Numerical investigation of the intercooler of a two-stage refrigerant compressor

Abstract

This study performs a numerical study to examine the flow mixing characteristics subject to slot-injection and hole-injection of an intercooler applicable to a two-stage refrigerant compressor. The effect of injected angle and velocity is also investigated. The result indicates that the temperature distribution of a hole-injection is more uniform while the velocity distribution less uniform at a vertically injected arrangement. Larger injection angles generate bigger flow separation zones which results in velocity non-uniformity, whereas smaller injection angles give rise to a less velocity non-uniformity. As the injection velocity rises, both the temperature and velocity non-uniformity of the slot-injection type increase significantly whereas the injection velocity has negligible influence on the relevant uniformity for a hole-injection type. It is also found that the existence of the secondary vortices allows the hole-injection type to have a more uniform temperature and velocity distribution than that of the slot-injection type.