Plastic Side-Channel Compressor Housing for Fuel Cell Systems
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing side channel compressors for fuel cell systems have high manufacturing costs and weight due to cast material usage, leading to increased energy expenditure and operating costs, especially when frequently started and braked.
Innovation Solution
The side channel compressor design features a disk-shaped housing made of metallic material, a hub disk with a metallic driving flange, and an axial field electric motor with a permanent magnet rotor, utilizing injection molding for housing parts and screw elements for assembly, which reduces material and energy costs while maintaining reliability and efficiency across a wide temperature range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the housing is made of cast material to ensure resistance and long service life, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing costs and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing combines plastic material for the main body with metallic inserts (such as aluminum or steel) in specific high-stress areas like the bearing mount region. This composite approach provides the necessary mechanical strength and resistance to gaseous medium where required, while using the lighter and more cost-effective plastic material elsewhere, thereby reducing overall manufacturing costs and weight while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire housing from expensive cast material, the invention applies metallic reinforcement only in local areas where high strength is required (such as the bearing mount region), while the rest of the housing is made from plastic. This localized quality approach ensures reliability in critical areas without incurring the high costs and weight penalties of complete cast construction
2Strength
If the housing is made of cast material to form complex structures, then structural integrity is improved, but manufacturing costs and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing uses plastic material which requires significantly less energy during production compared to cast materials. Metallic inserts are added only where structural integrity is critical, minimizing the energy-intensive casting process to essential areas only, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining necessary housing strength
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies strength-enhancing metallic materials only in specific local areas where high structural integrity is required, rather than using expensive and energy-intensive cast material throughout the entire housing. This localized approach maintains structural strength where needed while dramatically reducing production energy costs
3Reliability
If the compressor wheel is made as a cast part to ensure durability, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing costs and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The compressor wheel combines plastic material for the main body with metallic inserts in high-stress areas such as the hub and bearing contact regions. This composite construction provides the necessary durability and load-bearing capacity where required, while using lighter and more cost-effective plastic material for the remaining structure, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The compressor wheel applies metallic reinforcement only in specific local areas subject to high mechanical stress (such as the hub and bearing mounting regions), while the rest of the wheel is made from plastic. This localized quality approach ensures durability in critical areas without incurring the high manufacturing costs of complete cast construction
4Reliability
If the compressor wheel is made as a one-piece cast part to ensure structural integrity, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing costs and machining requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The compressor wheel is divided into multiple components including a plastic wheel body and separate metallic inserts or hubs that are assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured using optimized processes (plastic injection molding for the wheel body, metal forming or casting for inserts), reducing the need for expensive post-casting machining while maintaining structural integrity through proper design of the assembled structure
Solution Approach 2:
The compressor wheel combines plastic and metallic materials in a composite structure where each material is used in the area where it provides the most benefit. The plastic body provides corrosion resistance and can be easily formed, while metallic inserts provide strength in high-stress areas, eliminating the need for extensive machining of a complete cast part
5Strength
If the housing is made of metallic material throughout to ensure strength, then reliability is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing uses a composite construction with plastic material for the main body and metallic inserts only in specific areas requiring high strength (such as bearing mounts). This combination maintains necessary housing strength while significantly reducing weight compared to a complete metallic housing, as plastic material is much lighter than metal
6Reliability
If the compressor wheel is made of cast material to ensure durability, then reliability is improved, but energy expenditure during acceleration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The compressor wheel combines plastic material for the main body with metallic inserts only in critical high-stress areas. This composite construction maintains the durability and strength required for reliable operation while significantly reducing the overall mass of the rotating component, thereby reducing the energy expenditure required for acceleration and deceleration during frequent start-stop operations
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
This design reduces manufacturing costs, weight, and energy consumption while ensuring reliable operation and compactness, enhancing the side channel compressor's service life and efficiency, especially during cold starts.
Implementation Method 1
an axial field electric motor with a permanent magnet rotor
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a side-channel compressor (1) for a fuel cell system (31) for conveying and/or compressing a gaseous medium, in particular hydrogen, comprising a housing (3), a compressor impeller (2) which is located in the housing (3), is rotatably arranged about an axis of rotation (4) and is driven at least indirectly by a drive (6), wherein the compressor impeller (2) has conveying cells (5) arranged at its circumference in the region of the compressor chamber (30), and comprising one gas inlet opening (14) and one gas outlet opening (16) formed in each case on the housing (3), which openings are fluidically connected to one another via the compressor chamber (30), in particular via the at least one side channel (19, 21), wherein the housing (3) has a first and a second gap area (32, 34) which face in each case the compressor impeller (2) and extend axially relative to the axis of rotation (4), and wherein a first and a second functionally relevant gap (36, 38) is in each case formed in the region of the gap areas (32, 34) between the housing (3) and the compressor impeller (2). According to the invention, the housing (3) consists of multiple parts and has at least an upper housing part (7) and a lower housing part (8), wherein the upper housing part (7), the lower housing part (8) and the compressor impeller (2) are made at least almost entirely of plastic.