Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems Ltd. proposed a three-dimensional scroll (hereinafter referred to as 3D scroll as a proprietary compression mechanism in 2004, and has been producing and selling air conditioning and refrigeration equipment featuring a 3D scroll compressor since 2007. The 3D scroll changes the height of the compression chamber during compression by providing steps at the wrap tip and bottom of the scroll to enable compression in the axial direction. For this reason, a compact and large-capacity compression mechanism can be configured in contrast to general two-dimensional (hereinafter referred to as 2D) scrolls. However, the leakage loss from the minute clearance in the step part, which is unique to a 3D scroll, was an issue for further improvement in efficiency. This time, as a solution to this issue, we have developed an evolutionary 3D scroll "e-3D scroll" compressor, which achieves a reduction in the leakage loss and improvement in efficiency, while maintaining the 3D scroll's advantages of small size and large capacity, for heat pump module chillers and VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) systems.
