Compressor Capacity Control is key to Energy Savings

Have you ever wondered why the lights dim when your refrigerator turns on?  The answer is actually a local "brown-out" happening in your own house.  An induction motor is at the center of the refrigeration compressor and it was completely still the moment before the control system told the compressor to turn on.  The first movement from stopped to running consumes a massive amount of electricity albeit for a mere fraction of a second.  The lights dim for as a result of "electricity starvation" for this brief amount of time.  This is the basic kitchen replication of a brown-out.

Lights dimming is merely one example of the effects of this localized brown-out condition.  Other appliances, televisions, computer equipment, etc. also experience this brown-out.  Unlike incandescent lighting, these other appliances have electronic circuitry that protects its own components from this electrical anomaly.  Probably why you bought that UPS for your computer!

The refrigerator compressor knows only two things.  How to operate when on and how to do nothing.  These two states are typically controlled by an electro-mechanical device known as a thermostat.  As the word suggests this is a static temperature point at which the compressor state changes from off to on and of course the reverse to go from off to on.

What if the compressor could stay on nearly all of the time and have the ability to match its electrical input to the required cooling for the refrigerator cabinet?  This is the concept of capacity control.

Capacity control of compressors has long been at the center of conversation in the refrigeration and air conditioning world.  Many methods for capacity control have been suggested, tested and either scrapped or adopted by a small few dollar buyers.

EcoClimate Services is educated in the various methods of compressor capacity control and routinely integrates these technologies to meet the specific requirements of its clients.  ECS is a supplier of controlled environment equipment with a focus on energy intelligence.