Multi-rotor helical-screw compressor with discharge side thrust balance device
OwnerDavid N. Shawinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A compressor in accordance with the present invention includes a male rotor which is axially aligned with and in communication with two female rotors. The compressor includes a housing and a thrust balance configuration. The thrust balance configuration includes a thrust balance disc mounted to a male rotor shaft in a discharge housing of the compressor. The thrust balance disc is exposed to fluid from the compressor at high pressure. The outside diameter of the thrust balance is sized to provide sufficient area to react thrust loads produced by the first rotor. The thrust balance configuration serves to balance the thrust loads imparted on the male rotor and allows for full axial discharge porting.
Claims26
A helical-screw rotary compressor comprising:
- compressor rotors comprising a first rotor and at least one additional rotor, said first rotor disposed within a compressor housing on a shaft, said at least one additional rotor engaging said first rotor and being driven by said first rotor;
- and
- a thrust balance configuration comprising a thrust balance disc disposed on said shaft within a thrust balance chamber in a housing, said disc comprising a dynamic seal at an outer perimeter of said thrust balance disc thereby dividing said thrust balance chamber into a high pressure zone for a fluid at high pressure and a low pressure zone for a fluid at low pressure, said high pressure zone having sufficient volume to permit fluid pressure of said fluid to become evenly distributed against said thrust balance disc, said thrust balance disc having a total area sufficient to react a thrust produced by said first rotor without requiring fluid on either side of said disc being greater than a discharge pressure of said compressor.
A helical-screw rotary compressor having a discharge end and an opposite end, said compressor comprising:
- a compressor housing;
- a generally cylindrical shaft rotationally mounted within said compressor housing by at least two bearings;
- compressor rotors comprising a first rotor and at least one additional rotor, said first rotor disposed on said shaft proximate said discharge end within said compressor housing, said at least one additional rotor engaging said first rotor and being driven by said first rotor,
- a thrust balance configuration comprising a thrust balance disc disposed on said shaft within a discharge housing proximate said discharge end, said disc comprising a dynamic seal at an outer perimeter of said thrust balance disc thereby dividing said thrust balance chamber into a high pressure zone for a fluid at high pressure and a low pressure zone for a fluid at low pressure, said high pressure zone having sufficient volume to permit fluid pressure of said fluid at high pressure to become evenly distributed against said thrust balance disc, said thrust balance disc having a total area sufficient to react a thrust produced by said first rotor without requiring fluid pressure greater than a discharge pressure downstream of said compressor;
- and
- said discharge housing including an inlet port in communication with said high pressure zone.
A helical-screw rotary type compressor for compressing a working fluid comprising:
- compressor rotors comprising a first rotor and at least one additional rotor;
- a compressor housing, said compressor housing providing an enclosed annular space formed around a shaft that is fixed to or integral with said first rotor, said enclosed annular space having a port filling said enclosed annular space with said fluid at said high pressure, the enclosed annular space being bound on a first side by a first wall and on a second side by a second wall, the first wall being fixed to or integrally formed with said shaft and the second wall being fixed to or integrally formed with the housing, said first wall having a first and second side, the first side facing the annular space and the second side opposite the first side facing a low pressure region, the first wall further having a dynamic seal between the first and second sides to maintain a pressure differential between said enclosed annular space and said low pressure region;
- the low pressure region having a port leading to a source of the fluid at low pressure;
- whereby the fluid at high pressure acting on a first side of the first wall and the fluid at low pressure acting on the second side of the first wall creates a net axial load on the first wall and therefore the shaft to which it is fixed;
- said first wall having an area sufficient to balance a thrust imposed on the shaft by said first rotor when said pressure differential is no greater than a difference in pressure between a high pressure side and low pressure side of said compressor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.