Theoretical and Numerical Research on High-Speed Small Refrigeration Twin-Screw Compressor

To investigate the performance of high-speed miniaturized screw refrigeration compressors, this study designed rotors with identical theoretical displacement but varying rated speeds. A normalized analysis established quantitative evaluation criteria for geometric performance, while an exergy analysis model assessed leakage exergy losses. Thermodynamic modeling evaluated the impact of different clearances and rated speeds on performance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations analyzed the gas forces and torque acting on the rotors. The rate of efficiency improvement with increasing speed follows a non-linear relationship, demonstrating diminishing returns at ultra-high speeds, where further speed elevation provides negligible efficiency gains. This study reveals that, while tip-housing leakage represents the largest volumetric leakage in screw compressors, interlobe leakage contributes the most significantly to power losses. When the rated speed increases from 3000 rpm to 15,000 rpm, interlobe leakage remains the dominant source of power loss, with its relative contribution showing a marked increase. For compressors with identical cylinder dimensions, reducing the number of lobes decreases the discharge pressure fluctuations and power consumption. Larger wrap angles increase the contact line length and discharge port area, reducing the volumetric efficiency while creating a trade-off between leakage and discharge losses, resulting in an optimal wrap angle that maximizes the adiabatic efficiency.