Curved Interstage Passage in Multistage Compressors With Low Pressure Loss
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multistage compressors face challenges in production cost and assembly complexity due to the need for separate pipes and adjustments in interstage passages, leading to potential pressure loss and reduced performance.
Innovation Solution
The compressor design incorporates an interstage passage formed by separate inner and outer wall surfaces in different housings, allowing die-casting and reducing assembly man-hours, while maintaining consistent cross-sectional areas and avoiding shape adjustments, thus minimizing pressure loss and enhancing productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a separate pipe is used to connect the first and second compression stages, then the interstage passage can be formed, but assembly complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the interstage passage formation into the impeller housing itself, eliminating the need for separate pipes. The housing is designed with integrated curved passages that directly connect the first and second compression stages, reducing the number of components and assembly steps while maintaining the necessary fluid flow path.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the interstage passage into curved passages with specific geometric characteristics (constant cross-sectional area, smooth transitions) that are formed directly in the housing. This segmentation allows the passage to be optimized for fluid flow while being manufactured as an integrated feature rather than assembled from separate parts.
2Reliability
If the interstage passage includes curved passages, then fluid flow is maintained, but pressure loss occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curved passages with specific geometric characteristics including constant cross-sectional area and smooth transitions. The curved geometry is optimized to maintain laminar flow patterns and minimize turbulence, reducing pressure loss while accommodating the necessary spatial arrangement of compression stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls key geometric parameters of the curved passages, including maintaining constant cross-sectional area throughout the passage length and optimizing curvature radii. These parameter controls ensure minimal pressure loss while achieving the required fluid transport between compression stages.
3Ease of manufacture
If the inner and outer wall surfaces of the curved passage are formed in the same housing, then the passage structure is simplified, but overhanging portions cause molding difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the formation of the curved passage wall surfaces into two separate housings: the first impeller housing forms the inner wall surface, while the second impeller housing forms the outer wall surface. This segmentation eliminates overhanging portions in each individual housing, allowing both to be molded separately without complex mold designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the molding difficulty by transitioning from a single-housing formulation to a two-housing formulation, adding a dimensional separation that eliminates the overhanging geometry. This allows each housing to be molded independently with simpler mold structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A compressor including an impeller housing accommodating a first impeller configured to compress a fluid and a second impeller configured to further compress the fluid, and an interstage component forming, together with the impeller housing, an interstage passage that includes a curved passage. The curved passage is formed by an inner wall surface that is curved, and by an outer wall surface that is curved. A first wall surface selected from the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface is formed by the impeller housing, and a second wall surface selected from the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface is formed by the interstage component. A distance between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface is constant along an entire length of the curved passage.