Linear compressor and refrigerator including same
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional linear compressors face efficiency issues due to reduced refrigerant pressure, leading to decreased cooling power and refrigerant accommodation, especially when piston speed increases, causing inefficiencies in refrigerant suction and compression.
Innovation Solution
A linear compressor design featuring a muffler with multiple flow tubes and variable cross-sectional areas, which increases refrigerant pressure and improves suction valve responsiveness, allowing for greater refrigerant accommodation and compression, while also reducing noise and enabling various muffler configurations to optimize refrigerant flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the piston speed is increased to increase cooling power, then the cooling power is improved, but the refrigerant pressure is reduced and refrigerant accommodation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The muffler is divided into multiple flow tubes (first flow tube, second flow tube, third flow tube) with different cross-sectional areas. This segmentation allows the refrigerant flow to be distributed across multiple paths, reducing flow resistance and maintaining pressure even at high piston speeds, thereby resolving the contradiction between cooling power and refrigerant accommodation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the flow tubes have different cross-sectional areas (first portion, second portion, third portion with progressively larger areas). This local quality variation optimizes the flow characteristics at different stages, reducing pressure loss while maintaining efficient refrigerant accommodation, thus addressing the contradiction between high-speed operation and refrigerant pressure maintenance.
2Power
If the piston speed is increased, then the cooling power is improved, but the suction valve responsiveness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The muffler is segmented into multiple flow tubes that provide multiple pathways for refrigerant flow. This segmentation reduces the velocity of refrigerant flow through each individual tube, allowing the suction valve to respond more effectively to pressure changes even at high piston speeds, thereby maintaining responsiveness while achieving high cooling power.
Solution Approach 2:
The variable cross-sectional areas along the flow tubes create dynamic flow characteristics that adapt to different operating conditions. This dynamic flow management ensures that the suction valve can respond appropriately to pressure changes across a range of piston speeds, resolving the contradiction between power output and valve responsiveness.
3Device complexity
If a conventional muffler design is used, then the structure is simple, but the refrigerant pressure is reduced and noise reduction is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The muffler is divided into multiple flow tubes with varying cross-sectional areas, creating a more complex structure that effectively manages refrigerant flow. This segmentation reduces flow resistance and maintains refrigerant pressure while providing better noise reduction, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and pressure maintenance.
4Stress or pressure
If the muffler cross-sectional area is increased to maintain refrigerant pressure, then the refrigerant pressure is improved, but the compressor size increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the overall muffler cross-sectional area, the invention segments the flow into multiple tubes with progressively larger cross-sectional areas along the flow direction. This segmentation allows pressure maintenance through optimized flow distribution without requiring a proportional increase in overall compressor volume, resolving the contradiction between pressure maintenance and compact size.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow tubes are arranged in a multi-dimensional configuration with varying cross-sectional areas along the flow direction rather than simply increasing the overall area. This dimensional optimization maintains refrigerant pressure while minimizing the increase in compressor size, addressing the contradiction between pressure and compactness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The enhanced refrigerant pressure and suction efficiency result in increased cooling power and compressor efficiency, along with improved responsiveness of the suction valve, ensuring sufficient refrigerant in the compression chamber, even at higher piston speeds, and allowing for a more compact compressor size.
Implementation Method 1
a permanent magnet is driven to linearly reciprocate by a mutual electromagnetic force between the permanent magnet and the inner (or outer) stator
Implementation Method 2
A linear compressor design featuring a muffler with multiple flow tubes and variable cross-sectional areas, which increases refrigerant pressure
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a linear compressor and a refrigerator including the same. A linear compressor according to the present disclosure includes a shell, a cylinder, a piston and a muffler. And the muffler includes a plurality of flow tubes extending in a flow direction of the refrigerant, and a plurality of through-holes passing through at least one of the plurality of flow tubes.