This paper presents a theoretical evaluation for the refrigerant gas leakage flows through the axial and radial clearances between the fixed and orbiting scrolls in scroll compressors, based on an incompressible and viscous flow theory. First, the time-dependent pressure drops in an initially pressurized closed vessel, due to refrigerant leakage flow through the axial or radial clearance, were carefully measured to address the refrigerant leakage effects. Subsequently, the time-dependent pressures were carefully simulated by a simple incompressible and viscous flow theory, thus resulting in a good agreement with the measured results. Additionally, the refrigerant leakage flows were calculated by a compressible and viscous flow theory to simulate the time-dependent pressure drops, but any reasonable result could not be ensured. The present paper concluded that the refrigerant leakage flows in scroll compressors can be well simulated by a simple incompressible and viscous flow theory assuming an entire turbulent leakage flow and a difficult treatment, such as a compressible and viscous flow simulation, is not necessarily useful.
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