Vane Compressor Check Valve Geometry for Fast Startup Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing check valves in vane compressors face issues with operability due to valve body inclination, increased passage resistance, and difficulty in fully opening immediately after compressor startup, especially when the valve case is integrated with the front head.
Innovation Solution
A vane compressor design featuring a check valve with a guiding portion that has a stepwise change in opening area ratio to separation distance, a supporting portion to prevent valve body inclination, and a refrigerant circulation groove to facilitate smooth gas flow and valve body movement, ensuring the valve can be fully opened immediately after startup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the valve body is supported by a guiding portion in a cantilever manner, then the check valve structure is simplified, but the valve body becomes inclined and lodges in the opening, interfering with operability
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding portion is divided into multiple sections: a guiding section with a small opening area ratio that prevents valve body inclination, and a support section with a large opening area ratio that provides structural support. This segmentation allows the valve body to be supported while preventing it from lodging in the opening, resolving the contradiction between structural simplification and operational reliability.
2Reliability
If the opening is divided into a plurality of sections, then the valve body does not lodge in the opening, but the effective passage area is narrowed and passage resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the guiding portion have different opening area ratios tailored to their specific functions. The guiding section has a smaller opening area ratio to prevent valve body inclination, while the support section has a larger opening area ratio to maintain low passage resistance. This local differentiation allows each section to optimize its performance without compromising the other.
3Ease of manufacture
If the valve case is integrated with the front head, then manufacturing is simplified, but the valve body cannot be fully opened immediately after compressor startup
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding portion incorporates a dynamic opening area ratio that changes along the flow direction, allowing the valve body to be pushed down to the bottom surface immediately after startup. The varying opening area ratios create appropriate pressure distribution that facilitates rapid valve opening while maintaining the integrated valve case structure for manufacturing simplicity.
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 design improves operability by reducing passage resistance and ensuring the check valve can be fully opened quickly, enhancing the flow of refrigerant gas and maintaining the valve in a pushed-down state, thus improving the overall performance of the vane compressor.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member (53) biasing the valve body (52) in a direction in which the valve body (52) abuts against the valve seat (51)
Implementation Method 2
a housing (10) having an intake port (12) sucking a refrigerant gas from an external refrigeration cycle and a low pressure chamber (13) communicating with the intake port
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
[Object] An object of the invention is to provide a vane compressor in which the operability of a check valve has been improved. [Solution] A vane compressor 1 according to the invention includes a housing having an intake port 12 sucking a refrigerant gas and a low pressure chamber 13 communicating with the intake port 12 and a check valve 50 for preventing backflow of the refrigerant gas in the low pressure chamber. The check valve includes a valve seat 51 provided in the intake port, a cylindrical valve body 52 having an abutting portion 521b abutting against the valve seat, a biasing member 53 causing the valve body to abut against the valve seat, and a guiding portion 54 formed integrally with the housing and slidably housing the valve body. The guiding portion has an opening 55 through which part of a peripheral wall is opened to the low pressure chamber. An opening area of the opening changes when a circumferential surface portion 522 of the valve body slides along an inner wall of the guiding portion. A ratio of a change in the opening area of the opening to a change in a separation distance between the valve seat and the valve body changes stepwise from a small value to a large value as the separation distance increases.