EMBRACO has announced the development of a new oil-less linear compressor design - compatible with both R134a and R600a - for domestic refrigeration which it says will be more efficient and more compact than current units.
The Brazilian manufacturer says the compressor is the result of five years' research and a US$20m investment in the technology developed in conjunction with Fisher & Paykel, a major appliance manufacturer in New Zealand. Energy savings of up to 30% are claimed.
Fisher & Paykel describes the new compressor as a major 'step change' in refrigeration technology - a technology it claims to have been working on for the last 17 years.
Stuart Broadhurst, chief executive of Fisher & Paykel Appliances, said its new compressor technology 'could become as important to refrigeration as the electric car engine is to the automotive industry.'
Being oil-less, the compressor can be installed in any orientation.
'Our customers can create new uses for their products with more cabinet space options,' explained Embraco's vice president of marketing and business, Roberto H Campos.
Linear compressora are not new to domestic refrigeration, LG has been using linear compressors in many of its domestic refrigerators for nearly 10 years but as Embraco's Roberto H Campos told ACR News: 'Beyond being an oil-free technology (LG linear uses oil), our innovative solution uses half the amount of material when compared to other linear solutions, reducing its size and offering better performance.'