Centrifugal Compressor Containment Ring for Fan Debris
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Centrifugal compressors in turbochargers face issues where the delivery fan breaks or falls off due to centrifugal force, potentially causing damage to the guide cylinder and leading to compressed air leakage, as the broken parts may be thrown outside, creating gaps that allow further leakage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an annular member with higher ductility than the guide cylinder at the linking position between the guide cylinder and scroll part, ensuring that any broken delivery fan parts collide with this member, which undergoes plastic deformation rather than brittle fracture, preventing external ejection and maintaining the compressor's integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the guide cylinder is made of brittle material for structural strength, then the compressor structure is strong, but the guide cylinder may undergo brittle fracture when damaged delivery fan parts are thrown at it
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a containment ring as an intermediary component between the guide cylinder and the damaged delivery fan parts. This containment ring is made of ductile material that can deform plastically to absorb impact energy, preventing direct transmission of impact forces to the guide cylinder and thus preventing brittle fracture while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter of the containment ring to have higher ductility compared to the guide cylinder. By selecting ductile material for the containment ring, the system can withstand impact loads through plastic deformation rather than brittle fracture, resolving the contradiction between structural strength and fracture resistance
2Device complexity
If no containment structure is added, then the device complexity is low, but broken delivery fan parts can be thrown outside creating gaps and air leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the containment function from the main compressor structure by adding a separate containment ring. This ring is positioned at the discharge port to intercept and contain damaged delivery fan parts, preventing them from escaping while maintaining the simplicity of the overall compressor structure
Solution Approach 2:
The containment ring serves as a pre-positioned protective barrier that catches damaged delivery fan parts before they can be thrown outside the compressor. This beforehand cushioning prevents part ejection and the formation of gaps that would lead to air leakage, without requiring complex active control systems
3Reliability
If the containment ring is made of ductile material, then impact energy is absorbed through plastic deformation, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the containment ring to ductile material, which allows the component to absorb impact energy through plastic deformation rather than requiring precise dimensional control. This material parameter change provides inherent tolerance to manufacturing variations while ensuring reliable impact absorption
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 configuration effectively prevents the broken delivery fan parts from being thrown outside, reducing the risk of guide cylinder brittle fracture and maintaining compressor functionality by absorbing impact through the annular member's plastic deformation, thus minimizing air leakage and structural damage.
Implementation Method 1
the annular member, which has higher ductility than the guide cylinder, is mounted at a linking position between the discharge port side of the guide cylinder and the scroll part... the annular member undergoes plastic deformation rather than brittle fracture
Implementation Method 2
a delivery fan which is mounted on a rotor shaft... there is a possibility that a problem that the whole or a part of the delivery fan breaks or falls off due to the influence of a centrifugal force caused by high-speed rotation
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is a centrifugal compressor, provided with: a delivery fan (11) for compressing air flowing in from an intake port (11a) and discharging the air from a discharge port (11b), the delivery fan (11) being attached to a rotor shaft (30); an air-guiding cylinder (12) for accommodating the delivery fan (11); a scroll part (13) into which the compressed air discharged from the discharge port (11b) flows, the scroll part (13) being arranged farther out toward the periphery than is the air-guiding cylinder (12); and a first containment ring (14) attached to a linking position between the air-guiding cylinder (12) and the scroll part (13) so as to encircle the delivery fan (11) about an axis line (X) of the rotor shaft (30).