Rotor clearance design and evaluation for an oil injected twin screw compressor

Designing twin screw compressors to safely operate at higher than normal temperatures poses a challenge as the compressor must accommodate larger peak thermal distortions while ideally maintaining efficiency at nominal operating conditions. This paper will present a case study of an oil injected compressor tested at elevated discharge temperatures with original and revised clearances. The local thermal distortions occurring within the compressor during operation were estimated using a procedure developed by the authors - thermodynamic results from a chamber model were used to approximate component temperature distributions that are then used to predict possible thermal distortions and the resulting affect on clearance gaps. The original and revised clearance designs are evaluated and performance penalties incurred due to the modifications are discussed.