Investigation on cooling efficiency of a 3D-printed integrated inter cooler applicable to a miniature multi-stage compressor

摘要

Inter cooler plays an extremely importance role in improving the volumetric efficiency and isentropic efficiency of multi-stage compressor. For a miniature multi-stage compressor with compact and lightweight structure, conventional inter coolers such as winding copper or stainless steel tubes are incompetent due to their relatively large dimension. A 3D-printed integrated inter cooler with complex channels and compact size is proposed. Selective laser melting process technology is applied due to its high molding precision. A numerical investigation on the cooling efficiency of the inter cooler is carried out. A comprehensive comparison of the overall cooling efficiency is conducted and optimal parameters are obtained for cooling down the inter-stage gas as much as possible. It turns out that sufficient cooling can be obtained when the coolant flow through the inter cooler with a flow rate above 0.2 L/min. Temperature of coolant influences the outlet gas temperature of all stages most significantly. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.