Compressor Wire Rope Impeller Fragment Containment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional turbochargers fail to securely contain impeller fragments within the compressor or turbocharger upon impeller breakage, leading to potential scattering outside the system.
Innovation Solution
A compressor design that incorporates a wire rope wound around the air-guide cylinder, positioned between the air-guide cylinder and the scroll-chamber frame, to absorb the kinetic energy of impeller fragments and prevent them from escaping, with the wire rope's height and number adjusted based on the impeller blade height to enhance containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air-guide cylinder thickness is increased to contain impeller fragments, then the housing property is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
A wire rope is introduced as an intermediary element between the air-guide cylinder and the scroll-chamber frame. The wire rope acts as a containment barrier that intercepts impeller fragments before they can escape the compressor, providing enhanced housing property without requiring thickening of the air-guide cylinder wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment function is segmented into two parts: the air-guide cylinder provides the primary housing, while the wire rope provides the secondary containment barrier. This segmentation allows each component to maintain its original design while collectively providing superior fragment containment capability.
2Reliability
If a containment barrier is added to prevent impeller fragment scatter, then the housing property is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire rope functions as a flexible containment barrier that can deform to absorb the kinetic energy of impeller fragments. This flexible structure provides effective containment while maintaining simplicity in design and installation, avoiding the need for complex rigid containment structures.
3Reliability
If the wire rope is positioned closer to the impeller, then the containment effectiveness is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wire rope is pre-installed on the air-guide cylinder before the impeller is assembled. This preliminary positioning ensures that the wire rope is correctly located in the dead space between the air-guide cylinder and scroll-chamber frame, providing effective containment without requiring high precision during final assembly.
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
Effectively suppresses impeller fragment scatter outside the compressor or turbocharger, maintaining the impeller within the system securely without increasing the air-guide cylinder thickness, and allows for a simplified installation configuration.
Implementation Method 1
The wire rope is formed by twisting a plurality of wires, and thus is capable of absorbing the kinetic energy of the impeller fragment effectively to receive the impeller fragment by deformation of the wire rope itself upon hit of the impeller fragment
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to suppress scatter of an impeller fragment outside a compressor or a turbocharger effectively upon breakage of an impeller, and to maintain a state in which an impeller is housed inside the compressor and the turbocharger. A compressor 10 includes an impeller 14 for compressing air, an air-guide cylinder 16 for housing the impeller 14 and guiding the air; and at least one wire rope 18 wound around the air-guide cylinder 16.