was modified to conveniently mount the sensors. Three pressure sensors were installed to measure the p-V diagram and pressure pulsation, while a strain gauge was employed to measure the motion of the suction valve. The interaction between the differential pressure and the valve motion were clearly observed from the experimental results. It was found that there was a considerable power loss up to 14.5% in the suction process under experimental conditions. The sticky force of the oil had a significant effect on both the motion of the suction valve and the suction phase of the compressor. The delayed opening of the reed valve increased the amplitude of the pressure pulsation in the suction plenum. The experimental method which integrates the pressure variety and the valve movement proposed in this paper could contribute to the efficient testing and the optimization of the refrigerator compressor.