Compressor comprising inlet guide vanes

Abstract

Illustrative example embodiments of a compressor include an inlet defining an intake passage, a plurality of lateral inlet vanes in the intake passage, and a plurality of intermediate inlet vanes in the intake passage. The lateral vanes are selectively oriented to vary an amount of fluid flow through a first lateral portion of the intake passage. The intermediate inlet vanes are selectively oriented to vary an amount of fluid flow through a second intermediate portion of the intake passage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to compressors, and more particularly to compressors including inlet guide vanes. Background Technology

[0002] Compressors are used for a variety of purposes when pressurization of fluids or gases is required. For example, refrigerant circuits utilize pressurized refrigerant to achieve cooling for refrigeration or air conditioning. Various compressor configurations have been used in refrigerant circuits.

[0003] One challenge associated with some compressors is achieving optimal efficiency across a variety of operating conditions. For example, a compressor may not need to operate at full capacity under so-called partial load conditions. Under such conditions, avoiding aerodynamic losses in the impeller is useful, as such losses negatively impact compressor efficiency and surge margin. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An illustrative example embodiment of the compressor includes an inlet defining an intake passage, a plurality of lateral inlet guide vanes in the intake passage, and a plurality of intermediate inlet guide vanes in the intake passage. The lateral guide vanes are selectively oriented to alter the amount of fluid flow through a first lateral portion of the intake passage. The intermediate inlet guide vanes are selectively oriented to alter the amount of fluid flow through a second intermediate portion of the intake passage.

[0005] In addition to one or more of the features mentioned above, or as an alternative, multiple lateral inlet guide vanes surround multiple intermediate inlet guide vanes.

[0006] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, at least one controller is configured to control the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vane and the orientation of the intermediate inlet guide vane.

[0007] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, at least one controller selectively causes the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vane to differ from that of the intermediate inlet guide vane.

[0008] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, the impeller is downstream of the inlet guide vanes. The impeller includes multiple blades, each having a leading edge between the impeller hub and its outer end. The controller selectively controls the respective orientations of the first and second inlet guide vanes to guide fluid toward the leading edge at an incident angle that varies along the leading edge.

[0009] In addition to one or more of the features mentioned above, or as an alternative, the controller controls the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vane so that the fluid encounters the lateral portion of the leading edge of the blade at a first incident angle, and the controller controls the orientation of the intermediate inlet guide vane so that the fluid encounters the intermediate portion of the leading edge of the blade at a different second incident angle.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the features mentioned above, or as an alternative, the controller determines the operating conditions of the compressor and controls the orientation of the inlet guide vanes based on the determined operating conditions.

[0011] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, the lateral inlet guide vanes and the intermediate inlet guide vanes are each rotatable about a corresponding guide vane axis that is transverse to the main direction of the fluid flow through the intake passage, and the orientation of each inlet guide vane about its corresponding guide vane axis affects at least one characteristic of the fluid flow downstream of the inlet guide vane in the intake passage.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the features mentioned above, or as an alternative, the orientation of each inlet guide vane can be controlled individually.

[0013] In addition to one or more of the features mentioned above, or as an alternative, the lateral inlet guide vanes and the intermediate inlet guide vanes are located at a common longitudinal position in the inlet.

[0014] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, each of the lateral inlet guide vanes is rotatable about a corresponding guide vane axis transverse to the main direction of fluid flow in the intake passage. Each of the intermediate inlet guide vanes is rotatable about a corresponding guide vane axis transverse to the main direction of fluid flow, and the axes of at least some of the lateral inlet guide vanes are collinear with the axes of at least some of the intermediate inlet guide vanes.

[0015] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, the compressor includes at least one actuator, each of at least some of the lateral inlet guide vanes including a tube aligned with the axis of the guide vane, each of at least some of the intermediate inlet guide vanes including a rod aligned with the axis of the guide vane, each rod being at least partially received in one of the aligned tubes, at least one actuator being configured to selectively rotate the rod of a selected intermediate inlet guide vane to change the orientation of the selected intermediate guide vane, and at least one actuator being configured to selectively rotate the tube of a selected lateral inlet guide vane to change the orientation of the selected lateral guide vane.

[0016] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, at least one actuator is configured to selectively rotate each of the tubes independently of the rods received in the tubes to independently change the orientation of the associated lateral inlet guide vanes and the associated intermediate inlet guide vanes.

[0017] In addition to one or more of the features mentioned above, or as an alternative, the lateral inlet guide vanes occupy the first cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage, and the intermediate inlet guide vanes occupy the second cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage.

[0018] In addition to one or more of the features mentioned above, or as an alternative, the first cross-sectional region differs from the second cross-sectional region.

[0019] From the following detailed description, various features and advantages of at least one disclosed example embodiment will become apparent to those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings, accompanying the detailed description, can be briefly described below. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 An example embodiment of a compressor including multiple lateral inlet guide vanes and multiple intermediate inlet guide vanes is schematically illustrated.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic end view illustrating the arrangement of the lateral inlet guide vanes and the intermediate inlet guide vanes according to an example embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram. Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a selected portion of the compressor shown.

[0023] Figure 4 An example configuration of a component designed to adjust the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vane and the intermediate inlet guide vane is illustrated schematically. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Figures 1 to 3 Selected features of an example embodiment of compressor 20 are schematically illustrated. Inlet 22 defines an intake passage 24. A set of inlet guide vanes 30 are located within the intake passage 24 to control the fluid flow through the intake passage 24. The inlet guide vanes 30 include a plurality of first inlet guide vanes 32 and a plurality of second inlet guide vanes 34.

[0025] The first inlet guide vane 32 is located in the lateral portion 36 of the intake passage 24 and is referred to as the lateral inlet guide vane 32 in the remainder of this specification. The lateral inlet guide vane 32 is configured to selectively alter at least one characteristic of the fluid flow through the lateral portion 36 of the intake passage 24.

[0026] The second inlet guide vane 34 is located in the intermediate portion 38 of the intake passage 24 and is referred to as the intermediate inlet guide vane 34 for the remainder of this specification. The intermediate inlet guide vane 34 is configured to selectively alter at least one characteristic of the fluid flow through the intermediate portion 38 of the intake passage 24.

[0027] The compressor 20 includes an impeller 40 having a plurality of impeller blades 42. The leading edges of the impeller blades 42 extend spanwise between the hub 44 and the outer shroud 46 of the impeller 40.

[0028] In some embodiments, a drive portion 50 comprising a motor and gear arrangement drives an impeller 40 to move fluid from an intake passage 24 to an outlet 52 of a compressor 20.

[0029] The controller 54 is configured to control the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vanes 32 and the intermediate inlet guide vane 34. The orientation of the respective inlet guide vanes 32, 34 affects at least one characteristic of the fluid flow through the corresponding portion of the intake passage 24. The controller 54 includes computing devices such as a processor and associated memory, which are appropriately programmed to selectively change the orientation of the inlet guide vanes 32, 34 to achieve desired fluid flow characteristics for different compressor operating conditions. The controller 54 is configured to control the respective orientations of a plurality of inlet guide vanes 32, 34 such that, under at least some compressor operating conditions, the lateral inlet guide vane 32 has a different orientation than the intermediate inlet guide vane 34. For example, when operating under partial load, the lateral inlet guide vane 32 may be closed to a greater extent than the intermediate inlet guide vane 34, and conversely, when operating under full load, both the lateral inlet guide vane 32 and the intermediate inlet guide vane 34 may be fully open. Controlling the inlet guide vanes 32, 34 to have different orientations provides different characteristics of the fluid flow through different portions of the intake passage 24, such as vortices. The desired flow characteristics downstream of the inlet guide vanes 32 and 34 are achieved through the combined effect of fluid flow in the middle and lateral portions of the inlet passage 24.

[0030] The varying flow characteristics (such as vortices) of different sections of the inlet passage 24 allow for alteration of the incident angle between the fluid downstream of the inlet guide vanes 32, 34 and the leading edge of the impeller blade 42. The use of multiple inlet guide vanes, selectively controlled to have different orientations, makes it possible to achieve the desired incident angle at different spanwise positions along the leading edge of the impeller blade 42. Controlling the incident angle in this way increases or improves compressor performance, such as efficiency and surge margin.

[0031] As from Figure 2 and Figure 3 As is best appreciated in the illustrated example embodiment, the intake passage 24 has a circular cross-section. The central portion 38 of the intake passage 24 also has a circular cross-section and is located at the center of the intake passage 24. The lateral portions 36 of the intake passage 24 occupy the annular cross-sectional area between the outer edge or periphery of the intake passage 24 and the outer edge of the central portion 38.

[0032] Figure 2 All inlet guide vanes 32, 34 are schematically shown in an orientation that will effectively close the intake passage 24. Figure 3The inlet guide vanes 32 and 34 are shown in the fully open position, which allows for the maximum amount of fluid flow along the main direction through the intake passage 24, schematically indicated by arrow 58. The controller 54... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The orientation of the inlet guide vanes 32, 34 is selectively changed between the positions schematically shown in the diagram to adapt to different desired characteristics of the fluid flow through the intake passage 24 for the current or expected operating conditions of the compressor 20.

[0033] In the illustrated example embodiment, the inlet guide vanes 32, 34 are supported to be rotatable about an axis 60 extending in a radial direction transverse to the main direction 58 of the fluid flow through the intake passage 24. In this example, each of the intermediate inlet guide vanes 34 is aligned with one of the lateral inlet guide vanes 32 such that the axis 60 of each intermediate inlet guide vane 34 is collinear with the axis 60 of the aligned lateral inlet guide vane 34.

[0034] Make the axis 60 as Figure 2 The diagram illustrates that such alignment allows for, as Figure 4 The inlet guide vanes 32, 34 are schematically supported and selectively oriented. In the example embodiment illustrated, each lateral inlet guide vane 32 has an associated tube or sleeve 62, to which the lateral inlet guide vane 32 is supported or fixed such that rotation of the tube or sleeve 62 about axis 60 results in a corresponding rotation of the lateral inlet guide vane 32. An actuator 64, including, for example, an electric motor, may selectively rotate the tube or sleeve 62 in response to a command from controller 54 to change the lateral inlet guide vane 32 relative to the main direction 58 of the fluid flow. Figure 3 Or the orientation of the longitudinal axis of the intake passage 24.

[0035] A rod 66, received at least partially by a tube or sleeve 62, is associated with an aligned intermediate inlet guide vane 34. The rod 66 is supported or fixed to the intermediate inlet guide vane 34 in such a way that rotation of the rod 66 causes a corresponding movement of the intermediate inlet guide vane 34 to change the orientation of the intermediate inlet guide vane 34.

[0036] exist Figure 4 In the example, actuator 64 selectively and independently causes rotation of tube or sleeve 62 and rod 66 based on commands from controller 54. By rotating tube or sleeve 62 and rod 66 individually, actuator 64 achieves selected orientation of the corresponding inlet guide vanes 32, 34 based on commands from controller 54.

[0037] In some embodiments, a single actuator 64 includes a clutch mechanism that selectively engages the tube or sleeve 62 independently of the lever 66, such that the single actuator 64 can independently change the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vane 32 and the intermediate inlet guide vane 34, respectively. Other embodiments include separate or individual actuators dedicated to each of the tube or sleeve 62 and the lever 66.

[0038] Despite Figure 4 The diagram shows only one lateral inlet guide vane 32 and only one intermediate inlet guide vane 34, but the same arrangement is provided for each of the inlet guide vanes to selectively control the orientation of each inlet guide vane within group 30.

[0039] Having multiple first lateral inlet guide vanes 32 (which are selectively controlled in a desired orientation to control at least one characteristic of the fluid flow through the first lateral portion of the compressor inlet passage) and multiple second intermediate inlet guide vanes 34 (which are used to control at least one characteristic of the fluid flow through the second intermediate portion of the inlet passage 24) allows for improved compressor performance by achieving different incident angles along different spanwise portions of the leading edge of the impeller blades 42. Using multiple sets of multiple inlet guide vanes positioned to control the fluid flow through different portions of the inlet passage 24 allows for better compressor performance under a wider range of operating conditions, particularly under partial load conditions where compressor performance or efficiency might otherwise be compromised.

[0040] The foregoing description is exemplary in nature and not restrictive. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples will become apparent to those skilled in the art, and such variations and modifications do not necessarily depart from the spirit of the invention. The scope of legal protection afforded to this invention can only be determined by examining the appended claims.

Claims

1. A compressor, comprising: The entrance, which defines the air intake passage; Multiple lateral inlet guide vanes are located in the lateral portion of the intake passage, the lateral inlet guide vanes being configured to selectively alter at least one characteristic of the fluid flow through the lateral portion of the intake passage; Multiple intermediate inlet guide vanes are located in the middle portion of the intake passage, the intermediate inlet guide vanes being configured to selectively alter at least one characteristic of the fluid flow through the middle portion of the intake passage; as well as At least one controller configured to control the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vanes and the orientation of the intermediate inlet guide vanes. The at least one of the controllers selectively causes the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vane to differ from the orientation of the intermediate inlet guide vane.

2. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of lateral inlet guide vanes surround the plurality of intermediate inlet guide vanes.

3. The compressor of claim 1, comprising an impeller downstream of the inlet guide vanes, and wherein... The impeller includes a plurality of blades, each blade having a leading edge between the hub and the outer end of the impeller; and The controller selectively controls the respective orientations of the lateral inlet guide vanes and the intermediate inlet guide vanes to guide the fluid toward the leading edge at an incident angle that varies along the leading edge.

4. The compressor according to claim 3, wherein The controller controls the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vane such that the fluid encounters the lateral portion of the leading edge of the blade at a first incident angle, and the controller controls the orientation of the intermediate inlet guide vane such that the fluid encounters the intermediate portion of the leading edge of the blade at a different second incident angle.

5. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein, The controller determines the operating conditions of the compressor and controls the orientation of the inlet guide vanes based on the determined operating conditions.

6. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein The lateral inlet guide vane and the intermediate inlet guide vane are each capable of rotating about a corresponding guide vane axis that is transverse to the main direction of fluid flow through the intake channel, and The orientation of each inlet guide vane around its respective guide vane axis affects at least one characteristic of the fluid flow downstream of the inlet guide vane in the intake passage.

7. The compressor according to claim 6, wherein, The orientation of each inlet guide vane can be controlled individually.

8. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein, The lateral inlet guide vane and the intermediate inlet guide vane are located at a common longitudinal position in the inlet.

9. The compressor according to claim 8, wherein Each of the lateral inlet guide vanes is capable of rotating around a corresponding guide vane axis that is transverse to the main direction of fluid flow in the intake channel. Each of the intermediate inlet guide vanes is capable of rotating about a corresponding guide vane axis transverse to the main direction of fluid flow, and The axes of at least some of the lateral inlet guide vanes are collinear with the axes of at least some of the intermediate inlet guide vanes.

10. The compressor of claim 9, comprising at least one actuator, and wherein... Each of at least some of the lateral inlet guide vanes includes a tube aligned with the axis of the guide vane. Each of at least some of the intermediate inlet guide vanes includes a rod aligned with the axis of the guide vane. Each rod is at least partially received in one of the aligned parts in the tube. The at least one actuator is configured to selectively rotate the rod of a selected intermediate inlet guide vane to change the orientation of the selected intermediate guide vane, and The at least one actuator is configured to selectively rotate the tube of a selected lateral inlet guide vane to change the orientation of the selected lateral guide vane.

11. The compressor according to claim 10, wherein, The at least one actuator is configured to selectively rotate each of the tubes independently of the rods received in the tubes to independently change the orientation of the associated lateral inlet guide vanes and the orientation of the associated intermediate inlet guide vanes.

12. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein The lateral inlet guide vanes occupy the first cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage, and The intermediate inlet guide vane occupies the second cross-sectional area of ​​the air intake channel.

13. The compressor according to claim 12, wherein, The first cross-sectional region is different from the second cross-sectional region.

14. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one controller independently controls the orientation of the lateral inlet guide vane and the orientation of the intermediate inlet guide vane, respectively.

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