Scroll Compressor Discharge Cover Guide for Oil Return
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lower compression type scroll compressors experience efficiency losses due to residual oil accumulation, which hinders oil circulation, reduces refrigerant flow space, and leads to refrigerant leakage, causing damage and decreased performance.
Innovation Solution
The compressor design incorporates a guide system with discharge holes and sealing members to prevent residual oil from accumulating on the discharge cover, ensuring smooth oil circulation and hermetic sealing to minimize refrigerant leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the discharge cover is coupled to the lower end of the compression unit in a conventional lower compression type scroll compressor, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but residual oil accumulates at specific positions on the oil flow path and refrigerant leakage occurs through gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge cover is divided into multiple segments (first discharge cover and second discharge cover) that can be assembled together to form a complete discharge cover assembly. This segmentation allows for better sealing surfaces and eliminates gaps that would cause refrigerant leakage, while still maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular assembly
Solution Approach 2:
A sealing member (such as an O-ring or gasket) is introduced as an intermediary element between the compression unit and the discharge cover. This sealing member fills any microscopic gaps and ensures hermetic sealing, preventing refrigerant leakage while allowing the simple coupled structure to remain
2Device complexity
If the discharge cover is designed with a simple coupled structure, then device complexity is reduced, but residual oil accumulates on the bottom of the discharge cover and hinders oil circulation
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom surface of the discharge cover is designed with a curved or sloped geometry rather than a flat surface. This curvature creates a natural flow path that guides residual oil away from accumulation zones and toward the oil return passage, ensuring continuous oil circulation without adding complex mechanical components
Solution Approach 2:
The discharge cover incorporates a raised portion or ridge structure that creates a directional flow path for oil. By adding this dimensional feature to the otherwise simple coupled structure, oil is guided along a specific trajectory toward the oil return passage, preventing accumulation while maintaining low device complexity
3Productivity
If residual oil remains on the refrigerant passage, then oil circulation is hindered and compressor efficiency decreases, but adding more complex oil guidance structures increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The oil return passage is integrated directly into the discharge cover structure itself, rather than being a separate component. The discharge cover simultaneously serves as a sealing element and an oil guidance system, with the raised portion and curved bottom surface working together to channel oil to the return passage, eliminating the need for additional oil guidance components
Data Source
AI summary
A compressor is disclosed. The compressor includes a case having an oil reservoir space for storing oil in a lower portion of the case and a refrigerant discharge pipe for discharging a compressed refrigerant in an upper portion of the case, a drive motor provided in the case, a rotary shaft rotatably coupled to the drive motor, a compression unit coupled to the rotary shaft to compress the refrigerant, and a discharge cover hermetically coupled to a lower end of the compression unit and configured to guide an oil-containing refrigerant compressed by the compression unit toward the refrigerant discharge pipe, wherein a guide is provided between the compression unit and the discharge cover and configured to guide an oil-containing refrigerant discharged from the compression unit toward the refrigerant discharge pipe.