Reciprocating compressor with variable capacity regulation

A reciprocating compressor comprising:

• a cylinder,
• a piston configured and arranged to move back and forth in the cylinder in order to form a compression chamber in the cylinder,
• at least one suction valve and at least one pressure valve are provided on the compression chamber,
• at least one connection chamber with a connection chamber volume, which is connected to the compression chamber via at least one overflow opening,
• a sequence valve configured and arranged to open and close the at least one overflow opening,
• a sequence valve control unit configured and arranged for controlling the sequence valve,
• characterized in that the sequence valve is an automatic ring valve configured and arranged to automatically open and close the at least one overflow opening depending on a pressure ratio between a pressure in the at least one connection chamber and a pressure in the compression chamber,
• wherein the sequence valve is further configured and arranged to open automatically when the pressure in the at least one connection chamber is greater than the pressure in the at least one compression chamber, and
• an unloader configured and arranged to be actuated by an electrically controllable actuator in order to keep the sequence valve in an open state independently of the pressure ratio, and in that the electrically controllable actuator can be actuated by the sequence valve control unit for actuation.