A starved evaporator is more serious than a flooded evaporator because sufficient heat will not be absorbed in the evaporator without enough refrigerant, and refrigerant may be superheated returning to the compressor in a starved evaporator, damaging the compressor. Variable displacement compressors have been used for about 20 years and use reed valves to control refrigerant flow into cylinders. Electronic control makes it easier to run compressors continuously by reducing displacement closer to zero than mechanical controls.