Patent Application
20120100024
The present invention generally relates to refrigeration compressors.
More particularly, the invention relates to a system for providing a scroll compressor with low starting torque.
Scroll compressors may be employed to compress refrigerant gas in cooling systems. In a particular application, a scroll compressor may be used in a distributed cooling system of a commercial aircraft. In that context, the scroll compressor may be required to start compression of refrigerant gas in high temperature conditions. For example, the aircraft may be positioned on the ground at a location with a high ambient temperature (e.g. air temperature of 110° F. or higher). In such a case, aircraft equipment bay temperature may be as high as 160° F. Consequently vapor pressure at an inlet side of an idle compressor may be as high as 200 to 250 psia.
A conventional scroll compressor may require application of high torque during start-up under these circumstances. In order to assure that high starting torque may be available; a conventional aircraft cooling system may be constructed with a high-torque motor for driving the compressor. A driving motor that is sized to provide high starting torque may be larger and heavier than a motor that may be sized only to accommodate steady state operational loads of the compressor. In that regard, the conventional compressor may be considered to need an oversized motor. A high-torque driving motor may also require a high capacity (i.e., oversized) inverter to provide a high level of AC current for the motor during compressor start-up. Oversized motors and inverters may add undesirable weight and cost to an aircraft.
As can be seen, there is a need for an aircraft cooling system in which a scroll compressor may be operated with a motor that may be sized in accordance with the compressor's steady state operational loads. Additionally there is a need for a scroll compressor which may be started with such a motor irrespective of ambient temperature in which the aircraft may be present.
In one aspect of the present invention, a distributed cooling system for an aircraft may comprise: an evaporator-chiller; and a scroll compressor for compressing refrigerant from the evaporator-chiller, wherein the clamping force between an orbiting scroll and a fixed scroll of the compressor is produced by pressure in a balance chamber of the compressor,and wherein the pressure in the balance chamber is equalized with inlet pressure of the compressor at start-up so that starting torque of the compressor is reduced.
In another aspect of the present invention, a scroll compressor may comprise a check valve interposed between a balance chamber and a discharge chamber, wherein the check valve is adapted to permit flow of refrigerant gas from the balance chamber into the discharge chamber whenever gas pressure in the discharge chamber is less than gas pressure in the balance chamber.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a method for starting a scroll compressor may comprise: opening a gas flow passage between a balance chamber and a discharge chamber of the compressor; initiating rotation of an orbiting scroll while the gas flow passage is open; and closing the gas flow passage after the orbiting scroll is at its steady state operating speed.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.
The present invention generally provides a cooling system that uses a scroll compressor for compressing refrigerant wherein the scroll compressor is provided with an internal check valve that allows the compressor to start with a low starting torque.
Referring now to
A refrigerant circuit 20 may interconnect the evaporator-chiller 16 to a compressor 22 at an inlet side 22-1. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the compressor 22 may be a scroll compressor. The compressor 22 may be driven by an AC motor 24 which may be provided with electrical power through a dedicated inverter 26 which may be connected to a DC bus 28 of the aircraft. The compressor 22 may be interconnected, at an outlet side 22-2, to the evaporator-chiller 16 through a condenser 30.
Referring now to
This intermediate pressure may be referred to as balance pressure. The balance pressure may be proportional to compressor inlet pressure. The proportionality may be a function of location of a bleed hole 22-10. The balance pressure may create a clamping force that may counteract an axial separation force that may be proportional to compressor inlet pressure. The clamping force may keep the fixed scroll 22-4 and the orbiting scroll 22-6 in sealed contact with each other. This sealed contact may reduce leakage of refrigerant from a high pressure side to a low pressure side.
A check valve 22-12 may be positioned between the balance chamber 22-8 and a discharge chamber 22-14. The check valve 22-12 may provide a gas flow passage for refrigerant gas from the balance chamber 22-8 into the discharge chamber 22-14 during start-up of the compressor 22. It must be noted that at start-up, inlet pressure and outlet pressure are substantially equal. Thus the check valve 22-12 allows pressure in the balance chamber 22-8 to be substantially equal to outlet pressure. Consequently, a differential between balance pressure and outlet pressure may be substantially absent at initiation of start-up. Because of this virtual absence of pressure differential, the fixed scroll 22-4 and orbiting scroll 22-6 may move freely relative to one another. In other words, there may be virtually no torque needed to initially rotate the orbiting scroll 22-6.
It may be seen that, even if inlet pressure is high, the check valve 22-12 may allow balance pressure to be no higher than outlet pressure.
Referring now to
Because, at T0, there may be virtually no differential between balance pressure 36 and inlet pressure 32, clamping force (graph line 38) may be low. As described above low clamping force may result in low starting torque requirement.
It may also be seen that as start-up progresses, inlet pressure 32 may drop and outlet pressure 34 may increase. In other words, a differential between balance pressure 36 and inlet pressure 32 may increase as start-up progresses. Within a short time period, at a time T1, (which in an exemplary embodiment may be about 20 seconds) the balance pressure 36 and the outlet pressure 34 may equalize. At that time, the check valve 22-12 may close, but the inlet pressure 32 at time T1 may be lower than the inlet pressure at time T0. At time T1, the clamping force 38 may have increased to its normal operational level so the scrolls 22-4 and 22-6 may be sealed together. The compressor 22 may then be operational without undesirable leakage between the scrolls 22-4 and 22-6.
It may be noted that at time T1, inlet pressure 32 is reduced and rotational speed of the motor 24 (of
Referring now to
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
