Scroll compressor assembly having oil distribution and support feature

摘要

A horizontal scroll compressor assembly for compressing a working fluid and lubricated with oil includes a housing, an interior surface, and a suction sump for collected oil located in the suction plenum. A compression mechanism has an orbital scroll member having a thrust surface axially superposed with the housing and having an oil distribution channel. Oil from the suction sump is received into the distribution channel and delivered to locations between the superposed surfaces during movement of the orbital scroll member. A method for distributing oil in a scroll compressor assembly includes: receiving oil from a suction sump into an oil distribution channel located in the thrust surface of an orbital scroll member; pumping oil along the oil distribution channel to locations between the thrust surface and a superposed housing surface; and lubricating a thrust surface interface with oil.

主权项

1. A horizontal scroll compressor assembly for compressing a working fluid and lubricated with an oil, comprising:
a housing having an axis, an interior surface, and suction and discharge ports, and in which are located a suction plenum for receiving working fluid substantially at a suction pressure through said suction port, a discharge plenum from which working fluid substantially at a discharge pressure is dischargeable through the discharge port, and a suction sump for collected oil, the suction sump located in the suction plenum; and a compression mechanism disposed in the housing for compressing an admixture of working fluid and oil, the compression mechanism comprising an orbital scroll member and a nonorbital scroll member, the scroll members interengaged for defining a compression chamber therebetween into which the admixture is receivable from the suction plenum for compression, the compression mechanism having a discharge aperture for passing compressed admixture from the compression chamber to the discharge plenum, the orbital scroll member having a thrust surface, the thrust surface and the housing interior surface axially superposed, the orbital scroll member having movement about the axis relative to the housing and the nonorbital scroll member, the thrust surface having a groove forming an oil distribution channel extending at least partially about the axis, an anti-rotation mechanism through which the orbital scroll member and the housing are coupled, the orbital scroll member provided with a plurality of spaces circumferentially distributed on the orbital scroll member and partially defining the anti-rotation mechanism, a lowermost one of the spaces disposed in the suction sump and directly receivable of oil from the suction sump, the oil distribution channel fluidly connecting the lowermost one of the spaces with at least one further space of the plurality of spaces, oil received from the suction sump into the lowermost one of the spaces and thereby into the distribution channel being urged along the distribution channel and delivered to locations between the superposed surfaces during movement of the orbital scroll member.