Pulse-free blower

• US 4,215,977 A
• Filed: 11/14/1977
• Issued: 08/05/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Calpine Corporation
• Original Assignee: Calpine Corporation
• Inventors: Weatherston, Roger C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vrablik, John J.
• Application Number:
  US05/851,077
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 418/78, 418/86, 418/180, 418/205, 418/206, 418/1
• US Class Current: 418/1
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 18/123 with radially or approximately radially from the rotor body extending tooth-like elements, co-operating with recesses in the other rotor, e.g. one tooth
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/0035 Equalization of pressure pulses silencing F04C29/06
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/122 Arrangements for supercharging the working space similar arrangements for internal combustion engines F02B33/00, F02B37/00

Abstract

A three-lobe Root'"'"'s blower is provided with feed back structure to bring the gas trapped in the impeller well volumes up to the discharge pressure prior to delivery. An essentially uniform and pulse-free discharge is produced by having a constant feed back flow rate which is achieved by always having a trapped impeller well volume in communication with the outlet via feed back structure which is sized to yield a continuous feed back flow rate.

Claims

1. A method for providing an essentially pulse free discharge flow as perceived at the outlet of a Root'"'"'s type blower having two impellers each of which having at least three lobes and including the steps of:

running the impellers at an essentially constant speed;

alternately communicating discharge pressure at an essentially constant, predetermined rate to a trapped well volume defined by adjacent lobes of one impeller and the housing prior to exposure to the outlet followed by similarly communicating discharge pressure to a trapped well volume of the other impeller; and

providing an essentially constant and continuous feed back flow as perceived at the outlet whereby at least one of the trapped well volumes is being filled at all times and brought up to essentially outlet pressure prior to its direct communication with said outlet.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein feed back flow takes place during an angular displacement of essentially one half of the tip to tip arcuate distance between adjacent lobes.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein feed back flow to each trapped well volume takes place over 50°

to 80°

of rotation of the impellers.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the essentially constant and continuous feed back flow is provided by establishing sequential fluid communication between the outlet and the trapped well volumes of one impeller and then the other in a cyclic manner.

5. A Root'"'"'s type of blower having an essentially pulse free output as perceived at the outlet of the blower comprising:

a housing having an inlet, an outlet and walls defining a cavity therein;

two rotary impellers having at least three lobes each located in said cavity in a coacting relationship with each other and with the walls of said cavity;

first feed back means operative for controlling fluid communication and providing an essentially constant feed back flow between said outlet and each of the trapped wells defined by adjacent lobes of one of said impellers and the walls of said cavity during respective portions of the rotational cycle of said one of said impellers approximating one half of the tip to tip arcuate distance between adjacent lobes of said one of said impellers;

second feed back means operative for controlling fluid communication and providing an essentially constant feed back flow between said outlet and each of the trapped wells defined by adjacent lobes of the other of said impellers and the walls of said cavity during respective portions of the rotational cycle of the other of said impellers which correspond to the remaining portions of the rotational cycle of said one of said impellers;

whereby each of the trapped wells is brought up to essentially outlet pressure prior to its direct communication with said outlet by providing alternating fluid communication between said outlet and a trapped well of said one impeller via said first feed back means followed by providing fluid communication between said outlet and a trapped well of said other impeller via said second feed back means in a cyclic manner such that the feed back flow remains essentially constant and continuous as perceived at the outlet of the blower and the output of said blower is essentially pulse free.

6. The blower of claim 5 wherein said impellers have three lobes each and said first and second feed back means are each operative during essentially 60°

rotation of said impellers.

7. The blower of claim 5 wherein said first and second feed back means are slots extending between 50°

and 80°

of arcuate length.

8. The blower of claim 5 wherein said first and second feed back means are symmetrically located with respect to said outlet.

9. The blower of claim 5 wherein said first and second feed back means provide for essentially constant feed back flow to each of the trapped wells during at least 50°

of rotation by said impellers.

10. The blower of claim 5 wherein the average cross sectional area of each of said first and second feed back means is between 0.0005 and 0.0015 times (D_p²)l(RPM/1000) where D_p is the impeller pitch diameter, l is the impeller length and RPM is the impeller rotational drive speed.

11. The blower of claim 5 wherein said first and second feed back means each include an internal housing passage communicating outlet pressure with the cavity at a point set back an arcuate distance of at least 60°

from said outlet.

12. The blower of claim 11 wherein the smallest cross sectional area of each of said first and second feed back means is between 0.0005 and 0.0015 times (D_p²)l(RPM/1000) where D_p is the impeller pitch diameter, l is the impeller length and RPM is the impeller rotational device speed.

13. A Root'"'"'s type of blower having an essentially pulse free output as perceived at the outlet of the blower and including:

a housing having an inlet, an outlet and walls defining a cavity therein;

two similar three-lobed rotary impellers located in said cavity in a coacting relationship with each other and the walls of said cavity whereby trapped fluid well volumes are formed between adjacent lobes of each of said impellers and the walls of said cavity;

first feed back means for providing fluid communication at an essentially constant rate between said outlet and each of the trapped fluid well volumes defined by the adjacent lobes of one of said impellers and the walls of said cavity during respective portions of the rotational cycle of said one of said impellers approximating one half of the tip to tip arcuate distance between adjacent lobes of said one of said impellers;

second feed back means for providing fluid communication at an essentially constant rate between said outlet and each of the trapped fluid well volumes defined by the adjacent lobes of the other one of said impellers and the walls of said cavity during respective portions of the rotational cycle of the other of said impellers which correspond to the remaining portions of the rotational cycle of said one of said impellers;

whereby each of the trapped wells is brought up to essentially outlet pressure prior to its direct communication with said outlet by providing alternating fluid communication between said outlet and a trapped well of said one impeller via said feed back means followed by providing fluid communication between said outlet and a trapped well of said other impeller via said second feed back means in a cyclic manner such that the feed back flow remains essentially constant and continuous as perceived at the outlet of the blower and the output of said blower is essentially pulse free.

14. The blower of claim 13 wherein said first and second feed back means are symmetrical and are in alternating continuous fluid communication between said outlet and said trapped fluid well volumes.

15. The blower of claim 13 wherein said first and second feed back means are slots extending between 50°

and 80°

of arcuate length.

16. The blower of claim 13 wherein said first and second feed back means provide for essentially constant feed back flow to each of the trapped fluid well volumes during at least 50°

of rotation by said impellers.

17. The blower of claim 13 wherein the average cross sectional area of each of said first and second feed back means is between 0.0005 and 0.0015 times (D_p²)l(RPM/1000) where D_p is the impeller pitch diameter, l is the impeller length and RPM is the impeller rotational drive speed.

18. The blower of claim 13 wherein said first and second feed back means each include an internal passage communicating outlet pressure with the cavity at a point set back an arcuate distance of at least 60°

from said outlet.

19. The blower of claim 18 wherein the smallest cross sectional area of each of said first and second feed back means is between 0.0005 and 0.0015 times (D_p²)l(RPM/1000) where D_p is the impeller pitch diameter, l is the impeller length and RPM is the impeller rotational drive speed.