Coupling turbochargers for passive pre-swirl counter-rotation
AssigneeBorgWarner Inc.
InventorsWilliam G. Anderson, Paul Anschel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turbocharger with a high pressure (HP) and low pressure (LP) stage, designed such that swirl in a conduit providing fluid communication between the LP compressor outlet and the HP compressor inlet is received by the second stage compressor counter to the direction of rotation of the second stage compressor wheel. This is achieved without requiring vanes such as inlet guide vanes, and thus is highly efficient as well as free of blockage and excitation.
Claims11
A turbocharger assembly comprising:
- a. a low pressure (LP) turbocharger stage comprising a LP compressor (2) and a LP turbine (13) mechanically connected to the LP compressor;
- b. a high pressure (HP) turbocharger stage comprising a HP compressor (15) and a HP turbine (22) mechanically connected to the HP compressor;
- c. said LP compressor having an outlet and said HP compressor having an inlet and a compressor wheel adapted for being driven in a first direction of rotation,
- d. a conduit (7) providing fluid communication between the LP compressor outlet and the HP compressor inlet,
- wherein said first turbocharger compressor is selected to provide pre-swirl to the second turbocharger compressor inlet in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the second turbocharger compressor wheel.
A method for imparting pre-swirl to the inlet of a high pressure compressor of a two-stage compressor assembly comprising a low pressure (LP) compressor with a LP compressor wheel and a housing, and a high pressure (HP) compressor with a HP compressor wheel and a housing, said method comprising:
- determining the direction of rotation of the HP compressor wheel,
- designing the housing of the LPcompressor, including rolling the volute around the diffuser plane such that the output of the compressor stage produces a swirl,
- coupling the LP compressor outlet to the HP compressor inlet such that said swirl produced in said LP compressor reaches said HP compressor inlet,
- wherein the direction of rotation of the swirl reaching the high pressure compressor inlet is counter to the direction of rotation of the compressor wheel of the high pressure compressor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.