Side Channel Blower Outlet Design for Pressure Loss Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Side channel blowers with two side channels experience pressure losses due to deflection at the outlet and face challenges in maintaining small axial gaps between the impeller and housing, leading to reduced efficiency and increased manufacturing tolerances, especially with plastic impellers.
Innovation Solution
The design features an axial end of the second housing part's wall positioned closer to the electric motor than the first side channel's bottom upstream of the outlet, with a tangentially extending outlet channel matching the flow channel's cross-section, allowing precise alignment and minimization of axial gaps, and incorporating a meterable seal for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the outlet channel cross-section is reduced to accommodate deflection, then the blower can be manufactured, but pressure losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet channel is arranged tangentially to the side channels instead of axially, representing a dimensional change in flow direction. This tangential arrangement allows the outlet channel to extend along the tangent at the end of the flow channel, maintaining full cross-sectional area while accommodating the natural deflection of the flow, thereby avoiding pressure losses associated with cross-section reduction
2Manufacturing precision
If tight manufacturing tolerances are applied to minimize axial gaps, then efficiency improves, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a metering seal that actively controls and adjusts the axial gap parameter between the impeller and housing. By using this adjustable sealing mechanism, the system achieves tight gap control for high efficiency without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances on all components, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining performance
Solution Approach 2:
The metering seal acts as an intermediary element between the impeller and housing, providing precise gap control without requiring the housing and impeller themselves to be manufactured with extremely tight tolerances. This intermediary component absorbs the tolerance requirements, simplifying the manufacturing of other parts while maintaining the necessary precision for efficient operation
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 configuration minimizes pressure losses at the outlet, reduces short-circuit currents, and enhances efficiency while maintaining small manufacturing tolerances, ensuring precise assembly and reduced leakage, thus improving overall blower performance.
Implementation Method 1
an impeller (20) which is rotatably arranged in the blower head (18) and has blade rows (34, 42) interacting with the side channels (32, 40)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
In the prior art, side channel blowers comprise: an electric motor (10) having a drive shaft (22); an impeller (20) which is secured on the drive shaft (22); and a blower head (18) having a flow channel (44) that has a first side channel (32), which is located axially opposite a first row (34) of impeller blades (36) of the impeller (20), and has a second side channel (40), which is located axially opposite a second row (42) of impeller blades (36) of the impeller (20), and the blower head (18) has a first housing part (12), in which the first side channel (32) is formed and which axially delimits at least one chamber (11) in which the electric motor (10) is received, and has a second housing part (16), which is secured to the first housing part (12) and in which the second side channel (40) is formed and which has an inlet (50) and an outlet channel (52). In order to improve efficiency and to simplify assembly, the invention proposes that a supporting surface (58) of the first housing part (12), to which the second housing part (16) is secured, is axially closer to the electric motor (10) than a base (53) of the first side channel (32) directly upstream of the outlet channel (52), and that the outlet channel (52) extends from the second housing part (16) tangentially towards the flow channel (44) directly upstream of the outlet channel (52) and has a cross-section that corresponds at least to the cross-section of the flow channel (44) directly upstream of the outlet channel (52) in the blower head (18).