Compressor Oil Separation Chamber With Swirl Acceleration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compressor designs suffer from poor oil separation performance due to refrigerant passing through the partition plate, leading to oil blow-up in the oil sump and reduced separation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A compressor design featuring a cylindrical separation chamber with a partition member that includes a support portion and a swirl acceleration portion with communication paths, accelerating the swirling of the refrigerant to prevent it from passing through and allowing oil to be efficiently separated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a simple notch communicating one side with the other side in the up-down direction is formed in the partition plate, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but both refrigerant and oil can pass through the notch causing poor separation performance
Solution Approach 1:
The partition plate is divided into multiple functional regions: an upper partition wall portion that blocks refrigerant, a lower partition wall portion with through-holes for oil passage, and a swirl acceleration portion with spiral grooves. This segmentation allows different parts to perform different functions - blocking refrigerant while allowing oil to pass through, thereby resolving the contradiction between simple structure and effective separation performance
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the partition plate are given different properties: the upper portion has solid walls for blocking refrigerant, the lower portion has through-holes for oil drainage, and the swirl acceleration portion has spiral grooves for generating centrifugal force. This local differentiation of properties enables the single partition plate to simultaneously achieve refrigerant blocking and oil separation functions
2Device complexity
If only a simple notch is used in the partition plate, then the device complexity is low, but refrigerant passes through causing oil blow-up and deteriorated separation performance
Solution Approach 1:
The partition plate is segmented into functional zones with distinct roles: the upper partition wall for refrigerant blocking, the lower partition wall with through-holes for oil passage, and the swirl acceleration portion with spiral grooves. This segmentation enables reliable separation performance while maintaining relatively simple device complexity by integrating multiple functions into a single partition plate structure
Solution Approach 2:
The partition plate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it blocks refrigerant passage, allows oil drainage through through-holes, and generates centrifugal force via spiral grooves to enhance separation. This multi-functionality achieves reliable separation performance without significantly increasing device complexity, as all functions are integrated into one component
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
The design enhances oil separation performance by preventing refrigerant from passing through the partition member, thereby reducing oil blow-up and improving the separation efficiency of oil and refrigerant.
Implementation Method 1
a separation chamber, the separation chamber being a cylindrical internal space with a central axis aligned with an up-down direction, configured to separate the heat transfer medium and the oil from each other by causing the heat transfer medium and the oil to flow into the separation chamber and swirl along an inner circumferential surface in a circumferential direction
Implementation Method 2
the swirl acceleration portion has a communication path formed, the communication path communicating a radial inside and a radial outside with each other, and accelerates swirling of the heat transfer medium
Data Source
AI summary
To improve separation performance of oil. An oil separation structure includes a partition member configured to partition the inside of a separation chamber in the up-down direction. The partition member includes a cylindrical support portion supported by an inner circumferential surface of the separation chamber and a cylindrical swirl acceleration portion having an upper end side continuously formed from the support portion, having a smaller diameter than the support portion, and having a lower end side closed, and the swirl acceleration portion has a communication path formed, the communication path communicating the radial inside and the radial outside with each other, and accelerates swirling of refrigerant, the refrigerant having descended while swirling along the inner circumferential surface of the separation chamber.