What are the characteristics of a scroll air compressor?
Scroll air compressors have become a key technological solution in the electrification trend of new energy vehicle applications due to their oil-free, high-efficiency, quiet, and compact characteristics.
Their core features are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
1. Extremely quiet and low vibration: New energy vehicles (especially pure electric vehicles) lack engine noise masking and are extremely sensitive to auxiliary component noise. Scroll compressors achieve continuous compression through the revolution of moving and stationary scrolls, rather than the reciprocating motion of pistons, resulting in extremely smooth operation. For example, ZF's new electric scroll compressor can control the noise at the rated point to approximately 67 decibels, equivalent to the ambient sound of an office, significantly improving driving comfort.
2. Oil-free design throughout its entire lifespan: Traditional compressors require lubricating oil for compression, posing a risk of leakage and increasing maintenance costs. Scroll technology utilizes precision-machined non-contact meshing profiles to achieve gas sealing, eliminating the need for lubricating oil within the compression chamber. This eliminates emulsification or leakage contamination, ensuring a clean air supply for critical systems such as braking and air suspension, while also reducing maintenance frequency and overall operating costs.
3. High Efficiency and Lightweight: This model eliminates easily damaged parts such as intake valves, reducing flow losses and achieving a volumetric efficiency of over 98%. In terms of energy consumption and weight, which are crucial for new energy commercial vehicles, the scroll compressor's compact structure and fewer parts (typically only two scrolls) contribute to vehicle lightweighting and improved range, with ZF's related products weighing less than 35kg.
4. Wide Operating Condition Adaptability: By integrating a variable frequency motor and liquid cooling technology, the scroll compressor supports variable speed operation, automatically stopping to save energy during compression cycle intervals, and can stably provide a system pressure of up to 12.5 bar, perfectly adapting to the complex requirements of various operating conditions such as vehicle braking and suspension.
