Centrifugal compressor with diffuser

A centrifugal compressor comprising a centrifugal impeller;

• a compressor housing receiving said impeller and including an annular discharge chamber for receiving compressed fluid discharged radially outwardly from said impeller upon impeller rotation;
• a shaft coupled to said impeller;
• process fluid bearing means for rotatably supporting said shaft;
• and a unitary diffuser ring closely and circumferentially surrounding said impeller between said impeller and the discharge chamber, said ring including an annular vaneless diffuser space having a generally circular cross section openly communicating with said impeller for receiving fluid discharged radially outwardly from said impeller via a radially inwardly open throat, said throat having an axial width generally corresponding to the axial width of the radially outward extent of said impeller, and a plurality of linearly extending, generally circular cross section diffuser channels radiating generally outwardly from the vaneless diffuser space for guiding fluid from the vaneless space to the discharge chamber, said diffuser channels expanding radially outwardly over at least a portion of their lengths and each being angularly oriented at an acute angle with respect to adjacent diffuser channels for intersection of their linear centerlines to form a tangency circle within said vaneless diffuser space and disposed radially outwardly from the radially outward extent of said impeller by a radial dimension greater than the radius of the diffuser channels at the innermost diameter of said channels.

A centrifugal compressor comprising a centrifugal impeller rotatably carried within a compressor housing having an annular discharge chamber for receiving compressed fluid discharged radially outwardly from said impeller upon impeller rotation;

• and a unitary diffuser ring closely and circumferentially surrounding said impeller between said impeller and the discharge chamber, said ring including an annular vaneless diffuser space having a generally circular cross section openly communicating with said impeller for receiving fluid discharged radially outwardly from said impeller via a radially inwardly open throat, said throat having an axial width generally corresponding to the axial width of the radially outward extent of said impeller, and a plurality of linearly extending, generally circular cross section diffuser channels radiating generally outwardly from the vaneless diffuser space for guiding fluid from the vaneless space to the discharge chamber, said diffuser channels expanding radially outwardly over at least a portion of their lengths and being angularly oriented with respect to each other for intersection of their linear centerlines to form a tangency circle within said vaneless diffuser space and disposed radially outwardly from the radially outward extent of said impeller by a radial dimension greater than the radius of the diffuser channels at the innermost diameter of said channels.