Linear compressor discharge valve behavior using a rigid body valve model and a FSI valve model

The discharge valve of a linear compressor commonly uses a circular plate valve and research on such valves is lacking. Thus, in this study, the rigid body model and the FSI model, widely used for the reed valve, were used to examine the behavior of the discharge valve. Also, a comparison with experimental results was conducted to determine the characteristics of each valve model. According to the results, only the valve lift of the FSI model was in agreement with the experimental result. Moreover, the 3D rigid body valve model could not predict the additional displacement fluctuations of the valve that cause backflow during the expansion process of the compressor whereas the 3D FSI valve model was able to predict the additional displacement fluctuations. Therefore, the FSI model was found to be advantageous in calculating the cooling capacity or EER of the linear compressor with the circular plate discharge valve.