This disclosure describes new horizontal roller-piston/vane type rotary compressors with novel features such as new lubricating oil circuit designs to provide reliable oil lubrication, and increase tiltability during operation. Also new multi-pump configurations of horizontal compressors are introduced in order to significantly increase redundancy, reliability, and turn down ratio. Rotary compressors may be configured with subsets of the disclosed features to configure those compressors for specific applications.

A compressor includes a driving motor, a centrifugation space, a discharge pipe, a rotary shaft, a compression portion, a pump assembly, and an oil pickup. The centrifugation space is defined inside a case by a downstream side of the driving motor and the case, and enables centrifugation of a compressed refrigerant and a lubricant oil. The discharge pipe can discharge the refrigerant from the centrifugation space outside the case. The rotary shaft is coupled to a rotor of the driving motor and defines an oil supply path. The compression portion is provided at an upstream side of the driving motor and can compress the refrigerant as the rotary shaft rotates. The pump assembly is provided below the rotary shaft and can pump oil as rotated with the rotary shaft. The oil pickup defines an oil supply path between the pump assembly and a low oil space formed inside the case.

A compressor includes first and second scroll members and a bearing housing. The first scroll member includes a first end plate and a first scroll wrap. The second scroll member includes a second end plate that has a first surface, a second surface, and an oil passage. The first surface has a second scroll wrap meshingly engaging the first scroll wrap. The second surface includes an oil slot. The oil passage is in fluid communication with the oil slot. The bearing housing cooperates with the second scroll member to define an interior volume. The second scroll member is movable between a first position in which lubricant in the interior volume is allowed to flow into the oil passage via the oil slot, and a second position in which working fluid in the chamber is allowed to flow into the oil passage via the oil slot.

The scroll compressor includes a compression unit; a drive shaft which is vertically orientated; a lower bearing arrangement (28) configured to rotatably support the drive shaft; and an oil pump (29) arranged at a lower end of the drive shaft and configured to deliver oil to the compression unit and to the lower bearing arrangement (28). The lower bearing arrangement (28) comprises a radial bearing housing (34) including an inner radial bearing surface (37) surrounding the lower end portion of the drive shaft; upper and lower axial thrust bearings (43, 44) configured to limit an axial movement of the drive shaft; and a pressurized oil chamber (51) fluidly connected to the oil pump (29), the pressurized oil chamber (51) being at least partially delimited by the outer surface of the lower end portion of the drive shaft, the inner radial bearing surface (37) and the upper and lower axial thrust bearings (43, 44).

The scroll compressor (1) includes a compression unit (6); a drive shaft (16) which is vertically orientated; upper and lower bearing arrangements (27, 28) configured to rotatably support the drive shaft (16); a centrifugal oil pump (29) including a pick-up tube (32) attached to a lower end portion (23) of the drive shaft (16) and provided with a oil inlet immersed in an oil sump (31), the centrifugal oil pump (29) being configured to deliver oil to the compression unit (6) and to the upper and lower bearing arrangements (27, 28); and a static fairing member (35) secured to a non-rotating part of the scroll compressor (1) and including a static tubular part (36) which is immersed in the oil sump (31) and which surrounds the pick-up tube (32) with a predetermined distance such that a gap is formed between the inner surface of the static tubular part (36) and the outer surface of the pick-up tube (32).

A compressor includes a casing that stores lubricant at a bottom, a compression mechanism disposed in the casing to suck and compress a refrigerant, and an oil return member forming an oil return flow path that extends in a top-to-bottom direction to guide the lubricant discharged from the compression mechanism downward. The oil return flow path includes a uniform-cross-section flow path, and a varying-cross-section flow path continuous with a lower end of the uniform-cross-section flow path. A lower end of the varying-cross-section flow path forms an outlet of the oil return flow path and lies along an inner surface of the casing. A the lower end of the varying-cross-section flow path has a greater width than an upper end of the varying-cross-section flow path, and the lower end of the varying-cross-section flow path has a smaller thickness than the upper end of the varying-cross-section flow path.

A scroll compressor includes a first oil supply passage communicating with a first compression chamber formed between an inner circumferential surface of a fixed wrap and an outer circumferential surface of an orbiting wrap, and a second oil supply passage separated from the first oil supply passage and communicating with a second compression chamber formed between an outer circumferential surface of the fixed wrap and an inner circumferential surface of the orbiting wrap, wherein the first oil supply passage includes an oil supply guide portion provided in a thrust surface of the fixed scroll in contact with the orbiting scroll to define a part of the first oil supply passage, whereby communication between the first and second compression chambers can be prevented, thereby suppressing leakage between the compression chambers, stabilizing behavior of the orbiting scroll, and facilitating formation of the orbiting scroll.

A pump stage assembly for supplying lubricating oil, comprising: at least two pump suction stages and at least one pump pressure stage. The pump suction stages and the pump pressure stage are spaced apart from one another in a pump housing PG and have a common drive shaft. The pump suction stages are formed by a first assembly of at least three intermeshing external gearwheels and wherein the pump pressure stage is formed by a second assembly of two intermeshing external gearwheels. Here at least two respective tooth center points of the first external gearwheel assembly and the respective tooth center points of the second external gearwheel assembly are arranged in a common plane E-E which intersects the pump housing PG in a longitudinal direction.

An oil circuit for lubrication and cooling of an oil-free compressor with an oil reservoir and a rotary oil pump to drive oil to the compressor element and/or the motor via an oil pipe. The rotary oil pump has a rotor mounted on a rotation shaft, and is driven by the motor of the compressor. The oil circuit is provided with a bypass pipe and a pressure-actuated bypass valve which guide a portion of the oil back to the oil reservoir without this portion of the oil passing through the compressor element and/or the motor during its way back to the oil reservoir. The oil circuit is further provided with an oil cooler in the bypass pipe. The bypass valve is in the oil pipe.

This disclosure describes new horizontal roller-piston/vane type rotary compressors with novel features such as new lubricating oil circuit designs to provide reliable oil lubrication, and increase tiltability during operation. Also new multi-pump configurations of horizontal compressors are introduced in order to significantly increase redundancy, reliability, and turn down ratio. Rotary compressors may be configured with subsets of the disclosed features to configure those compressors for specific applications.