System and method of controlling wrapping flow in a fluid working apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9297387-B2
Application number	US-201313859355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2013
Priority date	Apr 9, 2013
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A fluid working apparatus ( 100 ) having an inlet side and an outlet side with the at least one rotor ( 114 ) having a plurality of blades ( 115 ) positioned in the housing. A circumferential inlet area is defined on the inlet side of the rotor ( 114 ) and a circumferential outlet area is defined on the outlet side of the rotor ( 116 ). At least one return assembly ( 140, 142 ) is configured to return fluid flow from the outlet side of the rotor ( 114 ) to a circumferentially offset portion of the circumferential inlet area on the inlet side of the rotor ( 114 ) whereby a working fluid workingly engages a second subset of the rotor blades ( 115 ) before exiting the housing outlet ( 133 ). A method of working a fluid is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A fluid working apparatus, comprising:
a housing structure with a housing inlet and a housing outlet;
a working assembly having an inlet side and an opposite outlet side with at least one rotor having a plurality of blades directly coupled to a hub so as to be positioned between the inlet and outlet sides, the working assembly positioned in the housing such that the rotor is rotatably supported therein;
a circumferential inlet area defined between the housing structure and the inlet side of the working assembly;
a circumferential outlet area defined between the housing structure and the outlet side of the working assembly; and
at least one single return chamber configured to return fluid flow from the outlet side of the working assembly to the inlet side of the working assembly,
whereby all of a working fluid flows through
(a) the housing inlet in a direction towards a first circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area,
(b) the first circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area in a direction towards the outlet side of the working assembly while workingly engaging a first subset of the plurality of rotor blades,
(c) a first circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area,
(d) the single return chamber in a direction towards a second circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area,
(e) the second circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area in a direction towards the outlet side of the working assembly while exclusively workingly engaging a second subset of the plurality of rotor blades which is different than the first subset of the plurality of rotor blades,
(f) a second circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area, and
(g) the housing outlet.

2. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the housing structure includes an inner housing member and an outer housing member, and
the at least one return assembly is defined by boundary vanes extending radially between the inner and outer housing members, with adjacent pairs of boundary vanes defining each circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area and each circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area.

3. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of inlet vanes are positioned in the circumferential inlet area,
a plurality of outlet vanes are positioned in the circumferential outlet area, and
the configurations of the inlet vanes, rotor blades and outlet vanes are designed as a function of the working fluid properties, flow velocity of the working fluid and the rotation speed of the at least one rotor as the working fluid travels from the housing inlet to the housing outlet.

4. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the working assembly further includes at least one stator having a plurality of blades positioned adjacent to the at least one rotor, and
the configuration of the stator blades is designed as a function of the working fluid flow to optimize velocity of the working fluid relative to the rotation speed of the at least one rotor as the working fluid travels from the housing inlet to the housing outlet.

5. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a given circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area, the first or second subset of rotor blades associated therewith and the circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area associated therewith for a given pass of working fluid is defined as a working zone.

6. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area of a given working zone is generally coaxial with the circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area of that working zone.

7. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area of a given working zone is circumferentially offset from the circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area of that working zone.

8. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area of a given working zone is equal to the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area of that working zone.

9. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area of a given working zone is less than the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area of that working zone.

10. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein vanes define each of the circumferential portions of the circumferential inlet area and a sealing member is provided between the vanes of adjacent working zones.

11. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area of a given working zone is greater than the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area of that working zone.

12. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein vanes define each of the circumferential portions of the circumferential outlet area and a sealing member is provided between the vanes of adjacent working zones.

13. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising 1 to N working zones, wherein N is an integer equal to 2 or more, and the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area in each working zone is equal.

14. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising 1 to N working zones, wherein N is an integer equal to 2 or more, and the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area in at least one of the working zones is different than the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area in at least one other of the working zones.

15. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential inlet area progressively increases from the first working zone to the Nth working zone.

16. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
vanes define each of the circumferential portions of the circumferential inlet area,
a sealing member is provided between the vanes of adjacent working zones, and
the circumferential width of the sealing member progressively decreases from the first working zone to the Nth working zone.

17. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising 1 to N working zones, wherein N is an integer equal to 2 or more, and the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area in each working zone is equal.

18. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising 1 to N working zones, wherein N is an integer equal to 2 or more, and the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area in at least one of the working zones is different than the circumferential width of the circumferential portion of the circumferential outlet area in at least one other of the working zones.

19. The fluid working apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the flow velocity changes from one working zone to the next.

20. The f

Assignees

• Harris Corp

Inventors

• Palmer William Robert
• Brace Kenneth E

Classifications

• F04D17/122

  the individual rotor discs being, one for each stage, on a common shaft and axially spaced, e.g. conventional centrifugal multi- stage compressors · CPC title

• F04D27/0207 Primary

  by bleeding, bypassing or recycling fluids (influencing the boundary layer by an uncontrolled bleeding of the working fluid F04D29/681) · CPC title

• F04D25/06

  the pump being electrically driven (F04D25/08 takes precedence) · CPC title