Design Study of a Rotary Reciprocating Thermal Compressor.

摘要

This report presents the results of a design study program on a rotary reciprocating compressor which uses heat as the source of driving energy. The objective of the study program was to determine the feasibility of using a thermal compressor in a spaceborne, cryogenic refrigeration system. The report explains the principles of operation of a thermal compressor, and presents the equations which describe its behavior. It also describes a computer program constructed to manipulate these equations. A comparison is made between two types of spaceborne, closed-cycle, cryogenic refrigeration systems--one incorporating a thermal compressor and the other incorporating an electrically driven compressor. It is concluded that a thermal compressor is a viable alternative to an electrically driven compressor in refrigeration systems where heat is preferred over electricity as the energy source. For the specific case studied, the refrigeration system incorporating a thermal compressor required 92 watts of electrical power and 1,064 watts of heat at 1,250F; while the system incorporating an electric compressor required 587 watts of electrical power. The weights and sizes of the two refrigeration systems were comparable. No serious technical problems are foreseen in building a thermal compressor.