Refrigerant Compressor

Abstract

In order to operate as energy-efficiently as possible a refrigerant compressor, comprising a reciprocating piston compressor and an electric motor, an overall housing having a motor housing portion for the electric motor and a compressor housing portion for the reciprocating piston compressor, a suction connector connected to a low-pressure side of the reciprocating piston compressor, a pressure connector connected to a high-pressure side of the reciprocating piston compressor, wherein provided in the compressor housing portion is at least one cylinder of the reciprocating piston compressor, which has a piston that is movable in a cylinder bore formed in the compressor housing portion, a valve plate closing the cylinder bore, and a cylinder head that spans the valve plate and forms part of the compressor housing portion, it is proposed that a mechanical performance control unit should be provided by which the low-pressure side and the high-pressure side are connectable to one another for the purpose of reducing performance, and that there should be provided in the region of the cylinder head a nonreturn valve that is held against the cylinder head and that allows a refrigerant stream exiting therefrom on the high-pressure side and blocks a refrigerant stream counter to this refrigerant stream.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.