Screw Compressor Resonator Groups for Pulsation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas pulsations in screw compressors lead to noise issues in vapor compression systems, such as chillers, due to refrigerant-borne waves causing structural vibration and air-borne sound, which existing technologies like external and integrated mufflers have not adequately addressed.
Innovation Solution
The compressor design incorporates a housing assembly with a plurality of ports and cavity groups acting as resonator arrays, featuring a foraminate cover member and a unitary single-piece first member separating cells, which partially cancel pulsations by dissipating energy through turbulent mixing and non-linear frequency coupling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If external mufflers are installed in the compressor discharge line, then noise is reduced, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the resonator groups directly into the compressor discharge plenum, merging the noise control function with the existing compressor housing structure. This eliminates the need for separate external mufflers while achieving pulsation control, thereby reducing device complexity and space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful gas pulsations from the discharge flow by introducing resonator groups that selectively target and dampen specific frequency ranges, removing the noise-generating component while preserving the useful compressed gas flow.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional mufflers are used, then pulsations are attenuated, but the attenuation bandwidth is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the noise attenuation function into multiple resonator groups, each targeting a specific frequency range. By segmenting the attenuation coverage across multiple resonators with different tuning parameters, the system achieves broad bandwidth coverage that traditional single-stage mufflers cannot provide.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent varies the geometric parameters (volume, neck dimensions, positioning) of different resonator groups to target different frequency ranges. This parameter variation enables the system to attenuate pulsations across a broad spectrum, enhancing adaptability to different operating conditions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If resonator groups are integrated into the compressor, then noise is reduced without external components, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The resonator groups are integrated into the discharge plenum as a unified structure, combining the compressor housing and noise control components into a single manufacturable assembly. This merging approach maintains manufacturing ease while achieving effective noise reduction.
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 reduces noise by partially canceling pulsations and dissipating energy across a broad attenuation bandwidth, enhancing the operational efficiency and reducing vibration in screw compressors.
Implementation Method 1
partially cancel pulsations by dissipating energy through turbulent mixing
Implementation Method 2
partially cancel pulsations by dissipating energy through turbulent mixing and non-linear frequency coupling
Data Source
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AI summary
A compressor (20; 600) comprising: a housing assembly (22) having a plurality of ports including a suction port (24) and a discharge port (26); a male rotor (30) mounted for rotation about an axis (500); a female rotor (32) enmeshed with the male rotor and mounted in the housing for rotation about an axis (502) for drawing a flow from the suction port, compressing the flow, and discharging the compressed flow through the discharge port; a cavity (120, 122; 620, 622, 624, 626) group (116, 118; 612, 614, 616, 618) between the discharge port and the male rotor and female rotor, the cavity group comprising: a first member (124, 80; 682, 680, 630, 632) separating a plurality of cells; a foraminate cover (130, 132; 640, 642, 644, 646) member atop the first member.