Linear Compressor Porous Bearing Feed for Low Refrigerant Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas-lubricated linear compressors face issues with refrigerant leakage, clogging, uneven load-bearing capacity, and increased manufacturing costs due to complex nozzle designs and foreign substance filtration, leading to efficiency and reliability problems.
Innovation Solution
A linear compressor design featuring a porous member with micropores and gas holes, both inside and outside the porous member, to smoothly supply refrigerant to the bearing surface, filter out foreign substances, and maintain uniform pressure distribution, eliminating the need for fine nozzle parts and external filters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If fine nozzle parts are formed in the cylinder to reduce refrigerant consumption, then refrigerant leakage is reduced, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials by forming porous filter membranes on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder. These porous membranes contain numerous micropores that function similarly to fine nozzles but are created through a different manufacturing process. The porous structure allows controlled refrigerant flow to the bearing surface while avoiding the complexity of forming individual fine nozzle parts in the cylinder.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of forming fine nozzle parts through complex machining or molding processes with a different approach using porous filter membranes. Instead of creating individual nozzle openings in the cylinder, the system uses porous materials that naturally provide the necessary flow control through their inherent micropore structure.
2Device complexity
If the number of nozzle parts is reduced to lower manufacturing cost, then device complexity decreases, but refrigerant consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The porous filter membranes provide a distributed array of micropores across the cylinder surface, effectively replacing multiple individual nozzle parts with a single porous component. This maintains the refrigerant flow control function while significantly reducing the number of discrete parts that would need to be manufactured and assembled.
3Loss of substance
If nozzle inner diameter is made very small to reduce refrigerant flow, then refrigerant consumption decreases, but clogging by foreign substances increases
Solution Approach 1:
The porous filter membranes are specifically designed with micropores that are sized to control refrigerant flow while being resistant to clogging by foreign substances. The porous structure provides numerous alternative flow paths, so if some pores become blocked, refrigerant can still flow through other pores, maintaining system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous filter membranes act as an intermediary component between the compression space and the bearing surface. They filter out foreign substances while allowing refrigerant to pass through the micropores, protecting the bearing surface from contamination and preventing clogging of the refrigerant supply paths.
4Reliability
If external filters are added to prevent clogging, then reliability improves, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the filtration function with the cylinder structure by forming porous filter membranes directly on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder. This integrates the filter into the existing component rather than adding a separate external filter, thereby improving reliability while avoiding increased device complexity and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous filter membrane performs multiple functions simultaneously: it controls refrigerant flow to the bearing surface, filters out foreign substances, and prevents clogging of the refrigerant supply paths. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate filtration components.
5Ease of manufacture
If refrigerant passage is biased to certain nozzle parts, then manufacturing is simplified, but load-bearing capacity becomes non-uniform
Solution Approach 1:
The porous filter membranes are formed to extend across the entire inner circumferential surface of the cylinder, providing uniform distribution of refrigerant to all regions of the bearing surface. This ensures even load-bearing capacity while maintaining manufacturing simplicity, as the porous coating process naturally creates uniform coverage.
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 reduces refrigerant consumption, enhances load-bearing capacity, minimizes leakage and suction/compression losses, simplifies the structure, and lowers manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for complex nozzle formations and external filters.
Implementation Method 1
a porous member located at the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder and configured to cover the at least one first hole, the porous member defining micropores having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the at least one first hole
Implementation Method 2
supply compressed refrigerant to a bearing surface between the cylinder and the piston and support the piston against the cylinder by a gaseous force of the refrigerant
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a linear compressor including a linear motor having a mover reciprocating with respect to a stator; a piston coupled to the mover to reciprocate; a cylinder into which the piston is slidingly inserted, the cylinder having an inner circumferential surface forming a bearing surface together with an external circumferential surface of the piston, the cylinder forming a compression space together with the piston, and the cylinder having at least one first hole formed through the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder and an outer circumferential surface of the cylinder to guide refrigerant discharged from the compression space to the bearing surface; and a porous member inserted into the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder and configured to cover the first hole, the porous member having multiple micropores smaller than the first hole.