Multi-Compressor Gear Train for High-Speed Bearing Load Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compressor systems face challenges in stably operating multiple compressors at high speed due to increased surface pressure on bearings, which limits the ability to support high-speed rotation effectively.
Innovation Solution
A compressor system with a transmission mechanism that includes a main shaft, main gear, and planetary gear mechanisms, which allows for increased rotation speed transmission to multiple compressors while reducing the load on bearings through a distributed gear system, enabling stable high-speed operation with a single driving machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the output shaft diameter is reduced to enable high-speed rotation, then the rotation speed increases, but the bearing surface pressure increases beyond allowable limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single high-speed output shaft into multiple parallel output shafts (first output shaft and second output shaft). By segmenting the load-carrying function across multiple shafts, each shaft can rotate at high speed with reduced diameter while the total load capacity is maintained through the combined support of multiple shafts and their respective bearings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple output shafts and their corresponding compressors into a single integrated system driven by one driving machine. The multiple shafts work in parallel to collectively handle the load that would otherwise require a single large-diameter shaft, enabling high-speed operation while distributing bearing surface pressure across multiple contact points.
2Productivity
If a single driving machine drives multiple compressors at high speed, then productivity increases, but the bearing surface pressure becomes too high for stable operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power transmission system into multiple parallel channels, each with its own output shaft and compressor. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high productivity through multiple compressors operating simultaneously while each individual bearing operates within safe pressure limits, ensuring reliable stable operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the system configuration from a single shaft to multiple shafts, fundamentally altering the load distribution parameters. This parameter change enables the system to achieve both high productivity (through multiple compressors) and high reliability (through reduced bearing surface pressure on each shaft) simultaneously.
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 system effectively reduces surface pressure on bearings, allowing for stable operation of multiple compressors at high speeds by distributing the load and using a tilting pad bearing to support the output shaft, thereby reducing the risk of unstable vibration and enabling efficient compression of gases like hydrogen.
Implementation Method 1
a transmission mechanism configured to increase a speed of a rotation of the drive shaft and transmit the rotation of the drive shaft to the plurality of compressors, in which the transmission mechanism includes a main shaft which configured to rotate together with the drive shaft, a main gear fixed to the main shaft, and a plurality of gear mechanisms disposed to surround the main shaft
Implementation Method 2
a first bearing rotatably supporting the auxiliary shaft, and a second bearing rotatably supporting the output shaft
Implementation Method 3
a first bearing rotatably supporting the auxiliary shaft, and a second bearing rotatably supporting the output shaft
Data Source
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AI summary
A compressor system includes a driving unit having a drive shaft, a plurality of compressors which compress a gas, and a transmission mechanism which increases a speed of a rotation of the drive shaft and transmits the rotation to the plurality of compressors. The transmission mechanism includes a main shaft which rotates together with the drive shaft and a plurality of gear mechanisms which transmit a rotation of the main shaft to the corresponding one compressor. The gear mechanism includes an auxiliary shaft which rotates together with an auxiliary gear meshing with the main gear, a plurality of first gears which rotate together with the auxiliary shaft, an output shaft to which an output gear meshing with the first gear is fixed and which is connected to the compressor, and a first bearing which rotatably supports the auxiliary shaft, and a second bearing which rotatably supports the output shaft.