Experimental and numerical analysis of an oil-flooded air screw expander

This article describes the results of a project whose task is to research and develop a screw expander through the inversion of a screw compressor. The article summarizes aspects of the construction of an experimental device that works with an oil-flooded air screw expander. The expander was subjected to experimental and numerical analysis, the results of which are presented in the article. Numerical analysis to examine the expansion process is performed both on the basis of the analytical geometric description of the working chamber of the expander and on the basis of the geometry obtained from a 3D scan of a real machine. The results of experimental and numerical analysis will be used to integrate an oil-flooded screw expander into an energy unit for the use of low-potential heat, for example in ORC systems.