Multistage Turbocompressor Co-Planar Gear Arrangement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing geared compressors require additional space for installation due to the height offset between the shaft of the greater wheel and the drive unit, complicating installation, operation, and maintenance, and limiting the construction of larger compressors.
Innovation Solution
A multistage turbocompressor with an integrated gear design where the axis of the driving pinion and the greater wheel are in the same horizontal plane, allowing for a compact arrangement of the turbocompressor and drive unit, eliminating the need for a height offset and reducing space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the driving pinion is arranged under the greater wheel with a height offset, then the geared compressor can be coupled to the drive unit, but additional space is required for installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement from a vertical height offset configuration to a horizontal co-planar arrangement. The driving pinion and greater wheel are now positioned in the same horizontal plane, eliminating the need for vertical clearance and reducing the overall installation footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the drive unit and geared compressor into a more integrated compact arrangement. By positioning the driving pinion in the same plane as the greater wheel, the design combines the functional elements more closely, reducing the space required for installation while maintaining the coupling function.
2Ease of operation
If a height offset is required for installation, then the shafts can be coupled, but the installation becomes more complex and space-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the vertical dimension requirement by arranging the driving pinion and greater wheel in the same horizontal plane. This co-planar arrangement removes the need for height offset adjustments in the base frame and foundation, simplifying installation while reducing structural complexity.
3Power
If the driving pinion is positioned under the greater wheel, then the gear mechanism functions, but the mechanical strain on components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent redistributes the mechanical loads by changing from a vertical under-wheel positioning to a horizontal co-planar arrangement. This spatial reconfiguration allows for more favorable force distribution across the gear components, reducing peak stresses and mechanical strain on the driving pinion, greater wheel, and supporting bearings.
Data Source
AI summary
A multistage turbocompressor, designed as a geared compressor with an integrated gear, contains a central greater wheel (9) that meshes with a plurality of pinions (14, 15), wherein each pinion (14, 15) is mounted, in a manner adapted to rotate in unison, on a pinion shaft (16, 17). A bladed wheel of a compressor stage (II, III, IV, V) is arranged on the ends of each of the pinion shafts. The greater wheel (9) meshes with a driving pinion (8), which is mounted, in a manner adapted to rotate in unison, on a driving shaft 6 connected to a drive unit (1). The axis of the driving pinion (8) is arranged, with the axis of the greater wheel (9), in the same horizontal plane (20), and the driving pinion (8) meshes with a pinion (10) of a first compressor stage (I) mounted, in a manner adapted to rotate in unison, on a pinion shaft (11).