Key
1307
Conference Year
2014
Keywords
variable speed, acoustic optimization, paths
Abstract
Variable speed reciprocating compressors (VSRC) present some advantages comparing to single speed compressors, mainly in terms of energy consumption and noise. Once the acoustic performance is analyzed, it is verified that the compressor running most part of the time at frequencies lower than the ones of the electric nets imply lower sound level for VSRC and, therefore, many home appliances manufacturers direct their use in the premium refrigerator models. Following a general market trend for comfort items, home appliances noise is becoming more and more important nowadays, implying even VSRCs demand acoustic improvements in order to reduce the sound level of the refrigerators. In such a scenario, this paper presents numerical and experimental studies carried out in an existing platform of variable speed compressors, identifying some sources and transmission paths associated to the overall sound level of the compressor itself and a representative refrigerator model. Based on the foreseen opportunities, a design optimization focusing on sources and paths is presented and, as a result, the acoustic performance of the new generation is compared to the performance of the current version of this variable speed compressor platform.
Acoustic Improvements for a New Generation of Variable Speed Compressors