Centrifugal Compressor Oil Partitioning to Cut Stirring Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing centrifugal compressor with a speed increaser experiences increased stirring resistance due to the ring member being submerged in oil, which reduces the efficiency of the speed increaser.
Innovation Solution
A centrifugal compressor design that includes a partition wall and an introduction passage to guide oil from a stirring region to a storage region, reducing the amount of oil stirred by the ring member and thereby minimizing stirring resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the speed-increaser chamber is used as the storage chamber to limit compressor size, then the compressor size is reduced, but the ring member becomes submerged in oil which increases stirring resistance and reduces speed increaser efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The speed-increaser chamber is segmented into two distinct regions by a partition wall: a storage region for holding oil and a stirring region for oil circulation. This segmentation allows the ring member to rotate in the stirring region with minimal oil submersion, reducing stirring resistance and energy loss while maintaining compact compressor dimensions through the integrated chamber design.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall creates localized zones with different functional qualities within the speed-increaser chamber. The storage region provides a quiescent oil reservoir, while the stirring region allows controlled oil movement. This local differentiation enables the ring member to operate with reduced oil contact in the stirring region, minimizing stirring resistance while maintaining adequate lubrication through the introduction passage.
2Reliability
If oil is supplied to contacting sections to prevent wearing and seizure, then lubrication is improved, but stirring resistance increases when the ring member rotates in the oil
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall segregates the oil storage function from the ring member rotation zone. Oil is stored in the storage region and selectively introduced to the stirring region through the introduction passage, ensuring adequate lubrication at contacting sections while minimizing the volume of oil exposed to the rotating ring member, thereby reducing stirring resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The introduction passage acts as an intermediary mechanism that controls oil flow from the storage region to the stirring region. It delivers the necessary lubricating oil to the contacting sections between rollers and shafts while limiting the overall oil volume in the stirring region, thus maintaining reliable lubrication without excessive stirring resistance.
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 reduced stirring resistance enhances the efficiency of the speed increaser by minimizing the amount of oil rotated with the ring member, leading to improved lubrication and reduced air trapping, thus increasing the oil's contribution to lubricating the rollers.
Implementation Method 1
The ring member rotates as the low-speed shaft rotates... The ring member is submerged in the oil stored in the speed-increaser chamber. This increases the stirring resistance during rotation of the ring member
Data Source
AI summary
A centrifugal compressor includes a partition wall that is arranged between a ring member and the bottom of a main body in a speed-increaser chamber. The centrifugal compressor further includes an introduction passage that guides oil in a stirring region to a storage region. The stirring region includes a region between the partition wall and the ring member in the speed-increaser chamber. The storage region includes a region between the partition wall and the bottom of the main body in the speed-increaser chamber. The oil that has been stirred by rotation of the ring member collides the inner circumferential surface of a speed increaser housing before flowing toward the partition wall. The oil is then guided to the storage region via the introduction passage. Since the oil stored in the storage region is unlikely to be stirred by rotation of the ring member, only a small amount of oil is stirred by the ring member.