Rotor for a compressor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11047387-B2
Application number	US-201816143275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2018
Priority date	Sep 27, 2017
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A system includes a compressor configured to compress a vapor, or a vapor and liquid mixture, and a first rotor of the compressor disposed on a first shaft, where the first rotor includes a first plurality of pockets in a first body portion to form a first semi-hollow internal volume or a plurality of flanks and/or a first plurality of flutes on a first external surface of the first rotor, where the plurality of flanks or the first plurality of flutes comprises a first pitch to form first variable leads.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a compressor configured to compress a vapor, or a vapor and liquid mixture; and
a first rotor of the compressor disposed on a first shaft, wherein the first rotor comprises a first plurality of closed pockets in a first body portion to form a first semi-hollow internal volume of the first rotor, wherein a first cross-sectional area of a first closed pocket of the first plurality of closed pockets is greater than a second cross-sectional area of a second closed pocket of the first plurality of closed pockets, and the second closed pocket is disposed radially outward from the first closed pocket relative to a central axis of the first rotor.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of closed pockets forms a honeycomb, webbed, or gyroid structure, and wherein the first plurality of closed pockets comprises gaps, voids, or spaces that do not include includes solid material.

3. The system of claim 1 , comprising a second rotor of the compressor disposed on a second shaft, wherein the second rotor comprises a second plurality of pockets in a second body portion to form a second semi-hollow internal volume of the second rotor, wherein the first rotor and the second rotor are configured to mesh with one another to compress the vapor, or the vapor and liquid mixture, in the compressor as the first shaft rotates in a first circumferential direction and the second shaft rotates in a second circumferential direction, opposite the first circumferential direction.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first plurality of closed pockets, or the second plurality of pockets, or both, forms a honeycomb, webbed, or gyroid structure, wherein the first plurality of closed pockets and the second plurality of pockets comprise gaps, voids, or spaces that do not include solid material.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first rotor comprises a first resonance frequency that is greater than a first operating frequency of the first rotor, and wherein the second rotor comprises a second resonance frequency that is greater than a second operating frequency of the second rotor.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of closed pockets is formed in the first rotor to achieve a resonance frequency of the first rotor that is greater than an operating frequency of the first rotor.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first rotor and the first shaft are a single-piece, unitary structure.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first shaft is a first hollow shaft.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first rotor comprises a plurality of flanks and a plurality of flutes on an outer surface of the first rotor, and wherein a distance between adjacent flanks of the plurality of flanks and adjacent flutes of the plurality of flutes decreases along the central axis of the first rotor from a first end of the first rotor to a second end of the first rotor.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first rotor comprises a first central passageway extending along the central axis of the first rotor.

11. A system, comprising:
a compressor configured to compress a vapor, or a vapor and liquid mixture; and
a first rotor of the compressor disposed on a first shaft, wherein the first rotor comprises a plurality of flanks and a plurality of flutes on a first external surface of the first rotor, wherein the plurality of flanks and the plurality of flutes comprise a first pitch to form first variable leads, wherein the first rotor comprises a first plurality of closed pockets in a first body portion to form a first semi-hollow internal volume of the first rotor, and wherein a first cross-sectional area of a first closed pocket of the first plurality of closed pockets is greater than a second cross-sectional area of a second closed pocket of the first plurality of closed pockets, and wherein the second closed pocket is disposed radially outward from the first closed pocket relative to a central axis of the first rotor.

12. The system of claim 11 , comprising a second rotor of the compressor disposed on a second shaft, wherein the second rotor comprises a plurality of lobes on a second external surface of the second rotor, wherein the plurality of lobes comprises a second pitch to form second variable leads, and wherein the plurality of flanks and the plurality of flutes of the first rotor are configured to mesh with corresponding grooves of the second rotor at the first pitch and the plurality of lobes of the second rotor are configured to mesh with corresponding flutes of the plurality of flutes of the first rotor at the second pitch to compress the vapor, or the vapor and liquid mixture, in the compressor as the first shaft rotates in a first circumferential direction and the second shaft rotates in a second circumferential direction, opposite the first circumferential direction.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first pitch is configured to increase along the central axis of the first rotor from a first end of the first rotor to a second end of the first rotor, and wherein the second pitch is configured to increase along an additional central axis of the second rotor from a third end of the second rotor to a fourth end of the second rotor.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first rotor and the first shaft are a single-piece, unitary structure.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the second rotor and the second shaft are a single-piece, unitary structure.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first rotor comprises a first end and a second end, and wherein the first pitch of the plurality of flanks and the plurality of flutes at the first end is different from a second pitch of the plurality of flanks and the plurality of flutes at the second end.

17. A method of manufacturing compressor rotors, comprising:
forming a first rotor using additive manufacturing, wherein the first rotor comprises a first plurality of closed pockets within a first body portion, or first variable leads, or both, wherein a first cross-sectional area of a first closed pocket of the first plurality of closed pockets is greater than a second cross-sectional area of a second closed pocket of the first plurality of closed pockets, and the second closed pocket is disposed radially outward from the first closed pocket relative to a central axis of the first rotor; and
forming a second rotor using the additive manufacturing, wherein the second rotor comprises a second plurality of pockets within a second body portion, or second variable leads, or both.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the additive manufacturing comprises three-dimensional printing, direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), laser-ultrasonic finishing, ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification, selective laser sintering (SLS), selective laser melting (SLM), electronic beam melting (EBM), or a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first rotor comprises a plurality of flanks on a first external surface of the first rotor, and wherein the plurality of flanks comprises a first pitch to form first variable leads.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the second rotor comprises a plurality of lobes on a second external surface of the second rotor, wherein the plurality of lobes comprises a second pitch to form second variable leads, and wherein the plurality of flanks of the first rotor are configured to mesh with corresponding grooves of the second rotor at the first pitch and the plurality of lobes of the second rotor are configure

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

• Wu Tianshi
• Xu Jian
• Neel John Lloyd

Classifications

• F04C29/04

  Heating; Cooling (of machines or engines in general F01P); Heat insulation (heat insulation in general F16L59/00) · CPC title

• F04C18/16 Primary

  with helical teeth, e.g. chevron-shaped, screw type {(for non-parallel axes of movement F04C18/48)} · CPC title

• F04C2230/90

  Improving properties of machine parts · CPC title

• F04C2230/22

  by sintering · CPC title

• F04C18/084

  Toothed wheels · CPC title