Inlet connecting piece for an axial-flow compressor

An axial compressor comprising an inlet connection piece comprising:

• an inlet housing (1);
• a bearing housing (2) disposed in said inlet housing (1), both said bearing housing and said inlet housing defining a main fluid passage for a main fluid flow to be compressed in a fluid flow direction;
• an axial bearing (3) for a rotor of the axial compressor, said bearing disposed in said bearing housing in a flow direction of the fluid to be compressed, said bearing having a center (3a) and being the first bearing in said fluid flow direction;
• at least one inlet strut (4) formed as a single body, non-rotatably connected to said inlet housing (1) in a front cross-section having a center and a chord length;
• said inlet strut directly connecting said bearing housing (2) to said inlet housing (1) in the main fluid passage;
• and wherein
• (a) said center (3a) of said bearing (3) in the flow direction is arranged axially within said cord length of said inlet strut and behind said center of said front cross-section by one of at least 0.1-times, at least 0.15-times, at least 0.2-times and at least 0.25-times said chord length of said front section of said inlet strut;
• and
• (b) said at least one inlet strut (4) comprising within said at least one fluid passage (5, 6) defined in and extending through said single body inlet strut, at least a portion of said fluid passage forming an acute angle with a normal plane relative to a longitudinal axis of the inlet connection piece.