Centrifugal Compressor Housing with Stabilizing Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centrifugal compressor housings made from duroplast materials are heavy, brittle, and costly, with high acoustic radiation and limited dimensional stability, posing safety risks due to potential metal splinter penetration from a damaged compressor wheel.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, dimensionally accurate housing for a centrifugal compressor is created using injection-molded thermoplastic materials like polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), featuring a spiral-shaped compressor channel and a stabilizing element in an annular space to absorb and cushion splintering wheel parts, enhancing safety and stability while allowing for easy assembly and recyclability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If duroplast material is used for the housing, then the housing can be produced as a plastic component, but the housing becomes heavy and loses weight advantage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thermoplastic materials (specifically PPS - polyphenylene sulfide) with added fiberglass reinforcement to create a composite material that maintains the manufacturability benefits of plastic injection molding while achieving high strength-to-weight ratio and dimensional stability, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and weight
2Ease of manufacture
If duroplast material is used for the housing, then the housing can be produced as a plastic component, but the housing becomes brittle and has limited dimensional stability
Solution Approach 1:
The use of thermoplastic PPS combined with fiberglass reinforcement creates a composite that maintains dimensional stability and reduces brittleness while preserving the injection molding manufacturing advantages, directly addressing the contradiction between ease of manufacture and compositional stability
3Productivity
If high wheel speeds are used in the compressor, then compression efficiency is improved, but the risk of metal splinter penetration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a safety cage structure made of high-strength material positioned between the compressor wheel and the housing, which serves as a pre-positioned protective barrier to catch and contain metal splinters before they can penetrate the housing, thereby enabling high wheel speeds while mitigating the harmful effect of potential splinter penetration
4Weight of stationary object
If chamber-shaped recesses are introduced to reduce weight, then weight is reduced, but production cost increases due to complex molding
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed as multiple separate components (main housing body, safety cage, end caps) that can be manufactured using standard injection molding techniques without complex multi-cavity or insert molds, reducing tooling costs while still achieving weight reduction through optimized component design and material selection
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 solution provides a lightweight, heat-resistant, and sound-insulating housing with improved safety against metal splinters, reduced manufacturing costs, and simplified production, ensuring operational safety and efficiency in high-speed compressor applications.
Implementation Method 1
in the event of an impact with a splintered wheel part provides effective cushioning
Implementation Method 2
counteracts deformation of the walls of the annular space
Implementation Method 3
with the risk of metal splinters flying around being reduced in the event of damage to the compressor wheel
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The housing for a centrifugal compressor consists of at least two plastic housing parts for accommodating a compressor wheel and for defining a helical compressor duct, an annular space being formed in the housing between the compressor wheel accommodating compartment and the compressor duct, said annular space encircling the compressor wheel and at least one stabilizing element being introduced into it.