Centrifugal Compressor Diaphragm Internal Cooling Pathway
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multistage compressors face increased work input due to elevated gas temperatures, leading to inefficiencies and the need for complex and costly interstage coolers to manage thermal energy.
Innovation Solution
An internally-cooled centrifugal compressor design featuring a diaphragm with a gas side and coolant side, where a cooling pathway maximizes heat transfer through a counter-flow configuration, reducing the requirement for external coolers and enhancing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If interstage coolers with external heat exchangers are used to cool compressed gas, then gas temperature is reduced, but system size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is merged with the diaphragm structure itself. The diaphragm incorporates internal coolant passages that allow cooling fluid to flow through the walls separating gas flow paths, integrating the heat exchanger function directly into the structural component rather than using separate external equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The coolant passages are nested within the diaphragm walls. The cooling channels are embedded inside the diaphragm structure, allowing the cooling system to be contained within the existing component geometry without adding external bulk or complexity.
2Temperature
If interstage coolers with external heat exchangers are used to cool compressed gas, then gas temperature is reduced, but system size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is merged with the diaphragm structure itself. The diaphragm incorporates internal coolant passages that allow cooling fluid to flow through the walls separating gas flow paths, integrating the heat exchanger function directly into the structural component rather than using separate external equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling passages utilize the wall thickness dimension of the diaphragm. By embedding channels within the diaphragm walls rather than adding external cooling equipment, the solution exploits the existing three-dimensional space of the component structure.
3Temperature
If interstage coolers with additional equipment are used to cool compressed gas, then gas temperature is reduced, but maintenance requirements and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is merged with the diaphragm structure itself. The diaphragm incorporates internal coolant passages that allow cooling fluid to flow through the walls separating gas flow paths, integrating the heat exchanger function directly into the structural component rather than using separate external equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The diaphragm structure performs dual functions: structural separation of gas paths and thermal management. By combining these functions, the system eliminates the need for separate maintenance of external cooling equipment, as the cooling capability is inherent to the diaphragm itself.
4Device complexity
If traditional compression without internal cooling is used, then system complexity is reduced, but work input per unit pressure increase rises
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is merged with the diaphragm structure itself. The diaphragm incorporates internal coolant passages that allow cooling fluid to flow through the walls separating gas flow paths, integrating the heat exchanger function directly into the structural component rather than using separate external equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat generated by compression, which is normally a harmful effect increasing work requirements, is converted into a manageable thermal load that can be efficiently removed through the internal coolant passages. The compression process itself provides the temperature differential needed to drive heat transfer to the coolant.
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
The internally-cooled compressor effectively transfers heat from compressed gas, reducing the work input required per unit pressure increase, thereby improving energy efficiency and reducing system complexity and maintenance costs.
Implementation Method 1
heat from a gas flowing through the gas side is extracted via the coolant side
Implementation Method 2
cooling water passage in a disc-like hollow diffused for guiding the gas in the radial direction outward from its outer peripheral part
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
An internally-cooled compressor is provided including a casing and a diaphragm disposed in the casing. The diaphragm includes a diaphragm box defining a plurality of box channels and a bulb defining a plurality of bulb channels. A plurality of return channel vanes connect the diaphragm box and bulb in fluid communication, such that each return channel vane defines a plurality of return vane conduits coupled in fluid communication with the plurality of box channels and the plurality of bulb channels thereby forming a section of a cooling pathway. The cooling pathway is configured such that a cooling agent introduced from an external coolant source into the diaphragm box and flowing through a box channel flows through a return vane conduit into and through a bulb channel and back through another return vane conduit into another box channel before flowing back to the external coolant source.