Experimental Investigation of an Optimized Mechanically Assisted Suction Reed Valve Design Concept in a Small Hermetic Reciprocating Compressor

Reed valves are widely used in hermetic reciprocating compressors for domestic refrigeration. They are crucial components in terms of efficiency, cooling performance, noise and reliability of the compressor. While reed valves already cause a significant proportion of the thermodynamic losses in fixed speed compressors, they induce even more challenges in variable speed compressors. Especially in variable speed compressors, a further improvement of the reed valve dynamics requires the consideration of a new valve concept.
In this work, a new design concept of a mechanically assisted suction valve is experimentally investigated. A mechanically actuated spiral spring generates a variable supporting force on the surface of a conventional reed valve. Experiments are conducted over a wide compressor speed range to determine how the new valve design contributes to the thermodynamic requirements of a variable speed compressor, which are high efficiency from low to medium compressor speed and high cooling capacity at high compressor speed. In addition, acoustic measurements will show the influence of the new design concept on noise, vibration and suction gas pulsation of the compressor.