Patent ID: 6916162

Claim:
A scroll compressor comprising: a scroll assembly comprising an orbiting scroll wall and a fixed scroll wall each wall having a radially inner wall surface and a radially outer wall surface; a drive for causing a relative orbiting motion between the scroll walls for compressing fluid on two fluid flow paths between an inlet and an exhaust of the scroll assembly; a first fluid flow path being formed between the radially inner wall surface of the orbiting scroll wall and the radially outer wall surface of the fixed scroll wall and a second fluid flow path being formed between the radially inner wall surface of the fixed scroll wall and the radially outer wall surface of the orbiting scroll wall; wherein a first ambient clearance between the radially inner wall surface of the orbiting scroll wall and the radially outer wall surface of the fixed scroll wall decreases as the radial distance from the exhaust increases and a second ambient clearance between the radially inner wall surface of the fixed scroll wall and the radially outer wall surface of the orbiting scroll wall increases as the radial distance from the exhaust increases and the rate of change of the first ambient clearance is different to the rate of change of the second ambient clearance.