Horizontal Rotary Compressor Jet Pump for Tilted Operation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing horizontal rotary compressors have limited tiltability, leading to lubrication deficiencies and reduced performance, reliability, and life expectancy, particularly in applications requiring significant tilting, and they often suffer from inadequate motor cooling and oil supply issues.
Innovation Solution
A horizontal compressor design with a shell divided into motor and pump spaces by a separator, utilizing a jet pump effect to induce pressure differential for oil supply and separate gas and oil passages, ensuring adequate lubrication and cooling across a wide range of tilt angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional horizontal rotary compressor is used, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but the tiltability is limited and lubrication is insufficient in tilted applications
Solution Approach 1:
The shell is divided into a motor space and a pump space by a separator, allowing independent optimization of each space. The separator includes separate oil passages and gas passages, enabling independent control of oil supply and gas flow paths. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing complex internal structures only where needed while maintaining overall simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
A jet pump is introduced as an intermediary device to transfer oil from the motor space to the pump space. The jet pump uses the kinetic energy of discharge gas to create a pressure differential that drives oil flow, eliminating the need for complex mechanical pump structures while ensuring adequate oil supply in tilted positions.
2Reliability
If the motor space and pump space are connected with shared passages, then the device complexity is reduced, but oil supply reliability and motor cooling efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The separator divides the shell into two independently controlled spaces with separate passage systems. Oil passages are dedicated to oil supply while gas passages handle refrigerant flow. This segmentation ensures that oil supply reliability is not compromised by gas flow variations, and the passage structure remains manageable through functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The oil supply function is extracted from the shared passage system and placed into dedicated oil passages within the separator. This extraction allows the oil supply path to be optimized independently, with the jet pump providing reliable oil transfer without interfering with the gas flow paths, thereby improving reliability without excessive complexity.
3Temperature
If discharge gas flows directly to the discharge tube without passing through the motor, then the device complexity is minimized, but motor cooling efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge gas serves multiple functions: it cools the motor by passing through it, drives the jet pump to supply oil, and then exits through the discharge tube. This multi-functionality achieves effective motor cooling without adding separate cooling systems, maintaining simplicity while improving thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
The discharge gas itself is used as the cooling medium for the motor, eliminating the need for separate cooling circuits. The gas naturally flows through the motor windings, absorbing heat, and then continues to drive the jet pump and exit. This self-service approach improves cooling efficiency without increasing device complexity.
4Quantity of substance
If a single sump is used in the motor space, then the device complexity is reduced, but oil supply to the pump space is insufficient particularly in tilted positions
Solution Approach 1:
The jet pump acts as an intermediary device that transfers oil from the single sump in the motor space to the pump space. By using the kinetic energy of discharge gas, the jet pump creates a pressure differential that reliably moves oil against gravity in tilted positions, ensuring adequate oil quantity in the pump space without requiring multiple sums.
Solution Approach 2:
The jet pump utilizes pneumatic principles by using the high-velocity discharge gas stream to create a low-pressure zone that draws oil from the sump and delivers it to the pump space. This hydraulic/pneumatic transfer mechanism ensures reliable oil supply in various tilted positions without complex mechanical pumping structures or multiple sums.
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
Enhances tiltability and reliability, maintains efficient lubrication and cooling, and extends operational life by ensuring consistent oil supply and motor cooling, making it suitable for diverse applications including mobile and stationary systems.
Implementation Method 1
flow of the discharge gas flowing around the end of the gas tube and entering into the discharge tube induces flow of gas from the pump space into the motor space by a jet pump effect which lowers the pressure in the pump space
Implementation Method 2
discharge gas out of the discharge valve enters the motor space and goes through the motor to provide cooling for the motor
Implementation Method 3
causes oil from the sump in the lower part of the motor space to flow into the sump in the lower part of the pump space
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes new horizontal roller-piston/vane type rotary compressors with novel features such as new lubricating oil circuit designs to provide reliable oil lubrication, and increase tiltability during operation. Also new multi-pump configurations of horizontal compressors are introduced in order to significantly increase redundancy, reliability, and turn down ratio. Rotary compressors may be configured with subsets of the disclosed features to configure those compressors for specific applications.