Centrifugal Compressor Gas Bearing Cooling via Bleed Port
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing centrifugal compressors face challenges in efficiently cooling their gas bearing structures while maintaining a compact size, often resulting in heat loss and increased size due to lengthy cooling paths and incompatibility with gas bearing structures.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a centrifugal compressor design that includes a gas bleed port, a bearing cooling line, and a heat exchanger mounted on either the motor or compressor housing, where compressed gas is used as a refrigerant to cool the gas bearing structure, reducing heat loss and size by minimizing the cooling path length and utilizing compressed gas as a compatible refrigerant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional cooling system is used for the gas bearing structure, then the bearing can be cooled, but the cooling path becomes lengthy causing heat loss and increased device size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from an external cooling system and integrates it directly into the compressed gas discharge path. The gas bearing structure is cooled by utilizing the compressed gas itself as it passes through the discharge port, eliminating the need for separate cooling lines and heat exchangers, thereby reducing device size and heat loss while maintaining effective cooling of the bearing structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the cooling function with the gas discharge function by positioning the gas bearing structure at the discharge port of the compressed gas. The compressed gas serves dual purposes: both as the working fluid to be discharged and as the cooling medium for the bearing structure, thereby eliminating redundant components and reducing overall system size
2Temperature
If an external heat exchanger is used to cool the bearing, then cooling is effective, but the cooling path length increases causing heat loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external heat exchanger from the cooling system and replaces it with direct cooling through the compressed gas discharge path. The bearing structure is cooled directly by the compressed gas as it exits the discharge port, eliminating the need for intermediate heat exchanger components and associated cooling path length, thereby reducing heat loss while maintaining effective cooling
Solution Approach 2:
The compressed gas serves itself by performing both its primary function of being discharged as working fluid and simultaneously serving as the cooling medium for the bearing structure. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate cooling systems and reduces heat loss by minimizing the cooling path length
3Temperature
If cooling oil is circulated to cool the motor and bearing, then cooling is achieved, but the system becomes more complex and incompatible with gas bearing structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from the oil circulation system and replaces it with direct compressed gas cooling. The gas bearing structure is cooled by the compressed gas itself, eliminating the need for oil circulation systems, pumps, and associated complex infrastructure, thereby simplifying the overall system while maintaining effective cooling
Solution Approach 2:
The compressed gas performs dual functions: serving as the working fluid to be discharged and as the cooling medium for the bearing structure. This eliminates the need for separate cooling oil circulation systems, reducing device complexity while achieving effective cooling of both the motor and bearing structures
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively cools the gas bearing structure, reduces heat loss, and minimizes the compressor's size by using compressed gas as a refrigerant, enhancing the compatibility and efficiency of the cooling process within a compact internal structure.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger that is disposed on the bearing cooling line. The heat exchanger is mounted on at least one of the motor housing and the compressor housing
Implementation Method 2
compressed gas is used as a refrigerant to cool the gas bearing structure
Data Source
AI summary
A centrifugal compressor includes a rotary shaft of a compressor impeller, a gas bearing structure that supports the rotary shaft, a motor that rotates the rotary shaft, a motor housing that houses the motor, a compressor housing that houses the compressor impeller and includes an intake port and a discharge port, a gas bleed port that is provided closer to the discharge port than the compressor impeller in a flow direction in the compressor housing, a bearing cooling line that connects the gas bleed port to the gas bearing structure, and a heat exchanger that is disposed on the bearing cooling line. The heat exchanger is mounted on at least one of the motor housing and the compressor housing.