Identifies and quantifies the cycling losses in a domestic refrigerator- freezer. During cycling operation the refrigerator operated between 5% and 25% less efficiently than the corresponding quasi-steady machine. The cycling refrigerator operates with an evaporator capacity between 3% and 17% less than that of the quasi-steady refrigerator while requiring between 1% and 9% more power to operate. States the performance degradation was caused mainly by refrigerant migration and the thermal mass of the evaporator and compressor. Suggests several design changes. States it appears that a refrigerator equipped with a reciprocating compressor, solenoid valves to isolate the condenser and no accumulator, should operate in a nearly quasi-steady manner.

KEYWORDS: year 1997, Refrigerators, domestic, experiment, cyclic, performance