Variable compressor housing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11971035-B2
Application number	US-201816762094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2018
Priority date	Nov 8, 2017
Publication date	Apr 30, 2024
Grant date	Apr 30, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a compressor having a first rotor and a second rotor disposed within a housing, where the first rotor is configured to rotate about a first axis of the housing and the second rotor is configured to rotate about a second axis of the housing. The first rotor and the second rotor engage with one another such that rotation of the first rotor and the second rotor pressurizes a vapor within the housing. The compressor includes an end plate coupled to a discharge end of the housing, where the end plate includes a variable opening configured to discharge a flow of the vapor from the housing. The end plate also includes a first movable member and a second movable member that are configured to increase or decrease a cross-sectional area of the variable opening to adjust the flow of the vapor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A compressor for a vapor compression system, comprising:
a housing;
a first rotor and a second rotor disposed within the housing, wherein the first rotor is configured to rotate about a first axis of the housing and the second rotor is configured to rotate about a second axis of the housing, wherein the first rotor and the second rotor are configured to engage with one another such that rotation of the first rotor and the second rotor pressurizes a vapor within the housing; and
an end plate coupled to a discharge end of the housing, wherein the end plate comprises:
an inner surface;
an opening extending through the inner surface and configured to receive a shaft of the first rotor;
a variable opening extending through the inner surface and configured to discharge a flow of the vapor from the housing;
a first groove recessed in the inner surface;
a second groove recessed in the inner surface; and
a first movable member disposed within the first groove and a second movable member disposed within the second groove, wherein the first movable member is configured to slide along the first groove and the second movable member is configured to slide along the second groove to increase or decrease a cross-sectional area of the variable opening to adjust the flow of the vapor, the first groove and the second groove each define a respective first stop and a respective second stop, the first stop of the first groove and the second stop of the first groove are configured to limit movement of the first movable member within the first groove via contact with the first movable member, and the first stop of the second groove and the second stop of the second groove are configured to limit movement of the second movable member within the second groove via contact with the second movable member.

2. The compressor of claim 1 , wherein the first movable member is configured to rotate about the first axis of the housing and the second movable member is configured to rotate about the second axis of the housing.

3. The compressor of claim 1 , wherein the first movable member and the second movable member are configured to transition between respective first positions and respective second positions.

4. The compressor of claim 3 , wherein the respective first positions are defined by the first movable member rotating counter-clockwise about the first axis until a first tab of the first movable member contacts the second stop of the first groove and the second movable member rotating clockwise about the second axis until a second tab of the second movable member contacts the second stop of the second groove.

5. The compressor of claim 4 , wherein the respective second positions are defined by the first movable member rotating clockwise about the first axis until a first surface of the first movable member contacts the first stop of the first groove and the second movable member rotating counter-clockwise about the second axis until a second surface of the second movable member contacts the first stop of the second groove.

6. The compressor of claim 1 , wherein the first movable member comprises a first profiled edge and the second movable member comprises a second profiled edge.

7. The compressor of claim 6 , wherein the first profiled edge is configured to conform to a first trailing edge of the first rotor and the second profiled edge is configured to conform to a second trailing edge of the second rotor.

8. The compressor of claim 1 , comprising a single actuator configured to rotate the first movable member about the first axis and rotate the second movable member about the second axis.

9. The compressor of claim 8 , wherein the single actuator comprises a hydraulic actuator.

10. The compressor of claim 1 , comprising a first actuator configured to rotate the first movable member about the first axis and a second actuator configured to rotate the second movable member about the second axis.

11. A vapor compression system, comprising:
a compressor including a first rotor configured to rotate about a first axis and a second rotor configured to rotate about a second axis, wherein the first rotor and the second rotor are configured to engage with one another to compress a refrigerant within a housing of the compressor; and
an end plate coupled to the housing, wherein the end plate comprises:
an inner surface;
a first opening extending through the inner surface and configured to receive a first shaft of the first rotor;
a second opening extending through the inner surface and configured to receive a second shaft of the second rotor, wherein the inner surface circumferentially surrounds the first opening and the second opening independently of one another;
a variable opening extending through the inner surface and configured to discharge a flow of the refrigerant from the housing to circulate the refrigerant through the vapor compression system;
a first groove recessed in the inner surface;
a second groove recessed in the inner surface; and
a first movable member disposed within the first groove and a second movable member disposed within the second groove, wherein the first movable member is configured to slide along the first groove, the first movable member extends only partially about a first circumference of the first opening, the second movable member is configured to slide along the second groove to adjust a cross-sectional area of the variable opening, and the second movable member extends only partially about a second circumference of the second opening.

12. The vapor compression system of claim 11 , wherein the first movable member and the second movable member are configured to adjust the cross-sectional area of the variable opening to adjust a pressure of the refrigerant within the housing, a flow rate of the flow of the refrigerant discharged from the housing, a pressure of the flow of the refrigerant discharged from the housing, or a combination thereof.

13. The vapor compression system of claim 11 , wherein the first movable member is configured to slide along the first groove and rotate about the first axis and the second movable member is configured to slide along the second groove and rotate about the second axis.

14. The vapor compression system of claim 13 , comprising one or more actuators configured to rotate the first movable member about the first axis and rotate the second movable member about the second axis.

15. The vapor compression system of claim 11 , wherein the first movable member comprises a first profiled edge configured to conform to a first trailing edge of the first rotor when the first rotor rotates about the first axis and the second movable member comprises a second profiled edge configured to conform to a second trailing edge of the second rotor when the second rotor rotates about the second axis.

16. The vapor compression system of claim 11 , comprising a sensor disposed within the housing of the compressor, wherein a first position of the first movable member and a second position of the second movable member are adjusted based on feedback from the sensor indicative of a discharge pressure of the flow of the refrigerant.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co
• Tyco Fire & Security Gmbh

Inventors

• Montejo Franklin Aaron

Classifications

• F04C28/08 Primary

  characterised by varying the rotational speed · CPC title

• F04C18/16 Primary

  with helical teeth, e.g. chevron-shaped, screw type {(for non-parallel axes of movement F04C18/48)} · CPC title

• F04C28/14

  using rotating valves · CPC title

• F04C29/12

  Arrangements for admission or discharge of the working fluid, e.g. constructional features of the inlet or outlet · CPC title

• F04C2210/228

  Vapour · CPC title