Experimental study of whistle noise generated by insert edge and oil separator model of refrigeration cycle

Abstract

The compressed air experiments are conducted to investigate the whistle noise radiated from the oil separator component of refrigerant cycle system. Two types of insert edge and a height-adjustable oil separator model are adopted. The acoustic characteristic of flow through plain top insert edge is more likely to be broadband. Flow through ramp top insert edge would induce whistle peaks at Mach number higher than 0.1197 and the oil separator model works like an acoustic amplifier. Moreover, the Strouhal number jumps are captured inside oil separator model and two mechanisms are presented to clarify the phenomena. First, the whistle noise at Modes A1, A3, B1 and B3 is regarded as coupling of shear layer instability with resonance acoustic modes of oil separator model. Second, the whistle noise at Modes A2 and B2 is regarded to be the feedback loop of flow–acoustic interaction in fluctuated shear layer and defined as jet–cavity interaction tones.