An Experimental Setup for Vibroacoustic and Fluid-Born Noise Characterization of Electric Refrigerant Compressors Using R1234yf or R744

2026-01-0724

6/20/2026

Authors
Abstract
Content
The increasing electrification of vehicles means that heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems have a broader range of tasks and a different priority assessment. In electric cars, air conditioning systems are not only responsible for cooling the passenger compartment, but also for controlling the battery temperature, particularly during rapid charging, which represents a high-load operating point. Furthermore, achieving high thermodynamic efficiency is desirable, as this directly impacts the range of electric cars. The elimination of the combustion engine as a major source of noise prioritizes the noise, vibration and harshness behavior of the refrigerant compressor for product selection. To investigate the vibration and acoustic behavior, as well as the fluid dynamic forces resulting from the cyclic compression principle of an electric refrigerant compressor, a test rig was developed that allows compressors to be operated and measured in isolation in an anechoic chamber under various defined operating conditions. This test rig has been expanded in two ways within the scope of this work. Firstly, the compressor can be either rigidly attached to a dead mass using a VDA mount or measured while suspended freely. Secondly, a new R744-compatible refrigeration circuit has been added to the test rig, enabling compressors operating with the environmentally friendly refrigerant CO₂, which has so far only been used by a few manufacturers in selected models, to be tested. Measurement results obtained using this test rig provide valuable insight into the vibration behavior and sound spectra of the refrigerant compressor's fluid, structural, and airborne noise when operating at different points.
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/2026-01-0724
Citation
Beer, G., Saur, L., Schwarz, M., Zemsch, S., et al., "An Experimental Setup for Vibroacoustic and Fluid-Born Noise Characterization of Electric Refrigerant Compressors Using R1234yf or R744," 14th International Styrian Noise, Vibration & Harshness Congress: The European Automotive Noise Conference, Graz, Austria, June 17, 2026, https://doi.org/10.4271/2026-01-0724.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Jun 20
Product Code
2026-01-0724
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English