Analysis of the Inner Fluid-Dynamics of Scroll Compressors and Comparison between CFD Numerical and Modelling Approaches

Scroll compressors are widely adopted machines in both refrigeration systems and heat pumps. However, their efficiency is basically poor and constitutes the main bottleneck for improving the overall system performance. In fact, due to the complex machine fluid dynamics, scroll design is mainly based on theoretical and/or semi-empirical approaches. Designs strategies that do not guarantee an in-depth analysis of the machine behavior can be supplemented with a Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach. To this purpose, in the present work, the scroll compressor inner fluid dynamics is numerically analyzed in detail using two CFD software and two different modelling strategies for the axial gap. The analysis of the fluid evolution within the scroll wraps reveals unsteady phenomena developing during the suction and discharge phases, amplified by the axial clearance with negative impact on the main fluid flow (e.g., -13% of average mass flow rate for an axial gap of 30 mu) and on the scroll performance (e.g., +26% of average absorbed power for an axial gap of 30 mu). In terms of accuracy, the k-epsilon offers good performance on the estimation of average quantities but proves to be inadequate for capturing the complexity of the unsteady phenomena caused by the axial gap (e.g., -19% of the absorbed power in case of perfect tip seal). The need for considering specific geometric details in design procedures is highlighted, and guidelines on the choice of the most suitable numerical model are provided depending on the analysis needs.