Analysis and optimization for oil-gas separator of automotive air conditioning compressor

Abstract

In most of air conditioning system, the lubricant oil is mixed together with refrigerant to lubricate automotive air conditioning compressor, it is expected that the small quantity of lubricant oil should be separated from the gas mixture as far as possible, in order that it can lubricate better. The application of ‘cyclone separation theory’ is a fine method to improve separation efficiency. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is one of the branches of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows. With the simulation, some regularity would be discovered by a series of experiments that the angles (a) between two inlets of compressor separator were used different magnitude, the results showed that the separation efficiency was obviously affected by the location relation of the two inlets. Finally, the optimum parameters would be obtained to improve the separation efficiency for the compressor separator.