WO2025177690A1 - Compressor apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

This compressor apparatus comprises: a first compressor including a first compressor impeller; a bearing supporting a rotary shaft of the first compressor impeller to be rotatable; a pipe connected to an outlet of the first compressor; an annular heat exchanger mounted on an outer wall of the pipe; and a bearing cooling line. A through-hole is formed in the outer wall of the pipe. The heat exchanger includes: an air inlet part configured to take in, via the through-hole of the outer wall, some of the air flowing inside the pipe; a heat exchange core configured to cool, by heat exchange with a cooling liquid, the air taken in from the air inlet part; and an air outlet part for discharging the air cooled in the heat exchange core. The bearing cooling line is configured to cool the bearing using the air discharged from the air outlet part of the heat exchanger.

Description

Compressor equipment

The present disclosure relates to a compressor device.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-025064, filed with the Japan Patent Office on February 22, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Patent Document 1 discloses a heat exchanger fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the housing of a motor connected to a centrifugal compressor. This centrifugal compressor is configured to cool air extracted from a diffuser using the heat exchanger and supply the cooled air to the bearings.

Patent No. 6911937

In the compressor described in Patent Document 1, air is extracted from openings formed in the flow path wall of the diffuser and supplied to the heat exchanger, so there is a concern that these openings may reduce aerodynamic performance and reduce compressor efficiency.

In light of the above circumstances, at least one embodiment of the present disclosure aims to provide a compressor device that can promote cooling of the bearings by cooling the air supplied to the bearings using a heat exchanger while suppressing a decrease in compressor efficiency.

In order to achieve the above object, a compressor device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises:
a first compressor including a first compressor impeller;
a bearing that rotatably supports a rotation shaft of the first compressor impeller;
a pipe connected to an outlet of the first compressor;
an annular heat exchanger attached to an outer wall of the piping;
a bearing cooling line for cooling the bearing;
Equipped with
A through hole is formed in the outer wall of the pipe,
The heat exchanger comprises:
an air inlet configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the piping through the through hole in the outer wall;
a heat exchange core configured to cool the air taken in through the air inlet by heat exchange with a cooling liquid;
an air outlet portion for discharging the air cooled by the heat exchange core;
Including,
The bearing cooling line is configured to cool the bearing by supplying the air discharged from the air outlet portion of the heat exchanger to the bearing.

At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a compressor device that can promote cooling of the bearings by cooling the air supplied to the bearings using a heat exchanger while suppressing a decrease in compressor efficiency.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a compressor device 2 according to an embodiment. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section including a rotation axis CA in the compressor device 2 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section of an intermediate pipe 10 taken along the axial direction. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part (approximately the upper half) of a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of a heat exchange core 38. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the configuration shown in FIG. 5 . 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part (upper half) of the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the air distributor 50. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part (upper half) of the coolant distributor 52 taken along a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction. FIG.

Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of components described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
For example, expressions expressing relative or absolute arrangement such as "in a certain direction,""along a certain direction,""parallel,""orthogonal,""center,""concentric," or "coaxial" not only express such an arrangement exactly, but also express a state in which there is a relative displacement with a tolerance or an angle or distance to the extent that the same function is obtained.
For example, expressions such as "identical,""equal," and "homogeneous" that indicate that something is in an equal state not only indicate a state of strict equality, but also indicate a state in which there is a tolerance or a difference to the extent that the same function is obtained.
For example, expressions representing shapes such as a square shape or a cylindrical shape not only represent shapes such as a square shape or a cylindrical shape in the strict geometric sense, but also represent shapes including uneven portions, chamfered portions, etc., to the extent that the same effect can be obtained.
On the other hand, the expressions "comprise,""include,""have,""includes," or "have" of one element are not exclusive expressions that exclude the presence of other elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a compressor unit 2 according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross section including the rotation axis CA of the compressor unit 2 shown in FIG. 1.

The compressor device 2 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is a two-stage compressor comprising a motor 4, a low-pressure compressor 6 driven by the motor 4, a high-pressure compressor 8 driven by the motor 4, and an intermediate pipe 10 connecting the outlet 6e of the low-pressure compressor 6 to the inlet 8a of the high-pressure compressor 8. In the compressor device 2, air compressed by the low-pressure compressor 6 is discharged from the outlet 6e of the low-pressure compressor 6 to the intermediate pipe 10, passed through the intermediate pipe 10, and supplied to the inlet 8a of the high-pressure compressor 8, where it is further compressed by the high-pressure compressor 8. As shown in Figure 2, the air compressed by the high-pressure compressor 8 is discharged to a pipe 11 connected to the outlet 8e of the high-pressure compressor 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, the motor 4 includes a rotor 12, a stator 14 arranged around the rotor 12, and a motor housing 15 that houses the rotor 12 and stator 14. The low-pressure compressor 6 includes a compressor impeller 16 and a compressor housing 18 that houses the compressor impeller 16. The high-pressure compressor 8 includes a compressor impeller 20 and a compressor housing 22 that houses the compressor impeller 20. The rotor 12 and the rotating shaft 16A of the compressor impeller 16 are connected on the back surface 16a side of the compressor impeller 16, and the rotor 12 and the rotating shaft 20A of the compressor impeller 20 are connected on the back surface 20a side of the compressor impeller 20, so that the rotor 12, compressor impeller 16, and compressor impeller 20 are configured to rotate integrally. The rotation axis CA in FIG. 1 is a rotation axis common to the rotor 12, compressor impeller 16, and compressor impeller 20.

The low-pressure compressor 6 includes an impeller accommodating space 6b in which the compressor impeller 16 is disposed, a scroll passage 6d formed on the outer periphery of the compressor impeller 16, and an annular diffuser passage 6c connecting the impeller accommodating space 6b and the scroll passage 6d; the outlet 6e of the low-pressure compressor 6 is formed downstream of the scroll passage 6d. The high-pressure compressor 8 includes an impeller accommodating space 8b in which the compressor impeller 20 is disposed, a scroll passage 8d formed on the outer periphery of the compressor impeller 20, and an annular diffuser passage 8c connecting the impeller accommodating space 8b and the scroll passage 8d; the outlet 8e of the high-pressure compressor 8 is formed downstream of the scroll passage 8d.

As shown in FIG. 2, the compressor device 2 includes a journal bearing 24 that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 16A between the rotor 12 and the compressor impeller 16, a journal bearing 26 that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 20A between the rotor 12 and the compressor impeller 20, and a thrust bearing 28 that is provided between the journal bearing 24 and the compressor impeller 16 and receives the thrust load from the rotating shaft 16A. Each of the journal bearing 24, journal bearing 26, and thrust bearing 28 may be, for example, an air bearing. The compressor device 2 also includes a low-pressure bearing housing 90 that houses the journal bearing 24 and thrust bearing 28, and a high-pressure bearing housing 91 that houses the journal bearing 26.

As shown in FIG. 2, the compressor device 2 includes a first bearing cooling line 92 for cooling the journal bearing 26, a motor cooling line 93 for cooling the motor 4, and a second bearing cooling line 94 for cooling the thrust bearing 28.

The first bearing cooling line 92 includes an internal passage 92a formed inside the high-pressure bearing housing 91 and is configured to cool the journal bearing 26 by supplying cooling air to the journal bearing 26 through the internal passage 92a. The motor cooling line 93 includes a gap 93a between the rotor 12 and the stator 14 and is configured to cool the rotor 12 and the stator 14 by flowing cooling air through the gap 93a. The second bearing cooling line 94 includes an internal passage 94a formed inside the low-pressure bearing housing 90 and is configured to cool the thrust bearing 28 by supplying cooling air to the thrust bearing 28 through the internal passage 94a. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, a portion of the cooling air that passes through the gap 93a between the rotor 12 and the stator 14 is supplied to the journal bearing 24 and used to cool the journal bearing 24, so the motor cooling line 93 also functions as a bearing cooling line for cooling the journal bearing 24. In addition, the cooling air flowing through the motor cooling line 93 cools the journal bearing 26 via the high-pressure bearing housing 91, so the motor cooling line 93 also functions as a bearing cooling line for cooling the journal bearing 26.

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross-section along the axial direction of the intermediate pipe 10 described above. The intermediate pipe 10 shown in Figure 3 extends in a direction parallel to the rotation axis CA (see Figure 2), and the central axis CB of the intermediate pipe 10 is parallel to the rotation axis CA.

As shown in FIG. 3, the compressor device 2 includes an annular heat exchanger 30 attached to the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10. The intermediate pipe 10 and the heat exchanger 30 are arranged concentrically about the central axis CB, with the inner circumferential surface 30a of the heat exchanger 30 facing the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10. A plurality of through holes 32 are formed in the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10 at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the outer diameter of each of the end portions 10a, 10b of the intermediate pipe 10 is larger than the outer diameter of the central portion 10c of the intermediate pipe 10, and the heat exchanger 30 is attached to the outer wall 10A of the central portion 10c of the intermediate pipe 10.

In the following description, unless otherwise specified, "axial direction" means the axial direction of the intermediate pipe 10, i.e., the axial direction of the annular heat exchanger 30 (a direction parallel to the central axis CB), and unless otherwise specified, "radial direction" means the radial direction of the intermediate pipe 10, i.e., the radial direction of the annular heat exchanger 30 (a radial direction centered on the central axis CB), and unless otherwise specified, "circumferential direction" means the circumferential direction of the intermediate pipe 10, i.e., the circumferential direction of the annular heat exchanger 30 (a circumferential direction centered on the central axis CB).

As shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 30 includes an air inlet section 34, a coolant inlet header 36 (coolant inlet section), a heat exchange core 38, an air outlet header 40 (air outlet section), and a coolant outlet header 42 (coolant outlet section).

The air inlet section 34 is located on the inner periphery of the annular heat exchanger 30 and is configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the intermediate pipe 10 into the heat exchanger 30 through multiple through-holes 32 in the outer wall 10A.

The coolant inlet header 36 is provided on the outer periphery of the annular heat exchanger 30 and is configured to take in coolant supplied from a coolant supply source (not shown) into the heat exchanger 30. The coolant used in the heat exchanger 30 may be, for example, water, or LLC (Long Life Coolant) containing additives such as antifreeze.

The heat exchange core 38 is configured to cool the air taken into the heat exchanger 30 through the air inlet section 34 by heat exchange with the coolant taken into the heat exchanger 30 through the coolant inlet header 36.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the heat exchange core 38 includes a plurality of air passages 44 through which air flows and a plurality of coolant passages 46 through which coolant flows, with the air passages 44 and the coolant passages 46 arranged alternately in the radial direction. Each of the plurality of air passages 44 and each of the plurality of coolant passages 46 extend along the axial direction. The direction of air flow in each of the plurality of air passages 44 and the direction of coolant flow in each of the plurality of coolant passages 46 are opposite in the axial direction. Of the plurality of air passages 44 and the plurality of coolant passages 46 included in the heat exchanger 30, the coolant passage 46 is the passage located radially innermost. In the heat exchange core 38, the air flowing through each air passage 44 is cooled by heat exchange with the coolant flowing through the coolant passage 46 adjacent to that air passage 44.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 30 also includes an annular air distributor 50 that distributes air taken in through the air inlet section 34 to the multiple air flow paths 44, and an annular coolant distributor 52 that distributes coolant taken in through the coolant inlet header 36 to the multiple coolant flow paths 46. The heat exchange core 38 is located axially between the air distributor 50 and the coolant distributor 52.

The air outlet header 40 is connected to multiple air flow paths 44 and is configured to discharge air cooled by the heat exchange core 38 (air that has passed through the multiple air flow paths 44) from the heat exchanger 30. An air tube 41, through which air discharged from the air outlet header 40 flows, is connected to the air outlet header 40, and the air tube 41 branches into a first bearing cooling line 92, a motor cooling line 93, and a second bearing cooling line 94 via a branching section 41a. The first bearing cooling line 92 uses the air (cooling air) discharged from the air outlet header 40 to cool the journal bearings 26 as described above. The motor cooling line 93 uses the air discharged from the air outlet header 40 to cool the motor rotor 12 and stator 14 as described above. The second bearing cooling line 94 uses the air discharged from the air outlet header 40 to cool the thrust bearing 28 as described above.

In the compressor device 2 described above, the annular heat exchanger 30 is attached to the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10 connected to the outlet 6e of the low-pressure compressor 6. Air is drawn in through a through-hole 32 formed in the outer wall 10A. This reduces energy loss in the diffuser passage 6c and reduces a decrease in the efficiency of the low-pressure compressor 6, compared to the configuration described in Patent Document 1 (in which air used to cool the bearings is extracted from an opening formed in the passage wall of the compressor's diffuser passage). Therefore, while reducing a decrease in the efficiency of the low-pressure compressor 6, the air supplied to the journal bearings 24, 26, thrust bearing 28, and motor 4 can be cooled by the heat exchanger 30, thereby promoting cooling of the journal bearings 24, 26, thrust bearing 28, and motor 4. Furthermore, the heat exchanger 30 may be attached to the intermediate pipe 10 when the compressor device 2 is operated at high output (high thermal load), allowing for flexible operation according to conditions.

Furthermore, because the air flowing through the intermediate pipe 10 is cooled by the annular heat exchanger 30, it is possible to cool not only the air supplied to the bearings 24, 26, 28 and motor 4, but also the air supplied to the high-pressure compressor 8. This improves the efficiency of the high-pressure compressor 8.

Furthermore, by axially opposing the direction in which air flows in each of the multiple air flow paths 44 and the direction in which coolant flows in each of the multiple coolant flow paths 46, high temperature efficiency can be achieved in the heat exchanger 30.

Furthermore, because the air flow paths 44 and the coolant flow paths 46 are arranged alternately in the radial direction, multiple air flow paths 44 and multiple coolant flow paths 46 can be efficiently arranged in the limited space of the annular heat exchanger 30, preventing the heat exchanger 30 from becoming larger.

By using the radially innermost passage of the multiple air passages 44 and multiple coolant passages 46 provided in the heat exchanger 30 as the coolant passage 46, the effectiveness of cooling the air flowing through the intermediate pipe 10 to which the annular heat exchanger 30 is attached can be improved. This can further improve the efficiency of the high-pressure compressor 8.

Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a portion (approximately the upper half) of the heat exchange core 38 in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of part X in Figure 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heat exchange core 38 includes a cylindrical outer wall 54, a cylindrical inner wall 56 located radially inward of the outer wall 54, and a plurality of cylindrical partition walls 58 arranged between the outer wall 54 and the inner wall 56. The outer wall 54, the inner wall 56, and the plurality of cylindrical partition walls 58 are arranged on concentric circles centered on the central axis CB (see FIG. 3), and each of the plurality of cylindrical partition walls 58 separates adjacent air flow paths 44 and coolant flow paths 46.

As shown in FIG. 5, the heat exchange core 38 includes a plurality of partition walls 60 configured to divide each of the plurality of air flow paths 44 into a plurality of circumferentially spaced air flow path sections 44a. The heat exchange core 38 also includes a plurality of partition walls 62 configured to divide each of the plurality of coolant flow paths 46 into a plurality of circumferentially spaced coolant flow path sections 46a.

In the configuration shown in Figure 5, for radially adjacent air flow paths 44 and coolant flow paths 46, the air flowing through the air flow path section 44a and the coolant flowing through the coolant flow path section 46a exchange heat with the cylindrical partition wall 58 as the primary heat transfer surface, and with the partition walls 60 and 62 as the secondary heat transfer surfaces. This allows the heat exchanger 30 to achieve high heat exchange performance.

Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the configuration shown in Figure 5. In the configuration shown in Figure 6, symbols that are common to the components shown in Figure 5 indicate the same components as those shown in Figure 5 unless otherwise specified, and explanations will be omitted.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the heat exchange core 38 may include a protrusion 65 formed on the flow path wall surface 64 of the air flow path section 44a. The protrusion 65 may be a projection whose longitudinal direction is the direction protruding from the flow path wall surface 64, or a rib extending in a direction along the flow path wall surface 64 (e.g., the axial direction or a direction intersecting the axial direction). Note that, although a protrusion 65 is provided on each of the multiple air flow path sections 44a in the example shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion 65 may be provided on only some of the multiple air flow path sections 44a.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the heat exchange core 38 may include a protrusion 68 formed on the flow path wall surface 66 of the coolant flow path section 46a. The protrusion 68 may be a projection whose longitudinal direction is the direction protruding from the flow path wall surface 66, or a rib extending in a direction along the flow path wall surface 66 (e.g., the axial direction or a direction intersecting the axial direction). Note that, although a protrusion 68 is provided on each of the multiple coolant flow path sections 46a in the example shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion 68 may be provided on only some of the multiple coolant flow path sections 46a.

The configuration shown in Figure 6 allows the convex portions 65, 68 to increase the area contributing to heat transfer, thereby improving the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger 30.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6 , in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, of the multiple coolant flow path sections 46a provided in the heat exchange core 38, the flow path cross-sectional area of the coolant flow path section 46ai located radially innermost may be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of the coolant flow path sections 46ai located radially outer than the coolant flow path section 46ai. In the example shown, the radial dimension of the coolant flow path section 46ai located radially innermost is larger than the radial dimension of the coolant flow path section 46ai located radially outer than the coolant flow path section 46ai. This can enhance the effect of cooling the air flowing through the intermediate pipe 10 by the heat exchanger 30.

Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a portion (upper half) of the air distributor 50 taken along a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the air distributor 50 may include a plurality of radial flow passages 70 spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of circumferential flow passages 72 spaced apart in the radial direction and arranged on concentric circles centered on the central axis CB.

As shown in FIG. 7 , each of the multiple radial flow paths 70 extends radially and connects (intersects) with multiple circumferential flow paths 72. Each of the multiple circumferential flow paths 72 extends circumferentially and is formed in an annular shape. Each of the circumferential flow paths 72 is configured as a branch flow path branching off from each of the radial flow paths 70.

In this configuration, air flowing through the radial flow paths 70 flows into multiple circumferential flow paths 72 at different radial positions, and is supplied from the multiple circumferential flow paths 72 to the multiple air flow path sections 44a (see Figure 5, etc.) described above.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 7, the air inlet section 34 includes a plurality of openings 34a formed at intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner surface 51 of the annular air distributor 50. The plurality of openings 34a of the air inlet section 34 are arranged to correspond to the plurality of through holes 32 (see Figure 3) in the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10, and the air inlet section 34 is configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the intermediate pipe 10 into the air distributor 50 via the plurality of through holes 32 and the plurality of openings 34a.

With the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the air distributor 50 includes multiple radial flow paths 70 and multiple circumferential flow paths 72, which allows the air taken in from the air inlet 34 to be distributed to all air flow path sections 44a within the heat exchange core 38, maintaining an appropriate flow rate of air distributed to all air flow path sections 44a within the heat exchange core 38. This allows for high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger 30.

Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a portion (upper half) of the coolant distributor 52 taken along a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, the coolant distributor 52 may include a plurality of radial flow passages 80 spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of circumferential flow passages 82 spaced apart in the radial direction and arranged on concentric circles centered on the central axis CB.

As shown in FIG. 8 , each of the multiple radial flow paths 80 extends along the radial direction and connects (intersects) with multiple circumferential flow paths 82. Each of the multiple circumferential flow paths 82 extends along the circumferential direction and is formed in an annular shape. Each of the circumferential flow paths 82 is configured as a branch flow path branching off from each of the radial flow paths 80.

In this configuration, the coolant supplied from the coolant inlet header 36 (see Figure 3) to the outer periphery 53 of the coolant distributor 52 flows radially inward through the radial flow paths 80. The coolant flowing through the radial flow paths 80 flows into multiple circumferential flow paths 72 at different radial positions, and is supplied from the multiple circumferential flow paths 82 to the above-mentioned multiple coolant flow path sections 46a (see Figure 5, etc.).

With the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the coolant distributor 52 includes multiple radial flow paths 80 and multiple circumferential flow paths 82, which allows the air taken in from the coolant inlet header 36 to be distributed to all coolant flow path sections 46a within the heat exchange core 38, maintaining the appropriate flow rate of coolant distributed to all coolant flow path sections 46a within the heat exchange core 38. This allows for high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger 30.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but also includes modifications to the above-described embodiments and appropriate combinations of these embodiments.

For example, in the above embodiment, the annular heat exchanger 30 is provided on the outer wall 10A of the intermediate pipe 10, but the annular heat exchanger 30 may also be provided on the outer wall of the pipe 11 (see Figure 2) connected to the outlet 8e of the high-pressure compressor 8.

Furthermore, for example, in the cross section shown in Figure 5 etc., the air flow path sections 44a and the coolant flow path sections 46a are arranged alternately in the radial direction, but the air flow path sections 44a and the coolant flow path sections 46a may also be arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, and the air flow path sections 44a and the coolant flow path sections 46a may also be arranged in a staggered manner in the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction. In other words, in the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, the air flow path sections 44a and the coolant flow path sections 46a may be arranged alternately in both the radial direction and the circumferential direction, which can increase the amount of heat exchanged by the primary heat transfer surface and improve the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger 30.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 etc., the direction in which the air flows in each of the multiple air flow paths 44 and the direction in which the coolant flows in each of the multiple coolant flow paths 46 are opposite in the axial direction, but the direction in which the air flows in each of the multiple air flow paths 44 and the direction in which the coolant flows in each of the multiple coolant flow paths 46 may be the same in the axial direction, or may be directions that intersect (orthogonal to) each other.

Furthermore, while the compressor device 2 shown in Figure 2 etc. is a two-stage electric compressor in which the low-pressure compressor 6 and high-pressure compressor 8 are driven by the motor 4, the compressor device of the present disclosure may be a single-stage electric compressor and may not be equipped with a motor.

The contents described in each of the above embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows:

[1] At least one embodiment of the compressor device according to the present disclosure (e.g., the compressor device 2 described above) includes:
a first compressor (e.g., the above-mentioned low-pressure compressor 6 or high-pressure compressor 8) including a first compressor impeller (e.g., the above-mentioned compressor impeller 16 or compressor impeller 20);
a bearing (e.g., the journal bearing 24, the journal bearing 26, or the thrust bearing 28) that rotatably supports a rotation shaft of the first compressor impeller (e.g., the above-mentioned rotation shaft 16A or 20A);
a pipe (for example, the intermediate pipe 10 or the pipe 11) connected to the outlet of the first compressor;
an annular heat exchanger (e.g., the heat exchanger 30 described above) attached to the outer wall of the piping;
a bearing cooling line for cooling the bearing (for example, the first bearing cooling line 92, the motor cooling line 93, or the second bearing cooling line 94 described above);
Equipped with
a through-hole (for example, the above-mentioned through-hole 32) is formed in the outer wall of the pipe;
The heat exchanger comprises:
an air inlet portion (e.g., the air inlet portion 34 described above) configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the piping through the through-hole in the outer wall;
a heat exchange core (e.g., the heat exchange core 38 described above) configured to cool the air taken in through the air inlet by heat exchange with a cooling liquid;
an air outlet section (for example, the above-mentioned air outlet header 40) for discharging the air cooled by the heat exchange core;
Including,
The bearing cooling line is configured to cool the bearing using the air discharged from the air outlet portion of the heat exchanger.

In the compressor device described in [1] above, the annular heat exchanger is attached to the outer wall of the pipe connected to the outlet of the first compressor, and takes in air through through holes formed in the outer wall of the pipe. This reduces energy loss in the diffuser and reduces a decrease in efficiency of the first compressor compared to the configuration described in Patent Document 1 (a configuration in which air used to cool the bearings is extracted from an opening formed in the flow path wall of the compressor's diffuser). Therefore, it is possible to cool the air supplied to the bearings using the heat exchanger, promoting cooling of the bearings while suppressing a decrease in efficiency of the first compressor.

[2] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [1] above,
the compressor device comprises a second compressor (e.g., the above-mentioned high-pressure compressor 8);
The piping is an intermediate piping (for example, the above-mentioned intermediate piping 10) that connects the outlet of the first compressor and the inlet of the second compressor.

In the compressor device described in [2] above, the air flowing through the intermediate pipe is cooled by the annular heat exchanger, so not only the air supplied to the bearings but also the air supplied to the second compressor can be cooled. This improves the efficiency of the second compressor in addition to the effect of [1] above.

[3] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [1] or [2] above,
the heat exchange core includes a plurality of air passages (e.g., the plurality of air passages 44 described above) through which the air flows, and a plurality of coolant passages (e.g., the plurality of coolant passages 46 described above) through which the coolant flows,
each of the plurality of air flow paths and each of the plurality of coolant flow paths extends along an axial direction of the pipe;
The direction in which the air flows in each of the plurality of air flow paths and the direction in which the coolant flows in each of the plurality of coolant flow paths are opposite to each other in the axial direction.

In the compressor device described in [3] above, the direction in which air flows in each of the multiple air flow paths and the direction in which coolant flows in each of the multiple coolant flow paths are opposite in the axial direction, thereby achieving high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger.

[4] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [3] above,
the heat exchanger includes an air distributor (e.g., the above-described air distributor 50) that distributes the air taken in through the air inlet portion to the plurality of air flow paths, a coolant inlet portion, and a coolant distributor (e.g., the above-described coolant distributor 52) that distributes the coolant taken in through the coolant inlet portion to the plurality of coolant flow paths,
The heat exchange core is located axially between the air distributor and the coolant distributor.

In the compressor device described in [4] above, the direction in which air flows in each of the multiple air flow paths and the direction in which coolant flows in each of the multiple coolant flow paths are opposite in the axial direction, thereby achieving high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger.

[5] In some embodiments, in the compressor device according to any one of [1] to [4] above,
the heat exchange core includes a plurality of air passages (e.g., the plurality of air passages 44 described above) through which the air flows, and a plurality of coolant passages (e.g., the plurality of coolant passages 46 described above) through which the coolant flows,
The air flow paths and the coolant flow paths are arranged alternately in the radial direction of the piping.

The compressor device described in [5] above allows multiple air flow paths and multiple coolant flow paths to be efficiently arranged in the limited space of the annular heat exchanger, preventing the heat exchanger from becoming too large.

[6] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [5] above,
Of the plurality of air flow paths and the plurality of coolant flow paths, the flow path located at the innermost position in the radial direction is the coolant flow path.

In the compressor device described in [6] above, by using the radially innermost flow path as a coolant flow path, the effect of cooling the air flowing through the piping to which the annular heat exchanger is attached can be improved. Therefore, particularly when the compressor device includes a second compressor and the piping is an intermediate piping connecting the outlet of the first compressor and the inlet of the second compressor, the effect of improving the efficiency of the second compressor can be enhanced.

[7] In some embodiments, in the compressor device according to [5] or [6] above,
The heat exchange core includes a plurality of partitions (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of partitions 60) configured to divide each of the plurality of air flow paths into a plurality of air flow path sections (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of air flow path sections 44a) spaced circumferentially of the piping.

The compressor device described in [7] above allows each of the multiple partition walls to function as a secondary heat transfer surface, improving the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger.

[8] In some embodiments, in the compressor device according to any one of [5] to [7] above,
The heat exchange core includes a plurality of partitions (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of partitions 62) configured to divide each of the plurality of coolant flow paths into a plurality of coolant flow path sections (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of coolant flow path sections 46a) spaced circumferentially of the piping.

The compressor device described in [8] above allows each of the multiple partition walls to function as a secondary heat transfer surface, improving the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger.

[9] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [7] above,
The heat exchange core includes a convex portion (for example, the convex portion 65 described above) formed on the flow path wall surface of the air flow path portion.

The compressor device described in [9] above can improve the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger by increasing the area that contributes to heat transfer through the convex portions.

[10] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [8] above,
The heat exchange core includes a convex portion (for example, the convex portion 68 described above) formed on the flow path wall surface of the coolant flow path portion.

The compressor device described in [10] above can improve the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger by increasing the area that contributes to heat transfer using the convex portions.

[11] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [7] above,
the heat exchanger includes an air distributor (e.g., the air distributor 50 described above) that distributes the air taken in through the air inlet portion to the plurality of air flow path portions;
The air distributor includes a plurality of radial flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of radial flow paths 70) arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the piping, and a plurality of circumferential flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of circumferential flow paths 72) arranged concentrically at intervals in the radial direction of the piping,
Each of the plurality of radial flow passages extends along the radial direction and is connected to the plurality of circumferential flow passages.

The compressor device described in [11] above can maintain the distribution of air at an appropriate flow rate to multiple air flow passage sections in the compressor device described in [7] above. This allows for high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger.

[12] In some embodiments, in the compressor device described in [8] above,
the heat exchanger includes a coolant inlet portion (e.g., the above-described coolant inlet header 36), and a coolant distributor (e.g., the above-described coolant distributor 52) that distributes the coolant taken in from the coolant inlet portion to the plurality of coolant flow path portions;
The coolant distributor includes a plurality of radial flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of radial flow paths 80) arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the pipe, and a plurality of circumferential flow paths (e.g., the above-mentioned plurality of circumferential flow paths 82) arranged concentrically at intervals in the radial direction of the pipe,
Each of the plurality of radial flow passages extends along the radial direction and is connected to the plurality of circumferential flow passages.

The compressor device described in [12] above can maintain the distribution of the coolant at an appropriate flow rate to the multiple coolant flow path sections in the compressor device described in [8] above. This allows for high temperature efficiency in the heat exchanger.

2 Compressor device 4 Motor 6 Low-pressure compressor 6b, 8b Impeller accommodating space 6c, 8c Diffuser passage 6d, 8d Scroll passage 6e, 8e Outlet 8 High-pressure compressor 8a Inlet 10 Intermediate piping 10A, 54 Outer wall 10a, 10b End 10c Central portion 12 Rotor 14 Stator 15 Motor housing 16, 20 Compressor impeller 16A, 20A Rotating shaft 16a, 20a Back surface 18, 22 Compressor housing 24, 26 Journal bearing 28 Thrust bearing 30 Heat exchanger 30a, 51 Inner peripheral surface 32 Through hole 34 Air inlet portion 34a Opening 36 Coolant inlet header 38 Heat exchange core 40 Air outlet header 41 Air tube 41a Branch portion 42 Coolant outlet header 44 Air flow path 44a Air flow path portion 46 Coolant flow path 46a Coolant flow path portion 50 Air distributor 52 Coolant distributor 53 Outer periphery 56 Inner wall 58 Cylindrical partition walls 60, 62 Partition walls 64, 66 Flow path wall surfaces 65, 68 Convex portions 70, 80 Radial flow paths 72, 82 Circumferential flow path 90 Low-pressure bearing housing 91 High-pressure bearing housing 92a, 94a Internal flow path 92 First bearing cooling line 93 Motor cooling line 93a Gap 94 Second bearing cooling line CA Rotational axis CB Central axis

Claims (12)

a first compressor including a first compressor impeller;
a bearing that rotatably supports a rotation shaft of the first compressor impeller;
a pipe connected to an outlet of the first compressor;
an annular heat exchanger attached to an outer wall of the piping;
a bearing cooling line for cooling the bearing;
Equipped with
a through hole is formed in the outer wall of the pipe,
The heat exchanger comprises:
an air inlet configured to take in a portion of the air flowing inside the piping through the through hole in the outer wall;
a heat exchange core configured to cool the air taken in through the air inlet by heat exchange with a cooling liquid;
an air outlet portion for discharging the air cooled by the heat exchange core;
Including,
The compressor device, wherein the bearing cooling line is configured to cool the bearing using the air discharged from the air outlet portion of the heat exchanger. the compressor unit includes a second compressor;
The compressor device according to claim 1 , wherein the piping is an intermediate piping that connects the outlet of the first compressor and the inlet of the second compressor. the heat exchange core includes a plurality of air passages through which the air flows and a plurality of coolant passages through which the coolant flows;
each of the plurality of air flow paths and each of the plurality of coolant flow paths extends along an axial direction of the pipe;
The compressor device according to claim 1 , wherein a direction in which the air flows in each of the plurality of air passages and a direction in which the coolant flows in each of the plurality of coolant passages are opposite to each other in the axial direction. the heat exchanger includes an air distributor that distributes the air taken in through the air inlet portion to the plurality of air flow paths, a coolant inlet portion, and a coolant distributor that distributes the coolant taken in through the coolant inlet portion to the plurality of coolant flow paths,
The compressor unit of claim 3 , wherein the heat exchange core is located axially between the air distributor and the coolant distributor. the heat exchange core includes a plurality of air passages through which the air flows and a plurality of coolant passages through which the coolant flows;
The compressor device according to claim 1 , wherein the air flow paths and the coolant flow paths are alternately arranged in a radial direction of the piping. The compressor device according to claim 5, wherein, of the plurality of air flow paths and the plurality of coolant flow paths, the flow path located most inward in the radial direction is the coolant flow path. The compressor device described in claim 5, wherein the heat exchange core includes a plurality of partition walls configured to divide each of the plurality of air flow paths into a plurality of air flow path sections spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the piping. The compressor device described in claim 5, wherein the heat exchange core includes a plurality of partition walls configured to divide each of the plurality of coolant flow paths into a plurality of coolant flow path sections spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the piping. The compressor device according to claim 7, wherein the heat exchange core includes a protrusion formed on the flow path wall surface of the air flow path portion. The compressor device according to claim 8, wherein the heat exchange core includes a protrusion formed on the flow path wall surface of the coolant flow path portion. the heat exchanger includes an air distributor that distributes the air taken in through the air inlet to the plurality of air flow paths;
the air distributor includes a plurality of radial flow paths arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the piping, and a plurality of circumferential flow paths arranged on concentric circles at intervals in a radial direction of the piping,
The compressor device according to claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of radial flow passages extends along the radial direction and connects to the plurality of circumferential flow passages. the heat exchanger includes a coolant inlet portion and a coolant distributor that distributes the coolant taken in through the coolant inlet portion to the plurality of coolant flow paths;
the coolant distributor includes a plurality of radial flow paths arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the pipe, and a plurality of circumferential flow paths arranged on concentric circles at intervals in a radial direction of the pipe,
The compressor device according to claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of radial flow passages extends along the radial direction and connects to the plurality of circumferential flow passages.