Variable capacity compressor and refrigerator

A refrigerator comprising:

• a cabinet;
• a refrigeration compartment within the cabinet;
• a sealed system for forcing cold air through the refrigeration compartment, the sealed system comprising a compressor comprising:
• a cylinder;
• a piston disposed within the cylinder and movable between a bottom dead center (BDC) and a top dead center (TDC) position;
• a fluid passageway defined by at least one aperture, the fluid passageway being disposed within the cylinder between the BDC and TDC position;
• an actuator in operative communication with the at least one aperture;
• and
• a controller in signal communication with the actuator, the controller being responsive to an environmental condition of the refrigeration compartment to activate the actuator to at least partially close the fluid passageway.

A refrigerator comprising:

• a cabinet;
• a refrigeration compartment having a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment within the cabinet;
• a sealed system for forcing cold air through the refrigeration compartment, the sealed system comprising a compressor comprising:
• a cylinder;
• a piston disposed within the cylinder and movable between a bottom dead center (BDC) and a top dead center (TDC) position;
• a fluid passageway defined by an aperture disposed within the cylinder between the BDC and TDC position;
• a condenser in serial fluid communication downstream from the compressor;
• a fresh food expansion device in serial fluid communication downstream from the condenser;
• a fresh food evaporator disposed in the fresh food compartment and in serial fluid communication downstream from the fresh food expansion device;
• a phase separator in serial fluid communication downstream from the fresh food evaporator, the phase separator having a liquid phase output and a vapor phase output, the vapor phase output in serial fluid communication upstream from the compressor via the fluid passageway;
• a freezer expansion device in serial fluid communication downstream from the liquid phase output;
• and
• a freezer evaporator disposed in the freezer compartment and in serial fluid communication downstream from the freezer expansion device and upstream from the compressor.

A reciprocating refrigerant compressor system comprising:

• a compression chamber circumscribed by a chamber wall;
• a piston disposed within the compression chamber for reciprocating movement between a first position and a second position for compressing refrigerant received in the chamber;
• at least one aperture in the chamber wall disposed between the first position and the second position, the at least one aperture defining a fluid passageway through said chamber wall;
• and
• at least one actuator operative to selectively at least partially close the at least one aperture thereby selectively changing the effective cooling capacity of the compressor system.