Centrifugal acceleration stabilizer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12480530-B2
Application number	US-202418973370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2024
Priority date	May 6, 2022
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

A dynamic compressor includes an impeller having impeller vanes disposed around a hub, a shroud, and a diffuser having a shroud surface adjacent to the shroud and a hub surface adjacent to the hub, wherein the diffuser is circumferentially disposed around the impeller. The diffuser includes a plurality of diffuser vanes extending from the hub surface to the shroud surface, each having a vane leading edge and a vane trailing edge. The diffuser includes a centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring formed in the shroud surface located in a vaneless region defined between an impeller trailing edge and the vane leading edge. The centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring stabilizes the flow of the fluid by changing the circumferentially-flowing high velocity fluid flow exiting the impeller into a radially-flowing high velocity fluid flow before entering the diffuser, improving the efficiency of the dynamic compressor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A centrifugal compressor comprising:
an impeller having a hub, the impeller configured to rotate about an axis of rotation to receive a fluid flow at least substantially aligned with the axis of rotation; a shroud configured to surround the impeller and direct a high velocity fluid flow dispensed by the impeller; and a diffuser having a shroud surface adjacent to the shroud and a hub surface adjacent to the hub, the diffuser defining a diffuser passage; wherein the diffuser includes a centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring defined by a curved protrusion, the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring disposed in the shroud surface and configured to increase the radial velocity of a lower momentum region of a flow field flowing in the diffuser, where the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring has a height within a range between three percent (3%) and twenty percent (20%) of a distance between the shroud surface and the hub surface.

2 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser comprises a plurality of diffuser vanes extending from the hub surface to the shroud surface, respective ones of the plurality of diffuser vanes having a vane leading edge and a vane trailing edge, and where the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring is located in a vaneless region between an impeller trailing edge and the vane leading edge.

3 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 2 , wherein the vaneless region has a radial length within a range between ten percent (10%) and twenty-five percent (25%) of an impeller radius.

4 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 2 , wherein the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring extends along the entirety of the vaneless region.

5 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional profile of the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring is defined by a semi-circular protrusion.

6 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional profile of the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring is defined by a curved protrusion having a substantially flat top surface.

7 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 1 , wherein the impeller is one of a semi-open impeller or a closed impeller.

8 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser is a parallel-wall diffuser.

9 . A centrifugal compressor comprising:
an impeller having a hub, the impeller configured to rotate about an axis of rotation; a shroud configured to surround the impeller and direct a high velocity fluid flow dispensed by the impeller; and a parallel-walled diffuser having a shroud surface adjacent to the shroud and a hub surface adjacent to the hub, the parallel-walled diffuser circumferentially disposed around the impeller and configured to receive the high velocity fluid flow from the impeller and convert the high velocity fluid flow into a high pressure fluid flow, the parallel-walled diffuser defining a diffuser passage; wherein the parallel-walled diffuser includes a centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring defined by a curved protrusion, the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring formed in the shroud surface and configured to increase the radial velocity of a lower momentum region of a flow field flowing in the diffuser, where the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring has a height within a range between three percent (3%) and twenty percent (20%) of a distance between the shroud surface and the hub surface.

10 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 9 , wherein the parallel-walled diffuser comprises a plurality of diffuser vanes extending from the hub surface to the shroud surface, respective ones of the plurality of diffuser vanes having a vane leading edge and a vane trailing edge, and where the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring is located in a vaneless region between an impeller trailing edge and the vane leading edge.

11 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 10 , wherein the vaneless region has a radial length within a range between ten percent (10%) and twenty-five percent (25%) of an impeller radius.

12 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 10 , wherein the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring extends over a partial radial length of the vaneless region.

13 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 10 wherein the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring extends along the entirety of the vaneless region.

14 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 9 , wherein the impeller is one of a semi-open impeller or a closed impeller.

15 . A compressor comprising:
a shroud configured to direct a high velocity fluid flow; and a diffuser having a shroud surface adjacent to the shroud and a hub surface adjacent to a hub, the diffuser defining a diffuser passage; wherein the diffuser includes a centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring disposed in the shroud surface and configured to increase the radial velocity of a lower momentum region of a flow field flowing in the diffuser, where the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring has a height within a range between three percent (3%) and twenty percent (20%) of a distance between the shroud surface and the hub surface.

16 . The compressor of claim 15 , wherein the diffuser comprises a plurality of diffuser vanes extending from the hub surface to the shroud surface, respective ones of the plurality of diffuser vanes having a vane leading edge and a vane trailing edge, and where the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring is located in a vaneless region between an impeller trailing edge and the vane leading edge.

17 . The compressor of claim 16 , wherein the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring extends over a partial radial length of the vaneless region.

18 . The compressor of claim 15 , wherein the vaneless region has a radial length within a range between ten percent (10%) and twenty-five percent (25%) of an impeller radius.

19 . The compressor of claim 15 , wherein a cross-sectional profile of the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring is defined by a curved protrusion.

20 . The centrifugal compressor of claim 15 , wherein the cross-sectional profile of the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring is defined by a semi-circular protrusion.

Assignees

• Ingersoll Rand Industrial Us Inc

Inventors

• Swiatek Chester V
• Grigoriev Mikhail
• Brown Paul C
• Impastato Charles

Classifications

• F04D29/464

  adjusting flow cross-section, otherwise than by using adjustable stator blades · CPC title

• F04D29/444 Primary

  Bladed diffusers · CPC title

• F04D29/441

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F04D17/10

  for compressing or evacuating · CPC title

• F05D2250/52

  Outlet · CPC title