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US 2023/0079172 A1Published application
Centrifugal compressor
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorChloe J. PALMER
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A centrifugal compressor is shown, comprising: an impeller; a rotatably mounted diffuser surrounding the impeller; and a driving arrangement configured to drive the impeller and diffuser to rotate in opposing directions.
Claims10
A centrifugal compressor comprising:
- a first impeller;
- a first rotatably mounted diffuser surrounding the impeller;
- and
- a driving arrangement configured to drive the first impeller and first diffuser to rotate in opposing directions, the driving arrangement comprising a motor and a first epicyclic gearbox comprising a sun gear, a planetary gear and a ring gear, the first impeller being connected to the sun gear and the first diffuser being connected to the ring gear, the compressor further comprising:
- a second epicyclic gearbox comprising a sun gear, a planetary gear and a ring gear;
- a second impeller connected to the sun gear of the second epicyclic gearbox and to a second opposing end of the rotor;
- and
- a second diffuser connected to the ring gear of the second epicyclic gearbox;
- wherein
- a first end of a rotor of the motor is connected to the sun gear of the first epicyclic gearbox and a second end of the rotor of the motor is connected to the sun gear of the second epicyclic gearbox and a stator of the motor is fixed relative to the planetary gear.
7 more elements
A method of compressing a gas, the method comprising:
- rotating a first impeller with a first sun gear of a first epicyclic gearbox, the first sun gear driven by a first end of a rotor of a motor;
- rotating a first diffuser surrounding the first impeller in an opposite direction to the first impeller using a first ring gear driven by a first planetary gear in the first epicyclic gearbox;
- passing gas through the first impeller and the first diffuser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.