Oil separating device for compressor

• US 7,473,083 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2007
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Oh, Hae-Jin, Kim, Cheol-Hwan, Jin, Hong-Gyun, Jeong, Chan-Hwa
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu; Theresa
• Application Number:
  US11/717,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20070217936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 418 551- 556, 418/57, 418/94, 418/97, 418/151, 418/270, 418/DIG.1, 184/6.18
• US Class Current: 418/55.6
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 23/008 Hermetic pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/026 Lubricant separation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 418/01 Non-working fluid separation

Abstract

A scroll compressor including an oil separator is provided. The oil separator may be provided with a rotor or a shaft of a driving motor of the compressor so that refrigerant gas and oil discharged from a compression chamber may be separated by a centrifugal force. The oil separator may include a plurality of oil separation holes formed in an eccentric mass and a rotor. Rotation of the shaft/rotor and subsequent rotation of the eccentric mass generates a centrifugal force, causing separation of oil from refrigerant gas contained in the oil separation holes. Accordingly, oil is maintained in the casing, and is prevented from being discharged out of the compressor, thus preventing abrasion due to oil deficiency and a degradation in reliability of the compressor. Furthermore, oil is prevented from being discharged to a refrigerating system externally coupled to the compressor, thereby enhancing performance of the refrigerating system.

Claims

1. A compressor having an oil separating device, the compressor comprising:

a casing;

a motor comprising a rotor and a stator provided in the casing and configured to generate a rotation force;

a shaft coupled to the motor;

a compression unit having a compression chamber, wherein the compression unit is coupled to the shaft such that the shaft transmits the rotation force generated by the motor to the compression unit; and

an eccentric mass coupled to the shaft, wherein the eccentric mass comprises a plurality of first oil separating holes penetrating the eccentric mass in a shaft direction to separate oil from refrigerant gas.

2. The compressor of claim 1, wherein the eccentric mass comprises an eccentric portion having an arcuate shape, wherein the plurality of first oil separating holes are provided at an inner side of the eccentric portion.

3. The compressor of claim 2, wherein the eccentric portion comprises an outer eccentric portion and an inner eccentric portion, wherein the outer eccentric portion extends higher than the inner eccentric portion, and wherein the plurality of first oil separating holes extend through the inner eccentric portion.

4. The compressor of claim 1, wherein the eccentric mass comprises a cylindrical body portion, a cylindrical guide portion surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the body portion, and an eccentric portion having an arcuate shape provided on a top surface of the body portion, at an inner side of the guide portion, wherein the plurality of first oil separating holes are provided in the eccentric portion.

5. The compressor of claim 1 wherein the eccentric mass comprises a cylindrical body portion, a cylindrical guide portion surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the body portion, and an eccentric portion having arcuate shape provided on a top surface of the body portion at an inner surface of the guide portion, wherein the plurality of first oil separating holes are arranged in a circumferential direction of the eccentric mass inside the guide portion.

6. The compressor of claim 5, wherein the eccentric portion only partially extends along a top peripheral surface of the body portion.

7. The compressor of claim 6, wherein the plurality of first oil separating holes comprises a plurality of first holes that extend through the eccentric portion and a corresponding portion of the body portion, and a plurality of second holes that extend through only the body portion.

8. The compressor of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of second oil separating holes that penetrate the rotor in a shaft direction.

9. The compressor of claim 8, wherein the plurality of second oil separating holes have a larger cross section than the plurality of first oil separating holes.

10. The compressor of claim 8, wherein the plurality of second oil separating holes formed in the rotor are positioned so as to be in communication with the plurality of first oil separating holes formed in the eccentric mass.

11. The compressor of claim 10, wherein the plurality of first oil separating holes formed in the eccentric mass and the plurality of second oil separating holes formed in the rotor are aligned with each other in a shaft direction.

12. The compressor of claim 1, further comprising a gas discharge pipe connected to the compression chamber formed in the compression unit, opposite a side of the compression unit that includes a refrigerant discharge pipe.

13. The compressor of claim 12, wherein the compression unit is configured to divide the casing an upper space and a lower space, and wherein the compression unit is configured to discharge the refrigerant gas to the upper space of the casing from the compression chamber, and to direct the discharged refrigerant gas to the lower space.

14. The compressor of claim 12, wherein the gas discharge pipe is provided between the motor and the compression unit.

15. The compressor of claim 14, wherein the motor is provided in the lower space, and wherein a channel is formed between an outer circumferential surface of the motor and an inner circumferential surface of the casing.

16. The compressor of claim 1, wherein the compression unit comprises a fixed scroll coupled to the casing, and an orbiting scroll movably coupled to the fixed scroll, with a compression space formed therebetween.

17. An oil separating device for compressor, comprising:

a casing;

a motor comprising a rotor and a stator provided in the casing and configured to generate a rotation force;

a shaft coupled to the motor;

a compression unit having a compression chamber, wherein the compression unit is coupled to the shaft such that the shaft transmits the rotation force generated by the motor to the compression unit; and

an eccentric mass coupled to the shaft, wherein the eccentric mass comprises;

an eccentric portion having an arcuate shape, the eccentric portion comprising an outer eccentric portion and an inner eccentric portion, wherein the outer eccentric portion extends higher than the inner eccentric portion; and

a plurality of first oil separating holes that extend in a shaft direction through the inner eccentric portion.

18. The compressor of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of second oil separating holes that penetrate the rotor in a shaft direction.

19. The compressor of claim 18, wherein the plurality of second oil separating holes have a larger cross section than the plurality of first oil separating holes.

20. The compressor of claim 18, wherein the plurality of second oil separating holes formed in the rotor are positioned so as to be in communication with the plurality of first oil separating holes formed in the eccentric mass.

21. The compressor of claim 20, wherein the plurality of first oil separating holes formed in the eccentric mass and the plurality of second oil separating holes formed in the rotor are aligned with each other in a shaft direction.

22. The compressor of claim 17, further comprising a gas discharge pipe connected to the compression chamber formed in the compression unit, opposite a side of the compression unit that includes a refrigerant discharge pipe.

23. The compressor of claim 22, wherein the compression unit is configured to divide the casing an upper space and a lower space, and wherein the compression unit is configured to discharge the refrigerant gas to the upper space of the casing from the compression chamber, and to direct the discharged refrigerant gas to the lower space.

24. The compressor of claim 22, wherein the gas discharge pipe is provided between the motor and the compression unit.

25. The compressor of claim 24, wherein the motor is provided in the lower space, and wherein a channel is formed between an outer circumferential surface of the motor and an inner circumferential surface of the casing.

26. The compressor of claim 17, wherein the compression unit comprises a fixed scroll coupled to the casing, and an orbiting scroll movably coupled to the fixed scroll, with a compression space formed therebetween.