Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps – Plural runners supported for relative motion or on separate... – Radial flow through concentric radially spaced blade rows
Patent
1992-05-08
1995-05-23
Kwon, John T.
Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps
Plural runners supported for relative motion or on separate...
Radial flow through concentric radially spaced blade rows
4152131, 4174238, F01D 124
Patent
active
054175445
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a pump or compressor unit.
In conventional contra-rotating pump or compressor units, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 2,234,733 to Jendrassik, contra-rotating impeller blades are shaped so as to induce fluid flow in the axial direction.
In contrast, the present invention provides a pump or compressor unit comprising at least one first impeller means and at least one second impeller means adjacent the first impeller means on a common axis, the first and second impeller means each being arrange to move a fluid in a direction generally radially of the axis on relative rotation of the impeller means about the axis.
Pumps or compressors in accordance with the present invention can be designed so as to provide considerable advantages in respect of size and general configuration, and hence in overall efficiency, making them useful primarily but not exclusively in oil extraction applications, particularly where a multi-phase fluid is to be moved.
A pump or compressor unit embodying the invention can be of various multistage constructions and although preferably contra-rotating can incorporate stationary guide or impeller means co-operating with rotating impeller means.
In a convenient embodiment of the invention, the impeller means comprise two coaxial impeller assemblies each having a backing or support plate mounting one or more annular arrays or rings of angularly spaced impeller vanes or blades. The blades extend axially of the assemblies from the support plate mounting them to close adjacency with the opposed support plate, and the blade rings of the two assemblies are located concentrically in close radial adjacency. Both of the support plates may have a multiplicity of the impeller blade rings, so that all but the outermost rings are each received between an adjacent pair of the blade rings of the other assembly.
To minimize leakage back from the pressure to the suction side, the outer tips of the blades can be sealed to the opposed support plate by sealing means carried by a support ring which connects the tops of each ring of blades and mechanically supports them.
The impeller blades have profiles which are such that a continuous fluid pumping or compression function in a radial direction results from contrary rotation of the support plates. The rotational component of fluid velocity created by each ring of blades is converted to compression energy in the following ring of blades in the direction of radial flow, which ring acts as a rotating diffuser. By this arrangement a multistage unit can be provided which is axially very compact. The relative velocity increases from the fluid inlet to the outlet, so that an increasing absolute head generation per ring of blades will increase considerably towards the outlet. The inlet can thus be optimised for fluids likely to cause cavitation, and at the same time a high specific and absolute load on the profiled blades at the outer part of the support plates can be achieved.
The impeller assemblies can be driven at relative moderate speeds to achieve good suction performance as well as a high energy output typical of high speed machines.
The axial extent of the impeller blades can be successively reduced in the flow direction so as to match the axial velocity to each ring of impeller blades. A given loading (lift coefficient) can be designed for each row. For multiphase or other compressible fluids, this variable inlet area capability provides optimum loading for the design operating condition and can serve to "unload" or decouple the drive motors in slug flow conditions.
The counter-rotating action of the rings of impeller blades will also provide good mixing of multiphase mixtures. A relative short "hold time" of the fluid in the impeller system will also prevent separation.
A pump or compressor unit in accordance with the invention can be arranged to effect fluid movement in either radial direction, because the head generating principle depends on the hydrodynamic function of the axial profiling of the impeller blades and not directl
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Framo Developments (UK) Limited
Kwon John T.
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