Rotor for the compression of aqueous gas with blade attached to a support via at least one assembly system

Description

Technical field of the invention

[0001] The technical field of the invention relates to the compression of aqueous gases.

[0002] More particularly, the invention relates first to a rotor for the compression of an aqueous gas, the rotor comprising a support, at least one blade formed in a composite material, and at least one assembly system in particular for fixing the blade on the support.

[0003] The invention also relates to a compressor for compressing an aqueous gas comprising such a rotor, and an installation for compressing an aqueous gas comprising a circulation network in which the aqueous gas is able to circulate in a channeled manner, the network comprising such a compressor. Prior art

[0004] In the field of compressors, it is known to use a compressor with a rotor placed in the path of an aqueous gas to compress it by rotating the rotor, driven by a motor. An aqueous gas, for example, with a water vapor mass fraction greater than 30%, is characterized by a very high speed of sound, for example, greater than 400 m / s. In this aqueous gas, the rotor's peripheral speeds must be sufficiently high to achieve a transonic regime, which is desirable for compressing the aqueous gas. The rotor is therefore subjected to particularly high centrifugal forces due to the high speed. These centrifugal forces are the source of robustness problems.

[0005] It is also known that manufacturing rotors for compressing an aqueous gas presents particular difficulties.

[0006] Such a compressor is illustrated, for example, in document US 2012 124 994 A1.

[0007] There is therefore a need to find a rotor solution for compressing an aqueous gas that is simpler to manufacture and more robust, in particular improving the mechanical resistance of the rotor to centrifugal forces. Object of the invention

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a robust rotor for compressing an aqueous gas.

[0009] To this end, the invention relates to a rotor for compressing an aqueous gas, the rotor comprising a support, at least one blade formed from a composite material, said blade comprising a contact surface in contact with the support, and at least one assembly system, the assembly system comprising: a nut housed at least in part in a recess in the thickness of the blade; a support member; a rod connecting the support member and the nut by passing successively from the support member through a part of the support and through a through hole formed in the blade so as to connect the contact surface of the blade to a wall of the recess, the rod comprising at least a threaded portion screwed into the nut so that a tightening force exerted between the support member and the nut induces a stress on the blade and the support in the direction of each other.

[0010] Using a composite material to form one or more blades reduces their mass, particularly to limit the centrifugal forces they will be subjected to during rotor rotation, while maintaining suitable characteristics thanks to the composite material. Combined with an assembly system as described above, this allows for a point fixing at the interface between the blade and the support, which is easy to achieve during rotor manufacturing. Positioning the nut within the blade's thickness allows it to be placed along the centrifugal forces exerted on the blade, providing high robustness. Such a rotor offers the additional advantage that the clamping force obtained is essentially aligned with the direction of the forces resulting from the centrifugal force, again providing high robustness to the blade and preventing delamination of the composite material.Furthermore, the point fixing means that the shape of the blade at the interface between the blade and the support is not constrained and can adapt as needed.

[0011] The rotor may also include one or more of the following features.

[0012] According to a characteristic of the rotor, the support member is in contact with a surface of the support and the nut is in contact with the wall of the housing.

[0013] This allows the clamping forces to be distributed directly onto the parts to be clamped against each other.

[0014] According to another feature of the rotor, the housing wall comprises a concave cylindrical surface, a generatory line of which is substantially parallel to the direction in which the blade thickness is measured, the opening hole being open into the housing through this cylindrical surface, and the assembly system comprises a bearing portion through which the rod passes and which is shaped to correspond to at least a part of the cylindrical surface, the clamping force ensuring that the bearing portion is in contact with said at least a part of the cylindrical surface.

[0015] This design advantageously distributes the clamping forces within the housing to prevent delamination of the composite material. Furthermore, the use of a cylindrical surface and a correspondingly shaped support element allows the clamping force to be aligned with the direction of traction during rotor rotation through automatic adjustment of the assembly system's positioning, particularly as the cylindrical surface rotates.

[0016] According to another characteristic of the rotor, the rod has a longitudinal direction which extends substantially radially with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotor.

[0017] This advantageously ensures that the blade remains in the direction of the stress during rotor rotation and that the stresses in the rod are essentially tensile stresses.

[0018] According to another feature of the rotor, the composite material comprises a plurality of fiber sheets, said fiber sheets being superimposed and held in a matrix.

[0019] This advantageously allows the formation of resistant, lightweight blades whose composition and average fiber orientation will be adapted to the use and stresses that these blades will have to undergo during the operation of the compressor including the rotor.

[0020] According to another feature of the rotor, the fiber sheets are stacked in a direction of stacking, and the through hole has an axial direction substantially orthogonal to the direction of stacking.

[0021] This advantageously prevents fatigue delamination by avoiding cyclic compression of the layered plies in their stacking direction during rotor operating cycles.

[0022] According to another characteristic of the rotor, the composite material is such that: each fiber layer of said composite material has a preferred direction along which fibers of said fiber layer are oriented; at least one of the fiber layers of said composite material is such that its preferred direction, near the blade contact surface, is a reference direction oriented substantially radially with respect to the rotor's axis of rotation.

[0023] This advantageously ensures that, during rotor rotation, the reference direction is oriented in the direction of maximum force seen by the blade. This therefore makes the blade more robust.

[0024] According to another characteristic of the rotor, the through hole has an axial direction and is formed partially in the thickness of one of the fiber sheets whose preferred direction corresponds to the reference direction, which is then substantially parallel to the axial direction.

[0025] This advantageously allows the clamping to be done in the reference direction, thus improving blade retention during rotation. This axial direction of the through hole is, in particular, substantially radial with respect to the rotor's axis of rotation.

[0026] According to another characteristic of the rotor, the composite material comprises a superposition of stacks of fiber plies, each stack of fiber plies comprising: one of the fiber layers of the composite material, called the first layer, whose preferred fiber orientation direction is different from the reference direction; one of the fiber layers of the composite material, called the second layer, whose preferred fiber orientation direction is different from the reference direction and the preferred fiber orientation direction of the first layer; one of the fiber layers of the composite material, arranged between the first layer and the second layer, whose fibers are oriented according to the reference direction.

[0027] This advantageously ensures good cohesion between the through hole and the housing, especially when they are drilled, as their surface then presents a satisfactory mechanical resistance.

[0028] According to another characteristic of the rotor, the preferred orientation direction of the fibers of each first layer forms an angle with the reference direction between -15 degrees and -90 degrees and the preferred orientation direction of the fibers of each second layer forms an angle with the reference direction between +15 degrees and +90 degrees.

[0029] This advantageously allows fiber layers whose reference direction is substantially radial to the rotor's axis of rotation to provide resistance to centrifugal forces during rotor rotation. Cross-laid fiber layers, i.e., those whose fibers are not oriented along the reference direction, can withstand non-radial forces and maintain the blade's shape by providing inertia throughout its thickness, and therefore stiffness.

[0030] According to another feature of the rotor, the assembly system, the through hole and the housing are configured to permit pivoting movement of the nut about a pivot axis substantially orthogonal to the direction of the clamping force of said assembly system and to a plane in which is included the axis of rotation of the rotor.

[0031] This allows for automatic adjustment of the rod's orientation during rotor rotation, aiming to align it along its length as closely as possible to the tensile force exerted on the blade relative to the support. This improves the blade's stability relative to the support, thus reducing the risk of all or part of the blade being torn away from the support.

[0032] According to another feature of the rotor, the support part of the assembly system is configured to slide on the cylindrical surface delimited by the wall of the housing during the pivoting movement of the nut.

[0033] This advantageously allows the cylindrical surface to provide some guidance for the pivoting of the nut through cooperation between the support part of the assembly system and the cylindrical surface.

[0034] Depending on another characteristic of the rotor, the nut is chosen from: a transverse nut formed by a cylinder pierced with a cylindrical hole whose internal surface is threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the rod of the assembly system, the axis of the cylinder and the axis of the cylindrical hole being transverse, the cylinder on the one hand having a cylindrical surface having a complementary shape, at the periphery of the through hole, to the wall of the housing and on the other hand being in contact with the wall of the housing; a flat nut pierced with a cylindrical hole whose internal surface is threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the rod of the assembly system, the flat nut bearing on an insert interposed between the flat nut and the wall of the housing, the insert being traversed by the rod and having a cylindrical portion on the one hand having a cylindrical surface having a complementary shape, at the periphery of the through hole, to the wall of the housing and on the other hand being in contact with the wall of the housing;a nut formed by a portion of a cylinder pierced with a cylindrical hole whose internal surface is threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the rod of the assembly system, the axis of the portion of the cylinder and the axis of the cylindrical hole being transverse, the portion of the cylinder on the one hand presenting a cylindrical surface having a complementary shape, at the periphery of the through hole, to the wall of the housing and on the other hand being in contact with the wall of the housing. ;

[0035] This allows the clamping forces of the assembly system to be distributed over a surface of the housing wall located at the periphery of the through hole.

[0036] According to another feature of the rotor, the blade includes a region in which the composite material is over-thickened, with the housing arranged in this region.

[0037] This allows the stresses at the interface of the housing with the assembly system to be distributed / spread out, thus contributing to the improvement of the robustness of the rotor.

[0038] According to another feature of the rotor, at least one blade is fixed to the support via a plurality of mounting systems offset along the support along the axis of rotation of the rotor.

[0039] This allows for the formation of multiple attachment points for a single blade to the support, while adapting to the blade's curvature at its interface with the support. For example, it even allows for coupling a blade with an irregular helical component to the support. It also allows for a support with a rotation that is not necessarily cylindrical.

[0040] According to another characteristic of the rotor, it comprises a plurality of blades, each fixed to the support by at least one assembly system which participates solely in the fixing of said blade.

[0041] According to another aspect of the invention, it relates to a compressor for the compression of an aqueous gas comprising a rotor as described above.

[0042] According to another aspect of the invention, it relates to an installation for compressing an aqueous gas comprising a circulation network in which the aqueous gas is able to circulate in a channeled manner, the network comprising at least one such compressor arranged to be traversed by the aqueous gas from which it results that the gas circulating in the circulation network has, downstream of said at least one compressor, a pressure greater than its pressure upstream of said at least one compressor.

[0043] According to another characteristic of the installation, the aqueous gas contains at least 30%, preferably between 70% and 100%, of H2O by mass proportion.

[0044] The rotor is compatible with such a gas because its assembly system is designed to maintain blade stability when transonic velocities are achieved at the rotor periphery due to rotor rotation. Furthermore, the aqueous gas at these concentrations is compatible with a refrigeration unit compressor operating with aqueous gas as a refrigerant.

[0045] Other advantages and features may emerge from the detailed description that follows. Brief description of the drawings

[0046] The invention will be better understood upon reading the detailed description that follows, given only as a non-limiting example and made with reference to the attached drawings listed below. There figure 1is a partial view of a first example of a blade usable in a rotor according to one aspect of the invention and showing different housing geometries for a nut of a blade assembly system within the rotor. figure 2 is a partial view of a second example of a blade usable in a rotor according to one aspect of the invention and showing different housing geometries for the nut of the blade assembly system within the rotor. figure 3 is a partial view of an example rotor according to one aspect of the invention, in the assembled state, illustrating different possible assembly system variants. figure 4 is a view of the figure 3 , in a shattered state. The figure 5 is a perspective view of an example of a rotor according to one aspect of the invention. figure 6 is a partial, exploded view of the rotor of the figure 5 , there figure 6illustrating the support, a single blade and a plurality of assembly systems to fix this blade to the support.

[0047] Finally figure 7 is a partial view of an example of a possible embodiment of the blade usable in a rotor according to one aspect of the invention.

[0048] On these figures 1 to 7 The same references are used to designate the same elements. The elements represented in the different figures are not necessarily drawn to scale in order to facilitate understanding of the figures. Detailed description

[0049] By "substantially parallel" is meant parallel or parallel to plus or minus 10 degrees, preferably to plus or minus 1 degree.

[0050] By "substantially radial with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotor", it is understood to be orthogonal or orthogonal to plus or minus 10 degrees, preferably to plus or minus 1 degree, with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotor.

[0051] By "substantially orthogonal", it is understood to be orthogonal or orthogonal to plus or minus 10 degrees, preferably to plus or minus 1 degree.

[0052] By "between two values", it is understood to mean a range of values ​​whose bounds, formed by said two values, are included.

[0053] According to a first aspect, and with reference to the figures, a rotor 1 for the compression of an aqueous gas is described. An example of such a rotor 1 is illustrated in the Figures 5 And 6 .

[0054] The rotor 1 comprises a support 10, at least one blade 50 formed from a composite material, said blade 50 having a contact surface 51 in contact with the support 10, and at least one mounting system 100. The rotor 1, which is mounted for rotation in a terrestrial frame of reference, may be driven in rotation by a drive device (not shown), the nature of which is irrelevant here. Each mounting system 100 used secures or contributes to the attachment of a blade 50 to the support 10. Such a rotor 1 is also called a gear in this technical field. The support 10 of the rotor 1 is, in particular, a part of the rotor 1 from which the blades 50 of the rotor 1 extend. The support 10 may be a rotating shaft of the rotor 1 or a hub mounted on a rotating shaft of the rotor 1.

[0055] The 100 assembly system includes: a nut 110 housed at least in part in a housing 52 made in the thickness of the blade 50; a support member 120; a rod 130 connecting the support member 120 and the nut 110.

[0056] Each housing 52 is typically arranged between the contact surface 51 and a distal end 53 of the blade 50 located opposite the contact surface 51 coming against the support 10.

[0057] As can be deduced from figures 3 and 4 , the rod 130 passes successively, from the support member 120, through a part of the support 10 and through a through hole 54 formed in the blade 50 so as to connect the contact surface 51 of the blade 50 to a wall 55 of the housing 52. The rod 130 includes at least one threaded portion screwed into the nut 110 so that a clamping force exerted between the support member 120 and the nut 110 induces a stress on the blade 50 and the support 10 in the direction of each other.

[0058] According to one embodiment, as illustrated in the figures 3 and 4 The support member 120 exerts a force (either directly or indirectly via an insert 11 interposed between the support 10 and the support member 120) against a surface 12 of the support 10, while the nut 110 bears against the wall 55 of the housing 52. The contact surface 51 of the blade 50 is in contact with an external surface 13 of the support 10, distinct from the previously mentioned surface 12. In other words, the contact surface 51 of each blade 50 conforms to the support 10 so as to fit its external surface 13. More precisely, the surface 12 and the external surface 13 of the support 10 are opposite each other along a radial direction 14 oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation 2 of the rotor 1.

[0059] THE figures 1 and 2They partially show two examples of usable blades 50. They differ from each other by the shape of the contact surface 51. In the case of blade 50 of the figure 1 The contact surface 51 is of an oblique shape (i.e., non-planar, for example, being part of a cylinder) and of a shape complementary to the non-planar external surface 13 of the support 10 against which it bears. This is the case of the figures 3 to 6 , but without this being exhaustive. Indeed, in accordance with the figure 2 The contact surface 51 can be flat, or complementary in shape to the flat external surface 13 of the support 10 against which it rests. figure 7 illustrates the dawn of the 50th figure 2 during its manufacture, before the construction of the housing(s) 52, before the formation of the through hole(s) 54 and, where applicable, before shaping its contact surface 51 by machining in order to conform it to the support 10.

[0060] In one embodiment, the wall 55 of the housing 52 comprises a concave cylindrical surface whose generating line is substantially parallel to the direction 56 along which the thickness 57 of the blade 50 is measured. In other words, the wall 55 of the housing 52 can be defined entirely or partially by such a cylindrical surface.

[0061] In this document, and in accordance with the mathematical definition of these terms, a "cylindrical surface" is the surface in space generated by a straight line, called the generatrix, moving in a given fixed direction along a closed curved line called the directrix. In short, the directrix corresponds to the contour of the cross-section taken perpendicularly to the generatrix. Consequently, the shape of the directrix can be a circle (the cylindrical surface being, in this particular case, a circular cylinder) or other closed shapes. figures 1 to 4illustrate this aspect precisely through four examples of housing shapes 52. Going from bottom right to top left, the walls 55 of the four housings 52 respectively present a cylindrical surface whose generatrix is ​​a circle, an arbitrary shape for example in the shape of a teardrop, an oblong shape, and finally an ovoid shape.

[0062] In one embodiment, the through hole 54 opens into the housing 52 through the aforementioned cylindrical surface. In other words, the cylindrical surface extends at least to the periphery of the opening of the through hole 54 in the wall 55 of the housing 52.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the assembly system 100 comprises a support portion 140 through which the rod 130 passes and which is shaped to correspond to at least a part of the cylindrical surface of the housing 52, the clamping force ensuring that the support portion 140 is in contact with at least a part of the cylindrical surface of the housing 52. It is therefore understood that the support portion 140 is at least partly a cylindrical surface of complementary shape to the cylindrical surface delimited by the wall 55 of the housing 52 at the periphery of the place where the through hole 54 opens.

[0064] According to one embodiment, and with reference to figures 3 and 4 Nut 110 is chosen from: a transverse nut 111 formed by a cylinder 111a pierced with a cylindrical hole 111b whose internal surface is threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the rod 130 of the assembly system 100, the axis 111c of the cylinder 111a and the axis 111d of the cylindrical hole 111b being transverse, the cylinder 111a on the one hand having a cylindrical surface having a complementary shape, at the periphery of the through hole 54, of the wall 55 of the housing 52 and on the other hand being in contact with the wall 55 of the housing 52;a flat nut 112 having a cylindrical hole 112a with an internal surface threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the rod 130 of the assembly system 100, the flat nut 112 bearing on an insert 113 interposed between the flat nut 112 and the wall 55 of the housing 52, the insert 113 being traversed by the rod 130 (via a through channel 113b) and having a cylindrical portion 113a on the one hand having a cylindrical surface having a complementary shape, at the periphery of the through hole 54, of the wall 55 of the housing 52 and on the other hand being in contact with the wall 55 of the housing 52;a nut 114 formed by a portion of a cylinder 114a pierced with a cylindrical hole 114b whose internal surface is threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the rod 130 of the assembly system 100, the axis 114c of the portion of the cylinder 114a and the axis 114d of the cylindrical hole 114b being transverse, the portion of the cylinder 114a on the one hand having a cylindrical surface having a complementary shape, at the periphery of the through hole 14, of the wall 55 of the housing 52 and on the other hand being in contact with the wall 55 of the housing 52. ;

[0065] THE figures 3 and 4 illustrate this aspect precisely through four examples of assembly system 100. Going from bottom right to top left, the first two assembly systems 100 each include such a transverse nut 111. The third assembly system 100 includes a nut 114 while the fourth assembly system 100 includes a flat nut 112 pressing on the insert 113.

[0066] In all cases, the housing 52 is configured so as to receive at least partially the nut 110, and where appropriate the nut 110 in addition to the insert 113, by insertion into the housing 52 before screwing the rod 130 into the nut 110.

[0067] In the specific case of the nut 114, the cylindrical portion 114a is closed by a flat 114e opposite the surface of the wall 52 of the housing 55 located at the periphery of the through hole 54. In the specific case of the insert 113, the cylindrical portion 113a is closed by a flat 113c opposite the surface of the wall 52 of the housing 55 located at the periphery of the through hole 54. The flat 113c serves as a bearing surface for the flat nut 112.

[0068] In the case where the nut 110 is a transverse nut 111, the previously mentioned bearing portion 140 is formed by the cylindrical surface of the cylinder 111a. In the case where the nut 110 is a flat nut 112, the bearing portion 140 is, on the other hand, formed by the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical portion 113a. Finally, when the nut 110 is a nut 114, the bearing portion 140 is formed by the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical portion 114a.

[0069] Regardless of the type of nut 110, the rod 130 can be a simple threaded rod, in which case the bearing member 120 can be a nut screwed onto this threaded rod. Alternatively, the rod 130 can be a screw with a head, in which case the bearing member 120 can be the screw head. figures 3 and 4illustrate this aspect precisely through four examples of assembly system 100. Going from bottom right to top left, the first assembly system 100 includes such a threaded rod and a nut, while the other three assembly systems 100 are each equipped with such a screw with a head.

[0070] According to one embodiment, for each assembly system 100, the rod 130 has a longitudinal direction 131 which extends substantially radially with respect to the axis of rotation 2 of the rotor 1. In other words, the longitudinal direction 131 is locally collinear with the radial direction 14.

[0071] In one embodiment, the support 10 comprises, for each assembly system 100, an orifice 15 passing through the thickness of the support 10 from the surface 12 to the external surface 13 and through which the rod 130 passes. For each assembly system 100, the rod 130 passes through the thickness of the support 10 via the orifice 15, such that the bearing member 120 bears directly (or indirectly via the insert 11) against the surface 12 and the nut 110, at least partially housed in the recess 52 of the blade 50, is screwed onto the threaded portion of the rod 130. The contact surface 51 of the blade 50 is in contact with the external surface 13 of the support 10. The clamping force exerted between the bearing member 120 and the nut 110 induces a stressing of the blade 50 and the support 10 towards each other along the radial direction 14, the resulting pressure occurring between the contact surface 51 of the blade 50 and the external surface 13 of the support 10.

[0072] In one embodiment, the blade 50 includes a region where the composite material is thicker, with the housing 52 formed within this region. This allows the stresses at the interface between the housing 52 and the assembly system 100 to be distributed / spread out, thus contributing to the improved robustness of the rotor 1. This region is arranged, in particular, on the side of the contact surface 51, which can be delimited by said region. This region can define a blade root, that is, a base of the blade 50 whose thickness is greater than in other regions of the blade 50 or even than in the rest of the blade 50. In particular, the through hole 54 can also be formed within this region. This region is clearly identifiable, especially in figures 1, 2 , 3, 4 , 6 And 7 .

[0073] A rotor 1 with a blade 50 has been described above, but it is quite obvious, and with reference to the figure 5for example, that the rotor 1 may however comprise a plurality of blades 50. Generally, each blade 50 is fixed to the support 10 using at least one assembly system 100 as described previously.

[0074] Thus, according to one embodiment, at least one blade 50 is fixed to the support 10 by means of a plurality of assembly systems 100 offset along the support 10 along a straight or non-straight line 150 (depending in particular on the shape of the contact surface 51 of the blade 50) having at least one component along the axis of rotation 2 of the rotor 1. These arrangements are visible on the figure 6for example. The different orifices 15 made in the support 10 in order to fix the same blade 50 are therefore staggered, at regular or not intervals, along this line 150, allowing the use of a plurality of assembly systems 100 to fix the blade 50 to the support 10 at different points staggered along the line 150.

[0075] When at least one blade 50 is fixed to the support 10 by means of a plurality of assembly systems 100, the resulting housings 52, and in particular the through holes 54, are preferentially each provided in the region in which the composite material is in excess thickness.

[0076] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the rotor 1 comprises a plurality of blades 50 where each individual blade 50 is fixed to the support 10 by at least one assembly system 100 as described previously, which only participates in the fixing of said individual blade 50 without participating in the fixing of another blade 50.

[0077] As can be deduced from figures 1, 2 And 7 In one embodiment, the composite material used to manufacture each blade 50 comprises a plurality of layers of fibers 60i (i ranging from 1 to n, where n is the total number of fiber layers) superimposed and held in a matrix. It is understood that the total number n of fiber layers 60i can be arbitrary, depending on the requirements, for example, the expected dimensions of the blade and / or the nature of the fibers or the matrix.

[0078] The matrix is ​​preferably made of a thermoplastic or thermosetting material. Thus, the matrix can be made of epoxy, polyester or vinyl ester.

[0079] Based on numerical simulations and tests, the fibers can include carbon fibers, which give excellent results in practice and in numerical simulations performed for the intended applications. Other types of fibers can be considered, such as aramid fibers (like Kevlar® fibers) or glass fibers.

[0080] According to one embodiment, the fiber layers 60 i are superimposed along a stacking direction 61, and the through hole 54 has an axial direction 54a substantially orthogonal to the stacking direction 61, as illustrated in the figure 1 In practice, the stacking direction 61 also corresponds to the direction 56 mentioned previously.

[0081] In one embodiment, preferably but not exclusively, the fibers belonging to the same fiber web 60i are unidirectional. "Unidirectional" means a common orientation of the fibers within the fiber web, in the same direction to within 10°. This common orientation is also called the "preferred direction." Thus, the composite material used to manufacture each blade 50 is such that: each fiber layer 60 i of said composite material has such a preferred direction 160 i (where varies from 1 to n) along which fibers of said fiber layer 60i are oriented; at least one of the fiber layers 60 i of said composite material is such that its preferred direction 160 i, in the vicinity of the contact surface 51 of the blade 50, is a reference direction oriented substantially radially with respect to the axis of rotation 2 of the rotor 1.

[0082] In other words, this reference direction is, near the contact zone of the blade 50 against the support 10, substantially aligned (within 5°) with the radial direction 14 previously mentioned in relation to the support 10.

[0083] On the figure 7The fibers of the 601 fiber web are substantially oriented along the preferred direction 1601. The fibers of the 602 fiber web are substantially oriented along the preferred direction 1602. The fibers of the 603 fiber web are substantially oriented along the preferred direction 1603. The fibers of the 60(i-2) fiber web are substantially oriented along the preferred direction 160(i-2). The fibers of the 60(i-1) fiber web are substantially oriented along the preferred direction 160(i-1). The fibers of the 60i fiber web are substantially oriented along the preferred direction 1601. The fibers of the 60(i+1) fiber web are substantially oriented along the preferred direction 160(i+1).

[0084] According to one embodiment, the axial direction 54a of the through hole 54 is formed at least partially in the thickness of one of the fiber layers 60 i whose preferred direction 160 i corresponds to the aforementioned reference direction.

[0085] According to a particular embodiment, the composite material used for the manufacture of each blade 50 comprises a superposition of stacks of fiber plies 60 i, each of said stacks of fiber plies 60 i comprising: one of the fiber layers of the composite material, called the first layer, whose preferred fiber orientation direction is different from the reference direction; one of the fiber layers of the composite material, called the second layer, whose preferred fiber orientation direction is different from the reference direction and the preferred fiber orientation direction of the first layer; one of the fiber layers of the composite material, arranged between the first layer and the second layer, whose fibers are oriented according to the aforementioned reference direction.

[0086] There figure 7 allows us to illustrate these provisions, for example. On the figure 7The 60(i-1) fiber array, whose fibers are oriented along the preferred direction 160(i-1), and the 60(i) fiber array, whose fibers are oriented along the preferred direction 160(i), with the preferred directions 160(i-1) and 160(i) being oriented along the reference direction (which is substantially aligned (within 5°) with the radial direction 14), are arranged between, on the one hand, the 60(i-2) fiber array, whose fibers are oriented along the preferred direction 160(i-2), and, on the other hand, the 60(i+1) fiber array, whose fibers are oriented along the preferred direction 160(i+1). The preferred direction 160(i-2) is different from the reference direction. The preferred direction 160 (i+1) is different from the reference direction and the preferred direction 160 (i-2).The 60(i-2) fiber mat plays the role of the first mat mentioned above, while the 60(i+1) fiber mat plays the role of the second mat mentioned above.

[0087] Of course, each stack includes at least three layers of fibers but can also include X layers of fibers, with X strictly greater than 3.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the preferred fiber orientation direction of each first layer forms an angle with the reference direction between -15 degrees and -90 degrees, and the preferred fiber orientation direction of each second layer forms an angle with the reference direction between +15 degrees and +90 degrees. For example, the preferred 160(i-2) direction of the fibers in the 60(i-2) fiber layer, which acts as the first layer, forms an angle α(i-2) of approximately -30° with the reference direction, while the preferred 160(i+1) direction of the fibers in the 60(i,1) fiber layer, which acts as the second layer, forms an angle α(i+1) of approximately -30° with the reference direction.

[0089] It is important to clarify that the preferred directions are not imposed identically in the alternation, whether within a stack or from one stack to another. The angles formed successively by the preferred directions of successive fiber layers with respect to the reference direction can be either 0° / 30° / -30° / 0° / 45° / -45° or 0° / 30° / 0° / -30° / 0° / ..., for example.

[0090] Composite materials, for example impregnated carbon fiber draped in unidirectional cross layers, thus advantageously exhibit very good mechanical resistances in its fiber direction (tensile strength greater than 1000 MPa) despite an advantageously very low density.

[0091] According to one embodiment, the assembly system 100, the through hole 54 and the housing 52 are configured to permit a pivoting movement of the nut 110 about a pivot axis substantially orthogonal to the direction of the clamping force applied by the assembly system 100 and to a plane in which is included the axis of rotation 2 of the rotor 1.

[0092] According to one embodiment, the support part 140 of the assembly system 100 is configured to slide on the cylindrical surface delimited by the wall 55 of the housing 52 during the pivoting movement of the nut 110.

[0093] A compressor (not shown in its entirety) configured to compress an aqueous gas is also described, although not shown in its entirety. It comprises a rotor 1 as described previously. The rotor 1 is mounted for rotation in a terrestrial frame of reference by any known and suitable means of rotational mounting. The compressor also includes a drive device (not shown), which may be electrical, pneumatic, thermal, or any other energy source, ensuring the rotational drive of the rotor 1. The compressor may be of any type, including, in particular, a centrifugal compressor.

[0094] According to another aspect, a compression installation (not shown in its entirety) is also described, ensuring the compression of an aqueous gas. This compression installation includes a circulation network in which the aqueous gas is present and suitable for being circulated in a channeled manner. The network includes at least one compressor as described previously, arranged to be traversed by the aqueous gas, from which it follows that when the gas circulates in the circulation network, it presents, downstream of said at least one compressor, a pressure greater than its pressure upstream of said at least one compressor.

[0095] According to another characteristic of the installation, the aqueous gas contains at least 30%, preferably between 70% and 100%, of H2O by mass proportion.

[0096] The invention finds its industrial application in the field of aqueous gas compression, in particular thanks to the rotor as described which makes it possible to limit the weight of the rotor while making it robust with regard to the breakage of its blade(s).

[0097] The assembly system 100 as described above makes the rotor 1 capable of withstanding the centrifugal forces occurring during operation, particularly transonic operation in an aqueous medium, i.e. containing at least 30% by mass of water in the gaseous state.

[0098] Typically, the peripheral speed of rotor 1 in a centrifugal compressor is of the same order of magnitude as the speed of sound in the medium being compressed; in the case of water in its gaseous state, this speed is around 425 m / s, compared to 344 m / s at 20°C in air. The temperature rise of the gas during compression leads to peripheral speeds close to 480 m / s in the sonic regime. The rotational speeds of rotor 1 must therefore be increased to reach these peripheral speeds, and the stresses imposed on the material constituting the blades, being proportional to the square of the rotational speed of rotor 1 multiplied by its density and the radius of rotation, are significantly increased.This is why the assembly system 100 described above is particularly robust, helps to limit the risks of breakage of a blade 50, and is adapted to the field of aqueous gas which must cooperate with the rotor 1 during its rotation.

[0099] The materials used to construct rotor blades can conventionally be classified by comparing their density to their elastic strength: a rotor made of a lightweight material produces lower stresses, while its tensile strength remains high, particularly when the composite material contains fibers. Therefore, the use of the composite material according to the present invention, which is lighter than metals such as solid steel or aluminum, makes the rotor 1 particularly robust.

[0100] The composite material described above, which can exhibit good mechanical resistance (tensile strength greater than 1000 MPa) for a very low density, advantageously allows the stress generated by centrifugal forces at the level of the assembly system(s) 100 of each of the at least one blade 50 present to remain below the tensile limits of the material, even at these high speeds.

Claims

1. A rotor (1) for the compression of an aqueous gas, the rotor (1) comprising a support (10), at least one blade (50) formed from a composite material, said blade (50) comprising a contact surface (51) in contact with the support (10), and at least one assembly system (100), the rotor being characterized in that the assembly system (100) comprises: • a nut (110) at least partially housed in a housing (52) provided in a thickness (57) of the blade (50); • a bearing member (120); • a rod (130) connecting the bearing member (120) and the nut (110), successively passing, from the bearing member (120), through a part of the support (10) and through a through hole (54) formed in the blade (50), so as to connect the contact surface (51) of the blade (50) to a wall (55) of the housing (52), the rod (130) comprising at least one threaded portion screwed into the nut (110) such that a clamping force exerted between the bearing member (120) and the nut (110) induces a stress on the blade (50) and the support (10) toward each other.

2. The rotor (1) according to claim 1, wherein: • the wall (55) of the housing (52) comprises a concave cylindrical surface whose generatrix line is substantially parallel to a direction (56) according to which the thickness (57) of the blade (50) is measured, the through hole (54) emerging into the housing (52) through this cylindrical surface, • the assembly system (100) comprises a bearing part (140) traversed by the rod (130) and shaped to correspond to at least one part of the cylindrical surface, the clamping force ensuring that the bearing part (140) bears against said at least one part of the cylindrical surface.

3. The rotor (1) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the rod (130) has a longitudinal direction (131) that extends substantially radially with respect to the rotation axis (2) of the rotor (1).

4. The rotor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the composite material comprises a plurality of fiber layers, said fiber layers being superimposed and held in a matrix.

5. The rotor (1) according to claim 4, wherein the fiber layers (60i) are superimposed along a stacking direction (61), and the through hole (54) has an axial direction (54a) substantially orthogonal to the stacking direction (61).

6. The rotor (1) according to any one of claims 4 and 5, wherein the composite material is such that: • each fiber layer (60i) of said composite material has a preferential direction (160i) along which fibers of said fiber layer (60i) are oriented; • at least one of the fiber layers (60i) of said composite material is such that its preferential direction (160i), near the contact surface (51) of the blade (50), is a reference direction oriented substantially radially with respect to the rotation axis (2) of the rotor (1).

7. The rotor (1) according to claim 6, wherein the composite material comprises a superposition of stacks of fiber layers (60i), each stack of fiber layers (60i) comprising: • one of the fiber layers of the composite material, referred to as the first layer, whose preferential direction of fiber orientation is different from the reference direction; • one of the fiber layers of the composite material, referred to as the second layer, whose preferential direction of fiber orientation is different from the reference direction and from the preferential direction of fiber orientation of the first layer; • one of the fiber layers of the composite material, arranged between the first layer and the second layer, whose fibers are oriented along the reference direction.

8. The rotor (1) according to claim 7, wherein: • the preferential direction of fiber orientation of each first layer forms an angle with the reference direction comprised between -15 degrees and -90 degrees; • the preferential direction of fiber orientation of each second layer forms an angle with the reference direction comprised between +15 degrees and +90 degrees.

9. The rotor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the assembly system (100), the through hole (54), and the housing (52) are configured to allow a pivoting movement of the nut (110) about a pivot axis substantially orthogonal to the direction of the clamping force applied by the assembly system (100) and to a plane including the rotation axis (2) of the rotor (1).

10. The rotor (1) according to claim 9 and claim 2, wherein the bearing part (140) of the assembly system (100) is configured to slide on the cylindrical surface delimited by the wall (55) of the housing (52) during the pivoting movement of the nut (110).

11. The rotor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the nut (110) is selected from: • a cross nut (111)formed by a cylinder (111a) pierced with a cylindrical hole (111b) whose internal surface is threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the rod (130) of the assembly system (100), the axis (111c) of the cylinder (111a) and the axis (111d) of the cylindrical hole (111b) being transverse, the cylinder (111a), on the one hand, having a cylindrical surface with a shape complementary, at the periphery of the through hole (54), to the wall (55) of the housing (52), and, on the other hand, being in contact with the wall (55) of the housing (52); • a hex nut (112) pierced with a cylindrical hole (112a) whose internal surface is threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the rod (130) of the assembly system (100), the hex nut (112) bearing on an insert (113) interposed between the hex nut (112) and the wall (55) of the housing (52), the insert (113) being traversed by the rod (130) and having a cylindrical portion (113a), on the one hand, having a cylindrical surface with a shape complementary, at the periphery of the through hole (54), to the wall (55) of the housing (52), and, on the other hand, being in contact with the wall (55) of the housing (52); • a nut (114) formed by a cylinder portion (114a) pierced with a cylindrical hole (114b) whose internal surface is threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the rod (130) of the assembly system (100), the axis (114c) of the cylinder portion (114a) and the axis (114d) of the cylindrical hole (114b) being transverse, the cylinder portion (114a), on the one hand, having a cylindrical surface with a shape complementary, at the periphery of the through hole (54), to the wall (55) of the housing (52), and, on the other hand, being in contact with the wall (55) of the housing (52).

12. The rotor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the blade (50) comprises a region in which the composite material has an excess thickness, the housing (52) being arranged in this region.

13. The rotor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the at least one blade (50) is attached to the support (10) through a plurality of assembly systems (100) offset along the support (10) according to the rotation axis (2) of the rotor (1).

14. The rotor (1) according to claim 13, comprising a plurality of blades (50), each attached to the support (10) by at least one assembly system (100) that contributes solely to the attachment of said blade (50).

15. A compressor for the compression of an aqueous gas comprising a rotor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

16. An installation for compressing an aqueous gas comprising a circulation network in which the aqueous gas is able to circulate in a channeled manner, the network comprising at least one compressor according to claim 15 arranged to be traversed by the aqueous gas, whereby the gas circulating in the circulation network has, downstream of said at least one compressor, a pressure higher than its pressure upstream of said at least one compressor.

17. The installation according to the preceding claim, wherein the aqueous gas contains at least 30%, preferably between 70% and 100%, by mass of H2O.