Helical flow compressor/turbine permanent magnet motor/generator

A rotating machine including a helical flow compressor/turbine and a permanent magnet motor/generator, comprising:

• a shaft having one end operably associated with said helical flow compressor/turbine and the other end operably associated with said permanent magnet motor/generator;
• a low pressure impeller and a high pressure impeller mounted at said one end of said shaft, said low pressure impeller having two rows of a plurality of blades with one row disposed on either side of the outer periphery of said low pressure impeller, and said high pressure impeller having two rows of a plurality of blades with one row disposed on either side of the outer periphery of said high pressure impeller;
• a permanent magnet rotor mounted at said other end of said shaft;
• a housing disposed around said shaft and including first and second journal bearings to rotatably support said shaft, said first journal bearing disposed at the low pressure impeller side of said one end of said shaft and said second journal bearing disposed at the high pressure impeller side of said one end of said shaft,
• said housing also including a stator disposed around and operably associated with said permanent magnet rotor mounted at the other end of said shaft,
• said housing further including a mid stator channel plate disposed between said low pressure impeller and said high pressure impeller, a first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels with one of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operable associated with one of said two rows of low pressure impeller blades and the other of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operably associated with the other of said two row of low pressure impeller blades, and a second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels with one of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operable associated with one of said two rows of high pressure impeller blades and the other of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operably associated with the other of said two row of high pressure impeller blades,
• said housing also including a low pressure stripper plate disposed radially outward of said low pressure impeller and a high pressure stripper plate disposed radially outward of said high pressure impeller, said low pressure stripper plate having a slightly greater thickness than said low pressure impeller and said high pressure stripper plate having a slightly greater thickness than said high pressure impeller,
• said housing further including a fluid inlet at one end of each of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and a fluid outlet at the other end of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, and a fluid inlet at one end of each of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and a fluid outlet at the other end of said second pair of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, said inlet of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels communicating with the outlet of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels,
• the fluid in each of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels making multiple generally helical passes between said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channel and said impeller blades as the fluid proceed from said inlet to said outlet of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channel.

A rotating machine including a helical flow compressor/turbine and a permanent magnet motor/generator, comprising:

• a shaft having one end operably associated with said helical flow compressor/turbine and the other end operably associated with said permanent magnet motor/generator;
• a low pressure impeller, a mid pressure impeller, and a high pressure impeller mounted at said one end of said shaft, said low pressure impeller having two rows of a plurality of blades with one row disposed on either side of the outer periphery of said low pressure impeller, said mid pressure impeller having two rows of a plurality of blades with one row disposed on either side of the outer periphery of said mid pressure impeller, and said high pressure impeller having two rows of a plurality of blades with one row disposed on either side of the outer periphery of said high pressure impeller;
• a permanent magnet rotor mounted at said other end of said shaft;
• a housing disposed around said shaft and including first and second journal bearings to rotatably support said shaft, said first journal bearing disposed at the low pressure impeller side of said one end of said shaft and said second journal bearing disposed at the high pressure impeller side of said one end of said shaft,
• said housing also including a stator disposed around and operably associated with said permanent magnet rotor mounted at the other end of said shaft,
• said housing further including a first mid stator channel plate disposed between said low pressure impeller and said mid pressure impeller, a second mid stator channel plate disposed between said mid pressure impeller and said high pressure impeller, a first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels with one of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operable associated with one of said two rows of low pressure impeller blades and the other of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operably associated with the other of said two row of low pressure impeller blades, a second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels with one of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operable associated with one of said two rows of mid pressure impeller blades and the other of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operably associated with the other of said two row of mid pressure impeller blades, and a third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels with one of said third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operable associated with one of said two rows of high pressure impeller blades and the other of said third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operably associated with the other of said two row of high pressure impeller blades,
• said housing also including a low pressure stripper plate disposed radially outward of said low pressure impeller, a mid pressure stripper plate disposed radially outward of said mid pressure impeller and a high pressure stripper plate disposed radially outward of said high pressure impeller, said low pressure stripper plate having a slightly greater thickness than said low pressure impeller, said mid pressure stripper plate having a slightly greater thickness than said mid pressure impeller, and said high pressure stripper plate having a slightly greater thickness than said high pressure impeller,
• said housing further including a fluid inlet at one end of each of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and a fluid outlet at the other end of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, a fluid inlet at one end of each of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and a fluid outlet at the other end of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, and a fluid inlet at one end of each of said third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and a fluid outlet at the other end of said third pair of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, said inlet of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels communicating with the outlet of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and said inlet of said third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels communicating with the outlet of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels,
• the fluid in each of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels making multiple generally helical passes between said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channel and said impeller blades as the fluid proceed from said inlet to said outlet of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels.

A rotating machine including a helical flow compressor/turbine and a permanent magnet motor/generator, comprising:

• a shaft having one end operably associated with said helical flow compressor/turbine and the other end operably associated with said permanent magnet motor/generator;
• a low pressure impeller, a mid low pressure impeller, a mid high pressure impeller, and a high pressure impeller mounted at said one end of said shaft, said low pressure impeller having two rows of a plurality of blades with one row disposed on either side of the outer periphery of said low pressure impeller, said mid low pressure impeller having two rows of a plurality of blades with one row disposed on either side of the outer periphery of said mid low pressure impeller, said mid high pressure impeller having two rows of a plurality of blades with one row disposed on either side of the outer periphery of said mid high pressure impeller, and said high pressure impeller having two rows of a plurality of blades with one row disposed on either side of the outer periphery of said high pressure impeller;
• a permanent magnet rotor mounted at said other end of said shaft;
• a housing disposed around said shaft and including first and second journal bearings to rotatably support said shaft, said first journal bearing disposed at the low pressure impeller side of said one end of said shaft and said second journal bearing disposed at the high pressure impeller side of said one end of said shaft,
• said housing also including a stator disposed around and operably associated with said permanent magnet rotor mounted at the other end of said shaft,
• said housing further including a mid low pressure stator channel plate disposed between said low pressure impeller and said mid low pressure impeller, a mid stator channel plate disposed between said mid low pressure impeller and said mid high pressure impeller, a mid high pressure stator channel plate disposed between said high pressure impeller and said mid high pressure impeller, a first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels with one of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operable associated with one of said two rows of low pressure impeller blades and the other of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operably associated with the other of said two row of low pressure impeller blades, a second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels with one of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operable associated with one of said two rows of mid low pressure impeller blades and the other of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operably associated with the other of said two row of mid low pressure impeller blades, a third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels with one of said third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operable associated with one of said two rows of mid high pressure impeller blades and the other of said third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operably associated with the other of said two row of mid high pressure impeller blades, and a fourth pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels with one of said fourth pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operable associated with one of said two rows of high pressure impeller blades and the other of said fourth pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels operably associated with the other of said two row of high pressure impeller blades,
• said housing also including a low pressure stripper plate disposed radially outward of said low pressure impeller, a mid low pressure stripper plate disposed radially outward of said mid low pressure impeller, a mid high pressure stripper plate disposed radially outward of said mid high pressure impeller, and a high pressure stripper plate disposed radially outward of said high pressure impeller, said low pressure stripper plate having a slightly greater thickness than said low pressure impeller, said mid low pressure stripper plate having a slightly greater thickness than said mid low pressure impeller, said mid high pressure stripper plate having a slightly greater thickness than said mid high pressure impeller, and said high pressure stripper plate having a slightly greater thickness than said high pressure impeller,
• said housing further including a fluid inlet at one end of each of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and a fluid outlet at the other end of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, a fluid inlet at one end of each of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and a fluid outlet at the other end of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, a fluid inlet at one end of each of said third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and a fluid outlet at the other end of said third pair of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, a fluid inlet at one end of each of said fourth pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels and a fluid outlet at the other end of said fourth pair of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, said inlet of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels communicating with the outlet of said first pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, said inlet of said third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels communicating with the outlet of said second pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels, and said inlet of said fourth pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels communicating with the outlet of said third pair of generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels,
• the fluid in each of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels making multiple generally helical passes between said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channel and said impeller blades as the fluid proceed from said inlet to said outlet of said generally horseshoe shaped fluid flow stator channels.