Scroll Compressor Sealing Structure for Refrigerant and Oil Leakage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional scroll compressors face challenges in maintaining durability and sealing efficiency due to refrigerant and oil leakage between the compression and drive parts, exacerbated by vibrations that can damage the sealing components and reduce compression efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A compressor design with a sealing part integrated into the insulator, featuring a flexible sealing body with flow holes to guide oil and refrigerant, closely contacting the drive part's inner surface to prevent leakage and enhance sealing, while an oil guider and guide rib structure prevent oil from leaking outside, ensuring efficient refrigerant discharge and maintaining drive part durability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a sealing part is added to prevent refrigerant and oil leakage, then sealing ability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing abilityVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing part is integrated into the insulator structure, combining the insulating function and sealing function into a single component. This reduces the number of separate parts while maintaining both insulation and sealing capabilities, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The insulator is designed to serve multiple functions: electrical insulation, structural support, and refrigerant/oil sealing. By making the insulator a multi-functional component, the patent avoids adding dedicated sealing parts that would increase complexity, while still achieving improved sealing ability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Productivity

If the compression part is positioned closer to the discharging part to improve compression efficiency, then compression efficiency is improved, but oil supply to the compression part becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompression efficiencyVSAvoidoil supply
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The oil guider is positioned to guide oil toward the compression part before the refrigerant and oil mixture reaches the discharging part. This preliminary positioning of the oil supply path ensures that oil can reach the compression part effectively even when the compression part is located closer to the discharging part, maintaining both compression efficiency and proper lubrication.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If additional closing members are added to prevent leakage, then sealing ability is improved, but the compressor becomes more susceptible to vibration damage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing abilityVSAvoidvibration resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing part is designed with flexible characteristics, allowing it to adapt to vibrations without rigid contact. This flexibility enables the sealing part to maintain its sealing function while accommodating the dynamic conditions caused by compressor vibrations, thereby preventing leakage without increasing susceptibility to vibration damage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

4Ease of operation

If the shaft penetrates the compression part in the lower scroll compressor, then oil supply is improved and vibration is damped, but refrigerant may leak between the drive part and compression part

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoil supplyVSAvoidsealing ability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The space between the drive part and compression part is segmented into different pressure zones using the sealing part. This segmentation prevents refrigerant from leaking along the shaft penetration path by creating sealed compartments, while still allowing the shaft to penetrate for oil supply purposes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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 solution effectively induces all refrigerant from the compression part to the drive part, prevents damage from vibrations, maximizes sealing efficiency, and maintains the durability of the drive part by closely contacting the sealing part with the drive part, thereby improving overall compressor performance and reliability.

Implementation Method 1

While being drawn into the drive part via the compression part, the refrigerant might be discharged towards an inner circumferential surface of the case by a centrifugal force disadvantageously

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Implementation Method 2

a rotor coupled to an inner circumferential surface of the case and having coils wounded there around and configured to generate a rotation magnetic field

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP3647594B1compressor
Publication Date: 2023.04.26 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3647594B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3647594B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3647594B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is disclosed a compressor comprising a case comprising a discharging part provided one side and configured to discharge a refrigerant, the case defining a predetermined space for storing oil; a drive part comprising a rotor coupled to an inner circumferential surface of the case and having coils wounded there around and configured to generate a rotation magnetic field, and a rotor mounted in the rotor and configured to be rotatable by the rotation magnetic field; a shaft extending in a state of being coupled to the rotor; a compression part lubricated by the oil in a state of being coupled to the shaft and configured to compress and discharge the refrigerant; and a sealing part extending from the stator towards the compression part and configured to induce the winding of the coil.