Abstract

Environmental issues and subsequent legislation continues to influence refrigerant and lubricant selection of mechanical refrigeration systems. The influence that these new refrigerant/lubricant combinations have on the wear performance of domestic refrigerator compressors is investigated. Environmental issues and refrigerant/lubricant choices are discussed. Wear mechanisms of the compressor gudgeon pin is presented from an experimental viewpoint. A small domestic compressor rig is used to evaluate the lubrication and wear behaviour of the piston, particularly at the gudgeon pin interface. The refrigerant used for these particular experiments is the HFC R134a and the lubricating media are three refrigerant soluble synthetic based oils.