Scroll compressor

Abstract

The present invention provides a scroll compressor comprising: a casing the inner space of which is sealed; a driving unit provided with a stator fixed in the inner space and a rotor that is rotated inside the stator; a rotary shaft rotatably coupled to the rotor; and a compressor unit provided with an orbiting scroll installed so as to allow orbiting about the rotary shaft, and a fixed scroll coupled so as to be engaged with the orbiting scroll and forming a compression chamber between the orbiting and fixed scrolls; and a separator, comprising a refrigerant suction pipe connected to the casing to allow refrigerant to be provided to the compression chamber, for separating foreign substances from the refrigerant via centrifugal force and collecting on the bottom, and providing the separated refrigerant to the compression chamber through the refrigerant suction pipe.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosure relates to a turbo compressor including a radial bearing, and more particularly, to a scroll compressor capable of preventing introduction of moisture or foreign substances through a suction unit.Background Art

[0002] In a scroll compressor, an orbiting scroll and a non-orbiting scroll are engaged with each other, and a pair of two compression chambers is formed between the orbiting scroll and the non-orbiting scroll while the orbiting scroll performs an orbiting motion with respect to the non-orbiting scroll.

[0003] The compression chamber includes a suction pressure chamber formed at an outer edge, an intermediate pressure chamber formed continuously while the volume thereof gradually decreases toward a central portion from the suction pressure chamber, and a discharge pressure chamber continued to a center side of the intermediate pressure chamber. In general, the suction pressure chamber is formed while passing through a side surface of the non-orbiting scroll, the intermediate pressure chamber is sealed, and the discharge pressure chamber is formed while passing through an end plate portion of the non-orbiting scroll.

[0004] The scroll compressor may be divided into a low pressure type and a high pressure type according to a path through which a refrigerant is sucked. The low pressure type is a type in which a refrigerant suction pipe communicates with an inner space of a casing such that a low temperature refrigerant passes through the inner space of the casing and then is guided to a compression chamber, and the high pressure type is a type in which the refrigerant suction pipe is connected directly to the compression chamber such that the refrigerant does not pass through the inner space of the casing but is guided directly to the compression chamber.

[0005] Patent Document 1 (Korean Laid-Open Patent No. 10-2000-0051153, 2000. 08. 16) discloses an oil discharge reducing device of a scroll compressor, including a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll, which form a plurality of compression chambers while being engaged with each other such that a refrigerant gas can be compressed, a suction pipe that sucks a mixed fluid of the refrigerant gas and an oil into the compressor such that the refrigerant gas is supplied to the compression chambers of the fixed scroll and the orbiting scroll, a suction baffle installed at an exit side of the suction pipe to partially separate the oil from the mixed fluid such that the mixed fluid can collide in the suction of the mixed fluid, and an auxiliary separation means that is installed between an exit of the suction pipe and the suction baffle and effectively separates the oil from the refrigerant gas, using material property differences between the refrigerant gas and the oil.

[0006] Meanwhile, HIPAC serving as a filter for preventing foreign substances from being introduced into a compression unit is arranged at a front end portion of a scroll compressor having a structure different from that of Patent Document 1. A suction mesh is attached to the HIPAC inside the HIPAC. The suction mesh functions to prevent foreign substances existing inside the compressor, a pipe, and a heat exchanger from floating inside a cycle along refrigerant flow and then being introduced into the compressor. In order to achieve this purpose, the suction mesh is designed with an appropriate wire diameter and an appropriate inter-wire distance.

[0007] Meanwhile, the compressor has a closed circulation structure in which a refrigerant discharged after being compressed in the compressor goes through a condensation process in the heat exchanger, goes through an expansion process in an expansion valve and an evaporation process in the heat exchanger, and then is re-sucked into the compressor. The refrigerant evaporated through the evaporation process passes through an accumulator and the HIPAC, located at the front end portion of the compressor and is introduced into a compressor suction unit through the pipe connected to the compressor suction unit.

[0008] In order to prevent the refrigerant in which moisture or foreign substances are contained through the suction unit during an operation of the compressor from being introduced into the compressor, a suction mesh is mounted in the suction unit. The suction mesh functions to remove condensed moisture of foreign substances, contained in the refrigerant.

[0009] However, when the condensed moisture or the foreign substances are accumulated in the suction mesh, the flow of the refrigerant is interrupted. When the suction mesh is removed, its function is not fulfilled or the flow of the refrigerant is completely blocked.

[0010] Therefore, a structure is required, which is another structure instead of the suction mesh, and can separate the condensed moisture and the foreign substances from the refrigerant.Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[0011] Therefore, to obviate those problems, an aspect of the detailed description is to provide a scroll compressor capable of separating condensed moisture and foreign substances from a refrigerant, using another structure instead of existing suction meshes.

[0012] Another aspect of the detailed description is to provide a structure that allows condensed moisture and foreign substances not to be introduced thereinto while not interrupting refrigerant flow.

[0013] Still another aspect of the detailed description is to provide a structure having a flow path through which refrigerant flow can be smoothly performed.

[0014] Still another aspect of the detailed description is to provide a structure capable of easily separating condensed moisture and foreign substances from a refrigerant.Solution to Problem

[0015] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a scroll compressor including a casing having a sealed inner space; a driving unit including a stator fixed to the casing in the inner space and a rotor rotated inside the stator; a rotary shaft rotatably coupled to the rotor; a compression unit including an orbiting scroll installed to be rotatable by the rotary shaft and a fixed scroll engaged with the orbiting scroll to form a compression chamber between the fixed scroll and the orbiting scroll; and a refrigerant suction pipe connected to the casing to enable a refrigerant to be provided to the compression chamber, wherein the scroll compressor includes a separator allowing foreign substances to be separated from the refrigerant by means of a centrifugal force and be gathered on the bottom and enabling the separated refrigerant to be provided to the compression chamber through the refrigerant suction pipe.

[0016] Accordingly, in the disclosure, condensed moisture and foreign substances are not introduced into the compressor without interrupting flow of the refrigerant, and thus the performance and reliability of the compressor can be improved.

[0017] According to an example associated with the disclosure, the separator may include a body portion formed in a cylindrical shape to enable a refrigerant gas containing foreign substances to flow on an inner circumferential surface thereof while receiving the centrifugal force; a first flow pipe having a flow path through which the gas containing the foreign substances is introduced into the body portion; and a second flow pipe discharging the gas from which the foreign substances are separated inside the body portion, thereby enabling the discharged gas to be provided to the inside of the compressor.

[0018] Particularly, in the disclosure, unlike conventional filtering methods in which condensed moisture or foreign substances are accumulated, the refrigerant containing the foreign substances, introduced through the first flow pipe, is separated inside the body portion by a centrifugal separation method and is discharged through the second flow pipe, so that the foreign substances can be separated from the refrigerant without interrupting flow of the refrigerant.

[0019] The first flow pipe may include a bending portion bent toward the inner circumferential surface of the body portion.

[0020] Flow of the refrigerant containing the foreign substances is guided on the inner circumferential surface of the body portion is guided by the bending portion, so that the flow can be easily made along a circumferential direction.

[0021] Preferably, the second flow pipe may include a portion bent at least twice.

[0022] Accordingly, the second flow pipe can form a longer flow path inside the body portion, and the foreign substances can be sufficiently separated from the refrigerant inside the second flow pipe.

[0023] The second flow pipe may include a first pipe portion extending in a first direction and allowing the refrigerant gas from which the foreign substances are separated inside the body portion to be introduced therethrough; a second pipe portion connected to the first pipe portion and connected to the refrigerant suction pipe to enable the refrigerant gas from which the foreign substances are separated to be provided to the compression chamber; and a bending connection pipe portion located between the first pipe portion and the second pipe portion and comprising a bent portion.

[0024] Accordingly, the second flow pipe can form a longer flow path inside the body portion by the first and second pipe portions and the bending connection pipe portion, and the foreign substances can be sufficiently separated from the refrigerant inside the second flow pipe.

[0025] The second pipe portion may be arranged in the first direction to be parallel to the first pipe portion.

[0026] The first pipe portion and the second pipe portion are arranged in a direction in which the first pipe portion and the second pipe portion are parallel to each other, to secure a flow path through which the foreign substances can be sufficiently separated from the refrigerant inside the second flow pipe.

[0027] At least one of the first and second pipe portions may be arranged in the first direction to be larger than a half of a height of the body portion.

[0028] The first pipe portion and the second pipe portion are arranged to be larger than the half of the height of the body portion, to secure a flow path through which the foreign substances can be sufficiently separated from the refrigerant inside the second flow pipe.

[0029] The first pipe portion may be located in the vicinity of a center inside the body portion, and the second pipe portion may be arranged in a side portion inside the body portion.

[0030] Accordingly, the refrigerant from which the foreign substances are separated can be efficiently introduced into the second flow pipe, a flow distance at which the foreign substances can be sufficiently separated from the refrigerant can be secured, and the refrigerant can be introduced into the compression chamber through the refrigerant suction pipe.

[0031] The separator may include a foreign substance separation member guiding condensed moisture or foreign substances, not touching the bottom, thereby allowing the condensed moisture or the foreign substances to be accumulated in a bottom portion of the body portion, and the foreign substance separation member may include an inclined portion installed inside the body portion to be inclined toward the inner circumferential surface of the body portion.

[0032] Preferably, the foreign substance separation member may further include a spacing portion located at an edge of the inclined portion and spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the body portion.

[0033] Accordingly, the foreign substance separation member allows the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, not touching the bottom, to flow in an oblique direction by colliding therewith, thereby guiding the foreign substances to be gathered on the bottom while passing through the inner circumferential surface of the body portion.

[0034] The inclined portion may include a through-hole coupled to the second flow pipe while passing through the second flow pipe.

[0035] By the through-hole, the second flow pipe may be coupled to the inclined portion.

[0036] The separator may include a foreign substance discharge port including a discharge flow path installed in a bottom portion of the body portion and enabling condensed moisture and foreign substances, gathered on the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion, to be discharged therethrough, and an opening / closing portion opening / closing the discharge flow path of the foreign substance discharge port, thereby enabling the condensed moisture and the foreign substances, gathered on the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion, to be discharged therethrough may be installed in the foreign substance discharge port.

[0037] Accordingly, the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, accumulated in the bottom portion of the body portion of the separator, can be discharged, or the discharge of the condensed moisture or the foreign substances can be blocked.

[0038] At least a portion of the second flow pipe may be located in the vicinity of the bottom of the body portion, and a refrigerant introduction hole enabling the refrigerant accumulated in the bottom portion of the body portion to be introduced therethrough may be arranged in the portion of the second flow pipe, located in the vicinity of the bottom.

[0039] By the refrigerant introduction hole, a liquid refrigerant that may be accumulated in the bottom portion of the body portion can be introduced into the second flow pipe, thereby supplying the liquid refrigerant to the compressor.

[0040] The separator may further include a mesh located between one side of the first flow pipe, which provides a flow path enabling the refrigerant containing the foreign substances to be introduced into the body portion, and one side of the second flow pipe, allowing the refrigerant from which the foreign substances are separated to be introduced therethrough, to enable the foreign substances to be additionally separated from the refrigerant.

[0041] By the mesh, in a portion of the refrigerant introduced into the body portion while passing through the first flow pipe is accumulated, the condensed moisture or the foreign substances may be accumulated downwardly by the centrifugal force, and flow of the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, not separated by the centrifugal force, may be restricted by the mesh to fall downwardly. In addition, by the mesh, the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, falling downwardly, may fall on the foreign substance separation member, may flow laterally along the inclined portion, and may be accumulated on the bottom surface of the body portion.

[0042] Preferably, the mesh may be arranged such that at least one of the first flow pipe and the second flow pipe passes therethrough.Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0043] In the scroll compressor of the disclosure, as the foreign substances are separated from the refrigerant by the separator, thereby providing the refrigerant to the compressor, the condensed moisture or the foreign substances are not introduced into the compressor without interrupting flow of the refrigerant, and thus the performance and reliability of the compressor can be improved.

[0044] In the scroll compressor of the disclosure, a centrifugal separation method is applied unlike conventional filtering methods in which condensed moisture and foreign substances are accumulated, so that the foreign substances can be separated while interrupting the flow of the refrigerant, and permanent use is possible since there is no risk of removal like filters.

[0045] In the scroll compressor of the disclosure, an exit and a valve, which enable moisture or foreign substances in a system to be removed, are mounted, thereby improving the reliability of the system.

[0046] In the scroll compressor of the disclosure, as the condensed moisture or the foreign substances are primarily and secondarily separated from the refrigerant introduced through the other side of the first flow pipe by primarily separating the foreign substances from the refrigerant by means of the centrifugal force and secondarily separating the foreign substances from the refrigerant by the foreign substance separation member and the mesh, the condensed moisture or the foreign substances are not introduced into the compressor without interrupting the flow of the refrigerant, and the performance and reliability of the compressor can be improved.Brief Description of Drawings

[0047] FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a refrigeration cycle apparatus to which an upper compression type scroll compressor according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the scroll compressor of the disclosure. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a structure of a separator. FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating an example of the structure of the separator. FIG. 5 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating a bottom portion of the separator. FIG. 6 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating an example in which a foreign substance discharge port is installed in the bottom portion of the separator. FIG. 7 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating an example in which a refrigerant introduction hole is located in a second flow pipe arranged in an inner bottom portion of the separator. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which a mesh is arranged in an inner upper portion of the separator. FIG. 9 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating flow by which foreign substances are separated from a refrigerant when the mesh is arranged in the inner upper portion of the separator. Mode for the Invention

[0048] Hereinafter, a scroll compressor 10 associated with the disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] In this specification, the same or similar elements are designated with the same numeral references even in different embodiments and their redundant description will be omitted.

[0050] Furthermore, a structure applied to any one embodiment may be also applied in the same manner to another embodiment if they do not structurally or functionally contradict each other even in different embodiments.

[0051] A singular representation may include a plural representation as far as it represents a definitely different meaning from the context.

[0052] In describing the embodiments disclosed herein, the detailed description will be omitted when specific description for publicly known technologies to which the disclosure pertains is judged to obscure the gist of the disclosure.

[0053] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are merely illustrated to easily explain the concept of the disclosure, and therefore, they should not be construed to limit the technological concept disclosed herein by the accompanying drawings, and the concept of the disclosure should be construed as being extended to all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the concept and technological scope of the disclosure.

[0054] FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a refrigeration cycle apparatus to which an upper compression type scroll compressor according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the scroll compressor of the disclosure.

[0055] Hereinafter, the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0056] The scroll compressor of the disclosure includes a casing 110 having a sealed inner space 110a; a driving unit 120 including a stator 121 fixed to the casing 110 in the inner space 110a and a rotor 122 rotated inside the stator 121; a rotary shaft 125 rotatably coupled to the rotor 122; a compression unit including an orbiting scroll 150 installed to be rotatable by the rotary shaft 125 and a fixed scroll 140 engaged with the orbiting scroll 150 to form a compression chamber V between the fixed scroll 140 and the orbiting scroll 150; a refrigerant suction pipe 115 connected to the casing 110 to enable a refrigerant to be provided to the compression chamber V; and a separator 190.

[0057] The separator 190 separates foreign substances from a gas by means of a centrifugal force such that the foreign substances are gathered on the bottom thereof, and enables only the separated gas to be introduced into the scroll compressor 10 through the refrigerant suction pipe 115.

[0058] The foreign substances may have a high density as compared with the refrigerant. Therefore, the foreign substances may be separated by means of the centrifugal force to be accumulated on a bottom portion of a body portion 191. Also, the foreign substances may be separated through an exit pipe (foreign substance discharge port 195) as will be described later.

[0059] Accordingly, in the disclosure, condensed moisture or foreign substances are not introduced into the compressor while not interrupting the flow of the refrigerant, and thus the performance and reliability of the compressor can be improved.

[0060] Particularly, in the disclosure, a centrifugal separation method is applied unlike conventional filtering methods in which condensed moisture and foreign substances are accumulated, so that the foreign substances can be separated while interrupting the flow of the refrigerant, and permanent use is possible since there is no risk of removal like filters.

[0061] In an example, the separator 190 may include the cylindrical body portion 191 that enables a refrigerant gas containing foreign substances to flow on an inner circumferential surface thereof while receiving the centrifugal force, a first flow pipe 192 having a flow path through which the gas containing the foreign substances is introduced into the body portion 191, and a second flow pipe 193 that enables the gas having the foreign substances separated therefrom to be discharged from the inside of the body portion 191 and be provided to the inside of the compressor.

[0062] In the disclosure, the separator 190 may have a structure for preventing introduction of foreign substances into the compressor.

[0063] Hereinafter, the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure will be first described, and a detailed configuration of the separator 190 will be described later.

[0064] The scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure may be an air-conditioning scroll compressor 10.

[0065] As will be described later, in the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure, a refrigerant is introduced through a suction unit, and a compressed refrigerant is discharged to a discharge port through a process of compressing the refrigerant in the compression unit.

[0066] In the disclosure, in order to improve the reliability of the compression unit manufactured by precision processing, the separator 190 for preventing introduction of foreign substances is installed at a front end of the suction unit, to minimize damage of the compression unit due to the foreign substances.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 1, an upper compression type scroll compressor 10 is illustrated as the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure. The upper compression type scroll compressor 10 is mainly described, but the disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0068] That is, the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure may be applied even to a lower compression type scroll compressor 10 in which the compression unit is located below the driving unit 120.

[0069] In addition, in the following description, an example is described in which the scroll compressor 10 is a vertical type scroll compressor in which the driving unit 120 and the compression unit are arranged in a vertical axial direction and an upper compression type scroll compressor 10 in which the compression unit is located above the driving unit 120.

[0070] In addition, an example is described in which the scroll compressor 10 is a high pressure type scroll compressor 10 of an upper compression type, in which the refrigerant suction pipe 115 forming a suction flow path is connected directly to the compression unit and a refrigerant discharge pipe 116 communicates with the inner space 110a of the casing 110.

[0071] However, the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the upper compression type, and may be applied to the lower compression type in which the compression unit is located below the driving unit 120.

[0072] The scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure may be an inverter scroll compressor 10. Also, the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure is operable from low speed to high speed. Also, the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure may be of a high pressure type and an upper compression type.

[0073] The lower compression type scroll compressor 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the scroll compressor 10 according to this embodiment may be understood as the lower compression type scroll compressor 10 in which the driving unit 120 that constitutes a driving motor and generates a rotational force in the inner space 110a of the casing 110 is installed in an upper portion of the casing 110, and the compression unit that receives the rotational force of the driving unit 120 to compress the refrigerant is installed below the driving unit 120.

[0074] The inner space 110a of the casing 110 is sealed. In an example, the driving unit 120 may be installed in a middle portion of the casing 110, and a main frame 130, the orbiting scroll 150, and the fixed scroll 140 may be sequentially installed above the driving unit 120.

[0075] The driving unit 120 receives electrical energy supplied from an outside to convert the electrical energy into mechanical energy.

[0076] In addition, the main frame 130, the orbiting scroll 150, and the fixed scroll 140 constitute the compression unit that receives the mechanical energy generated in the driving unit 120 to compress the refrigerant.

[0077] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, an example is illustrated in which the driving unit 120 is coupled to a middle portion between upper and lower ends of the rotary shaft 125 to be described later and the compression unit is coupled to the upper end of the rotary shaft 125. That is, the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure may have an upper compression type structure.

[0078] In summary, the scroll compressor 10 includes the driving unit 120 and the compression unit, and the driving unit 120 and the compression unit are accommodated in the inner space 110a of the casing 110.

[0079] The casing 110 may include a cylindrical shell 111, an upper shell 112, and a lower shell 113.

[0080] The cylindrical shell 111 may be formed in a cylindrical shape having both open ends.

[0081] The upper shell 112 may be coupled to an upper end portion of the cylindrical shell 111, and the lower shell 113 may be coupled to a lower end portion of the cylindrical shell 111.

[0082] That is, both the upper and lower end portions of the cylindrical shell 111 are coupled to the upper shell 112 and the lower shell 113 to be covered by the upper shell 112 and the lower shell 113, respectively, and the cylindrical shell 111, the upper shell 112, and the lower shell 113, which are coupled to each other, form the inner space 110a of the casing 110. In this instance, the inner space 110a is sealed.

[0083] The sealed inner space 110a of the casing 110 may be divided into an upper space 110b located inside the upper cap 112, a middle space 110c located inside the cylindrical shell 111, and a lower space 110d located inside the lower cap 113. Hereinafter, the upper space 110b may be defined as a discharge space, the middle space 110c may be defined as an oil separation space, and the lower space 110d may be defined as an oil storage space.

[0084] One end of the refrigerant suction pipe 115 is coupled to the upper shell 112 while passing through a side surface of the upper shell 112. Specifically, the one end of the refrigerant suction pipe 115 is coupled to the upper shell 112 while passing through the upper shell 112 in a radial direction of the upper shell 112.

[0085] The refrigerant suction pipe 115 is coupled directly to a suction port (not shown) formed in a side portion of the fixed scroll 140 while passing through the upper shell 112. Therefore, the refrigerant may be introduced into the compression chamber V through the refrigerant suction pipe 115.

[0086] The separator 190 is coupled to the other end different from the one end of the refrigerant suction pipe 115.

[0087] The separator 190 is connected to a refrigerant pipe at an exit side of an evaporator. Therefore, after a liquid refrigerant is separated in the separator 190 from the refrigerant flowing into the separator 190 from the evaporator, a gas refrigerant is sucked directly into the compression chamber V through the refrigerant suction pipe 115. That is, the separator 190 may be an accumulator that separates the liquid refrigerant from the introduced refrigerant. Meanwhile, the separator 190 may be referred to as HIPAC.

[0088] Conventionally, a suction mesh was mounted in a suction unit so as to prevent moisture or foreign substances, contained in a refrigerant, from being introduced into a compressor through the suction unit during an operation of the compressor. The suction mesh performed a function of removing condensed moisture or foreign substances, contained in the refrigerant. However, there was a problem that the flow of the refrigerant was interrupted when the condensed moisture or the foreign substances are accumulated, and the function of the suction mesh was not fulfilled or the flow of the refrigerant was completely blocked when the suction mesh was removed.

[0089] In the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure, foreign substances are separated from the refrigerant by means of the centrifugal force to be gathered on the bottom in the separator 190, condensed moisture and foreign substances are separated from the refrigerant, and the refrigerant separated through the exit pipe is provided to the compression chamber through the refrigerant suction pipe 115.

[0090] The refrigerant discharge pipe 116 is coupled to the cylindrical shell 111 while passing through the middle space 110c of the cylindrical shell 111, specifically, between the driving motor 120 and the main frame 130. The refrigerant discharge pipe 116 may be inserted directly into the cylindrical shell 111 to be welded to the cylindrical shell 111. However, generally, a collar pipe (not shown) made of a same material as the cylindrical shell 111 may be inserted into the cylindrical shell 111 to be welded to the cylindrical shell 111, and the refrigerant discharge pipe 116 made of copper may be inserted into the collar pipe to be welded to the collar pipe.

[0091] The refrigerant is charged to the inner space 110a of the casing 110 from the compression unit is discharged to a condenser (not shown) through the refrigerant discharge pipe 116.

[0092] The fixed scroll 140 is installed inside the casing 110. The orbiting scroll 150 is arranged on one side of the fixed scroll 140 to be rotatable, and the fixed scroll 140 along with the orbiting scroll 150 are configured to form the compression chamber V.

[0093] In addition, the refrigerant may be discharged through a discharge port 1412 at the other side opposite to the one side of the fixed scroll 140.

[0094] Meanwhile, the fixed scroll 140 is configured to include a fixed wrap 143. The fixed scroll 140 may further include a sub-bearing hole 1431.

[0095] The fixed scroll 140 may include a fixed end plate portion 141, a fixed side wall portion 142, and the fixed wrap 143. A detailed structure of the fixed scroll 140 will be described later.

[0096] The orbiting scroll 150 performs an orbiting motion with respect to the fixed scroll 140, and is engaged with the fixed wrap 143 to form the compression chamber V.

[0097] In an example, the orbiting scroll 150 may include an orbiting wrap 153 engaged with the fixed wrap of the fixed scroll 140 to form the compression chamber V, and an orbiting end plate portion 151 that is connected to one end of the orbiting wrap 153 and is formed with a predetermined width. A detailed structure of the orbiting scroll 150 will be described later.

[0098] The rotary shaft 125 is arranged in one direction inside the casing 110 and is installed to be coupled to the fixed scroll 140 and the orbiting scroll 150 while passing through inner circumferences of the fixed scroll 140 and the orbiting scroll 150, so that a rotational force of the rotary shaft 125 can be transferred to the orbiting scroll 150 to be rotatable.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 1, in the scroll compressor 10 of the high pressure type and the lower compression type according to this embodiment, the driving unit 120 constituting the driving unit 120 is installed in an upper half portion of the casing 110, and the main frame 130, the fixed scroll 140, and the orbiting scroll 150 are sequentially installed below the driving unit 120. In general, the compression unit may include the main frame 130, the fixed scroll 140, and the orbiting scroll 150.

[0100] The driving unit 120 is coupled to the upper end of the rotary shaft 125 to be described later, and the compression unit is coupled to the lower end of the rotary shaft 125. Therefore, the compressor have the above-described lower compression type structure, and the compression unit is connected to the driving unit 120 by the rotary shaft 125 to be operated by the rotational force of the driving unit 120.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 1, the casing 110 according to this embodiment may include the cylindrical shell 111, the upper shell 112, and the lower shell 113. The cylindrical shell 111 may be formed in a cylindrical shape having both open upper and lower ends, the upper shell 112 may be coupled to the cylindrical shell 111 to cover the open upper end of the cylindrical shell 111, and the lower shell 113 may be coupled to the cylindrical shell 111 to cover the open lower end of the cylindrical shell 111.

[0102] Therefore, the inner space 110a of the casing 110 is sealed, and the sealed inner space 110a of the casing 110 is divided into the lower space 110d and the upper space 110b with respect to the driving unit 120.

[0103] The lower space 110d is a space formed below the driving unit 120. The lower space 110d may include the oil storage space.

[0104] The lower space 110d is a space formed below the compression unit, and forms a space in which a mixed oil having an oil or liquid refrigerant mixed therewith is stored.

[0105] The upper space 110b is a space formed above the driving unit 120, and forms the oil separation space in which the oil is separated from the refrigerant discharged from the compression unit. The refrigerant discharge pipe 116 communicates with the upper space 110b.

[0106] The driving unit 120 and the main frame 130, which are described above, are inserted into the cylindrical shell 111 to be fixed to the cylindrical shell 111. An oil collection passage spaced apart from an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical shell 111 by a predetermined interval may be formed in an outer circumferential surface of the driving unit 120 and an outer circumferential surface of the main frame 130. An oil collection flow path will be again described later.

[0107] The refrigerant suction pipe 115 is coupled to the cylindrical shell 111 while passing through a side surface of the cylindrical shell 111. Therefore, the refrigerant suction pipe 115 is coupled to the cylindrical shell 111 constituting the casing 110 while passing through the cylindrical shell 111 in the radial direction.

[0108] The one end of the refrigerant suction pipe 115 directly communicates with the suction port of the fixed scroll 140 constituting the compression unit while passing through the cylindrical shell 111. Therefore, the refrigerant may be introduced into the compression chamber V through the refrigerant suction pipe 115.

[0109] In addition, the other end of the refrigerant suction pipe 115 is connected to the separator 190 outside the cylindrical shell 111. The separator 190 is connected to the exit side of the evaporator (not shown). Therefore, after the liquid refrigerant is separated in the separator 190 from the refrigerant flowing from the evaporator to the separator 190, the gas refrigerant is directly sucked into the compression chamber V through the refrigerant suction pipe 115.

[0110] A terminal bracket (not shown) may be coupled to an upper half portion of the cylindrical shell 111 or the upper shell 112, and a terminal (not shown) for transferring external power to the driving unit 120 may path through and be coupled to the terminal bracket.

[0111] The refrigerant discharge pipe 116 corresponds to a path through which the compressed refrigerant discharged from the compression unit to the inner space 110a of the casing 110 is discharged to the outside toward the condenser (not shown).

[0112] The refrigerant discharge pipe 116 may be installed to communicate with the middle space 110c located between the driving motor 120 and the compression unit, i.e., between the upper space (discharge space) 110b and the lower space (oil storage space) 110d.

[0113] The refrigerant discharge pipe 116 may be inserted into the inner space 110a of the casing 110 by a predetermined length. A portion of the refrigerant discharge pipe 116, which is inserted into the inner space 110a of the casing 110, is defined as an inner accommodation portion 1161, and the inner accommodation portion 1161 of the refrigerant discharge pipe 116 may be inserted into the inner space 110a of the casing 110 to be located between the driving motor 120 and the main frame 130, more precisely, between an end of the driving motor 120, which is located upwardly of a stator coil 1212 and a lower surface of the main frame 130. Therefore, the refrigerant discharge pipe 116 can be deeply inserted into the inner space 110a of the casing 110 without being interfered with the stator coil 1212.

[0114] A check valve (no reference numeral) that blocks the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 to the condenser from flow backward to the compressor 10 may be installed in the refrigerant discharge pipe 116.

[0115] Hereinafter, the driving unit 120 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The driving unit 120 according to this embodiment includes the stator 121 and the rotor 122. The stator 121 is inserted into the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical shell 111 to be fixed to the cylindrical shell 111, and the rotor 122 is rotatably arranged inside the stator 121.

[0116] The stator 121 includes a stator core 1211 and the stator coil 1212.

[0117] The stator core 1211 is formed in an annular shape or a hollow cylindrical shape, and is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical shell 111 through warm shrink fitting.

[0118] A rotor accommodation portion 1211a that passes through the stator core 1211 such that the rotor 122 is rotatably inserted thereinto is formed at a central portion of the stator core 1211. A plurality of stator-side oil collection grooves 1211b cut or recessed in a D-cut shape along the axial direction may be formed in an outer circumferential surface of the stator core 1211 at a predetermined interval along a circumferential direction.

[0119] A plurality of teeth (not show) and slots (not shown) are alternately formed on an inner circumferential surface of the rotor accommodation portion 1211a in the circumferential direction, and the stator coil 1212 is wound on each tooth by passing through the slots at both sides of the tooth.

[0120] More precisely, the slot may be a space between stator coils adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. Also, the slot forms an inner passage 120a, a gap passage is formed between an inner circumferential surface of the stator core 1211 and an outer circumferential surface of a rotor core 1221 to be described later, and the oil collection groove 1211b forms an outer passage. The outer passage forms the oil collection passage through which the oil separated from the refrigerant in the upper space 110b and the middle space 110c and the oil collected after being supplied to the compression unit are collected into the lower space 110d.

[0121] The stator coil 1212 is wound around the stator core 1211 and is electrically connected to an external power source through a terminal (not shown) coupled to the casing 110 while passing through the casing 110. An insulator 1213, which is an insulating member, is inserted between the stator core 1211 and the stator coil 1212.

[0122] The insulator 1213 is arranged at an outer circumferential side and an inner circumferential side of the stator coil 1212 to accommodate a bundle of the stator coil 1212 in the radial direction, and may extend to both sides in the axial direction of the stator core 1211.

[0123] The rotor 122 may include the rotor core 1221 and permanent magnets 1222.

[0124] The rotor core 1221 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is accommodated in the rotor accommodation portion 1211a formed in the central portion of the stator core 1211.

[0125] Specifically, the rotor core 1221 is rotatably inserted into the rotor accommodation portion 1211a of the stator core 1211 with an interval by a predetermined gap 120a therebetween. The permanent magnets 1222 are embedded inside the rotor core 1222 at a predetermined interval along the circumferential direction.

[0126] A balance weight 123 may be arranged above the rotor core 1221. The balance weight 123 may be coupled to a main shaft portion 1251 of the rotary shaft 125.

[0127] Also, the balance weight 123 is rotated together with rotor 122 by rotation of the rotor 122.

[0128] The rotary shaft 125 is coupled to the center of the stator core 1221. An upper end portion of the rotary shaft 125 is press-fitted to the rotor 122, and a lower end portion of the rotary shaft 125 is rotatably inserted into the main frame 130 to be supported in the radial direction.

[0129] Referring to FIG. 2, the rotary shaft 125 according to this embodiment is press-fitted to the rotor 122 to be coupled to the rotor 122. The upper end portion of the rotary shaft is rotatably inserted into the main frame 130 to be described later to be supported in the radial direction, and the lower end portion of the rotary shaft 125 is rotatably inserted into a sub-frame 118 to be supported in the radial direction and the axial direction.

[0130] Specifically, the rotary shaft 125 may include the main shaft portion 1251, a main bearing portion 1252, a sub-bearing portion 1253, and an eccentric portion 1254.

[0131] The main shaft portion 1251 is a portion forming the middle of the rotary shaft 125 and is press-fitted into a shaft fixing hole 1221a located in the rotor core 1221 to be coupled to the rotor core 1221. The balance weight 123 to be described later may be press-fitted to an upper end of the main shaft portion 1251, i.e., a portion extending from the main bearing portion 1252 to be coupled to the main shaft portion 1251. The balance weight 123 along with an oil guide will be again described later.

[0132] The main bearing portion 1252 is a portion forming the upper end of the rotary shaft 125, and may be rotatably inserted in a main bearing 171 arranged in the main frame 130 to be described later to be supported in the radial direction. An outer diameter of the main bearing portion 1252 may be formed larger than an outer diameter of the main shaft portion 1251. Therefore, a portion of the main bearing portion 1252, which extends from the main shaft portion 1251, may be formed to be stepped.

[0133] The sub-bearing portion 1253 is a portion forming the lower end of the rotary shaft 125, and may be rotatably inserted into a sub-bearing 172 arranged in the sub-frame 118 to be supported in the radial direction. An outer diameter of the sub-bearing portion 1253 may be formed smaller than the outer diameter of the main shaft portion 1251. Therefore, a thrust bearing surface supported by the sub-frame 118 in the axial direction may be formed between the main shaft portion 1251 and the sub-bearing portion 1253 to be stepped.

[0134] The eccentric portion 1254 is a portion into which a rotary shaft coupling portion 152 of the orbiting scroll 150 to be described later is inserted, and may be arranged on the main bearing portion 1252. For example, the eccentric portion 1254 may be arranged on an outer circumference of the main bearing portion 1252. Therefore, the rotational force of the driving motor 120 is transferred to the orbiting scroll 150 through the eccentric portion 1254, so that the orbiting scroll 150 can perform an orbiting motion.

[0135] An eccentric portion bearing 173 may be arranged on an outer circumferential surface of the eccentric portion 1254. The eccentric portion bearing 173 may be formed as a bush bearing like the main bearing 171 and the sub-bearing 172. Although not shown in the drawing, the eccentric portion bearing 173 may be inserted into an outer circumferential surface of the rotary shaft coupling portion 152 of the orbiting scroll 150 to be described later.

[0136] In addition, an oil supply hole 1255 may be formed inside the rotary shaft 125 while passing through between both the ends of the rotary shaft 125. The oil supply hole 1255 may be formed to pass through a bottom surface of the eccentric portion 1254 from the lower end of the rotary shaft 125. Therefore, the oil stored in the lower space 110d forming the oil storage space may be supplied to the inside of the eccentric portion 1254 through the oil supply hole 1255.

[0137] In addition, an oil pickup 126 may be installed on the lower end of the rotary shaft 125, precisely, a lower end of the oil supply hole 1255. The oil pickup 126 may be installed to be sunk in the oil stored in the oil storage space 110d. Therefore, the oil stored in the oil storage space 110d may be pumped by the oil pickup 126 to be sucked up through the oil supply hole 1255.

[0138] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the main frame 130 according to this embodiment is installed above the driving motor 120, and is fixed to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical shell 111 through warm shrink fitting or be welded and fixed to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical shell 111. Therefore, the main frame 130 is generally made of cast iron.

[0139] The main frame 130 may include a main flange portion 131 and a shaft support protrusion portion 132.

[0140] The main flange portion 131 is formed in an annular shape to be accommodated in the middle space 110c of the cylindrical shell 111. For example, an outer circumferential surface of the main flange portion 131 may be formed in a circular shape to be adhered closely to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical shell 111. In this case, at least one oil collection hole (not shown) passing through the main flange portion 131 in the axial direction may be formed between the outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface of the main flange portion 131.

[0141] In addition, at least one frame fixing protrusion portion (no reference numeral) may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the main flange portion 131 to extend in the radial direction. An outer circumferential surface of the frame fixing protrusion portion may be adhered closely to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical shell 111 to be fixed to the cylindrical shell 111. In this case, a second discharge passage groove 1311 spaced apart from the main flange portion 131 to pass through between both axial side surfaces of the main flange portion 131 may be formed in the frame fixing protrusion portion. Therefore, an upper end of the second discharge passage groove 1311 may communicate with a first discharge passage groove 1421 of the fixed scroll 140, and a lower end of the second discharge passage groove 1311 may communicate with the middle space 110c with which the refrigerant discharge pipe 116 communicates.

[0142] The shaft support protrusion portion 132 extends toward the driving motor 120 from the center of the main flange portion 131, and an outer diameter of the shaft support protrusion portion 132 is formed smaller than an inner diameter of an oil block to be described later. Therefore, the shaft support protrusion portion 132 is accommodated in the oil block to be described later, which surrounds the shaft support protrusion portion 132, with a predetermined interval therebetween.

[0143] A shaft support hole (not shown) is formed in an inner side of the shaft support protrusion portion 132. The shaft support hole may be formed while passing through both the axial side surfaces of the main flange portion 131. Therefore, the main flange portion 131 may be formed in an annular shape.

[0144] Both axial ends of the shaft support hole may be formed to have a same inner diameter. The main bearing 171 may be inserted into an inner circumference of the shaft support protrusion portion 132 to be fixed to the shaft support protrusion portion 132. The main bearing 171 may be configured as a bush bearing. Therefore, an inner circumferential surface of the shaft support hole, precisely, an inner circumferential surface of the main bearing 171 along with an outer circumferential surface of the main bearing portion 1252 included in the rotary shaft 125 forms a main bearing surface 171a. The main bearing surface along with the oil guide will be again described later.

[0145] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the fixe scroll 140 according to this embodiment may include a fixed end plate portion 141, the fixed side wall portion 142, and the fixed wrap 143.

[0146] The fixed end plate portion 141 may be formed in a disk shape. An outer circumferential surface of the fixed end plate portion 141 may be formed to be adhered closely to an inner circumferential surface of the upper cap 112 forming the upper space 110b or may be formed to be spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the upper cap 112.

[0147] In addition, a suction port 1411 passing through the fixed end plate portion 141 in the radial direction to communicate with a suction chamber (no reference numeral) may be formed in an edge of the fixed end plate portion 141, and the refrigerant suction pipe 115 passing through the upper cap 112 of the casing 110 may be inserted into the suction port 1411 to be coupled to the suction port 1411. Therefore, the refrigerant suction pipe 115 may directly communicate with the suction port 1411 of the fixed scroll 140 while passing through the upper space 110b of the casing 110.

[0148] In addition, the discharge port 1412 and a bypass hole (not shown)may be formed in the center of the fixed end plate portion 141, and a discharge valve 145 for opening / closing the discharge port 1412 and a bypass valve (not shown) for opening / closing the bypass hole may be installed in an upper surface of the fixed end plate portion 141. Therefore, the refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber V is discharged to the upper space 110b formed in the upper cap 112 above the fixed scroll 140.

[0149] The fixed side wall portion 142 may extend in an annular shape toward the main frame 130 from the edge of the fixed end plate portion 141. Therefore, a lower surface of the fixe side wall portion 142 may be adhered closely to an upper surface of the main frame 130, i.e., an upper surface of the main flange portion 131 to be bolt-fastened to the main frame 130.

[0150] At least one first discharge passage groove 1421 may be formed in an outer circumferential surface of the fixed side wall portion 142. The first discharge passage groove 1421 may be formed to be recessed from an outer circumferential surface of the fixed scroll 140 and communicate between both axial side surfaces of the fixed scroll 140. For example, the first discharge passage groove 1421 may be formed to communicate to a lower surface of the fixed side wall portion 142 from an upper surface of the fixed end plate portion 141. Therefore, an upper end of the first discharge passage groove 1421 may communicate with the upper space 110b, and a lower end of the first discharge passage groove 1421 may communicate with the upper end of the second discharge passage groove 1311 located in the main frame 130.

[0151] The fixed wrap 143 may extend toward the orbiting scroll 150 from a lower surface of the fixed end plate portion 141. The fixed wrap 143 may be formed in various shapes such as an involute. The fixed wrap 143 may be engaged with the orbiting wrap 153 to be described later to form a pair of two compression chambers V.

[0152] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the orbiting scroll 150 according to this embodiment may include the orbiting end plate portion 151, the rotary shaft coupling portion 151, and the orbiting wrap 153.

[0153] The orbiting end plate portion 151 is formed in a disk shape, and is supported in the axial direction by the main frame 130 to perform an orbiting motion between the main frame 130 and the fixed scroll 140.

[0154] The rotary shaft coupling portion 152 may extend toward the eccentric portion 1254 of the rotary shaft 125 at a geometric center of the orbiting scroll 150. The rotary shaft coupling portion 152 may be rotatably inserted into the eccentric portion 1254 of the rotary shaft 125. Therefore, the orbiting scroll 150 performs an orbiting motion by the eccentric portion 1254 of the rotary shaft 125 and the rotary shaft coupling portion 152.

[0155] The orbiting wrap 153 may extend toward the fixed scroll 140 from an upper surface of the orbiting end plate portion 151. The orbiting wrap 153 may be formed in various shape such as an involute to correspond to the fixed wrap 143.

[0156] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a structure of the separator 190, and FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating an example of the structure of the separator 190. In addition, FIG. 5 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating a bottom portion of the separator 190, and FIG. 6 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating an example in which the foreign substance discharge port 195 is installed in the bottom portion of the separator 190. In addition, FIG. 7 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating an example in which a refrigerant introduction hole 193d is located in the second flow pipe 193 arranged in an inner bottom portion of the separator 190.

[0157] Hereinafter, the structure of the separator 190 of the disclosure will be described.

[0158] In the disclosure, the foreign substances may include condensed moisture, foreign substances, or the like. In the disclosure, since the foreign substances have densities higher than that of the refrigerant, the foreign substances may be accumulated in the bottom portion of the separator 190 by a centrifugal force on an inner circumference of the body portion 191.

[0159] The separator 190 may include the body portion 191, the first flow pipe 192, and the second flow pipe 193.

[0160] The body portion 191 may be formed in a cylindrical shape such that the refrigerant gas containing the foreign substances can flow on an inner circumferential surface thereof while receiving the centrifugal force. Also, the body portion 191 preferably has a sufficient height to secure a sufficient diameter and a sufficient falling distance such that the foreign substances are separated from the gas while sufficiently receiving the centrifugal force.

[0161] An example in which foreign substances 5 introduced into the body portion 191 through the first flow pipe 192 flows downwardly inside the body portion 191 while receiving the centrifugal force and an example in which a refrigerant 6 separated from the foreign substances 5 is introduced into the second flow pipe 193 are illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0162] The first flow pipe 192 includes a flow path through which the gas containing foreign substances introduced into the body portion 191. The first flow pipe 192 may include, as an example, a pipe having a predetermined diameter.

[0163] The first flow pipe 192 may include an introduction portion that introduces the gas containing the foreign substances at one side thereof. The introduction portion of the first flow pipe 192 may be located outside the body portion 191.

[0164] One side of the first flow pipe 192 may be located inside the body portion 191. The first flow pipe 192 may provide the gas containing the foreign substances to the inside of the body portion 191 at the one side thereof.

[0165] The other side of the first flow pipe 192 may be located outside of the body portion 191. The first flow pipe 192 may have a shape extending parallel to an extending direction of the body portion 191, e.g., a first direction from the other side thereof. The first direction may be an up-down direction in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0166] The one side of the first flow pipe 192 may be located inside of the body portion 191. An example in which the one side of the first flow pipe 192 is located in an inner upper portion of the body portion 191 is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0167] The one side of the first flow pipe 192 is preferably formed to face an inner circumferential surface of the body portion 191 such that the gas containing the foreign substances can receive the centrifugal force. In an example, the first flow pipe 192 may include a bending portion 192a bent such that the one side of the first flow pipe 192 faces the inner circumferential surface of the body portion 191.

[0168] The first flow pipe 192 may have, by the bending portion 192a, a structure advantageous for forming centrifugal flow as the gas containing the foreign substances is introduced into the body portion 191.

[0169] However, the disclosure is not limited to this structure, and the one side of the first flow pipe 192 is not bent but may be formed in a structure parallel to the one side of the first flow pipe 192.

[0170] The condensed moisture (foreign substances) contained in the refrigerant sucked into the separator 190 through the first flow pipe 192 falls and is gathered on the bottom while being adhered closely to an inner wall by the centrifugal force, and the separated refrigerant gas is introduced into the second flow pipe 193 to be described subsequently and then escapes from the separator 190.

[0171] The body portion 191 may be formed in a cylindrical shape such that the sucked refrigerant easily receives the centrifugal force, and the first flow pipe 192 may have a structure advantageous for allowing the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, contained in the sucked refrigerant, to be separated from the sucked refrigerant by the centrifugal force since the one side thereof is located in the inner upper portion of the body portion 191 and is arranged to face the inner circumferential surface of the body portion 191.

[0172] The sucked refrigerant flowing through the first flow pipe 192 is primarily separated inside the body portion 191 while receiving the centrifugal force.

[0173] As such, in the disclosure, without including the existing suction mesh to block introduction of the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, the refrigerant introduced by the first flow pipe 192 flows along the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body portion 191 while receiving the centrifugal force, and thus separation of the condensed moisture or the foreign substances is possible.

[0174] The second flow pipe 193 enables the gas from which the foreign substances are separated to flow inside the body portion 191, and may provide the gas to the inside of the compressor.

[0175] The second flow pipe 193 may allow the gas from which the foreign substances are separated to be introduced at one side thereof, flow inside the second flow pipe 193, and then be discharged to the other side thereof, thereby providing the gas to the inside of the compressor.

[0176] One side of the second flow pipe 193 may be located inside the body portion 191. Also, the one side of the second flow pipe 193 may be located in the vicinity of the center of an upper portion of the body portion 191 to enable the gas from which the foreign substances are separated to be introduced while flowing upwardly. The one side of the second flow pipe 193 may be located in a first pipe portion 193a to be described later. The other side of the second flow pipe 193

[0177] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 7, an example is illustrated in which the second flow pipe 193 includes the first pipe portion 193a, a second pipe portion 193b, and a bending connection pipe portion 193c.

[0178] The first pipe portion 193a may extend in the first direction, and the refrigerant gas from which the foreign substances are separated inside the body portion 191 may be introduced into the first pipe portion 193a.

[0179] The second pipe portion 193b may be connected to the first pipe portion 193a, and may be connected to the refrigerant suction pipe 115 such that the refrigerant gas from which the foreign substances are separated can be provided to the compression chamber.

[0180] The second pipe portion 193b may be arranged in the first direction to be parallel to the first pipe portion 193a.

[0181] At least one of the first and second pipe portions 193a and 193b may be arranged in the first direction to be larger than a half of a height of the body portion 191.

[0182] The bending connection pipe portion 193c may include a portion that is located between the first pipe portion 193a and the second pipe portion 193b and is bent.

[0183] The bending connection pipe portion 193c may be located between the one side and the other side of the second flow pipe 193.

[0184] In an example, the second flow pipe 193 may be formed in a shape bent at least twice as the bending connection pipe portion 193c is included in the second flow pipe 193. As shown in FIG. 7, the second flow pipe 193 may be formed in a U shape.

[0185] Therefore, the second flow pipe 193 allows the gas introduced at the one side thereof to flow along a bent flow path, then be discharged to the outside of the body portion 191, and be provided to the inside of the compressor.

[0186] In addition, as the second flow pipe 193 is formed in the U shape, a sufficient flow distance at which the separated gas refrigerant flows inside the second flow pipe 193 can be secured. In addition, as the U-shaped second flow pipe 193 is arranged in a lower portion of the body portion 191, the liquid refrigerant can be re-introduced through the refrigerant introduction hole 193d. Accordingly, refrigerant separation performance and compressor reliability can be further improved.

[0187] The bending connection pipe portion 193c in the second flow pipe 193 may be arranged in the lower portion of the body portion 191.

[0188] The refrigerant introduction hole 193d may be located in the second flow pipe 193 at the lower portion of the body portion 191. The refrigerant introduction hole 193d enables the liquid refrigerant that may be accumulated on a bottom portion of the body portion 191 to be introduced into the second flow pipe 193 such that the liquid refrigerant introduced into the second flow pipe 193 can be supplied to the compressor.

[0189] The refrigerant introduction hole 193d is preferably formed to have a size with which the liquid refrigerant can be introduced while introduction of the condensed moisture or the foreign substances is prevented. The refrigerant introduction hole 193d may be located, for example, in the bending connection pipe portion 193c.

[0190] When the liquid refrigerant is accumulated in the bottom portion of the body portion 191, the refrigerant introduction hole 193d enables the liquid refrigerant to be introduced into the second flow pipe 193.

[0191] A foreign substance separation member 194 may be installed on the second flow pipe 193.

[0192] The foreign substance separation member 194 allows the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, not touching the bottom, to flow in an oblique direction by colliding therewith. Also, the foreign substance separation member 194 may guide the foreign substances to be gathered on the bottom by passing through the inner circumferential surface of the body portion 191.

[0193] The foreign substance separation member 194 may include an inclined portion 194a.

[0194] The inclined portion 194a may include an inclined surface inclined toward the inner circumferential surface of the body portion 191. The inclined portion 194a may be installed inside the body portion 191. The inclined portion 194a allows the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, not touching the bottom, to flow in the oblique direction toward the inner circumference of the body portion 191 by colliding therewith.

[0195] The foreign substance separation member 194 may further include a spacing portion 194b.

[0196] The spacing portion 194b may be arranged at an edge of the inclined portion 194a to be spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the body portion 191.

[0197] The body portion 191 may include a gap through which the condensed moisture or the foreign substances pass between the body portion 191 and the spacing portion 194b.

[0198] An example is illustrated in which the condensed moisture or the foreign substances are guided through the inclined portion 194a of the foreign substance separation member 194 in the bottom portion of the body portion 191, and flow to be accumulated in the bottom portion by escaping from the spacing portion 194b.

[0199] Therefore, the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, not touching the bottom, collide with the inclined portion 194a, flow toward the spacing portion 194b along the inclined surface, flow through the gap between the spacing portion 194b and the inner circumferential surface of the body portion 191, and are accumulated on the bottom of the body portion 191.

[0200] By the foreign substance separation member 194, the foreign substances not centrifugally separated on the inner circumferential surface of the body portion 191 may be secondarily separated from the refrigerant gas.

[0201] The foreign substance separation member 194 may be spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the body portion 191, and may be coupled to the second flow pipe 193 to be supported by the second flow pipe 193. To this end, the foreign substance separation member 194 may include a through-hole 194c that can be coupled to the second flow pipe 193 while passing through the second flow pipe 193. An example in which two through-holes 194c spaced apart from each other are formed in the inclined portion 194a of the foreign substance separation member 194 is illustrated in FIG. 7. In addition, the foreign substance separation member 194 may be formed in a conical shape.

[0202] The separator 190 may include the foreign substance discharge port 195. The foreign substance discharge port 195 may be installed in the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion 191, and may include a flow path that enables the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, gathered on the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion 191 to be discharged to the outside. The foreign substance discharge port 195 may be installed in the body portion 191 such that the flow path therein communicates with a foreign substance accumulation region of the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion 191.

[0203] An opening / closing portion 195a may be installed in the foreign substance discharge port 195. The opening / closing portion 195a may open or close the flow path of the foreign substance discharge port 195, thereby discharging the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, accumulated on the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion 191 or blocking the discharge of the condensed moisture or the foreign substances.

[0204] The opening / closing portion 195a may be a valve. The opening / closing portion 195a may be a simple opening / closing valve, and may be, for example, a ball valve. However, the opening / closing portion 195a is not necessarily limited to the simple opening / closing valve.

[0205] The opening / closing portion 195a may close the flow path of the foreign substance discharge port 195, thereby accumulating the condensed moisture or the foreign substances on the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion 191. The opening / closing portion 195a may open the flow path of the foreign substance discharge port 195, thereby discharging, to the outside, the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, gathered on the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion 191.

[0206] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which a mesh 196 is arranged in an inner upper portion of the separator 190, and FIG. 9 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating flow by which the foreign substances are separated from the refrigerant when the mesh 196 is arranged in the inner upper portion of the separator 190.

[0207] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the mesh 196 may be installed in the body portion 191. The mesh 196 may be arranged to filter the condensed moisture or the foreign substances from the refrigerant introduced into the body portion 191 through the first flow pipe 192.

[0208] In an example, the mesh 196 may be located between the other side of the first flow pipe 192 and the one side of the second flow pipe 193. Therefore, in a portion of the refrigerant introduced into the body portion 191 while passing through the first flow pipe 192, the condensed moisture or the foreign substances may be accumulated downwardly by the centrifugal force, and flow of the condensed moisture or the foreign substances, not separated by the centrifugal force, may be restricted by the mesh 196 to fall downwardly. The condensed moisture or the foreign substances, falling downwardly by the mesh 196, may fall on the foreign substance separation member 194, may flow laterally along the inclined portion 194a, and may be accumulated on a bottom surface of the body portion 191.

[0209] As such, as the condensed moisture or the foreign substances are primarily and secondarily separated from the refrigerant introduced through the other side of the first flow pipe 192 by primarily separating the condensed moisture or the foreign substances from the refrigerant by the centrifugal force and secondarily separating the condensed moisture or the foreign substances from the refrigerant by the foreign substance separation member 194 and the mesh 196, the condensed moisture or the foreign substances are not introduced into the compressor without interrupting the flow of the refrigerant, and the performance and reliability of the compressor can be improved.

[0210] The separator 190 may include a support portion 197 supporting the body portion 191. The support portion 197 may support the body portion 191 with respect to the ground. A plurality of support portions 197 may be installed on a lower portion of an outer circumference of the body portion 191 along the circumferential direction.

[0211] The scroll compressor 10 according to this embodiment described above is operated as follows.

[0212] That is, when power is applied to the driving motor 120, the rotor 122 and the rotary shaft 125 rotate by means of a rotational force generated therein, and the orbiting scroll 150 eccentrically coupled to the rotary shaft 125 performs an orbiting motion with respect to the fixed scroll 140 by an Oldham ring 160.

[0213] Then, the volume of the compression chamber V gradually decreases as approaching a middle pressure chamber Vm and a discharge pressure chamber Vd in a central portion of the compression chamber V, which are continuously formed toward the center side of the compression chamber V from a suction pressure chamber Vs formed at an outer side of the compression chamber V.

[0214] Then, a refrigerant moves to a condenser 20, an expander 30, and an evaporator 40 of a refrigeration cycle and then moves to the separator 190. The refrigerant moves toward the suction pressure chamber Vs constituting the compression chamber V through the refrigerant suction pipe 115.

[0215] Here, when the refrigerant of the evaporator 40 is moved to the compression chamber through the separator 190, the refrigerant flowing inside the body portion 191 while receiving a centrifugal force is separated from foreign substances and is introduced into the compression chamber through the second flow pipe 193 and the refrigerant suction pipe 115.

[0216] At this instance, condensed moisture and foreign substances, not touching the bottom, may be guided through the foreign substance separation member 194 to be accumulated in the bottom portion of the body portion 191. In addition, as the foreign substances are additionally separated from the refrigerant flowing upwardly by the mesh 196, the refrigerant is introduced into the second flow pipe 193 to be introduced into the compression chamber through the refrigerant suction pipe 115.

[0217] As such, in the scroll compressor 10 of the disclosure, the foreign substances may be primarily separated inside the body portion 191 by the centrifugal force and may be secondarily separated by the foreign substance separation member 194 and the mesh 196.

[0218] Accordingly, the condensed moisture and the foreign substances are not introduced into the compressor without interrupting flow of the refrigerant, and thus the performance and reliability of the compressor can be improved.

[0219] Thereafter, the refrigerant sucked into the suction pressure chamber Vs is compressed while moving to the discharge pressure chamber Vd via the middle pressure chamber Vm along a movement trajectory of the compression chamber V. The compressed refrigerant is discharged to the upper space 110b of the casing 110 from the discharge pressure chamber Vd through the discharge port 1412.

[0220] Then, the refrigerant discharged to the upper space 110b of the casing 110 (An oil is mixed in the refrigerant to form a mixed refrigerant. However, the mixed refrigerant or the refrigerant may be used together in the description.) is moved to the upper space 110b formed between the main frame 130 and the driving motor 120 through the first discharge passage groove 1421 and the second discharge passage groove 1311. The mixed refrigerant is separated into the refrigerant and the oil in the upper space 110b, and the refrigerant (or a portion of the mixed refrigerant, from which the oil is not separated) is discharged to the outside of the casing 110 through the refrigerant discharge pipe 116 to be moved to the condenser of the refrigeration cycle.

[0221] On the other hand, the oil (or a mixed oil in which a liquid refrigerant is mixed) separated from the refrigerant in the upper space 110b is moved toward the lower space 110d through a first oil collection passage (the first discharge passage groove 1421) formed between an inner circumferential surface of the casing 110 and an outer circumferential surface of the compression unit. The oil moved to the lower space 110d is collected into the lower space 110d formed in a lower portion of the compression unit through a second oil collection passage (the second discharge passage groove 1311) between the inner circumferential surface of the casing 110 and the stator 121.

[0222] The oil is supplied each bearing surface (no reference numeral) through the oil pickup 126, and a portion of the oil is supplied to the compression chamber V. The oil supplied to the bearing surface and the compression chamber V along with the refrigerant is collected into the lower space 110d of the casing 110. Therefore, the above-described series of processes is repeated.Industrial Availability

[0223] The disclosure may be used in scroll compressors capable of preventing introduction of moisture or foreign substances into a suction unit.

Claims

1. A scroll compressor comprising: a casing having a sealed inner space; a driving unit comprising a stator fixed to the casing in the inner space and a rotor rotated inside the stator; a rotary shaft rotatably coupled to the rotor; a compression unit comprising an orbiting scroll installed to be rotatable by the rotary shaft and a fixed scroll engaged with the orbiting scroll to form a compression chamber between the fixed scroll and the orbiting scroll; and a refrigerant suction pipe connected to the casing to enable a refrigerant to be provided to the compression chamber, wherein the scroll compressor comprises a separator allowing foreign substances to be separated from the refrigerant by means of a centrifugal force and be gathered on the bottom and enabling the separated refrigerant to be provided to the compression chamber through the refrigerant suction pipe.

2. The scroll compressor of claim 1, wherein the separator comprises: a body portion formed in a cylindrical shape to enable a refrigerant gas containing foreign substances to flow on an inner circumferential surface thereof while receiving the centrifugal force; a first flow pipe having a flow path through which the gas containing the foreign substances is introduced into the body portion; and a second flow pipe discharging the gas from which the foreign substances are separated inside the body portion, thereby enabling the discharged gas to be provided to the inside of the compressor.

3. The scroll compressor of claim 2, wherein the first flow pipe comprises a bending portion bent toward the inner circumferential surface of the body portion.

4. The scroll compressor of claim 2, wherein the second flow pipe comprises a portion bent at least twice.

5. The scroll compressor of claim 2, wherein the second flow pipe comprises: a first pipe portion extending in a first direction and allowing the refrigerant gas from which the foreign substances are separated inside the body portion to be introduced therethrough; a second pipe portion connected to the first pipe portion and connected to the refrigerant suction pipe to enable the refrigerant gas from which the foreign substances are separated to be provided to the compression chamber; and a bending connection pipe portion located between the first pipe portion and the second pipe portion and comprising a bent portion.

6. The scroll compressor of claim 5, wherein the second pipe portion is arranged in the first direction to be parallel to the first pipe portion.

7. The scroll compressor of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first and second pipe portions is arranged in the first direction to be larger than a half of a height of the body portion.

8. The scroll compressor of claim 5, wherein the first pipe portion is located in the vicinity of a center inside the body portion, and the second pipe portion is arranged in a side portion inside the body portion.

9. The scroll compressor of claim 1, wherein the separator comprises a foreign substance separation member guiding condensed moisture or foreign substances, not touching the bottom, thereby allowing the condensed moisture or the foreign substances to be accumulated in a bottom portion of the body portion, and wherein the foreign substance separation member comprises an inclined portion installed inside the body portion to be inclined toward the inner circumferential surface of the body portion.

10. The scroll compressor of claim 9, wherein the foreign substance separation member further comprises a spacing portion located at an edge of the inclined portion and spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the body portion.

11. The scroll compressor of claim 9, wherein the inclined portion comprises a through-hole coupled to the second flow pipe while passing through the second flow pipe.

12. The scroll compressor of claim 1, wherein the separator comprises a foreign substance discharge port comprising a discharge flow path installed in a bottom portion of the body portion and enabling condensed moisture and foreign substances, gathered on the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion, to be discharged therethrough, and wherein an opening / closing portion opening / closing the discharge flow path of the foreign substance discharge port, thereby enabling the condensed moisture and the foreign substances, gathered on the bottom of the bottom portion of the body portion, to be discharged therethrough is installed in the foreign substance discharge port.

13. The scroll compressor of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the second flow pipe is located in the vicinity of the bottom of the body portion, and wherein a refrigerant introduction hole enabling the refrigerant accumulated in the bottom portion of the body portion to be introduced therethrough is arranged in the portion of the second flow pipe, located in the vicinity of the bottom.

14. The scroll compressor of claim 2, wherein the separator further comprises a mesh located between one side of the first flow pipe, which provides a flow path enabling the refrigerant containing the foreign substances to be introduced into the body portion, and one side of the second flow pipe, allowing the refrigerant from which the foreign substances are separated to be introduced therethrough, to enable the foreign substances to be additionally separated from the refrigerant.

15. The scroll compressor of claim 14, wherein the mesh is arranged such that at least one of the first flow pipe and the second flow pipe passes therethrough.

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