Vibroacoustic Analysis and Optimisation of an Electric Refrigerant Scroll Compressor

2026-01-0722

6/20/2026

Authors
Abstract
Content
In electrified vehicles, auxiliary components can represent a dominant source of noise, one of which is the refrigerant scroll compressor. Compared with vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines, electrified vehicles require larger refrigerant compressors, as thermal management is needed not only for the passenger compartment but also for the battery and electric drive components. Excitation mechanisms within the compressor, arising from the cyclic compression process and the eccentric motion of the scroll, induce housing vibrations and result in airborne sound radiation. To investigate the vibroacoustic noise generation mechanisms of a scroll compressor, operational vibrations were analysed using accelerometers and three-dimensional laser scanning vibrometry. In addition, the radiated sound was characterised using microphones and near-field sound intensity measurements. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between surface vibrations and airborne sound radiation, with the vibroacoustic behaviour being dominated by speed-dependent tonal components. Pronounced vibration and sound radiation levels occur when excitation orders coincide with rigid-body modes of the mounting system or structural eigenmodes of the compressor housing. Based on these findings, a constrained-layer damping treatment was applied to selected, highly sound-radiating regions of the compressor housing. Although the overall reduction in sound power was limited due to the high stiffness and predominantly rigid-body behaviour of the housing, local vibration and sound radiation reductions were achieved for structurally flexible components, resulting in a perceptible improvement in subjective sound quality. These results highlight the importance of spatially resolved vibroacoustic analysis for understanding noise generation mechanisms and for guiding targeted optimisation measures for refrigerant compressors.
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/2026-01-0722
Citation
Saur, L., Beer, G., Fritzsche, M., and Becker, S., "Vibroacoustic Analysis and Optimisation of an Electric Refrigerant Scroll Compressor," 14th International Styrian Noise, Vibration & Harshness Congress: The European Automotive Noise Conference, Graz, Austria, June 17, 2026, https://doi.org/10.4271/2026-01-0722.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Jun 20
Product Code
2026-01-0722
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English