Design improvement for suction shape in rotary compressor

Abstract

Rotary compressors applied to heating and cooling cycles accounts for a large proportion of the total energy consumed in the system. Therefore, improving compressor efficiency is crucial in order to reduce energy consumption. Design review and improvement efforts have primarily focused on compression and discharge parts with high pressure. However, due to the limitations in design improvements for the compression and discharge parts, enhancements for other components are necessary to further increase compressor efficiency. In this study, the design of the suction part of the rotary compressor was modified using FSI (Fluid-Structure Interact) analysis scheme. In order to improve the design of the suction shape, new suction shape types were devised as alternatives to the existing through type. Both the newly devised C-type and E-type suction shapes presented an increase in cooling capacity due to reduced suction resistance, with the E-type demonstrating greater improvement compared to the C-type. Consequently, a verification of the effect based on the detailed design dimensions was further conducted for the E-type suction shape. The final selected improved model increased the suction flow rate by approximately 2.5% compared to the base model. This indicates that significant improvement for the compressor efficiency can be achieved through modifying designs in parts other than the compression and discharge sections. In addition, a design improvement process was established to analyze internal flow using FSI analysis.