Design Control of Overcompression in Rotary-Vane Compressors

Abstract

In its simplest terms, the design of a rotary-vane compressor of a given displacement consists of selecting a particular combination of rotor and cylinder radius, cylinder length, and number of vanes. A study of the rotary-vane compressor has shown that the choice is not entirely arbitrary since thermodynamic and mechanical losses occurring in the compressor are intimately associated with these basic dimensions. One of the more important of these geometrically dependent losses was found to be potentially severe overcompression during the discharge process. In this paper, an equation is developed that describes in generalized form the relation of overcompression to the dimensions of the compressor. This equation is used to evolve an energy-loss criterion for design control of this loss. An example of the application of the criterion to a refrigeration compressor is included.