Scroll compressor with reduced height orbiting scroll wrap

A scroll compressor comprising:

• a non-orbiting scroll having a helical scroll wrap extending from a base in a first axial direction;
• an orbiting scroll having a helical wrap extending from a base in a direction opposed to said first direction, said scroll wraps on said orbiting and non-orbiting scrolls interfitting to define a plurality of pressure pockets, and a back pressure chamber defined behind said orbiting scroll base, a fluid line supplying a refrigerant to said back pressure chamber from one of said pressure pockets;
• and
• said scroll wrap on said fixed scroll extending from said fixed scroll base by a first distance, said scroll wrap on said orbiting scroll base extending from said orbiting scroll base by a second distance, said second distance being designed to be shorter than said first distance.

A method of forming a scroll compressor comprising the steps of:

• designing a non-orbiting scroll having a helical scroll wrap extending from a base in a first direction, and for a first distance;
• designing an orbiting scroll having a helical scroll wrap extending from a base for a second distance;
• designing a back pressure chamber behind said base of one of said orbiting and non-orbiting scroll wraps, and designing a communication line for supplying fluid from chambers defined between said wraps of said orbiting and scroll wraps to said back pressure chamber;
• and
• forming the distance associated with said one of said orbiting and non-orbiting scroll wraps to be shorter than the distance of the other of said orbiting and non-orbiting scroll wraps.