Design and Development of Linear Compressor for Miniature Vapor Compression Refrigeration System

In this paper, solenoid motor-based miniature linear compressor is developed for miniaturized vapour compression (MVC)-based cooling system. This linear compressor is developed for the cooling capacity range of 100–150 W. This research work is divided into three major parts. First, theoretical analysis is done for the various forces relating on the compressor movement. Then, 3D simulation of the compressor component is performed and discussed the relationship of the displacement of mass and velocity with respect to time using 20 sim software. In latter part of this work, the fabrication of compressor components is done and it is controlled by the microcontroller. The 20 sim simulation results shows that the piston force is directly proportional to piston velocity and displacement. The enhancement of piston velocity and displacement of 300% for the piston force is increased from 2.5 N to 10 N. The prototype analyse shows that the pressure ratio of 3 is obtained with the help of solenoid valve actuation. This pressure ratio is useful to produce the cooling capacity of 150 W at the evaporator and condenser temperature of 10 °C and 30 °C respectively. It is concluded that the system with highly efficient linear compressor is developed with lesser weight and required capacity.