Leakage Model of Axial Clearance and Test of Scroll Compressors

Leakage clearance plays an important role in guaranteeing high efficiency of scroll compressors. In view of the shortcomings of the existing leakage models of axial clearance of scroll compressors, a modified Fano flow model and a turbulence model are presented based on the flow characteristics of fluid in the leakage passage under actual working conditions. Firstly, according to the Fano flow energy equation and the turbulence theory, two kinds of leakage models, Fano flow model and turbulence model, of axial clearance are established. Then, the established models are verified through an experimental platform established to measure the axial clearance leakage in the working process of a scroll compressor, and the measured values are compared with the values obtained from the two theoretical models. Finally, the effect of such factors as pressure difference, clearance amount, spindle speed on the axial clearance leakage is analyzed. Results show that the two established models can precisely reflect the variation law of axial clearance leakage of scroll compressor under different working conditions. In particular, the Fano flow model is more suitable for predicting the clearance leakage when the spindle speed is low (less than 3 500 r/min) and the clearance is small (less than 0.025 mm), whereas the turbulence model is suitable for high spindle speed (more than 3 500 r/min) and large clearance (more than 0.025 mm). © 2020, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.