Two-step design process for optimal suction muffler in reciprocating compressor

A systematic design process for an optimal suction muffler is proposed to reduce the noise of a reciprocating compressor. Because the outer shape of a suction muffler is complicated, the well-known internal configuration for simple expansion chamber mufflers is not easily applicable to the suction muffler design problem. To achieve an optimal design of a suction muffler, two sequential optimization problems are formulated to maximize the transmission loss value at a target frequency: acoustical topology and shape optimization problems. The key idea in the suggested method is to use an optimal topology obtained by solving the topology optimization problem as an initial shape for the shape optimization problem. The formulated optimization problems are solved at several target frequencies, and the acoustical characteristics of the optimal shapes are closely investigated. The experimental results for two optimal suction mufflers support the validity of our suggested two-step design process for optimal suction mufflers.