An FSI Modelling For Valve Motion of Hermetic Reciprocating Compressor

Authors: M. S. Tabak and M. S. Çelebi (Istanbul Technical University, Computational Science and Engineering Program)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to modeling of valve motion of hermetic reciprocating compressor using computational Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) technique. Experimental measurements of physical values (such as pressure, temperature and speed) of hermetic reciprocating compressor are not easy to obtain due to size, cost and time limitations of measurement techniques. Compressor valves are the most critical part of a compressor that make all the piston cycles work effectively. So, to obtain a relatively good efficiency, a good valve design is necessary. The valves used in hermetic compressors are generally made of thin (around 0.2mm) steel sheet. Two different valves exist in a compressor, one for the suction side and one for the discharge side. Both operate due to pressure differences. An approach of coupling Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computational Structural Dynamics (CSD) codes by using a glue code is useful and practical to predict correct physical quantities. In this study, structural and fluid equations are solved independently. Interface loads and boundary conditions are exchanged after a converged time increment by using commercial MpCCI (Mesh-based parallel Code Coupling Interface) code which provides an application-independent interface for the coupling of different simulation codes. Numerical outputs for the different cases are presented.