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An experimental study on bearing characteristics of compressor considering refrigerant dissolution and friction heat.

Number: 1140

Author(s) : SASAKI T., IKEDA Y., SASAKI S.

Summary

There is a growing need to expand the upper limit of the operating range of compressors for air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. There are two design approaches to expanding the upper limit. One is to expand the stroke volume, which increases the load of the journal bearing along with the increase of compressive load of the refrigerant. The other is to increase the rotation speed, where the load capacity of the journal bearing decreases due to lowering the viscosity of the refrigeration oil caused by shear heating of the oil film. Incidentally, the refrigerant is dissolved in the refrigeration oil that lubricates the journal bearing, and the refrigerant solubility and the dissolving viscosity change depending on the temperature and pressure conditions. It is impossible to ignore changes in viscosity of refrigeration oil due to friction heat and refrigerant dissolution at high rotation speeds and in the high load range. We have evaluated the influence of frictional heat generation, solubility and viscosity change on journal bearing characteristics by thermal fluid lubrication analysis. In this study, we developed an experimental apparatus to evaluate bearing characteristics in a refrigerant environment to verify the validity of the Thermo-Hydrodynamic Lubrication (THL) analysis and also the effects of frictional heat, and changes in refrigerant solubility on bearing characteristics were experimentally evaluated. As a result, we found that the bearing temperature decreased in the reverse wedge region of the journal bearing and we could obtain data to support the hypothesis that the heat of refrigeration oil was taken away while the refrigerant
was separated from the refrigeration oil.

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Pages: 9

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Details

  • Original title: An experimental study on bearing characteristics of compressor considering refrigerant dissolution and friction heat.
  • Record ID : 30028346
  • Languages: English
  • Subject: Technology
  • Source: 2021 Purdue Conferences. 25th International Compressor Engineering Conference at Purdue.
  • Publication date: 2021/05
  • Document available for consultation in the library of the IIR headquarters only.

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