A refrigerator’s compressor is what the heart is to the human body to the refrigeration system. It ensures the flow of the refrigerant through the system at the correct temperature and pressure.
The inverter compressor technology came into being to optimize the compressor motor speed to proper levels important for modulating adequate cooling capacity.
Overall, the linear inverter compressor is much more efficient than the smart compressor. However, the smart inverter compressor is very similar to digital inverter compressors. The primary distinguishing factor is the presence of microprocessors to optimize cooling processes. In addition, less friction in the linear electromagnet setup makes the linear inverter compressor refrigerators highly energy efficient.
Which is Better?
While both of these inverter compressors beat the conventional compressor refrigerators hands down yet, there is still an edge of an advantage they have over one another.
Generally speaking, both the smart inverter compressor and linear inverter compressors are efficient in energy consumption.
However, the linear inverter compressor has the edge over the smart inverter compressor technology in two significant ways.
- The smart inverter compressor is engineered so that only the basics are incorporated. In this sense, basics refer to the essential components of the compressor designed in the simplest form possible.
- Food is kept fresh for more extended periods
- Produces lower noise, usually around 22 decibels
One of the significant aims of refrigeration is to keep the freshness of the food materials stored preserved as close as possible to the material’s original state.
From various user reports, linear inverter refrigerators produce this result more often than smart refrigerators.
While the integrity of the food materials is preserved in all refrigerators, many of the food products or substances stored in those refrigerators do not retain the fresh taste they had before refrigeration.
In contrast to the four friction points characteristic of other inverter compressors, the linear inverter compressors are so innovatively designed that they only have one friction point.
But, of course, it remains a scientific fact that the higher the amount of friction, the higher the amount of energy consumed by any system.
Hence, these drastically reduced points of friction characteristic of the linear inverter compressor mean that the amount of energy consumed by the system would be considerably smaller than its counterparts with the typical four friction points.
Without mincing words, it is a popular fact that we all are trying as much as possible to cut costs. Yet, we cannot afford to lose the value we are straining so much to access while cutting costs.
This is where the inverter compressor technology comes in. This technology enables us to cut costs while getting reasonable value for money.
Now, of all the inverter compressors we have come to know in our present day, the linear inverter compressor remains unique and most efficient.
On the other hand, smart inverter compressors are a repackaged form of digital inverter compressors.
Digital and smart inverter compressors are well known for operating on an as-needed basis.
That is, the compressor is intelligent. The compressor receives signals from the refrigerating system regarding how and when the compressor should kick in or stay out of action.
It operated more like a thermostat. At the beginning of the refrigeration cycle, the compressor, of course, is driven to work vigorously by the smart inverter compressor.
Once the microprocessors have noticed the achievement of a target temperature, the compressor relaxes and starts operating to maintain the achieved temperature.
While these properties of the smart inverter compressor are nothing short of amazing, it still trails the performance of the linear inverter compressor when it comes to energy usage and the ability to preserve the integrity of food items stored for long periods.
Both the linear inverter compressor and the smart inverter compressor have their advantages. However, one still outweighs the other.
In this case, the linear inverter compressor is much more efficient than any other type of inverter compressor in modern refrigerators.
What is the Cost?
Due to the peculiar nature of the inverter compressors, they are generally more expensive than the typical regular compressor refrigerators.
However, as we have mentioned earlier, the sole purpose of this inverter compressor technology is to ensure adequate refrigeration of products while maintaining energy consumption at the barest minimum.
In fulfillment of this purpose, several variants of the inverter compressor refrigerators have been brought into the market. Each one is a modification of the previous.
All the designs and changes aim to optimize refrigeration while energy consumption, heat generation, and noise are kept as low as possible.
Now, the cost of purchasing a smart inverter or linear inverter refrigerator is not static and cannot be capped at a particular price.
It is dependent on the type of refrigerator you have in the plan to purchase.
The volume, design, and brand of the fridge you eventually purchase go a long way in determining what amount you need to pay to acquire it.
Hence, the price of a bottom freezer refrigerator fitted with either a smart inverter compressor or linear inverter compressor would not be the same as that of a double door refrigerator with the same type of inverter compressor technology.
Of course, we have established that, on average, refrigerators that are manufactured with the inverter compressor technology fitted tend to be more expensive than their counterparts that do not have an inverter compressor technology installed.
Therefore, once you have decided on the particular refrigerator brand you would like to purchase, the next thing to do is to ascertain the volume or storage capacity you would need from the refrigerator or freezer based on your family size and total refrigeration needs.
Once these have been determined, the next thing to determine is which type of inverter compressor technology you would like to be installed on the refrigerator you would buy.
This stage is like the one in which you determine and specify the Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read-only Memory (ROM) you would like to be present on your phone or laptop.
They are the soft portions of the gadget you are about to purchase. They determine how well you would enjoy the product in the long, long run.
So, once you have gotten an avatar of the refrigerator and freezer you aim to purchase, head out to your nearest or choice gadget store to ask the shop owners or technicians for more details about the product and, of course, the cost implication.
Note once again that refrigerators and freezers installed with inverter compressor technology are usually more expensive than refrigerators of the same volume and capacity without the inverter compressor technology.
Mode of Operation
The mode of operation of compressors in this category is quite similar. However, the slight differences in their modes of operation are still worthy of note.
The design and inclusion of inverter compressor technology in refrigerators aim to ensure a reasonably constant temperature within refrigerators.
In contrast to the conventional regular compressor models of refrigerators we all know, the inverter compressor technology fitted in this newer generation of refrigerators ensures that the work done in bringing the temperature down to a satisfactory level does not need to be repeated.
Instead, the job done on products to be refrigerated is performed once and maintained throughout.
Hence, the energy consumed is always far lesser than the amount of energy consumed by conventional compressor refrigerators, whose mode of operation is to work persistently at lowering the temperature, then relax once the set refrigeration temperature has been achieved.
However, during this period of rest from refrigeration in conventional refrigerators, the temperature rises once again.
Then, the compressor has to again kick into action to bring down the temperature. The cycle keeps repeating itself over and over again. In the process, much energy is consumed.
How does the Smart Inverter Compressor Works?
You can easily deduce that this type of inverter compressor technology works intelligently even from its name.
That is, smart inverter compressor refrigerators are one in which the rate at which the compressor works is dependent on a load of materials to be refrigerated.
In this sort of inverter compressor refrigerator, the higher the number of materials to be refrigerated, the greater the rate at which the compressor has to work to beat down the temperature and maintain the integrity of the product.
However, once the temperature has been adequately brought to the target refrigeration temperature, the compressor is smart enough to reduce its work to a rate only needed to maintain the achieved temperature.
How does the Linear Inverter Compressor Works?
The mode of operation of this type of inverter compressor technology is very similar to that of solenoids.
However, in contrast to the typical four pistons characteristic of other inverter compressor technology, this type of inverter compressor uses a spring enabled piston with an electromagnet connected to an alternating current via a diode.
Hence, the friction generated and energy lost as a result of the movement of the pistons in other inverter compressor refrigerators is drastically reduced in the linear compressor refrigerators as they only have one piston in operation.
This way, less energy is consumed, and refrigeration efficacy is enhanced at the lowest cost possible.
Conclusion
The linear inverter compressor refrigerators are more energy-efficient than other inverter compressor refrigerators.
This is due to the considerably lower number of pistons in operation in this inverter compressor technology.
However, on average, inverter compressor refrigerators are more expensive than those that run only on conventional compressors.
