Advanced design environment for screw machines

This paper describes a set of advanced tools for the design of screw compressors. These have been combined to operate under common environment, called DISCO (Design Integration for Screw Compressors). The number of input parameters required to define the geometry and operating conditions of a compressor is small and all are introduced in one place. Therefore the design process is easily controlled. The software provides fast calculation and evaluation of the main geometry of screw machines. It also directly accesses data on the most frequently used standard mechanical elements in screw machines and routines for their selection. The program can interface with a number of commercial CAD software packages to produce full 3D parametric models and manufacturing drawings of screw machines. From then on, 3D models are used as a base for the generation of numerical grids used later, either in FEM structural analysis or in CFD analysis of internal fluid flow. An established parametric approach enables any changes in the geometry that may be required, to be made easily after evaluation of the design. The program permits any modifications made to the model to be cross referenced through any part of the software. This saves both computer resources and design time when compared with classical design processes. The development of screw machines within this environment has many benefits, including reduced design time, improved quality and reduced machine costs.