# US 11,306,717 B2 · Co-rotational scroll machine

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- Number: US 11,306,717 B2
- Document ID: US11306717B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/961,748
- Filed: 2018-01-17
- Published: 2021-03-04
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2017-01-17
- Applicants: Ecole Polytechnique FéDéRale De Lausanne
- Inventors: Luis Mendoza; Jürg Schiffmann
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306717B2

## CPC

- F04C 18/023: {where both members are moving}
- F04C 29/0057: {for eccentric movement}
- F04C 23/008: {Hermetic pumps}
- F04C 29/0007: {Injection of a fluid in the working chamber for sealing, cooling and lubricating (sealing only F04C27/00; lubrication only F04C29/02; cooling F02B47/02, F02D21/00, F02M25/00)}
- F04C: ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS (engines F03C); ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS

## Abstract

A co-rotating scroll machine operable as compressor or expander, comprises a transmission and guidance mechanism for first and second scroll plates, having three transmission and guidance units uniformly distributed around the scroll plates towards the periphery thereof. Each transmission and guidance unit comprises a male element mounted on one of the scroll plates and a facing female element mounted on the facing scroll plate. Each transmission and guidance unit comprises an internal ring mounted for angular displacement in the opening of the female element, the internal ring having therein a slot wherein the male element of the transmission and guidance unit slides. The male of the three transmission and guidance units are supported and guided by respective support elements on a common external guide ring. A liquid injection system comprises a liquid channel which is connected with bleed holes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A co-rotating scroll machine operable as compressor or expander, comprising:
a housing (6);
bearings (5) supported in opposite parts of the housing that are laterally offset from one another,
first and second parallel spindles (3,4) rotationally supported by the bearings, the first and second spindles extending inwardly of the housing to respective inner ends that are axially spaced-apart from one another and are located adjacent to but laterally offset to one another;
facing superimposed first and second scroll plates (7,8) mounted transversally on the respective inner ends of the first and second spindles at locations in the vicinity of but spaced from respective centers of the scroll plates; and
a transmission and guidance mechanism (9,10,11) for the first and second scroll plates;
wherein the transmission and guidance mechanism comprises three transmission and guidance units (9,10) uniformly distributed around the scroll plates towards the periphery thereof,
each transmission and guidance unit comprising a male element (9) mounted on one of the scroll plates and a facing female element (10) mounted on the facing scroll plate, wherein the radial distances from the center of each scroll plate (7,8) to a center of each transmission and guidance unit (9,10) are equidistant;
the male element (9) of each transmission and guidance unit (9,10) being received in an opening of the corresponding female element (10) with a play, allowing relative rotational movement of the two scroll plates (7,8) at eccentricity values from 0 to a maximum eccentricity σmax,
wherein each transmission and guidance unit (9,10) comprises an angularly-displaceable internal ring (17) mounted for angular displacement in the opening of the female element (10), the angularly-displaceable internal ring comprising therein an opening (18) being a slot, and wherein the male element (9) of the transmissions (18) of the angularly-displaceable internal ring (17),
characterized in that the three male elements (9) of the three transmission and guidance units (9,10) are supported and guided by three respective support elements (13) that are located spaced apart on a common rotatable guide ring (11) that is mounted externally of the scroll plates (7,8) for rotation with the scroll plates about an axis which is parallel to the first and second spindles (3,4) and which is radially offset at the maximum scroll eccentricity, whereby each male element (9) of the three transmission and guidance units (9,10) is supported and guided by its support element (13) on the guide ring (11) during limited movement of the male element (9) in the opening (18) of the angularly-displaceable internal ring (17).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three support elements (13) are located at the outer ends of three equal arms (11A) extending radially outwardly from the rotatable guide ring (11) and disposed in correspondence with the three transmission and guidance units (9,10).

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the three support elements (13) are terminal parts of elongate members (11B) that project from the outer ends of the three arms (11A) and are disposed parallel to the axis of rotation.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the male element (9) of each transmission and guidance unit (9,10) comprises a roller (14) mounted on the end of an elongate member (11B).

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 1 having three transmission and guidance units (9,10) uniformly distributed at 120° to one another around the scroll plates (7,8) and the guide ring (11) towards the periphery of the scroll plates.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission and guidance units (9,10) are located partly in corresponding projections that project from the periphery of generally circular scroll plates (7,8).

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the female element (10) of each transmission and guidance unit comprises a cylindrical housing (15) attached to one scroll plate (8), in which cylindrical housing (15) said angularly-displaceable internal ring (17) is mounted for angular displacement over an inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical housing (15).

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein said angularly-displaceable internal ring (17) is mounted in the cylindrical housing (15) by a rotary bearing (16).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said angularly-displaceable internal ring (17) is made foraminate to make it lightweight.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein said angularly-displaceable internal ring (17) comprises a radial-inwardly directed slot (18) extending inside the internal ring from the outer periphery of the internal ring and extending over part or substantially the entire width of the internal ring, said radial-inwardly directed slot (18) being enclosed by a boundary wall integral with the internal ring, the internal ring (17) further comprising a foraminate reinforcing structure occupying the space between the inner periphery of the internal ring and said boundary wall of the radial-inwardly directed slot (18).

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said openings in the internal angularly-displaceable rings (17) of the three transmission and guidance units are slots (18) and the center-to-center spacing of the scroll plates (7,8) is coordinated with the displacement of the male elements (9) in the slots (18) of the internal rings (17) in the female elements (10) to maintain said internal rings such that their slots (18) all remain parallel to one another during rotation of the scroll plates by the action of the guide ring (11).

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three male elements (9) of the three transmission and guidance units comprise rotatably mounted rollers forming rotatable cam followers (14) engaging in the openings (18) of the internal rings (11) in the female elements (10).

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The co-rotating scroll machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein one scroll plate (7) is built without discharge port and with an internal channel (20) connected on one side to a shaft in spindle (3) and the other side to several bleed holes (21) leading to compression/expansion chambers defined between the scroll plates (7,8), this arrangement enabling a controlled injection of a stream of pressurized liquid inside the chambers during compression and expansion operations to perform 2-phase, almost-isothermal compression/expansion processes.