Axial-flow compressor and modification method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9903389-B2
Application number	US-201213367436-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2012
Priority date	Mar 7, 2011
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

An axial-flow compressor with variable stator vanes located at a single stage can be modified by adding variable stator vanes to the axial-flow compressor so that the variable stator vanes are located at a plurality of stages. The axial-flow compressor includes stator vane rows located at the plurality of stages and include the variable stator vanes extending in a radial direction of the axial-flow compressor and rotating around rotary shafts of the variable stator vanes so as to adjust angles of the variable stator vanes; a plurality of rings are connected to the stator vane rows and drive and rotate the variable stator vanes of the stator vane rows that correspond to respective rings; a plurality of levers that correspond to the plurality of rings; a rotary shaft that holds the plurality of levers so as to enable the levers to pivot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An axial-flow compressor formed by modifying an existing axial-flow compressor as a base, comprising:
variable stator vanes used in the existing axial-flow compressor, the variable stator vanes located only at a first stage of a plurality of stages, constituting a stator vane row, and rotating around vane rotary shafts of the variable stator vanes, the vane rotary shafts extending in a radial direction of the existing axial-flow compressor, wherein angles of the variable stator vanes are adjustable;
other variable stator vanes replace at least fixed stator vanes located at a second stage and later stages in the existing axial-flow compressor;
a first ring connected to another stator vane row constituted by the other variable stator vanes, the first ring adapted to drive for rotation the other variable stator vanes of the other stator vane row;
a plurality of levers each operatively associated with the first ring and a second ring located at the first stage;
a lever rotary shaft that holds the plurality of levers so as to allow the levers to pivot, the lever rotary shaft extending in a direction of extension of an axis of the axial-flow compressor and connecting the plurality of levers to each other so that the plurality of levers are fixed to the lever rotary shaft and integrated with each other through the lever rotary shaft;
a plurality of connecting rods that connect the plurality of first and second rings to the levers operatively associated with the first and second rings, respectively; and
an existing cylinder or another cylinder similar to the existing cylinder, incorporated in the existing axial-flow compressor, the existing cylinder or the other cylinder being connected to a lever that is among the plurality of levers and is associated with the stator vane row located at the first stage,
wherein the existing cylinder or the other cylinder is connected to only one of the plurality of levers, which is associated with the stator vane row located at the first stage, and the one of the plurality levers is connected by the lever rotary shaft to a further lever of the plurality of levers connected to the first ring;
lengths of the variable stator vanes of the first stage are largest among the variable stator vanes of the plurality of stages;
the first and second rings and the plurality of connecting rods are connected to each other through spherical bearings, the plurality of connecting rods and the levers are connected to each other through spherical bearings, and the existing cylinder or the other cylinder and the one lever of the plurality of levers located at the first stage are connected to each other through a spherical bearing; and
the plurality of connecting rods and the existing cylinder or the other cylinder are inclined in the axial direction of the axial-flow compressor so that the plurality of connecting rods and the existing cylinder or the other cylinder are arranged along a plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the axial-flow compressor when the axial-flow compressor is migrated to a rated operation.

2. The axial-flow compressor according to claim 1 ,
wherein at the first stage, a distance between a section for connecting the plurality of levers to the plurality of connecting rods and the lever rotary shaft connected to the plurality of levers matches a distance between a section for connecting the plurality of levers to the existing cylinder or the other cylinder and the lever rotary shaft that is connected to the plurality of levers.

3. The axial-flow compressor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of connecting rods and the existing cylinder or the other cylinder extend along tangential lines of the first and second rings.

4. A modification method comprising the steps of: using, as a foundation, an existing axial-flow compressor that has variable stator vanes that are located only at a first stage of plurality of stages, constitute a stator vane row with lengths of the variable stator vanes of the first stage being largest among the stator vanes of the plurality of stages, and rotate around rotary shafts of the variable stator vanes so as to adjust angles of the variable stator vanes, the shafts extending in a radial direction of the existing axial-flow compressor, and that has fixed stator vanes that are located at a second stage and later stages;
replacing at least the fixed stator vanes located at a second stage included in the existing axial-flow compressor with other variable stator vanes;
connecting a new ring to another stator vane row constituted by the other variable stator vanes so that the new ring drives and rotates the other variable stator vanes of the other stator vane row;
adding, to the existing axial-flow compressor, a plurality of levers, a new rotary shaft and a plurality of connecting rods, the plurality of levers corresponding to the new ring and another ring that is located at the first stage, the new rotary shaft holding the plurality of levers so as to enable the plurality of levers to pivot, extending in a direction of extension of an axis of the existing axial-flow compressor, and connecting the plurality of levers to each other so that the plurality of levers are fixed to the new rotary shaft and integrated with each other through the new rotary shaft, the plurality of connecting rods connecting the rings to the plurality of levers that correspond to the rings, respectively;
connecting an existing cylinder or another cylinder similar to the existing cylinder, included in the existing axial-flow compressor to only one lever that is among the plurality of levers, that is connected to a further lever connected to the new ring, and that is associated with the stator vane row located at the first stage;
connecting the rings and the plurality of connecting rods through spherical bearings, connecting the plurality of connecting rods and the plurality of levers through spherical bearings, and connecting the existing cylinder or the other cylinder and the one lever of the plurality of levers located at the first stage through a spherical bearing; and
providing the plurality of connecting rods and the existing cylinder or the other cylinder so as to be inclined in the axial direction of the existing axial-flow compressor so that the plurality of connecting rods and the existing cylinder or the other cylinder are arranged along a plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the existing axial-flow compressor when the existing axial-flow compressor is migrated to a rated operation.

5. The axial-flow compressor according to claim 1 ,
wherein an output force of the existing cylinder or the other cylinder determines an upper limit to a ratio of a distance between a connection of one of the plurality of connecting rods and the lever rotary shaft, and a maximum stroke of the existing cylinder or the other cylinder determines a lower limit to said ratio.

6. The modification method of claim 4 , further comprising the steps of:
determining an upper limit to a ratio of a distance between a connection of one of the plurality of connecting rods and the new rotary shaft by way of an output force; and

determining a lower limit to said ratio by way of a maximum stroke of the existing cylinder or the other cylinder.

Assignees

• Tsukidate Hironori
• Kuroki Hidetoshi
• Sano Atsushi
• Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Sys

Inventors

• Tsukidate Hironori
• Kuroki Hidetoshi
• Sano Atsushi

Classifications

• F05D2250/241

  spherical · CPC title

• F04D29/563 Primary

  specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• Y10T29/49229

  Prime mover or fluid pump making · CPC title

• F05D2270/62

  Electrical actuators · CPC title

• F01D17/162

  for axial flow, i.e. the vanes turning around axes which are essentially perpendicular to the rotor centre line (F01D17/167 takes precedence) · CPC title