Compressor apparatus

Abstract

This compressor apparatus comprises: a first compressor including a first compressor impeller; a bearing supporting a rotary shaft of the first compressor impeller to be rotatable; a pipe connected to an outlet of the first compressor; an annular heat exchanger mounted on an outer wall of the pipe; and a bearing cooling line. A through-hole is formed in the outer wall of the pipe. The heat exchanger includes: an air inlet part configured to take in, via the through-hole of the outer wall, some of the air flowing inside the pipe; a heat exchange core configured to cool, by heat exchange with a cooling liquid, the air taken in from the air inlet part; and an air outlet part for discharging the air cooled in the heat exchange core. The bearing cooling line is configured to cool the bearing using the air discharged from the air outlet part of the heat exchanger.

Description

Compressor equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-025064, filed with the Japan Patent Office on February 22, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a heat exchanger fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the housing of a motor connected to a centrifugal compressor. This centrifugal compressor is configured to cool air extracted from a diffuser by the heat exchanger and supply the cooled air to a bearing.

[0003] Patent No. 6911937

[0004] In the compressor described in Patent Document 1, air is extracted from openings formed in the flow path wall of the diffuser and supplied to the heat exchanger, so there is a concern that the openings may reduce aerodynamic performance and reduce compressor efficiency.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, at least one embodiment of the present disclosure aims to provide a compressor device that can promote cooling of the bearings by cooling the air supplied to the bearings using a heat exchanger while suppressing a decrease in compressor efficiency.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a compressor device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a first compressor including a first compressor impeller; a bearing that rotatably supports a rotary shaft of the first compressor impeller; a pipe connected to an outlet of the first compressor; a ring-shaped heat exchanger attached to an outer wall of the pipe; and a bearing cooling line for cooling the bearing, wherein a through hole is formed in the outer wall of the pipe, and the heat exchanger includes: an air inlet portion configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the pipe through the through hole in the outer wall; a heat exchange core configured to cool the air taken in from the air inlet portion by heat exchange with a coolant; and an air outlet portion for discharging the air cooled by the heat exchange core, and the bearing cooling line is configured to cool the bearing by supplying the air discharged from the air outlet portion of the heat exchanger to the bearing.

[0007] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a compressor device that can promote cooling of the bearings by cooling the air supplied to the bearings with a heat exchanger while suppressing a decrease in compressor efficiency.

[0008] 4 is a schematic perspective view of a compressor device 2 according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section including a rotational axis CA in the compressor device 2 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section along the axial direction of the intermediate pipe 10. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of part X in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the configuration shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the air distributor 50. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the coolant distributor 52.

[0009] Several embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of components described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. For example, expressions expressing relative or absolute arrangements, such as "in a certain direction," "along a certain direction," "parallel," "orthogonal," "center," "concentric," or "coaxial," not only strictly express such arrangements, but also express relative displacements with a tolerance or angle or distance to the extent that the same function is achieved. For example, expressions expressing the equality of things, such as "same," "equal," and "homogeneous," not only express strict equality, but also express tolerance or differences to the extent that the same function is achieved. For example, expressions expressing shapes such as a square or cylindrical shape not only express shapes such as a square or cylindrical shape in the strict geometric sense, but also express shapes including concave and convex portions, chamfered portions, etc., to the extent that the same effect is achieved. On the other hand, the expressions "comprise," "include," "have," "includes," or "have" of one element are not exclusive expressions that exclude the presence of other elements.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a compressor device 2 according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a cross section including a rotation axis CA of the compressor device 2 illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0011] 1 and 2 is a two-stage compressor including a motor 4, a low-pressure compressor 6 driven by the motor 4, a high-pressure compressor 8 driven by the motor 4, and an intermediate pipe 10 connecting an outlet 6e of the low-pressure compressor 6 and an inlet 8a of the high-pressure compressor 8. In the compressor device 2, air compressed by the low-pressure compressor 6 is discharged from the outlet 6e of the low-pressure compressor 6 to the intermediate pipe 10, passes through the intermediate pipe 10, and is supplied to the inlet 8a of the high-pressure compressor 8, where it is further compressed by the high-pressure compressor 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the air compressed by the high-pressure compressor 8 is discharged to a pipe 11 connected to the outlet 8e of the high-pressure compressor 8.

[0012] 2, the motor 4 includes a rotor 12, a stator 14 disposed around the rotor 12, and a motor housing 15 that houses the rotor 12 and the stator 14. The low-pressure compressor 6 includes a compressor impeller 16 and a compressor housing 18 that houses the compressor impeller 16. The high-pressure compressor 8 includes a compressor impeller 20 and a compressor housing 22 that houses the compressor impeller 20. The rotor 12 and a rotating shaft 16A of the compressor impeller 16 are connected on the rear surface 16a side of the compressor impeller 16, and the rotor 12 and a rotating shaft 20A of the compressor impeller 20 are connected on the rear surface 20a side of the compressor impeller 20, so that the rotor 12, compressor impeller 16, and compressor impeller 20 rotate integrally. The rotation axis CA in FIG. 1 is a rotation axis common to the rotor 12, the compressor impeller 16, and the compressor impeller 20.

[0013] The low-pressure compressor 6 includes an impeller accommodating space 6b in which a compressor impeller 16 is disposed, a scroll passage 6d formed on the outer periphery of the compressor impeller 16, and an annular diffuser passage 6c connecting the impeller accommodating space 6b and the scroll passage 6d, and an outlet 6e of the low-pressure compressor 6 is formed downstream of the scroll passage 6d. The high-pressure compressor 8 includes an impeller accommodating space 8b in which a compressor impeller 20 is disposed, a scroll passage 8d formed on the outer periphery of the compressor impeller 20, and an annular diffuser passage 8c connecting the impeller accommodating space 8b and the scroll passage 8d, and an outlet 8e of the high-pressure compressor 8 is formed downstream of the scroll passage 8d.

[0014] 2 , the compressor device 2 includes a journal bearing 24 that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 16A between the rotor 12 and the compressor impeller 16, a journal bearing 26 that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 20A between the rotor 12 and the compressor impeller 20, and a thrust bearing 28 that is provided between the journal bearing 24 and the compressor impeller 16 and receives a thrust load from the rotating shaft 16A. Each of the journal bearing 24, the journal bearing 26, and the thrust bearing 28 may be, for example, an air bearing. The compressor device 2 also includes a low-pressure bearing housing 90 that houses the journal bearing 24 and the thrust bearing 28, and a high-pressure bearing housing 91 that houses the journal bearing 26.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2 , the compressor device 2 includes a first bearing cooling line 92 for cooling the journal bearing 26, a motor cooling line 93 for cooling the motor 4, and a second bearing cooling line 94 for cooling the thrust bearing 28.

[0016] The first bearing cooling line 92 includes an internal passage 92 a formed inside the high-pressure bearing housing 91 and is configured to cool the journal bearings 26 by supplying cooling air to the journal bearings 26 through the internal passage 92 a. The motor cooling line 93 includes a gap 93 a between the rotor 12 and the stator 14 and is configured to cool the rotor 12 and the stator 14 by flowing cooling air through the gap 93 a. The second bearing cooling line 94 includes an internal passage 94 a formed inside the low-pressure bearing housing 90 and is configured to cool the thrust bearing 28 by supplying cooling air to the thrust bearing 28 through the internal passage 94 a. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, a portion of the cooling air that has passed through the gap 93 a between the rotor 12 and the stator 14 is supplied to the journal bearing 24 and used to cool the journal bearing 24, and therefore the motor cooling line 93 also functions as a bearing cooling line for cooling the journal bearing 24. In addition, since the cooling air flowing through the motor cooling line 93 cools the journal bearings 26 via the high-pressure bearing housing 91, the motor cooling line 93 also functions as a bearing cooling line for cooling the journal bearings 26.

[0017] Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section along the axial direction of the intermediate pipe 10. The intermediate pipe 10 shown in Fig. 3 extends in a direction parallel to the rotation axis CA (see Fig. 2), and the central axis CB of the intermediate pipe 10 is parallel to the rotation axis CA.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 3 , the compressor device 2 includes an annular heat exchanger 30 attached to an outer wall 10A of an intermediate pipe 10. The intermediate pipe 10 and the heat exchanger 30 are arranged concentrically about a central axis CB, and an inner circumferential surface 30a of the heat exchanger 30 faces the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10. A plurality of through holes 32 are formed in the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10 at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the outer diameter of each of the end portions 10a, 10b of the intermediate pipe 10 is larger than the outer diameter of the central portion 10c of the intermediate pipe 10, and the heat exchanger 30 is attached to the outer wall 10A of the central portion 10c of the intermediate pipe 10.

[0019] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the term "axial direction" refers to the axial direction of the intermediate pipe 10, i.e., the axial direction of the annular heat exchanger 30 (a direction parallel to the central axis CB), the term "radial direction" refers to the radial direction of the intermediate pipe 10, i.e., the radial direction of the annular heat exchanger 30 (a radial direction centered on the central axis CB), and the term "circumferential direction" refers to the circumferential direction of the intermediate pipe 10, i.e., the circumferential direction of the annular heat exchanger 30 (a circumferential direction centered on the central axis CB), unless otherwise specified.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 30 includes an air inlet section 34, a coolant inlet header 36 (coolant inlet section), a heat exchange core 38, an air outlet header 40 (air outlet section), and a coolant outlet header 42 (coolant outlet section).

[0021] The air inlet portion 34 is provided on the inner periphery side of the annular heat exchanger 30 and is configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the intermediate pipe 10 into the heat exchanger 30 through a plurality of through holes 32 in the outer wall 10A.

[0022] The coolant inlet header 36 is provided on the outer periphery of the annular heat exchanger 30 and is configured to take in coolant supplied from a coolant supply source (not shown) into the heat exchanger 30. The coolant used in the heat exchanger 30 may be, for example, water, or LLC (Long Life Coolant) containing an additive such as an antifreeze.

[0023] The heat exchange core 38 is configured to cool air taken into the heat exchanger 30 through the air inlet section 34 by heat exchange with the coolant taken into the heat exchanger 30 through the coolant inlet header 36 .

[0024] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the heat exchange core 38 includes a plurality of air passages 44 through which air flows and a plurality of coolant passages 46 through which coolant flows, the air passages 44 and the coolant passages 46 being arranged alternately in the radial direction. Each of the plurality of air passages 44 and each of the plurality of coolant passages 46 extend along the axial direction. The direction of air flow in each of the plurality of air passages 44 and the direction of coolant flow in each of the plurality of coolant passages 46 are opposite in the axial direction. Of the plurality of air passages 44 and the plurality of coolant passages 46 included in the heat exchanger 30, the coolant passage 46 is the passage located innermost in the radial direction. In the heat exchange core 38, the air flowing through each air passage 44 is cooled by heat exchange with the coolant flowing through the coolant passage 46 adjacent to that air passage 44.

[0025] 3, the heat exchanger 30 includes an annular air distributor 50 that distributes air taken in through the air inlet section 34 to the multiple air flow paths 44, and an annular coolant distributor 52 that distributes coolant taken in through the coolant inlet header 36 to the multiple coolant flow paths 46. The heat exchange core 38 is located axially between the air distributor 50 and the coolant distributor 52.

[0026] The air outlet header 40 is connected to the plurality of air flow paths 44 and is configured to discharge air cooled by the heat exchange core 38 (air that has passed through the plurality of air flow paths 44) from the heat exchanger 30. An air tube 41, through which the air discharged from the air outlet header 40 flows, is connected to the air outlet header 40, and the air tube 41 branches via a branch portion 41 a into a first bearing cooling line 92, a motor cooling line 93, and a second bearing cooling line 94. The first bearing cooling line 92 uses the air (cooling air) discharged from the air outlet header 40 to cool the journal bearings 26 as described above, the motor cooling line 93 uses the air discharged from the air outlet header 40 to cool the rotor 12 and the stator 14 of the motor as described above, and the second bearing cooling line 94 uses the air discharged from the air outlet header 40 to cool the thrust bearing 28 as described above.

[0027] According to the compressor device 2, the annular heat exchanger 30 is attached to the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10 connected to the outlet 6e of the low-pressure compressor 6. The heat exchanger 30 takes in air through a through-hole 32 formed in the outer wall 10A. This configuration reduces energy loss in the diffuser passage 6c and thus reduces a decrease in efficiency of the low-pressure compressor 6, compared to the configuration described in Patent Document 1 (in which air used to cool the bearings is extracted from an opening formed in the passage wall of the diffuser passage of the compressor). Therefore, while suppressing a decrease in efficiency of the low-pressure compressor 6, the air supplied to the journal bearings 24, 26, the thrust bearing 28, and the motor 4 can be cooled by the heat exchanger 30, thereby promoting cooling of the journal bearings 24, 26, the thrust bearing 28, and the motor 4. Furthermore, the heat exchanger 30 may be attached to the intermediate pipe 10 when the compressor device 2 is operated at a high output (high thermal load), allowing for flexible operation according to conditions.

[0028] Furthermore, since the air flowing through the intermediate pipe 10 is cooled by the annular heat exchanger 30, it is possible to cool not only the air supplied to the bearings 24, 26, 28 and the motor 4, but also the air supplied to the high-pressure compressor 8. This improves the efficiency of the high-pressure compressor 8.

[0029] In addition, by axially opposing the direction in which air flows in each of the multiple air flow paths 44 and the direction in which coolant flows in each of the multiple coolant flow paths 46, high temperature efficiency can be achieved in the heat exchanger 30.

[0030] Furthermore, since the air flow paths 44 and the coolant flow paths 46 are arranged alternately in the radial direction, multiple air flow paths 44 and multiple coolant flow paths 46 can be efficiently arranged in the limited space in the annular heat exchanger 30, thereby preventing the heat exchanger 30 from becoming larger.

[0031] Of the plurality of air flow paths 44 and the plurality of coolant flow paths 46 provided in the heat exchanger 30, the flow path located radially innermost is set as the coolant flow path 46, thereby enhancing the effect of cooling the air flowing through the intermediate pipe 10 to which the annular heat exchanger 30 is attached. This enhances the effect of improving the efficiency of the high-pressure compressor 8.

[0032] Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part (approximately the upper half) of a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the heat exchange core 38. Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of part X in Fig. 4.

[0033] 4, the heat exchange core 38 includes a cylindrical outer wall 54, a cylindrical inner wall 56 located radially inward of the outer wall 54, and a plurality of cylindrical partition walls 58 arranged between the outer wall 54 and the inner wall 56. The outer wall 54, the inner wall 56, and the plurality of cylindrical partition walls 58 are arranged on concentric circles centered on the central axis CB (see FIG. 3), and each of the plurality of cylindrical partition walls 58 separates the adjacent air flow passages 44 and coolant flow passages 46.

[0034] 5, the heat exchange core 38 includes a plurality of partition walls 60 configured to divide each of the plurality of air flow paths 44 into a plurality of circumferentially spaced air flow path portions 44a. The heat exchange core 38 also includes a plurality of partition walls 62 configured to divide each of the plurality of coolant flow paths 46 into a plurality of circumferentially spaced coolant flow path portions 46a.

[0035] 5, for the air flow passage 44 and the coolant flow passage 46 that are adjacent in the radial direction, the air flowing through the air flow passage portion 44a and the coolant flowing through the coolant flow passage portion 46a exchange heat with each other using the cylindrical partition wall 58 as a primary heat transfer surface, and the partition walls 60 and 62 as secondary heat transfer surfaces. This allows the heat exchanger 30 to achieve high heat exchange performance.

[0036] Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the configuration shown in Fig. 5. In the configuration shown in Fig. 6, the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 5 indicate the same configurations as those in Fig. 5 unless otherwise specified, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0037] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 6 , the heat exchange core 38 may include protrusions 65 formed on the flow path wall surfaces 64 of the air flow path sections 44a. The protrusions 65 may be protrusions whose longitudinal direction is the direction protruding from the flow path wall surfaces 64, or may be ribs extending in a direction along the flow path wall surfaces 64 (e.g., the axial direction or a direction intersecting the axial direction). Note that, although the protrusions 65 are provided in each of the plurality of air flow path sections 44a in the example shown in Fig. 6 , the protrusions 65 may be provided in only some of the plurality of air flow path sections 44a.

[0038] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 6 , the heat exchange core 38 may include protrusions 68 formed on the flow path wall surfaces 66 of the coolant flow path sections 46a. The protrusions 68 may be protrusions whose longitudinal direction is a direction protruding from the flow path wall surfaces 66, or may be ribs extending in a direction along the flow path wall surfaces 66 (e.g., in the axial direction or a direction intersecting the axial direction). Note that, although the protrusions 68 are provided in each of the multiple coolant flow path sections 46a in the example shown in Fig. 6 , the protrusions 68 may be provided in only some of the multiple coolant flow path sections 46a.

[0039] According to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the area contributing to heat transfer is increased by the protrusions 65 and 68, and the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger 30 can be improved.

[0040] 6 , in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the coolant flow path section 46ai, which is located radially innermost among the multiple coolant flow path sections 46a included in the heat exchange core 38, may be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the coolant flow path section 46ai located radially outer than the coolant flow path section 46ai. In the illustrated example, the radial dimension of the coolant flow path section 46ai located radially innermost is larger than the radial dimension of the coolant flow path section 46ai located radially outer than the coolant flow path section 46ai. This can enhance the effect of cooling the air flowing through the intermediate pipe 10 by the heat exchanger 30.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part (upper half) of the air distributor 50 taken along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0042] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the air distributor 50 may include a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial passages 70 and a plurality of radially spaced circumferential passages 72 arranged in concentric circles about the central axis CB.

[0043] 7 , each of the plurality of radial flow passages 70 extends along the radial direction and connects (intersects) with a plurality of circumferential flow passages 72. Each of the plurality of circumferential flow passages 72 extends along the circumferential direction and is formed in an annular shape. Each of the circumferential flow passages 72 is configured as a branch flow passage branched from each of the radial flow passages 70.

[0044] In this configuration, the air flowing through the radial flow path 70 flows into multiple circumferential flow paths 72 at different radial positions, and is supplied from the multiple circumferential flow paths 72 to the above-mentioned multiple air flow path sections 44a (see Figure 5, etc.).

[0045] 7, the air inlet section 34 includes a plurality of openings 34a formed at intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface 51 of the annular air distributor 50. The plurality of openings 34a of the air inlet section 34 are arranged to correspond to the plurality of through holes 32 (see FIG. 3) in the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10, respectively, and the air inlet section 34 is configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the intermediate pipe 10 into the air distributor 50 via the plurality of through holes 32 and the plurality of openings 34a.

[0046] 7, the air distributor 50 includes a plurality of radial flow paths 70 and a plurality of circumferential flow paths 72, so that the air taken in from the air inlet 34 can be distributed to all of the air flow path sections 44a in the heat exchange core 38, and an appropriate flow rate of air can be maintained to all of the air flow path sections 44a in the heat exchange core 38. This allows the heat exchanger 30 to achieve high temperature efficiency.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part (upper half) of the coolant distributor 52 taken along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0048] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, the coolant distributor 52 may include a plurality of radial passages 80 spaced apart in a circumferential direction and a plurality of circumferential passages 82 spaced apart in a radial direction and arranged in concentric circles about the central axis CB.

[0049] 8 , each of the plurality of radial flow paths 80 extends along the radial direction and connects (intersects) with a plurality of circumferential flow paths 82. Each of the plurality of circumferential flow paths 82 extends along the circumferential direction and is formed in an annular shape. Each of the circumferential flow paths 82 is configured as a branch flow path branched off from each of the radial flow paths 80.

[0050] In this configuration, the coolant supplied from the coolant inlet header 36 (see FIG. 3) to the outer circumferential portion 53 of the coolant distributor 52 flows radially inward through the radial flow paths 80. The coolant flowing through the radial flow paths 80 flows into the multiple circumferential flow paths 72 at different radial positions, and is supplied from the multiple circumferential flow paths 82 to the multiple coolant flow path portions 46a (see FIG. 5, etc.).

[0051] 8, the coolant distributor 52 includes a plurality of radial flow paths 80 and a plurality of circumferential flow paths 82, so that the air taken in from the coolant inlet header 36 can be distributed to all of the coolant flow path sections 46a in the heat exchange core 38, and the distribution of the coolant at an appropriate flow rate to all of the coolant flow path sections 46a in the heat exchange core 38 can be maintained. This makes it possible to achieve high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger 30.

[0052] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but also includes modifications to the above-described embodiments and appropriate combinations of these modifications.

[0053] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the annular heat exchanger 30 is provided on the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10, but the annular heat exchanger 30 may be provided on the outer wall of the pipe 11 (see FIG. 2) connected to the outlet 8e of the high-pressure compressor 8.

[0054] 5 and the like, the air flow path portions 44a and the coolant flow path portions 46a are alternately arranged in the radial direction, but the air flow path portions 44a and the coolant flow path portions 46a may be alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, or the air flow path portions 44a and the coolant flow path portions 46a may be staggered in the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction. That is, in the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, the air flow path portions 44a and the coolant flow path portions 46a may be alternately arranged in both the radial direction and the circumferential direction, which can increase the amount of heat exchanged by the primary heat transfer surface and improve the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger 30.

[0055] Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 etc., the direction in which the air flows in each of the multiple air flow paths 44 and the direction in which the coolant flows in each of the multiple coolant flow paths 46 are opposite in the axial direction, but the direction in which the air flows in each of the multiple air flow paths 44 and the direction in which the coolant flows in each of the multiple coolant flow paths 46 may be the same in the axial direction or may be directions that intersect (orthogonal to) each other.

[0056] Furthermore, the compressor device 2 shown in FIG. 2 etc. is a two-stage electric compressor in which the low-pressure compressor 6 and the high-pressure compressor 8 are driven by the motor 4, but the compressor device of the present disclosure may be a single-stage electric compressor and may not be equipped with a motor.

[0057] The contents described in each of the above embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0058] [1] A compressor device (e.g., the above-described compressor device 2) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a first compressor (e.g., the above-described low-pressure compressor 6 or high-pressure compressor 8) including a first compressor impeller (e.g., the above-described compressor impeller 16 or compressor impeller 20); a bearing (e.g., the above-described journal bearing 24, journal bearing 26, or thrust bearing 28) that rotatably supports a rotating shaft of the first compressor impeller (e.g., the above-described rotating shaft 16A or 20A); a pipe (e.g., the above-described intermediate pipe 10 or pipe 11) connected to an outlet of the first compressor; an annular heat exchanger (e.g., the above-described heat exchanger 30) attached to an outer wall of the pipe; and a bearing cooling line (e.g., the above-described first bearing cooling line 92, motor cooling line 93, or second bearing cooling line 94), for cooling the bearing; and a through hole (e.g., the above-described through hole 32) formed in the outer wall of the pipe, and the heat exchanger is an air inlet section (for example, the above-mentioned air inlet section 34) configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the piping through the through-hole in the outer wall; a heat exchange core (for example, the above-mentioned heat exchange core 38) configured to cool the air taken in from the air inlet section by heat exchange with a coolant; and an air outlet section (for example, the above-mentioned air outlet header 40) that discharges the air cooled by the heat exchange core, and the bearing cooling line is configured to cool the bearing using the air discharged from the air outlet section of the heat exchanger.

[0059] According to the compressor device described in [1] above, the annular heat exchanger is attached to the outer wall of the pipe connected to the outlet of the first compressor, and takes in air through through holes formed in the outer wall of the pipe. This makes it possible to suppress energy loss in the diffuser and reduce a decrease in efficiency of the first compressor, compared to the configuration described in Patent Document 1 (a configuration in which air used to cool the bearings is extracted from an opening formed in the flow path wall of the compressor diffuser). Therefore, it is possible to cool the air supplied to the bearings by the heat exchanger, and promote cooling of the bearings, while suppressing a decrease in efficiency of the first compressor.

[0060] [2] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [1] above, the compressor device includes a second compressor (e.g., the above-mentioned high-pressure compressor 8), and the piping is an intermediate piping (e.g., the above-mentioned intermediate piping 10) connecting the outlet of the first compressor and the inlet of the second compressor.

[0061] According to the compressor device described in [2] above, the air flowing through the intermediate pipe is cooled by the annular heat exchanger, so that not only the air supplied to the bearings but also the air supplied to the second compressor can be cooled, thereby improving the efficiency of the second compressor in addition to the effect of [1] above.

[0062] [3] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [1] or [2] above, the heat exchange core includes a plurality of air flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of air flow paths 44) through which the air flows and a plurality of coolant flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of coolant flow paths 46) through which the coolant flows, each of the plurality of air flow paths and each of the plurality of coolant flow paths extend along the axial direction of the piping, and the direction in which the air flows in each of the plurality of air flow paths and the direction in which the coolant flows in each of the plurality of coolant flow paths are opposite in the axial direction.

[0063] According to the compressor device described in [3] above, the direction in which air flows in each of the plurality of air flow paths and the direction in which coolant flows in each of the plurality of coolant flow paths are opposite to each other in the axial direction, thereby making it possible to achieve high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger.

[0064] [4] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [3] above, the heat exchanger includes an air distributor (e.g., the air distributor 50 described above) that distributes the air taken in from the air inlet portion to the multiple air flow paths, a coolant inlet portion, and a coolant distributor (e.g., the coolant distributor 52 described above) that distributes the coolant taken in from the coolant inlet portion to the multiple coolant flow paths, and the heat exchange core is located between the air distributor and the coolant distributor in the axial direction.

[0065] According to the compressor device described in [4] above, the direction in which air flows in each of the plurality of air flow paths and the direction in which coolant flows in each of the plurality of coolant flow paths are opposite to each other in the axial direction, thereby making it possible to achieve high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger.

[0066] [5] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in any of [1] to [4] above, the heat exchange core includes a plurality of air flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of air flow paths 44) through which the air flows and a plurality of coolant flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of coolant flow paths 46) through which the coolant flows, and the air flow paths and the coolant flow paths are alternately arranged in the radial direction of the piping.

[0067] According to the compressor device described in [5] above, it is possible to efficiently arrange multiple air flow paths and multiple coolant flow paths in a limited space in an annular heat exchanger, thereby preventing the heat exchanger from becoming too large.

[0068] [6] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [5] above, among the plurality of air flow paths and the plurality of coolant flow paths, the flow path located most inward in the radial direction is the coolant flow path.

[0069] According to the compressor device described in [6] above, by using the radially innermost flow path as a coolant flow path, it is possible to enhance the effect of cooling the air flowing through the pipe to which the annular heat exchanger is attached. Therefore, particularly when the compressor device includes a second compressor and the pipe is an intermediate pipe connecting the outlet of the first compressor and the inlet of the second compressor, it is possible to enhance the effect of improving the efficiency of the second compressor.

[0070] [7] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [5] or [6] above, the heat exchange core includes a plurality of partition walls (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of partition walls 60) configured to divide each of the plurality of air flow paths into a plurality of air flow path sections (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of air flow path sections 44a) spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the piping.

[0071] According to the compressor device described in the above [7], each of the plurality of partition walls can be used as a secondary heat transfer surface, thereby improving the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger.

[0072] [8] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in any one of [5] to [7] above, the heat exchange core includes a plurality of partition walls (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of partition walls 62) configured to divide each of the plurality of coolant flow paths into a plurality of coolant flow path sections (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of coolant flow path sections 46a) spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the piping.

[0073] According to the compressor device described in the above [8], each of the plurality of partition walls can be used as a secondary heat transfer surface, thereby improving the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger.

[0074] [9] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [7] above, the heat exchange core includes a convex portion (for example, the convex portion 65 described above) formed on the flow path wall surface of the air flow path portion.

[0075] According to the compressor device described in [9] above, the area contributing to heat transfer can be increased by the protrusions, thereby improving the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger.

[0076]

[10] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [8] above, the heat exchange core includes a convex portion (for example, the convex portion 68 described above) formed on a flow path wall surface of the coolant flow path portion.

[0077] According to the compressor device described in the above

[10] , the area contributing to heat transfer can be increased by the protrusions, thereby improving the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger.

[0078]

[11] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [7] above, the heat exchanger includes an air distributor (e.g., the above-mentioned air distributor 50) that distributes the air taken in from the air inlet portion to the plurality of air flow path portions, and the air distributor includes a plurality of radial flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of radial flow paths 70) that are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the piping, and a plurality of circumferential flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of circumferential flow paths 72) that are arranged on concentric circles at intervals in the radial direction of the piping, and each of the plurality of radial flow paths extends along the radial direction and is connected to the plurality of circumferential flow paths.

[0079] According to the compressor device described in

[11] above, it is possible to maintain an appropriate flow rate of air distributed to the plurality of air flow passages in the compressor device described in [7] above, thereby realizing high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger.

[0080]

[12] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [8] above, the heat exchanger includes a coolant inlet portion (e.g., the above-mentioned coolant inlet header 36), and a coolant distributor (e.g., the above-mentioned coolant distributor 52) that distributes the coolant taken in from the coolant inlet portion to the plurality of coolant flow path portions, and the coolant distributor includes a plurality of radial flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of radial flow paths 80) that are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the piping, and a plurality of circumferential flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of circumferential flow paths 82) that are arranged on concentric circles at intervals in the radial direction of the piping, and each of the plurality of radial flow paths extends along the radial direction and is connected to the plurality of circumferential flow paths.

[0081] According to the compressor device described in

[12] above, it is possible to maintain the distribution of the coolant at an appropriate flow rate to the plurality of coolant flow passages in the compressor device described in [8] above, thereby realizing high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger.

[0082] 2 Compressor device 4 Motor 6 Low-pressure compressor 6b, 8b Impeller accommodating space 6c, 8c Diffuser passage 6d, 8d Scroll passage 6e, 8e Outlet 8 High-pressure compressor 8a Inlet 10 Intermediate piping 10A, 54 Outer wall 10a, 10b End 10c Central portion 12 Rotor 14 Stator 15 Motor housing 16, 20 Compressor impeller 16A, 20A Rotating shaft 16a, 20a Back surface 18, 22 Compressor housing 24, 26 Journal bearing 28 Thrust bearing 30 Heat exchanger 30a, 51 Inner peripheral surface 32 Through hole 34 Air inlet portion 34a Opening 36 Coolant inlet header 38 Heat exchange core 40 Air outlet header 41 Air tube 41a Branch portion 42 Coolant outlet header 44 Air flow path 44a Air flow path portion 46 Coolant flow path 46a Coolant flow path portion 50 Air distributor 52 Coolant distributor 53 Outer periphery 56 Inner wall 58 Cylindrical partition wall 60, 62 Partition wall 64, 66 Flow path wall surface 65, 68 Convex portion 70, 80 Radial flow path 72, 82 Circumferential flow path 90 Low-pressure bearing housing 91 High-pressure bearing housing 92a, 94a Internal flow path 92 First bearing cooling line 93 Motor cooling line 93a Gap 94 Second bearing cooling line CA Rotation axis CB Central axis

Claims

1. A compressor device comprising: a first compressor including a first compressor impeller; a bearing rotatably supporting a rotary shaft of the first compressor impeller; piping connected to the outlet of the first compressor; a ring-shaped heat exchanger attached to the outer wall of the piping; and a bearing cooling line for cooling the bearing, wherein a through hole is formed in the outer wall of the piping, and the heat exchanger includes: an air inlet section configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the piping through the through hole in the outer wall; a heat exchange core configured to cool the air taken in from the air inlet section by heat exchange with a coolant; and an air outlet section for discharging the air cooled by the heat exchange core, and the bearing cooling line configured to cool the bearing using the air discharged from the air outlet section of the heat exchanger.

2. The compressor device according to claim 1, wherein the compressor device includes a second compressor, and the piping is an intermediate piping that connects the outlet of the first compressor and the inlet of the second compressor.

3. The compressor device according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange core includes a plurality of air passages through which the air flows and a plurality of coolant passages through which the coolant flows, each of the plurality of air passages and each of the plurality of coolant passages extending along the axial direction of the piping, and the direction in which the air flows in each of the plurality of air passages and the direction in which the coolant flows in each of the plurality of coolant passages are opposite in the axial direction.

4. A compressor device according to claim 3, wherein the heat exchanger includes an air distributor that distributes the air taken in through the air inlet portion to the plurality of air flow paths, a coolant inlet portion, and a coolant distributor that distributes the coolant taken in through the coolant inlet portion to the plurality of coolant flow paths, and the heat exchange core is located between the air distributor and the coolant distributor in the axial direction.

5. The compressor device according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange core includes a plurality of air passages through which the air flows and a plurality of coolant passages through which the coolant flows, and the air passages and the coolant passages are alternately arranged in the radial direction of the piping.

6. The compressor device according to claim 5, wherein the cooling liquid flow path is the flow path located most inward in the radial direction among the plurality of air flow paths and the plurality of cooling liquid flow paths.

7. The compressor device according to claim 5, wherein said heat exchange core includes a plurality of partition walls configured to divide each of said plurality of air flow passages into a plurality of air flow passage portions spaced apart in the circumferential direction of said piping.

8. The compressor device according to claim 5, wherein the heat exchange core includes a plurality of partition walls configured to divide each of the plurality of coolant flow paths into a plurality of coolant flow path portions spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the piping.

9. The compressor device according to claim 7, wherein the heat exchange core includes a protrusion formed on a flow path wall surface of the air flow path portion.

10. The compressor device according to claim 8, wherein the heat exchange core includes a protrusion formed on a flow path wall surface of the coolant flow path portion.

11. The compressor device according to claim 7, wherein the heat exchanger includes an air distributor that distributes the air taken in from the air inlet to the plurality of air flow paths, the air distributor including a plurality of radial flow paths spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the piping, and a plurality of circumferential flow paths spaced apart in the radial direction of the piping, and each of the plurality of radial flow paths extends along the radial direction and is connected to the plurality of circumferential flow paths.

12. The compressor device according to claim 8, wherein the heat exchanger includes a coolant inlet portion and a coolant distributor that distributes the coolant taken in from the coolant inlet portion to the plurality of coolant flow paths, and the coolant distributor includes a plurality of radial flow paths arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the piping, and a plurality of circumferential flow paths arranged on concentric circles at intervals in the radial direction of the piping, and each of the plurality of radial flow paths extends along the radial direction and is connected to the plurality of circumferential flow paths.

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