Finite element analysis of a compressor housing used in high pressure refrigeration system

Abstract

In the design of compressors running with high pressure refrigerants, safety aspects must be a mandatory concern. Moreover, when dealing with high pressure levels, compressor components have their original design adapted to withstand such a high pressures, particularly acoustical mufflers, external housing, and compression mechanism. Regarding the external housing, the design approach goes beyond acoustical and aesthetics features as mostly observed in current refrigerating compressors. In order to safety enclose the compression mechanism the application of a proper design methodology is mandatory to safeguard the structural integrity of both the compressor external housing and the whole refrigerating system. Looking for acceptable, cost effective safety factors, a simultaneous design approach including advanced structural mechanics techniques, experimentation, safety Codes revision, and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools application is mandatory. The aim of this work is to present a new development approach, concerning structural design of a compressor housing used in high pressure refrigeration system. Numerical and experimental results will be compared among each other aiming to evaluate some ASME Codes criteria and design procedures.