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Title: Development of a linear compressor for air conditioners and heat pumps. Design and test report. Final report, October 1995-November 1996

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:529864

The report discusses the design, building, testing, and delivering to the Environmental Protection Agency of a linear compressor for operation in a 3.0-ton (10.5 kW) resident air-conditioning and heat pumping system. During the design work, the Resonant Piston Compression (RPC) was modified to extend its range into the heating mode, and a voltage controller was developed that could sense the proximity of the compressor plunger to the top dead center and bottom dead center stops and limit the plunger stroke. The test program that followed construction was successful, except for several minor difficulties, including a failure in the epoxy bond of the compressor plunger. The test results proved the performance advantage of the RPC in terms of a high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating potential and also demonstrated that the compressor can be controlled in a stable manner using low cost, commercially available motor control devices.

Research Organization:
Mechanical Technology, Inc., Latham, NY (United States)
OSTI ID:
529864
Report Number(s):
PB-97-189690/XAB; CNN: Contract EPA-68-D5-0153; TRN: 72471687
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 1997
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English