Probably more reciprocating compressors are manufactured than any other type because they are the choice for smaller refrigeration units in high production. For high-capacity refrigeration systems, the large physical size of the reciprocating compressor shifts the choice in favor of the more compact screw and centrifugal compressors, which battle for the market in the 300- to 500-kW capacities. An uneasy truce sometimes is arrived at in industrial refrigeration plants, where a combination of screw and reciprocating compressors is used. The operating strategy is to use the screw compressor for the base load and bring on reciprocating compressors to accommodate the variations above the base. The reason for this distribution of load is that the screw compressor is efficient when operating near full load, it has fewer moving parts than the reciprocating compressor, and is developing a reputation for long operating life. The reciprocating compressor seems to have better efficiencies at part-load operation than the screw compressor and can accommodate the varying portion of the load more efficiently.

The centrifugal compressor is the choice for large-capacity units, particularly for water-chilling plants used for large air-conditioning installations. A feature of most such installations is that air is cooled at a large number of locations remote from the compressor room. Since using water as the heat-conveying agent in these cooling coils is preferable to the complexities of delivering refrigerant, the refrigeration unit for most large air-conditioning plants is a water chiller. This concept coincides with the characteristics of a centrifugal unit which uses low-density refrigerants. The suction and discharge pipes needed for the low-density refrigerant are of large diameter, and it is impractical to run them large distances. Instead, they are closely coupled to the water-chilling evaporator and the water-cooled condenser.

While it may seem that the market distribution of compressors may now be stable, engineers should be alert to the potential for new compressor developments. The screw compressor, for example, which was not a factor in the industry a few decades ago, has now established itself.