Crossing spiral compressor/pump
AssigneeCapstone Turbine Corporation
InventorRobert W. Bosley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A crossing spiral compressor or pump having a cylindrical rotor rotating within a cylindrical stator bore. Both the outer surface of the rotor and the bore of the stator include a plurality of spiral fluid flow channels separated by narrow blades, with the spiral fluid flow channels of the stator bore spiraling in the reverse or opposite direction relative to the spiral fluid flow channels of the rotor. The fluid flow channels on the rotor and in the bore have open sides that face the annular gap between the rotor and stator with the channels crossing each other at many locations to facilitate fluid exchange between rotor channels and bore channels.
Claims66
A rotary machine comprising:
- a stator housing having a central bore with a plurality of fluid flow channels spiraling in a first direction;
- and
- a rotor rotatably supported within said central bore of said stator housing, said rotor with a plurality of fluid flow channels on its outer surface spiraling in a second direction opposite to said first direction;
- said plurality of stator housing bore fluid flow channels separated by blades which are significantly narrower than the width of said stator housing bore fluid flow channels and said plurality of rotor fluid flow channels separated by blades which are significantly narrower than the width of said rotor fluid flow channels.
A rotary machine including a crossing spiral compressor/pump/turbine and a permanent magnet motor/generator comprising:
- a housing including a motor/generator stator positioned at one end of said housing and a compressor/turbine stator at the other end of said housing;
- a shaft rotatably supported within said housing;
- a permanent magnet rotor disposed on said shaft at one end thereof and rotatably supported within said motor/generator stator;
- a compressor/pump/turbine disposed at the other end of said shaft and rotatably supported within said compressor/turbine stator;
- said compressor/pump/turbine rotor having a plurality of fluid flow channels spiraling in a first direction and said compressor/turbine stator having a plurality of fluid flow channels operably associated with said plurality of spiraling rotor fluid flow channels and spiraling in a second direction opposite to said first direction.
A method of compressing fluid comprising the steps of:
- providing a stator housing having a central bore with a plurality of fluid flow channels spiraling in a first direction, said plurality of stator housing bore fluid flow channels separated by blades which are significantly narrower than the width of said stator housing bore fluid flow channels;
- rotatably supporting a rotor within said central bore of said stator housing, said rotor with a plurality of fluid flow channels spiraling in a second direction opposite to said first direction, said plurality of rotor fluid flow channels separated by blades which are significantly narrower than the width of said rotor fluid flow channels;
- and
- rotating said rotor within said stator housing bore with the fluid flow in said plurality of stator housing bore fluid flow channels crossing the fluid flow in said plurality of rotor fluid flow channels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.