City Research Online

Abstract

Rotor clearances are mainly responsible for screw compressor leakage. They must therefore be minimized in order to obtain high volumetric and adiabatic efficiencies of these machines. Continuing improvement in the rotor manufacturing equipment has enabled tighter production tolerances to be achieved than was previously possible. Consequently, tolerances of other components, such as the rotor and bearing housings, and the bearings themselves, have to be included in the design process, in order to obtain the best possible overall performance. A mathematical procedure to evaluate rotor interference in screw compressors due to bearing clearances and imperfections in the compressor housing manufacture is presented in this paper and has been used to evaluate how these affect screw compressor behaviour. It is shown that rotor interference resulting from the build-up of these tolerances may affect the compressor when stationary as well as when rotating, and may reduce the compressor efficiency, safety and reliability and also increase compressor noise. This simple but effective method of quantification of the rotor interference can now be applied as a useful criterion in design of screw compressors.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Engineering Design on June 2003, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/0954482031000091518.
Subjects:	T Technology > T Technology (General) T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
Departments:	School of Science & Technology > Engineering
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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