Rotary compressor for gas and liquid mixtures

A rotary compressor for a gas and liquid mixture and comprising a disk-like rotor (2) disposed in a fixed pump housing (1) and having an annular peripheral gas and liquid channel (14), characterised in that the channel (14) includes an annular radially outer space (15) for an entrapped liquid annulus and a radially inner, concentric annular space (16) for gas, which is defined by a liquid trap-forming side wall (17) which penetrates into the liquid annulus space (15);

• and that the gas space (16) is divided into suction and compression chambers (16b and 16a, respectively) by one or more transverse walls (18) connected to the rotor (2) and extending inwardly toward and penetrating into the liquid annulus space (15), and by planar liquid jets (31) which are deflected from the rotating liquid annulus in the space (15) therefor by means of at least one blade (22) which is fixedly anchored in the pump housing (1) and extends axially along the liquid annulus space (15), said rotor (2) having a circumferential wall (7) which is surrounded by a trough-like wall construction (14) which, about the circumferential wall of the rotor, defines said gas and liquid channel;
• that the circumferential wall (7) has at least one orifice (21;
• 21a;
• 21b) and surrounds a cavity (10) in the rotor, which cavity is connected to an inlet (11,12) for the gas and liquid mixture;
• that the pump housing (1) supports at least one deflector member (22) which is located in the liquid annulus space (15) and is disposed to deflect, from the liquid annulus rotating with the rotor, a stationary liquid jet (31) towards said rotor circumferential wall (7) which, in its turn, is operative to deflect the jet back to the liquid annulus in a tangential direction;
• and that said circumferential wall supports at least one transverse radially outwardly projecting wall (18) which projects into the liquid annulus and is disposed, together with said jet (31) and the side walls of the trough-like construction (14), to divide up the gas space (16) into a compression chamber (16a) and a suction chamber (16b), whose volumes alternatingly are increased and reduced between zero and a maximum, during the rotation of the rotor, the radially projecting transverse wall (18) being disposed to pass radially inside the deflector member (22) and, after gas compression phases, through the liquid jet (31);
• that the rotor is provided with means (19) for maintaining constant the liquid level in the liquid annulus;
• and that the compressor has means (19, 26, 29, 29', 21b, 42, 43, 44) for leading compressed gas out from the compression chamber (16a).

A rotary compressor comprising a stationary housing and a rotor mounted for rotation in said housing about an axis, said rotor having a wall structure which encloses a central cavity (10) and forms an annular trough (14) which surrounds said cavity and comprises spaced apart side walls and top and bottom walls connecting said side walls and enclosing an annular cavity, said annular cavity being concentric to said axis of the rotor, and inlet means for feeding a mixture of gas and liquid into said central cavity, means (21) forming a communication between said central cavity and said annular trough, means (3) for rotating said rotor and thereby inducing centrifugal forces for throwing gas and liquid from said central cavity into said annular cavity and forming in a radially outer portion of the annular cavity a liquid annulus (15) which will rotate together with the trough, said liquid annulus and said circumferential bottom wall of said trough defining therebetween an annular gas space when said rotor is rotated, wherein said housing (1) has at least one stationary deflector member (22) supported by the housing in a stationary position in said rotating liquid annulus (15) to deflect therefrom a stationary liquid jet (31) towards said circumferential bottom wall (7) which is formed to deflect said liquid jet back to the liquid annulus in a tangential direction, at least one transversal wall member (18) being supported by said circumferential bottom wall and projecting radially outwardly therefrom into said rotating liquid annulus, said transversal wall member, said liquid jet (31) and said side walls dividing said annular gas space (16) into a compression chamber (16a) and a suction chamber (16b) on either side of said transversal wall member, said compression and suction chambers, as a result of the movement of said transverse wall in relation to said liquid jet when the rotor is rotated, being increased and decreased in volume to work alternatingly as compression and suction chambers, said communication between said central space and said annular space being arranged to be separated by said stationary liquid jet from that chamber which serves as a compression chamber substantially simultaneously as the chamber which is to serve as a suction chamber is connected by means of said communication to said central space, and wherein said rotor and said housing comprise cooperating means for connecting the compression chamber to a receiving means for compressed gas.