There is considerable evidence that most refrigeration compressors are of good quality and capable of trouble-free operation for at least 40,000 to 50,000 hours. However, the life of the best of them can be shortened to less than 1000 hours through faulty application. This can often be blamed on the system designer. On the other hand, manufacturers, in their effort to have their product appear superior to the competition's, are contributing to the problem by claiming that their compressor may be used at what almost certainly are ruinous conditions.

If design and operating conditions of a system are such that large rates of liquid return are possible, the only method of protecting the compressor is to provide a properly designed separator,and collecting space so that this liquid will be removed from the suction gas and stored until it can be evaporated or otherwise removed.

To assure dependable operation for many thousands of hours, the refrigeration system must be so designed that no liquid refrigerant will enter the compressor and the temperature of the compressor is not so high as to result in poor lubrication. Oil temperatures not over about 170F seem to be the limit, with around 150F preferred. These will be considered in order.