Assessment of a rotary compressor performance operating at transcritical carbon dioxide cycles

Abstract

The unique features of the CO 2 transcritical cycle of high mean effective pressure, high pressure differential and low pressure ratio have significant impact on the design of the compressor. This paper assesses the performance of a rolling piston compressor when operating at a transcritical CO 2 cycle. The compressor performance in terms of refrigerant flow rate, leakage mass flow, friction loss, compressor torque and valve performance are discussed and shown. Among others, the results suggested that for a given compressor capacity, it is better to have a compressor with a shorter cylinder operating at a higher compressor speed than vice versa.