Offset centrifugal compressor

• US 4,615,659 A
• Filed: 10/24/1983
• Issued: 10/07/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sundstrand Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sundstrand Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Sidransky, Fred S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garrett, Robert E.
• Application Number:
  US06/545,042
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 416/183, 416/231 B, 416/194, 416/196 R, 415/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 416/183
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/30 Vanes
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/668 damping or preventing mechanical vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/681 especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps

Abstract

An offset centrifugal compressor having a plurality of curved blades associated with a rotor and defining, respectively, inducer and exducer sections with a plurality of the blades being formed of at least three blade parts extending generally end-to-end. The adjacent ends of adjacent pairs of blade parts are indexed and immersed relative to each other in both the inducer and exducer section to form a pair of gaps through which a jet of gas may travel from the pressure side to the suction side of the blade to control boundary layer build-up and reduce separation of gas from the blade. An aerodynamically contoured bridge member is located in each gap to provide structural integrity and resonance frequency control, with these bridging members being positioned to avoid obstruction of gas flow in the area adjacent the tip of the blade.

Claims

1. An offset centrifugal compressor having a plurality of blades associated with a rotor and having a length to extend axially of the rotor from a leading edge at the flow inlet end of the rotor and extend radially to an end at the outer periphery of the rotor to define respectively inducer and exducer sections, a plurality of said blades being formed of plural blade parts extending generally end-to-end with ends of a pair of adjacent blade parts of one blade being indexed and immersed relative to each other in said inducer section to form a gap, and with ends of another pair of blade parts being indexed and immersed relative to each other in said exducer section to form a second gap, whereby gas can flow through said gaps from the pressure side of said multi-part part blades to the suction side thereof to affect the boundary layer on the suction side of said blades and a generally airfoil-shaped bridging member in each gap and fixed to said indexed and immersed ends of said blade parts at a location approximately mid-way of the height of the blades to provide for unobstructed flow of gas through said gaps adjacent the tip of the blade remote from the rotor.

2. An offset centrifugal compressor having a rotor for association with a shroud and operable to compress gas received at a compressor inlet and discharged at a compressor outlet, said rotor having blades defining an inducer section and an exducer section, a plurality of said blades having two successive blade parts, with their adjacent ends indexed and immersed in said exducer section to define a gap, and an airfoil-shaped bridging member fixed to the blade parts in said gap at a distance from the tip of the blade and approximately mid-way the height of the blade.

3. A centrifugal compressor compressing gas flowing between a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet and having a rotor rotatable about an axis, said rotor having blades generally extending both axially and radially of said axis to define inducer and exducer sections, said blades having a pressure face facing the direction of rotor rotation and a trailing face, a plurality of said blades being discontinuous to define plural blade parts which are indexed and immersed in a direction to have a portion of a pressure face of one blade part behind the trailing face of a blade part further from said axis to define gaps extending for the height of the blade and open at the tip of the blade whereby gas can flow through said gaps from a pressure face of one blade part to the space behind a trailing face of an adjacent blade part and a pair of airfoil-contoured bridging members positioned one in each of said gaps and fixed to the blade parts to provide structural integrity and damping for resonance control and located approximately mid-way the height of the blade whereby there can be unobstructed gas flow through the part of the gaps which are radially outward of the bridging members.