Rotary expansible chamber devices – Working member has planetary or planetating movement – Helical working member – e.g. – scroll
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-08
2001-06-12
Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)
Rotary expansible chamber devices
Working member has planetary or planetating movement
Helical working member, e.g., scroll
C418S055100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244840
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scroll compressor, in particular, one suitable for operation in a vapour-compression refrigerating cycle which uses a refrigerant, such as CO
2
, in a supercritical area thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional scroll compressor generally comprises a casing; a fixed scroll and a revolving scroll in the housing, each scroll comprising an end plate and a spiral protrusion built on an inner surface of the end plate, said inner surface facing the other end plate so as to engage the protrusions of each scroll and form a spiral compression chamber. In this structure, the introduced working gas is compressed in the compression chamber and then discharged according to the revolving operation of the revolving scroll. In order to secure enough (large) space for the compression chamber, the height of each spiral protrusion of the fixed scroll and revolving scroll is larger than the height of each end plate.
As for the vapour-compression refrigerating cycle, one of the recently proposed measures to avoid the use of Freon (fron, a refrigerant) in order to protect the environment is the use of a refrigerating cycle using CO
2
as the working gas (i.e., the refrigerant gas). This cycle is called “CO
2
cycle” below. An example thereof is disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Application, Second Publication, No. Hei 7-18602. The operation of this CO
2
cycle is similar to the operation of a conventional vapour-compression refrigerating cycle using Freon. That is, as shown by the cycle A →B→C→D→A in
FIG. 5
(which shows a CO
2
Mollier chart), CO
2
in the gas phase is compressed using a compressor (A→B), and this hot and compressed CO
2
in the gas phase is cooled using a gas cooler (B→C). This cooled gas is further decompressed using a decompressor (C→D), and CO
2
in the gas-liquid phase is then vaporized (D→A), so that latent heat with respect to the evaporation is taken from an external fluid such as air, thereby cooling the external fluid.
The critical temperature of CO
2
is approximately 31° C., that is, lower than that of Freon, the conventional refrigerant. Therefore, when the temperature of the outside air is high in the summer season or the like, the temperature of CO
2
at the gas cooler side is higher than the critical temperature of CO
2
. Therefore, in this case, CO
2
is not condensed at the outlet side of the gas cooler (that is, line segment B-C in
FIG. 3
does not intersect with the saturated liquid curve SL). In addition, the condition at the outlet side of the gas cooler (corresponding to point C in
FIG. 3
) depends on the discharge pressure of the compressor and the CO
2
temperature at the outlet side of the gas cooler, and this CO
2
temperature at the outlet side depends on the discharge ability of the gas cooler and the outside temperature (which cannot be controlled). Therefore, substantially, the CO
2
temperature at the outlet side of the gas cooler cannot be controlled. Accordingly, the condition at the outlet side of the gas cooler (i.e., point C) can be controlled by controlling the discharge pressure of the compressor (i.e., the pressure at the outlet side of the gas cooler). That is, in order to keep sufficient cooling ability (i.e., enthalpy difference) when the temperature of the outside air is high in the summer season or the like, higher pressure at the outlet side of the gas cooler is necessary as shown in the cycle E→F→G→H→E in FIG.
3
. In order to satisfy this condition, the operating pressure of the compressor must be higher in comparison with the conventional refrigerating cycle using Freon. In an example of an air conditioner used in a vehicle, the operating pressure of the compressor is 3 kg/cm
2
in case of using R
134
(i.e., conventional Freon), but 40 kg/cm
2
in case of CO
2
. In addition, the operation stopping pressure of the compressor of this example is 15 kg/cm
2
in case of using RI
34
, but 100 kg/cm
2
in case of CO
2
.
In such a scroll compressor using CO
2
as the working gas and having high operating pressure, if the thickness of each end plate of the fixed scroll and revolving scroll is smaller than the height of each spiral protrusion of the fixed and revolving scrolls, each end plate tends to bend and be deformed due to a load generated in the compression operation, so that the sealing ability of the compression chamber is degraded. As a result, the (amount of) discharge may be decreased due to the leakage of the working gas from the compression chamber, or the temperature of the discharge gas may rise due to recompression of the leaked gas, so that degradation of the performance of the compressor is inevitable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above circumstances, an objective of the present invention is to provide a scroll compressor with which there is no leakage of the working gas from the compression chamber, in which deformation of each end plate of the fixed scroll and revolving scroll is prevented.
Therefore, the present invention provides a scroll compressor comprising:
a casing;
a fixed scroll provided in the housing and comprising an end plate and a spiral protrusion built on one face of the end plate; and
a revolving scroll provided in the casing and comprising an end plate and a spiral protrusion built on one face of the end plate, wherein the spiral protrusions of each scroll are engaged with each other so as to form a spiral compression chamber, wherein:
a working gas introduced in the casing is compressed in the compression chamber and then discharged according to the revolving operation of the revolving scroll; and
given thickness T
1
of the end plate of the fixed scroll, thickness T
2
of the end plate of the revolving scroll, height H
1
of the spiral protrusion of the fixed scroll, and height H
2
of the spiral protrusion of the revolving scroll, the following condition is satisfied:
T
1
>0.9H
1
T
2
>0.9H
2
According to the above scroll compressor, even in a scroll compressor having a considerably high operating pressure, the end plates of the fixed scroll and revolving scroll are not easily deformed when the end plates receive a load generated in the compression operation, and thus the sealing ability of compression chamber is not degraded. As a result, the (amount of) discharge is not decreased due to the leakage of the working gas from the compression chamber, and the temperature of the discharge gas does not rise due to recompression of the leaked gas, so that the performance of the compressor is improved.
Preferably, ribs for reinforcing the fixed scroll and the revolving scroll are respectively provided at the back face side of each scroll. Accordingly, even if the thickness of the end plate is smaller than the height of the spiral protrusion, that is, smaller than an originally defined size, rigidity equivalent to that obtained by the structure having the originally defined size can be obtained. Therefore, the performance of the compressor can be further improved.
Preferably, the working gas is carbon dioxide. In this case, the present invention can be effectively applied to a scroll compressor which uses a refrigerating cycle using CO
2
as the working gas, and which has a high operating pressure.
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patent: 4579512 (1986-04-01), Shiibayashi et al.
patent: 4774816 (1988-10-01), Uchikawa et al.
patent: 5127809 (1992-07-01), Amata et al.
patent: 5142885 (1992-09-01), Utter et al.
patent: 5533887 (1996-07-01), Maruyama et al.
patent: 5667370 (1997-09-01), Im
patent: 58-222901 A1 (1983-12-01), None
patent: 60-233388 A1 (1985-11-01), None
patent: 4-121483 A1 (1992-04-01), None
patent: 5-164067 A1 (1993-06-01), None
patent: 6-317269 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 7-018602 (1995-03-01), None
patent: WO 90/07683 (1990-07-01), None
U.S. Ser. No. 09/589,172, filed Jun. 8, 2000, Status Pending.
U.S. Ser. No. 09/588,573, filed Jun. 7, 2000, Status Pending.
U.S. Ser. No. 0
Itoh Takahide
Miura Shigeki
Takeuchi Makoto
Denion Thomas
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Trieu Theresa
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