A refrigeration compressor compresses refrigerant using a piston, crankshaft, and connecting rod. It has intake and discharge valves, and uses reed valves. Compressors require a condenser and capacitor to start up. Some refrigerators have independent compressors for the fridge and freezer.
A refrigeration compressor is an essential part of what makes refrigeration technology work. A supercharger is like a small engine: it consists of a piston, a crankshaft and a connecting rod that connects the piston to the crankshaft. Similar to a car engine, a refrigeration compressor produces compression throughout its stroke as it is driven.
As the piston moves up and down in the cylinder, it will compress whatever is in the compressor bore. This essentially forces anything in the compressor bore into a smaller area through the use of compressor technology. In a refrigerator, it is used to pass the refrigerant through. A refrigeration compressor is powered by electricity, and compressors have an electric motor component that powers the piston and crankshaft to compress the refrigerant used.
Each refrigeration compressor has a header at the top of the compressor assembly. There are also valves in a compressor head. One set of valves, called the intake valves, allow the refrigerant to enter the cylinder and the other set of valves, known as the discharge valves, allow the refrigerant under pressure to leave the cylinder.
In a refrigeration compressor, the values used are reed valves. These are very thin valves that are easily moved by the pressurized refrigerant at the appropriate point in the cycle. Once the refrigerant is pressurized, it passes through the system, where it expands and cools. This process of expansion and cooling occurs due to the laws of thermodynamics, which dictate that when a liquid expands into vapor, it absorbs heat.
Refrigeration compressors also often require a condenser as part of the electrical system. This requirement exists because compressors need the extra boost from the condensers when they start up. A capacitor is like a small battery that stores an electrical charge and allows the compressor to use some of that charge when it starts up to help it start compressing the refrigerant and do its job of powering the system.
Some refrigerators have independent compressors for the refrigerator component and the freezer component. These are widely considered to be more efficient, but dual-compressor refrigerators are generally more expensive than single-compressor ones. In any case, the compressors do not operate constantly, but switch on automatically intermittently when necessary to guarantee the right temperature of the air inside the refrigerator.
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