| Abstract: | The liquid ring compressor (LRC) is a compressor suitable for a heat pump which uses water as a working fluid. The LRC has several features: (1) large suction speed; (2) low discharge temperature realized by the ring liquid; and (3) simple structure. However, in order to enlarge the working temperature region of such heat pumps toward lower temperature levels, it is necessary to improve the volumetric efficiency of the LRC, especially in the low suction pressure region. Therefore, a helical liquid ring compressor (HLRC) which has helical blades has been newly designed, as one of the attempts to obtain a higher volumetric efficiency. The HLRC is able to separate a suction space from a compression space along the axis and improve the volumetric efficiency. An experimental test has verified that the suction/compression mechanism of the HLRC functions as expected. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 29(8): 660–673, 2000 |
