Compressor Drive Shaft Oil Separator via Centrifugal Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Oil remaining suspended in the refrigerant of refrigeration and air conditioning systems reduces compressor performance and increases wear, necessitating an efficient oil separator that minimizes cost, weight, and assembly time while maximizing oil separation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An oil separator design featuring a drive shaft with a passageway and a rotation imparting structure, where the mixture of refrigerant and oil is separated by centrifugal force due to the difference in densities, ensuring the oil remains in the crank chamber while the refrigerant flows to the suction chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional oil separator is added to the refrigeration circuit, then oil separation capability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the oil separator function with the drive shaft and rotation imparting structure that are already present in the compressor. The drive shaft passageway and rotation imparting structure with passageway are integrated into existing components, eliminating the need for a separate oil separator device. This merging approach maintains oil separation capability while reducing device complexity and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive shaft and rotation imparting structure serve dual functions: they perform their original mechanical function of driving the compressor while simultaneously acting as an oil separator. The passageways in these components facilitate fluid communication and enable centrifugal separation of oil from refrigerant, making the existing components multi-functional and eliminating the need for additional dedicated oil separation equipment.
2Reliability
If a traditional oil separator is added to the refrigeration circuit, then oil separation capability is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the oil separation function into the existing drive shaft and rotation imparting structure, which are already present in the compressor. By utilizing the passageways in these existing components for both mechanical operation and oil separation, the patent avoids adding the weight of a separate oil separator device while maintaining effective oil separation capability.
3Reliability
If a traditional oil separator is added to the refrigeration circuit, then oil separation capability is improved, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the oil separation function with the drive shaft and rotation imparting structure that are already integrated into the compressor assembly. Since these components are already part of the compressor's core structure, incorporating oil separation passageways into them eliminates the need for separate assembly of a dedicated oil separator, thereby reducing assembly time while maintaining oil separation capability.
4Device complexity
If oil remains suspended in the refrigerant, then the system operates without additional components, but compressor performance decreases and wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the compressor's existing drive shaft and rotation imparting structure to perform oil separation automatically during normal operation. The centrifugal force generated by the rotating components naturally separates oil from refrigerant without requiring external control systems or additional active components. This self-service approach maintains compressor performance and reduces wear while avoiding increased device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively separates oil from refrigerant, maximizing oil retention in the compressor, reducing wear, and enhancing compressor efficiency while minimizing manufacturing costs and assembly time.
Implementation Method 1
causing the drive shaft and the rotation imparting structure to rotate about an axis of rotation to cause a separation of the mixture of fluid by a centrifugal force
Data Source
AI summary
An oil separator for a compressor is shown, wherein an oil separating efficiency is maximized and a material cost, a weight, and an assembly time are minimized.