Experimental Analysis of the Discharge Valve Movement of the Oil-Free Linear Compressor in the Refrigeration System

In a linear compressor, the valve motion significantly affects the thermodynamic efficiency and the compressor’s reliability, especially in oil-free conditions. To better understand the dynamic behavior of the discharge valve, a real-time test bench was built. The piston movements and dynamic pressure in the cylinder were also observed to obtain the synchronizing characteristics among the reed valve motion, cylinder pressure, and piston motion. Observing the motion of the discharge valve visually, the discharge valve flutters due to the change in the form of the cylinder pressure, the delayed opening of the valve is caused by the inertia of the valve itself, and additional displacement fluctuations are present. This paper presents the dynamic behavior of the discharge valve under different discharge pressure/operating frequency/piston stroke/clearance length conditions. The results show that the valve flutters increase, the mean displacement of the valve increases, and the duration of the discharge increases when the discharge pressure decreases. When the operating frequency increases, the duration of the discharge decreases, while the mean displacement of the valve increases. For a high stroke or a low clearance length case, the duration of the discharge increases, while the valve flutters increase due to the pressure fluctuations in the cylinder. Through analyzing the synchronizing characteristic among the valve movements, piston movements, and cylinder pressure, it is shown that the phenomenon of the delayed opening valve is much worse for a low stroke or a high operating frequency case. In addition, the delayed closing of the valve appears for a high operating frequency case (75 Hz).