Recently, linear compressor technology has gained increased attention in vapor compression systems due to its compactness and lower frictional losses compared with the conventional reciprocating compressors. Since the absence of the crank-mechanism eliminates the rotation and reduces the side loads on the piston centered inside the cylinder, it is possible to operate the linear compressors without oil lubrication. A number of advantages can be obtained in terms of the refrigerant compatibility, operation conditions and the system cost. In order to enable oil-free operation, while minimizing frictional losses and leakage flow between the piston and the cylinder wall, a gas bearing approach is applied. Little work was found in the open literature related to the numerical analysis of gas bearings coupled with a comprehensive dynamic linear compressor model. This paper presents a 1-D gas bearing model based on a Finite Volume Method (FVM) applied to a linear compressor. The dynamic characteristics of the gas bearings on the gas film pressure field are analyzed using the model. When integrated together with a comprehensive dynamic linear compressor model, it is possible to predict leakage and frictional losses within the compressor as well as the overall performance.

近年来，由于线性压缩机技术的紧凑性和与常规往复式压缩机相比更低的摩擦损失，因此在蒸汽压缩系统中得到了越来越多的关注。由于没有曲柄机构，因此消除了旋转并减少了以气缸为中心的活塞上的侧向载荷，因此可以在不使用油润滑的情况下运行线性压缩机。就制冷剂相容性，操作条件和系统成本而言，可以获得许多优点。为了实现无油运行，同时使活塞和气缸壁之间的摩擦损失和泄漏流最小化，采用了气体轴承方法。在公开文献中，与气体轴承的数值分析以及综合的动态线性压缩机模型相关的工作很少。本文介绍了一种基于有限体积法（FVM）的一维气体轴承模型，该模型应用于线性压缩机。使用该模型分析了气体轴承在气膜压力场上的动态特性。当与全面的动态线性压缩机模型集成在一起时，可以预测压缩机内的泄漏和摩擦损失以及整体性能。