international journal of refrigeration 59 (2015) 190–197

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Analysis and modeling of a variable speed

reciprocating compressor using ANN

Sergio Ledesma *, J.M. Belman-Flores, J.M. Barroso-Maldonado

School of Engineering, University of Guanajuato. Salamanca, Gto, Mexico

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Article history: This work presents the empirical study of a reciprocating compressor using Artificial In-
Received 22 May 2015 telligence to model it. Several artificial neural networks were used to model three energy
Received in revised form 10 August parameters of the compressor with high precision. The number of neurons in each ANN
2015 was optimized to use the minimum number of neurons without compromising accuracy;
Accepted 12 August 2015 very few neurons were used when comparing with other works. Computer simulations show
Available online 18 August 2015 that the ANN model for the mass flow rate has the highest accuracy when compared with
the models for the discharge temperature and power consumption. These simulations also
Keywords: illustrate that the ANN model for the discharge temperature presented the lowest accuracy.
Artificial neural network Using the ANN model, 3D plots were built to analyze the energy behavior of the compressor.
Vapor compression system © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and International Institute of Refrigeration. All rights reserved.
Neuron
Energy
Simulated annealing
Optimization

Analyse et modélisation d’un compresseur à piston à vitesse

variable utilisant l’ANN
Mots clés : Réseau neuronal artificiel ; Système à compression de vapeur ; Neurone ; Energie ; Recuit simulé ; Optimisation

consumption of the installation. Given that, its efficiency main-

1. Introduction
Currently, there are several technologies to generate cold. The
vapor compression system is the most widely used technol-
ogy. The compressor is the heart of a refrigeration system, and
it is the most complex component, having the greatest energy
tains the requirements and life expectancy of the system, it
makes its operation a topic of great interest. Over the last few
years, some publications have addressed the modeling of re-
ciprocating compressors for refrigeration and air conditioning
systems. The modeling includes the development and valida-
tion to predict compressor performance under steady-state

Preprint submitted to International Journal of Refrigeration August 10, 2015.

* Corresponding author. School of Engineering, University of Guanajuato. Salamanca, Gto 36885, Mexico. Tel.: +524646479940; Fax: 52(464)647-
9940.
E-mail address: selo@ugto.mx (S. Ledesma).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2015.08.009
0140-7007/© 2015 Elsevier Ltd and International Institute of Refrigeration. All rights reserved.
 international journal of refrigeration 59 (2015) 190–197
Nomenclature
h Neural network weight in the hidden layer
ṁ Mass flow rate [kg s−1]
N Rotation compressor speed [rpm]
Pdischarge Discharge pressure [kPa]
Power Power consumption [kW]
Psuction Suction pressure [kPa]
Tdischarge Discharge temperature [K]
Tsuction Suction temperature [K]
w Neural network weight in the output layer
xi Neuron input
y Activation function input
z Neuron output
μ Number of neurons in the hidden layer
analysis (Barroso-Maldonado et al., 2015; Farzaneh-Gord et al.,
2014; Navarro et al., 2007; Yang et al., 2013), using semi-
empirical methods (Wenhua, 2013), through dynamic simulation
(Castaing-Lasvignottes and Gibout, 2010; Ndiaye and Bernier,
2010), analysis with a computational fluid dynamics, CFD
(Pereira et al., 2008), development of a new generic network
model (Hu et al., 2014).
Based on this literature review, it may be said that differ-
ent topologies of reciprocating compressor models exist with
diverse levels of complexity. Models with physical founda-
tions are basic, other models use correlations but with no
physical meaning and cannot be applied outside the speci-
fied range of operating conditions. In terms of applications,
these models go beyond design, optimization, or simple pre-
diction of the energy behavior of the compressor. Additionally,
the use of CFD has been a countless tool in the analysis of these
systems. Among the most relevant parameters to consider are:
refrigerant mass flow rate, input power, and discharge tem-
perature of the refrigerant.
However, there has been a recent influx of modern tech-
niques for modeling. In recent years, the application of artificial
intelligence in different fields of mechanical engineering has
been increasing. For instance, the use of Artificial Neural Net-
works, ANNs, in thermal analysis of heat exchanger (Monharaj
et al., 2015), solar thermal energy (Yaïci and Entchev, 2014), and
in particular way according to this work, the application in the
field of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems
(Mohanraj et al., 2012). Also, the application of ANNs, Support
Vector Machines, SVMs, Classification and Regression Tree, CART,
Multiple Regression, MR, Generalized Linear Regression, GLR,
and Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector, CHAID, were
applied for predicting refrigeration system performance, see
Chou et al. (2014). Esen and Inalli (2010) compared an ANN and
Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System, ANFIS, for predic-
tion performance a heat pump system. Secan et al. (2011) used
an ANN to determine liquid and vapor thermophysical prop-
erties of alternative refrigerants. Also, the applicability of an
ANN to predict the performance of an experimental ground-
coupled heat pump system has been studied (Esen and Inalli,
2009; Esen et al., 2008). Other authors applied ANNs as a comple-
ment to investigate the performance of a single-stage
refrigeration system using different refrigerants which do not
191
damage the ozone layer, see Secan (2011). Li et al. (2012) de-
veloped an ANN-based dynamic model for the experimental
variable speed direct expansion air conditioning system.
Another model using steady state input data of an automo-
tive air conditioning system was proposed by Haslinda et al.
(2013). Belman-Flores et al. (2013) modeled a variable speed
vapor compression system using R134a; this method accu-
rately estimates the number of neurons in the hidden layer,
and the model can predict the energetic performance with good
accuracy. Later, the authors built energetic maps using the re-
frigerant R1234yf, see Ledesma and Belman-Flores (2014).
In the literature, there are few publications related to arti-
ficial intelligence applied to reciprocating compressors. For
instance, Yang et al. (2009) developed a neural network loss–
efficiency model to simulate the performance of positive
displacement compressors. Yang et al. (2005) created a practical
classification system to select faulty products at semi-product
stage in an automatic mass production line of reciprocating
compressors. The extracted features from the original and
wavelet-transformed signals are used as inputs to both: clas-
sifiers based on ANNs, and SVM. Qin et al. (2012) presented a
scheme for fault detection of reciprocating compressor valves
established on: basis pursuit, wave matching, and SVM.
Ghorbanian and Gholamrezaei (2009) designed a fast, reliable
and robust neural network tool to smoothly predict a com-
pressor performance map at design stage. The capability of
different types of ANNs was investigated. One paper in the lit-
erature applies an ANN to model a rotary type compressor see
Sanaye et al. (2011); they proposed two ANNs and non-linear
regression models to analyze the experimental data, for pre-
dicting the refrigerant mass flow rate and the refrigerant
discharge temperature for R134a. In addition, they used error
analysis methods to compared their models. Tian et al. (2015)
applied a hybrid ANN, and Partial Least Squares, PLS, regres-
sion to predict the thermodynamic performance of a scroll
compressor.
Based on the review of the state of the art, the main con-
tributions of this paper into this field are:
• Extend the use of ANNs to analyze and model reciprocat-
ing compressors that are employed in refrigeration and air
conditioning systems.
• Instead of using one single ANN to model the compressor,
each energy parameter was separately modeled in order to
analyze which parameter can be best characterized by the
model. These parameters are: mass flow rate, discharge tem-
perature, and power consumption.
• The number of neurons in the hidden layer was opti-
mized to model the compressor and avoid machine learning
over-fitting.
• 3D plots were build using the ANN model to analyze the
energy behavior of the compressor.
2. Description of the experimental facility
The experimental facility of the vapor compression system is
composed of: a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve,
and an evaporator. The installation is setup to control the
192 international journal of refrigeration 59 (2015) 190–197

x1 Neuron
Electric Motor w11
w12 y
x2 ∑ f(y) z
w13
Inductive Sensor w
x3 bias
1
Fig. 2 – Internal structure of a neuron.

operation conditions to later model and analyze the compres-

sor using ANNs. Every time the operating conditions of the
compressor were changed, the data acquisition system was
used to collect data from a stationary state. The experimen-
Fig. 1 – Reciprocating compressor in the test bench of the
tal tests used in this facility were collected working with the
vapor compression system.
refrigerant R134a.

volumetric flow and the inlet temperature of the secondary

fluids. Additionally, it is possible to also control the rotation
speed of the compressor. The compression system includes an
open type compressor model V, and several devices to measure:
pressure, temperature, mass flow rate, rotation speed, and power
consumption. This type of compressors has a shell which is
independent of the electrical engine, thus the connection to
the motor is made through a mechanical transmission using
pulleys as illustrated in Fig. 1. This figure also shows the in-
ductive sensor to measure the rotation speed of the compressor.
Table 1 includes several technical characteristics for the com-
pressor used in this work.
A data acquisition system SCXI 1000 from National Instru-
ments connected to a personal computer was used to collect
data measurements, and then, store these data into digital files.
Table 2 provides information about the sensors used to monitor
the operation of the compressor; this table includes also the
uncertainty for each sensor. Data were collected under several
3. Artificial neural networks
An ANN is a method that can be used to model a system. They
were inspired in biological processes (Masters, 1993; Russel and
Norvig, 2009) and are composed of neurons. A neuron is a pro-
cessing unit that receives input from several sources and
produces an output as shown in Fig. 2. In this case, the inputs
of the neuron are x1, x2 and x3. Each input is multiplied by a
factor w, typically called weight because they can amplify or
attenuate the information that goes to the neuron. There are
three weights in the figure: w11, w12 and w13. Because there are
many weights in an ANN, sub-indexes are used to identify each
weight in the network. The first sub-index always indicates the
number of the neuron it belongs to. Each weight amplifies or
attenuates the respective input. Specifically, inside a neuron
there is an adder; thus
3
y = ∑ xi w1i + wbias. (1)
i =1

Table 1 – Compressor specifications.

This implies that y is a linear combination of the neuron
Parameter Value Units
input values. Clearly, equation 1 can be extended to any number
Number of cylinders 2 Cylinders of inputs by changing the upper limit of the summation.
Discharge/Suction line internal diameter 2.9 cm A very important component of a neuron is its activation
Discharge/Suction line length 6 cm
function f(y). This function can be linear and non-linear,
Piston diameter 8.5 cm
Stroke 6 cm
however, ANNs that use neurons with a non-linear activa-
Displaced volume at 560 rpm 23.1 m3 h−1 tion function are more immune to noise and learn better than
Rotation speed range 400−600 rpm those networks that use neurons with a linear activation func-
tion. All ANNs used in this paper operate with neurons with
a non-linear activation function z = tanh(1.5y). The 1.5 factor
in this function has previously been studied, see Masters (1993);
Table 2 – Measured parameters and their uncertainty. Russel and Norvig (2009) and Jones (2008). Besides introduc-
Parameter Instrument Uncertainty ing a non-linear behavior, this function also introduces a
Temperature Thermocouple K-type ±0.3 K limiting effect as illustrated in Fig. 3. For any value of y <−2, z
Pressure Pressure transducers ±0.1% takes values close to −1; on the other hand, when y > 2, z takes
Power Digital wattmeter ±0.5% values close to 1. Another non-linear activation function that
Mass flow rate Coriolis flow-meter ±0.22% is very popular is z = logsig(y). ANNs have been extensively used
Rotation speed Inductive sensor ±1%
in an ample range of problems, such as: function approximation,
 international journal of refrigeration 59 (2015) 190–197
1.0
z 0
-1.0
-10 -5 0 5 10
y
Fig. 3 – Activation function z = tanh(1.5y).
optimization, text recognition, and system modeling. The first
ANN was designed by Frank Rosenblatt trying to imitate the
human thinking process. This ANN was called Perceptron, and
it was the first computer that could learn new abilities by trial
and error, see Russel and Norvig (2009).
4. Proposed method
Once the testing facility was ready, the data acquisition system
(previously described) was used to collect 360,000 measure-
ment samples from stationary states for refrigerant R134a. These
samples were stored in digital files for further processing.
Usually, a dataset is split to create the training set and the
validation set; however, the training set must include all dif-
ferent measurement samples of the compressor. For instance,
if 80% of the cases is used for training, then the 20% remain-
ing samples must be used for validation. Other alternatives to
split the data set may be: 70% for training/30% for validation,
60% for training/40% for validation, etc. After performing com-
puter simulations, it was observed that the percentage rate that
provided best results was 85% of the total data for training, and
the remaining 15% for validation. Consequently, each digital
file was randomly divided in order to create two files: 85% of
the samples (306,000) were stored in one file, and the remain-
ing 15% (54,000 samples) were stored in the other file.
An ANN learns from data samples using a process called
training. During training the ANN weights are adjusted using
learning algorithms. These algorithms are typically based on
the mean-squared error, mse, that is computed between the
network output and the respective target value as:
M
1
∑ (output ANN − target ) ,
2
mse = (2)
M i =1
where M is the number of samples to validate the operation
of the ANN. The mse has some mathematical properties that
simplify the implementation of most learning algorithms. One
typical algorithm to train an ANN is back-propagation, see
Russel and Norvig (2009) and Jones (2008). In this paper, we use
a hybrid method using Simulated Annealing and the method
of Conjugate Gradients in multi-dimensions to train the artificial
193
neural network, see Bandyopadhyay et al. (2008), Ledesma et al.
(2007) and Ledesma et al. (2008).
ANNs can learn using unsupervised training or super-
vised training. When an ANN uses unsupervised training, the
network is able to discover hidden information in the data
without relying on a target training set; therefore the network
decides by itself where the information is, and what informa-
tion is important to perform the learning process. On the other
hand, a multilayer ANN is trained using the input training set
and the target training set. Therefore a multilayer ANN uses
supervised training because the target training set is used for
the ANN to identify the information to learn (in this case to
model). As measurement samples from input and output vari-
ables of the experimental facility were available, a multilayer
ANN with supervised training was used.
4.1. Mass flow rate
Using the language of the Neural Lab software, a computer
program was created following the proposed algorithm in Fig. 4.
This program was used to manipulate the structure and train-
ing of an ANN and compute the mse for training and validation.
The algorithm begins by setting the value of μ to zero. In the
next block, an ANN with μ neurons is created, thus the first
time an ANN with zero neurons in the hidden layer will be
created (no hidden layer). The training beginning performing
an optimization using Simulated Annealing, SA (Press et al.,
2007), then training continues using the method of Levenberg–
Marquardt, LM, as described in Masters (1995). This two-step
method is much more efficient than traditional training
methods such as back-propagation based on the gradient. Ad-
ditionally, the LM algorithm converges usually faster than the
conjugate gradient method. The main limitation of the LM al-
gorithm is that it requires memory on the order of the square
of the number of independent variables, and additionally to
require the computation of the gradient, it also requires an es-
timate of the Hessian matrix of second-order partial derivatives.
Masters concluded that the LM algorithm is impractical when
there is a large number of variables to be optimized. Thus, for
the case of the compressor, we use one single ANN to model
the mass flow rate to be able to use the LM algorithm.
Once the training process was completed, the mse was com-
puted using the training set. Then, we proceeded to validate
Start Validate the performance of
the ANN
=0 (compute validation-mse)
Create an ANN with Increase the value of :
neurons in the hidden layer =
Train the ANN using SA Yes Is < 16?
Train the ANN using the No
Levenberg-Marquardt method
End
Compute training-mse
using the Training Set
Fig. 4 – Block diagram of the proposed algorithm.
194 international journal of refrigeration 59 (2015) 190–197

Inputs 1 h1B Output -5

h11 Hidden
N Neuron 1
h21 h12 x1
w validation-mse
1
hμ1

Psuction h22
hμ2 w2 . -6

mse
Hidden x Output
Neuron 2 2 Neuron m
h13
. training-mse

h2B . .
Tsuction h23
1 . wB
hμ3
. 1
h14
h24 . -7
Pdischarge hμ 4 wμ
xμ 0 3 6 9 12 15
Hidden Number of Neurons in Hidden Layer ( )
1 Neuron μ
hμB
Fig. 6 – Progress of the mse for the mass flow rate of the
compressor.
Fig. 5 – ANN to model the mass flow rate of the
compressor.

temperature can decrease linearly or exponentially. At each tem-

perature the algorithm performs a fixed number of iterations.
the performance of the network by computing the mse using The SA optimization parameters were accordingly adjusted,
only the validation set. It is important to note that the mea- the set of values that produced the best result are:
surement samples included in the training set were not
included in the validation set. • Initial temperature = 30
The value of μ is then increased by 1, and the process repeats • Final temperature = 0.1
itself until the mse does not considerably decrease; in this case • Number of temperatures = 100
this happens when μ reaches a value of 15. Thus, several ANN • Number of iterations per temperature = 100
structures are considered to model the mass flow rate of the • Cooling schedule = linear
compressor. This is illustrated in the ANN of Fig. 5, there are
four inputs, μ neurons in the hidden layer, and one output For the case of the LM algorithm, the maximum number
neuron to estimate the mass flow rate ( m  ). Hence, the pro- of iterations was set to 1000, and the goal to 0.00001. Once the
posed algorithm described in Fig. 4 modifies the number of training and validation for the mass flow rate was performed,
neurons in the hidden layer of the ANN of Fig. 5. an application of the ANN model is proposed. In Fig. 7, the be-
Fig. 6 shows the progress of the proposed algorithm. At the havior of the mass flow rate is presented for several values of
beginning of the simulation, both the training-mse and the suction temperature, Tsuction; this figure also illustrates the
validation-mse were very closed to 0.000005. As the number of effect of the compressor rotation speed, N, on m  . These varia-
neurons in the hidden layer μ was increased, the mse for train- tions are within the operational range of the experimental
ing and the mse for validation were decreasing. However, there
is a point where further improvement is not obtained. There-
fore, it was concluded that in order to model the mass flow
rate an ANN with eight neurons in the hidden layer was enough
to obtain very good results.
Additionally, to improve the precision of the ANN model,
it is very important that the measurement samples (experi-
mental points) are uniformly distributed in the operating range
of the compressor. For a given number of measurement
samples, there is a maximum number of neurons in the hidden
layer. For instance, to model the mass flow rate, the optimum
number of hidden neurons was 8, resulting that the minimum
number of measurement samples is 90, see Masters (1993).
Notice that the minimum number of measurement samples
is problem dependent.
In order to use the method of SA, there are several opti-
mization parameters that need to be adjusted. This method
begins at an initial temperature and performs and the tem-
perature decreases until it reaches the final temperature. The Fig. 7 – Effect of N and Tsuction on the mass flow rate.
 international journal of refrigeration 59 (2015) 190–197 195

0.5

0
validation-mse

mse
-0.5

training-mse

-1
0 3 6 9 12 15
Fig. 8 – Effect of N and Psuction on the mass flow rate.
Number of Neurons in Hidden Layer ( )

Fig. 9 – Progress of the mse for discharge temperature of the

system. For practical purposes only, these simulations were per-
compressor.
formed using a constant compression ratio of 4, that is, the
suction pressure and the discharge pressure remained con-
stant. However, the ANN model is capable of simulating the temperature. In order to illustrate an application of the dis-
compressor and predicting its behavior under other working charge temperature model, in Fig. 10 the behavior of this
conditions as long as the input parameters remain within the parameter is shown. As it was expected, the discharge tem-
operational range of the installation. Thus, the ANN can be used perature depends strongly on the suction temperature. Because
to compute Figs. 7, 10 and 12 using other compression ratios. of energy loses in this type of installations, it is not conve-
In Fig. 7, it can be observed that the mass flow rate is more nient to operate the system at high discharge temperatures.
influenced by the compressor rotation speed than by the suction
temperature which does not affect the mass flow rate. Thus,
4.3. Power consumption
when the rotation speed increases, more refrigerant flows
through the compressor.
The last parameter to model was the power consumption of
Additionally, Fig. 8 illustrates the influence of Psuction on the
the compressor; the algorithm used was the same as the one
mass flow rate under a discharge pressure of 1120 kPa, and a
utilized to model the other output parameters. The only dif-
suction temperature of 280 K. It can be observed that the Psuction
ference was that the network output was used to model the
has more influence than the Tsuction on the mass flow rate. It
power consumption. Fig. 11 shows the progress of the mse for
can be concluded that the physical behavior of the mass flow
training and for validation when the number of neurons in the
rate depends on the suction density, the compressor rotation
hidden layer μ was changed. As the training-mse and the
speed, and the suction pressure.
validation-mse were practically the same for any value of μ, it
can be concluded that the ANN is able to model power con-
4.2. Discharge temperature sumption without problems. Finally, it can be said that it is not

The algorithm described in Fig. 4 was used also to model the

behavior of the discharge temperature of the compressor. The
ANN used for this parameter was very similar to the ANN of
Fig. 5, however in this case, the output neuron was used to es-
timate the discharge temperature.
Fig. 9 illustrates the evolution of the training-mse and the
validation-mse. Even though both values of mse are very similar,
it can be seen that the training-mse is slightly smaller than the
validation-mse. As the information of the validation set was not
used for training this small difference in the mse was ex-
pected. It can be concluded that an ANN with six neurons in
the hidden layer is necessary to model the discharge tempera-
ture of the compressor because an increase in the number of
neurons in the hidden layer does not significantly reduce the
mse. By comparing Fig. 6 with Fig. 9, it can be observed that
the mse for the mass flow rate is smaller than the mse for the
discharge temperature, this implies that the ANN model is more Fig. 10 – Effect of N and Tsuction on the discharge
accurate for the mass flow rate than for the discharge temperature.
196 international journal of refrigeration 59 (2015) 190–197
-2
validation-mse
-2.5
mse
training-mse
-3
0 3 6 9 12 15
Number of Neurons in Hidden Layer ( )
Fig. 11 – Progress of the mse for power consumption of the
compressor.
easy to establish a proper number of neurons in the hidden
layer, a value of 5 may be acceptable. Note that an ANN with
15 neurons in the hidden layer will produce a smaller mse than
an ANN with only five hidden neurons. However, the risk of
introducing unexpected behavior in the model increases when
number of parameters of the model also increases. This effect
is called overfitting and occurs when a model is excessively
complex. The possibility of overfitting exists because the per-
formance of the ANN is established by the ability of the network
to model the data in the validation set. Thus, in this case it is
recommended to use only 5 neurons in the hidden layer.
With respect to this parameter the consumed power of the
compressor changes with the operating conditions and rep-
resents the main energy consumption of the refrigeration
system. In Fig. 12, this behavior can be observed for a constant
compression ratio; when the rotation speed increases, the power
consumption noticeably also increases, reaching high values.
However, it can be observed that when the rotation speed is
greater than 500 rpm, the consumed power does not perceptibly
Fig. 12 – Effect of N and Tsuction on the power consumption.
increase. Additionally, a zone with the lowest power consump-
tions is displayed in green; the rotation speed for this zone goes
from 400 to 440 rpm. Inside this zone, it can be said that for
any suction temperature, the power consumption remains
almost constant. These computer simulations assume that there
are no any charge loses neither in the condenser nor in the
evaporator of the vapor compression system.
Finally, it can be said that the error of this model does not
significantly vary for other operating conditions different from
the ones used in the previous sections, given that the input
parameters remain within the range of operating conditions.
Even though this model offers an easy method to under-
stand the behavior of the energy parameters, it does not provide
any insights about the internal compressor behavior nor where
the losses are present. However, the ANN model takes into
consideration all irreversibilities and internal processes by ex-
tracting this information directly from the experimental test
measurements.
5. Conclusions
This paper proposes an iterative algorithm to model a recip-
rocating compressor based on Artificial Neural Networks.
Measurement devices were setup in the compressor to collect
the data necessary to train and validate several ANNs. The
energy parameters to model were: mass flow rate, discharge
temperature, and power consumption. Each energy param-
eter was independently modeled using one ANN in order to
analyze the behavior of each parameter without the interac-
tions of the other parameters. The number of neurons in the
hidden layer was adjusted to model each energy parameter of
the compressor and avoid machine learning over-fitting. The
optimization algorithm begins by training an ANN with zero
neurons in the hidden layer, the mse for training and for vali-
dation is computed. The number of neurons in the hidden layer
increases and the ANN is trained and validated as before. The
algorithm continues increasing the number of neurons in the
hidden layer until a maximum value is reached. The optimal
number of neurons in the hidden layer can be estimated by
inspection of the mse values computed. One of the main ad-
vantages of using ANNs is that they create a non-linear model
that adapts to the experimental tests. From an another point
view, ANNs are techniques that can be used to perform non-
linear statistical modeling and provide an alternative to model
a compressor; they are able to implicitly detect complex non-
linear relationships between dependent and independent
variables. Additionally, ANNs are capable of detecting all pos-
sible interactions among several compressor variables. The
complexity of the ANN model is adjusted by modifying the
neurons in the hidden layer, thus obtaining the best model for
the number of test measurements (even when the experimen-
tal tests have some sort of noise). Even though it is possible
to use the ANN model to extrapolate the behavior of other com-
pressors or refrigerants, the model will not be accurate or may
display unexpected behaviors.
Finally, 3D plots were build using the ANN models to analyze
the energy behavior of the compressor working with the re-
frigerant R134a.
 international journal of refrigeration 59 (2015) 190–197
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge University of Guanajuato for the sponsor-
ship for this work.
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