Compressor bearing cooling inlet plate
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsCraig M. Beers, Seth E. Rosen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A compressor bearing cooling inlet plate has a mount plate, and a boss extending forwardly from the mount plate. The boss includes a plurality of grooves extending axially into the boss to define flow passages for cooling air from an outer peripheral surface of the cooling inlet plate to an inner bore. The grooves extend for a width between side walls, at angles that are not directly radially inwardly toward a center axis of the cooling plate. There is a plurality of widths across the plurality of grooves. A compressor bearing assembly, a motor driven compressor for use in a nitrogen generation system, and a method of installing a compressor bearing cooling inlet plate are all also disclosed and claimed.
Claims22
A compressor bearing cooling inlet plate comprising:
- a cooling plate body including a mount plate, and a boss extending axially forwardly from said mount plate, said boss including a plurality of grooves extending axially into said boss to define flow passages for cooling air from an outer peripheral surface of the cooling plate body to an inner bore of the cooling plate body, said grooves each extending for a width between side walls, and said grooves extending at angles which are not directly radially inwardly toward a center axis of said cooling plate body, and there being a plurality of widths across said plurality of grooves;
- and
- said mount plate and said boss together extending for a first axial distance, said boss extending for a second axial distance, and a depth of said plurality of grooves axially into said boss defining a third axial distance, and a ratio of said first axial distance to said second axial distance being between 0.6 and 0.76, and a ratio of said second axial distance to said third axial distance being between 4.60 and 5.82.
A compressor bearing assembly comprising:
- a compressor rotor attached to be driven by a shaft, said shaft carrying a cylindrical ring, said cylindrical ring to be positioned between two adjacent housing surfaces of a housing to define thrust bearing surfaces;
- at least one journal bearing for supporting said shaft within the housing;
- a cooling inlet plate being positioned radially outwardly of said cylindrical ring, said cooling inlet plate having a plurality of grooves for delivering air from an outer peripheral surface of said cooling air plate to an inner peripheral surface and such that the air flows across the thrust bearing surfaces and then the journal bearing;
- and
- said compressor rotor being received on an opposed side of one of said two adjacent housing surfaces relative to said cylindrical ring.
A nitrogen generation system motor driven compressor comprising:
- a compressor rotor attached to be driven by a shaft, said shaft being driven by a motor, and a housing enclosing said rotor, said shaft and said motor, said shaft carrying a cylindrical ring positioned between two adjacent surfaces of said housing to define thrust bearing surfaces;
- at least one journal bearing for supporting said shaft within the housing;
- a cooling inlet plate being positioned radially outwardly of said cylindrical ring, said cooling inlet plate having a plurality of grooves for delivering air from an outer peripheral surface of said cooling air plate to an inner peripheral surface and such that the air flows across the thrust bearing surfaces and then the journal bearing;
- and
- said compressor rotor being received on an opposed side of one of said two adjacent surfaces relative to said cylindrical ring.
A method of installing an air bearing into a compressor comprising the steps of:
- (a) mounting a cylindrical ring on a motor driven shaft for a compressor rotor, and positioning said cylindrical ring between two housing surfaces, which define thrust bearing surfaces said compressor rotor being received on an opposed side of one of said two adjacent housing surfaces relative to said cylindrical ring and connecting an air supply for delivering air to a location radially outwardly of said cylindrical ring to pass the air along the thrust bearing surfaces;
- and
- (b) positioning a cooling inlet plate radially outwardly of the cylindrical ring, said cooling inlet plate being formed to have a plurality of grooves for directing the air from a radially outer surface on said cooling inlet plate to an inner bore on said cooling inlet plate, said plurality of grooves directing the air along a plurality of angles which are not radially inward toward a rotational axis of the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.