U.S. patent number 3,767,328 [Application Number 05/273,117] was granted by the patent office on 1973-10-23 for rotary compressor with capacity modulation.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Electric Company. Invention is credited to William T. Ladusaw.
United States Patent |
3,767,328 |
Ladusaw |
October 23, 1973 |
ROTARY COMPRESSOR WITH CAPACITY MODULATION
Abstract
A rotary refrigerant compressor comprising a compression
cylinder, a rotor eccentrically rotatable in the cylinder, suction
and discharge ports communicating with the cylinder and a vane
slidably mounted in a slot in the cylinder wall between the ports
dividing the cylinder into high and low pressure sides includes
means for modulating the compressor capacity. The modulation means
comprises a bore communicating with the cylinder at a point
intermediate the suction and discharge ports and having a
modulating port on a side wall of the bore connected to the suction
port. The modulating port is opened or closed by means of a plunger
slidably mounted in the bore to modulate the compressor
capacity.
Inventors: |
Ladusaw; William T.
(Louisville, KY) |
Assignee: |
General Electric Company
(Louisville, KY)
|
Family
ID: |
23042627 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/273,117 |
Filed: |
July 19, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/310; 417/283;
417/299 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04C
28/16 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F04B
49/08 (20060101); F04b 049/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;417/310,283X,299X |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Croyle; Carlton R.
Assistant Examiner: Sher; Richard
Claims
I claim:
1. A hermetic rotary refrigerant compressor comprising:
a hermetic casing;
a rotary compressor positioned in said casing and comprising means
including a cylindrical wall member defining a compression
cylinder;
a rotor eccentrically rotatable in said cylinder;
spaced suction and discharge ports in said wall member
communicating with said cylinder;
a vane slidably mounted in said cylindrical wall member between
said ports for engagement with said rotor to divide said cylinder
into high and low pressure sides; and
means for modulating the capacity of said compressor
comprising:
a radially extending bore in said cylindrical wall member spaced
from said suction port and communicating with said cylinder;
means including a passage in said wall member having a modulating
port in a wall portion of said bore connecting said suction port to
said bore; and
a plunger slidably mounted in said bore for movement between a
retracted position opening said modulating port and an extended
position closing said modulating port and contacting said
rotor.
2. A compressor according to claim 1 including means connecting the
volume of said bore behind said plunger to discharge pressure for
normally holding said plunger to its extended position; and
means connecting said volume to suction pressure to move said
plunger to its retracted position for opening said modulating port
and thereby reducing the capacity of said compressor.
3. A compressor according to claim 1 including tension spring means
biasing said plunger to its retracted position.
4. A compressor according to claim 1 in which the connection to
said suction port is within the hermetic casing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many uses of refrigerant compressors, it is desirable to be able
to reduce the capacity or volume of displacement of the compressor
under certain operating conditions in order to provide a cooling
rate more closely matching the heat load. A means intended to
provide the modulation or partial unloading of a rotary compressor
is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,973-Kosfeld as comprising an
unloading or bypass passage having an unloading port communicating
with the compressor cylinder in spaced relationship with the
suction port and valve means in the port. In the compressor
disclosed in the Kosfeld patent, the port contains a check valve.
The compressor is intended to operate at full capacity by
introducing high pressure refrigerant into the bypass passage
behind the check valve to hold the valve closed. When suction
pressure is substituted, the valve opens and gas compression in the
cylinder is delayed until the passage is sealed by the rotor.
A check valve of the type disclosed in the Kosfeld patent has
certain disadvantages. Under the changing pressure conditions
within the compressor cylinder, it may not remain completely seated
or completely open under varying operating conditions. In other
words, a check valve operating only on pressure differences does
not have a positive flow control for assuring continued operation
of the compressor at either full or reduced capacity. Specifically,
the Kosfeld unloading means having the control port and valve in
the cylinder wall does not provide a high-low pressure seal when
the rotor is tangent to the port. When the rotor reaches the center
of the modulating port, the vertical seal is lost and high pressure
gas leaks into and out of the port past the rotor cylinder wall
seal and into the low pressure side causing a reduced compressor
performance. Also, all gas compressed into the volume between the
cylinder wall and the check valve, along with above-described
volume of leakage, is re-expanded to occupy suction volume when the
rotor tangent point is passing the unloader port. This reduces
effective displacement and causes decrease in efficiency as
well.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a rotary
compressor of the stationary vane type with improved valving means
for controlling the full and partial capacity operation of the
compressor.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, there
is provided a hermetic rotary refrigerant compressor comprising a
hermetic casing containing a rotary compressor including a cylinder
block having a cylindrical wall defining a compression cylinder, a
rotor eccentrically rotatable in the cylinder, spaced suction and
discharge ports in the wall communicating with the cylinder and a
vane slidably mounted between the ports for engagement with the
rotor to divide the cylinder into high and low pressure sides or
chambers. In order to modulate the capacity of the compressor,
there is provided a radially extending bore in the cylinder wall
spaced from the suction port and communicating with the cylinder. A
modulating port in a wall portion of the bore is connected by a
passage to the suction port and is opened or closed by means of a
plunger slidably mounted in the bore for movement between a
restracted position in which the modulating port is open and an
extended position in which the plunger engages the rotor and closes
the port. For the purpose of positioning the rotor in one or the
other of these two positions, means are provided for introducing
either high pressure or suction pressure refrigerant into the bore
rearwardly of the plunger. Preferably, also, there is provided a
spring means for assisting retraction of the plunger.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the accompanying drawing:
FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a hermetic
compressor incorporating the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a refrigeration system disclosing one
means for controlling the operation of the unloading valve.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, there is shown a
hermetic compressor comprising a casing 1 in which there is
disposed a rotary compressor unit 2 connected by means of a drive
shaft 3 to an electric motor 4. The compressor includes a cylinder
block 5 having an inner cylinderical wall or surface 6 which, in
combination with upper and low end plates 8 and 9, defines an
annular compression cylinder 10. A rotor or roller 11 driven by and
rotatable on an eccentric 12 on the shaft 3 is contained within the
cylinder 10. A vane 14 is slidably disposed within a radial slot 15
in the cylinder wall 6 and is adapted to engage the periphery of
the rotor 11 to divide the cylinder into a high pressure side 16
and a low pressure side 17.
A low pressure or suction port 18 communicates with the cylinder on
the low pressure side 17 of the vane 14 and an outlet or discharge
port 19 communicates with the high pressure side 16 of the cylinder
on the opposite side of the vane. The discharge port 19 includes a
discharge valve 20 for assuring proper compression of the gases
issuing through the discharge port and for preventing reverse flow
of discharge gases back into the compression cylinder. The
discharge gas entering the valve chamber 21 passes through a
passage 22 in the upper plate 8 into the upper portion of the case
1.
A compressor of this type is adapted to be connected into a
refrigeration system as shown, for example, in the schematic of
FIG. 3.
Such a system, in addition to the compressor, includes a condenser
26, a capillary flow restrictor 27 and an evaporator 28. Low
pressure refrigerant is withdrawn from the evaporator 28 through a
suction line 29 connected to the suction port 18 and high pressure
refrigerant is discharged from the compressor case through a
discharge line 20 to the condenser. As the compressor rotor 12
rotates, in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 of the
drawing, low pressure refrigerant is drawn into the cylinder
through the suction port 18, is compressed by rotation of the rotor
and the compressed refrigerant is discharged through the discharge
passage 19.
It will be seen that the maximum volume displacement of this type
of compressor occurs at a time during the cycle of rotation of the
rotor when the periphery of the rotor engaging the cylinder wall
progresses just beyond the suction port 18. At this point the
maximum volume of gas has been drawn into the cylinder and the
suction port sealed by the rotor for compression of the gas during
the remaining portion of the rotor cycle.
For the purpose of decreasing the volume of gas compressed by the
rotor during each cycle, or, in other words, to decrease the
capacity of the compressor, means are provided for delaying the
closing of the suction port connection to the compression cylinder
or, in other words, decreasing the volumetric capacity of the
effective compressor cylinder.
The present invention is directed to an improved valve means for
controlling the modulating means. The modulating and valving means
comprises a cylindrical bore 32 in the cylinder wall member spaced
from the vane 14 and opening into the cylinder and a modulating
port 33 (FIG. 2) opening into the wall of the bore at a point
spaced from the cylinder end 34 thereof. Means within the casing
for connecting this port to suction port 18 comprises, in series, a
passage 35 in the cylinder block, a tubular conduit 36 and a second
block passage 37. The valving of port 33 is accomplished by means
of a plunger 38 slidably positioned in the bore 32 and adapted to
move between an extended position, as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the
drawing, in which the plunger engages rotor 11 and closes the port
33 in all positions of the rotor 11 and a retracted position in
which the plunger is recessed in the bore a distance sufficient to
open the port 33. Thus, when the plunger is in its extended
position, the modulating port 33 is closed and while it is in its
retracted position the modulating port 33 is open to the
compression volume through cylinder bore 32.
For full displacement operating conditions, the plunger is
positioned in its fully extended position where it is in constant
contact with the rotor completely filling the cylinder end on the
bore. The end of the plunger is provided with a flat face so that
the cylindrical wall vertical seal of the rotor will be maintained
when the rotor passes the point of the plunger location in the
cylindrical wall.
To maintain the plunger in contact with the rotor and thereby close
the modulating port 33, high or discharge pressure can be
introduced into the bore 32 behind the plunger 38. When reduced
capacity is desired, suction pressure is valved to the volume
behind the plunger. This low pressure reduces the gas force on the
plunger so that the plunger can move to its retracted position.
Preferably, there is also provided a tension spring 41 threaded
into the outer end of the plunger and having tension force biasing
the plunger to its retracted position. In the retracted position of
the plunger, the modulating port 33 is open so that the cylinder is
connected to suction pressure until such time as the rotor closes
the outlet or cylinder end of the bore. For example, by positioning
of the bore as illustrated about 180.degree. from the suction port,
there is reduction in compressor capacity of approximately 42
percent when the modulating port is open, since the compression of
the gas within the cylinder does not start until the rotor has
passed the point of sealing the bore at which time part of the
suction gas drawn into the cylinder through port 18 has been
expelled through the modulating port 33 and the passage to the
suction port.
Any suitable means may be provided for selectively connecting the
volume of the bore behind the plunger to either discharge or
suction pressures. The means schematically illustrated in FIG. 3 of
the drawing comprises a three-way valve 45 having an outlet 46
connected to the bore 32. In one position of the three-way valve
45, the line 46 is connected by line 47 to the system discharge
line 30 so that high pressure refrigerant is introduced into the
bore. In the other position of the valve, the line 48 connects the
suction line 29 to the bore so that the volume of the bore behind
the plunger is at suction pressure. Thus, the positioning of the
three-way valve 45 controls the positioning of the plunger 38 and
hence the capacity modulation of the compressor by using system
pressures.
During startup of the compressor, when the pressures are
substantially equal throughout the system, the plunger 38 will
normally be retracted with the aid of the tension spring 41 and the
compressor will start in a partially unloaded condition of
operation. If the three-way valve 45 is set to operate the
compressor at full capacity, the discharge pressure built up in
line 30 will thereafter force the plunger to its extended position
to close the modulating port 33.
An alternative means for controlling the modulation of the
compressor comprises the substitution of a solenoid for the
three-way valve 45 and its connections to the system and bore and
connecting the solenoid armature directly to the plunger 38. An
armature spring forming part of the solenoid is employed to hold
the plunger into contact with the rotor when the solenoid coil is
not energized, the spring flexing to permit plunger movement during
rotation of the rotor. When compressor capacity is to be reduced,
energization of the coil and compression of the spring removes the
plunger back past the port 33.
From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the valving
arrangement of the present invention provides a positive control of
the flow of gas through the modulating port. The spring aids in
retaining the plunger in its retracted position and also assures
full opening of the port 33 under conditions in which the pressure
behind the plunger may be somewhat higher than cylinder pressure
due to a pressure drop between the connection point of tube 48 and
the cylinder pressure. When the plunger is extended in engagement
with the rotor, its mass and the minimal effect of cylinder gas
pressure thereon assures continuous closing of the port 33.
While there has been shown and described specific embodiments of
the invention, it will be understood that it is not limited thereto
and it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such
modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the
invention.
* * * * *