Interstage Heat Exchanger Patents (Class 415/179)
  • Patent number: 5611663
    Abstract: A geared multishaft turbocompressor with impellers arranged in series in terms of flow, which are fastened to two or more pinion shafts, which are arranged in parallel to one another and are driven directly via a central gear or indirectly via pinion shafts on the circumference of the central gear. Two or more compressor impellers are arranged in the same direction of flow in the area of the high-pressure stages III and IV on a pinion shaft. An intercooler is arranged between an intermediate outlet housing and an intermediate inlet nozzle. In stage III, the gas enters the impeller through the inlet nozzle, and it leaves the compressor via an intermediate outlet housing. After intercooling, the gas again enters stage IV via the inlet nozzle, and it leaves this stage via the outlet housing after flowing through the second impeller. An analogous arrangement of the stages Ia, IIa, IIIa is used in the radial expander, with opposite direction of the gas flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1997
    Assignee: MAN Gutehoffnungshutte Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Joachim Kotzur
  • Patent number: 5553448
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine having improved output horsepower and a method of achieving it. The engine has, in order, a low pressure compressor, a high pressure compressor, a combustor, a high pressure turbine and a low pressure turbine. The high pressure turbine is drivingly connected to both compressors with a speed reducing gear box therebetween. An intercooler between the compressors reduces the horsepower requirement of the high pressure compressor. Flow from the combustor is sufficiently heated to enable the high pressure turbine to drive both compressors with the output horsepower of the low pressure turbine devoted to the engine load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William M. Farrell, Gary L. Leonard
  • Patent number: 5545006
    Abstract: Rotary fluid handling apparatus employing a wheel to provide multi-stage compression or expansion. A wheel having a first set of vanes includes a shroud about those vanes with a second set of vanes outwardly of the shroud. One set of vanes provides for low specific speed flow while the other set of vanes provides for high specific speed flow. A transfer passage interconnects the outlet of the first stage with the inlet of the second stage. The difference in temperature between the inlet flow to the system and the outlet flow from the system may be exchanged to increase efficiency. The multistage wheel and associated passages may be configured for either compression or turboexpansion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Rotoflow Corporation
    Inventors: Reza R. Agahi, Behrooz Ershagi
  • Patent number: 5468123
    Abstract: The system makes it possible to reduce the clearances existing between the rotor and stator of a turbine (40) of a turbo jet engine during the various operating phases of the latter whilst keeping the temperatures of the disks inside the limits of their mechanical behaviour. The disks (4) of the turbine (40) are ventilated via the sampling of high pressure air at a high temperature (2) and the stator via the sampling of low pressure air at a low temperature (3). The respective temperatures of these two samplings are homogenized by a heat exchanger (1). This exchanger is short-circuited by a branch circuit connection (5) on the low pressure circuit so as to keep as stable as possible the clearances inside the turbine (40) according to the various ranges of capacity of the turbo jet engine by means of a valve (6) controlled by the computer.Application for aircraft turbo jet engines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 21, 1995
    Assignee: Societe Nationale D'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs D'Aviation "Snecma"
    Inventors: Michel Guimier, Philippe M. Paris
  • Patent number: 5386873
    Abstract: An air cooling system for an engine driven, multi-stage compressor is provided which includes a fan means for providing a cooling airstream to the air cooling system and an engine radiator. An intercooler has a predetermined height dimension and receives heated, compressed, interstage air. An oil cooler has a predetermined height dimension which is substantially less than the height dimension of the intercooler. An aftercooler receives hot, compressed, final stage air. The intercooler, the oil cooler, the radiator, and the aftercooler are arranged in two banks, each bank comprising two cooling cores juxtaposed one to each other. The intercooler and the engine radiator define the first bank which is positioned substantially adjacent to the fan means to receive the coolest cooling airstream. The oil cooler and the aftercooler define the second bank which receives warmer cooling air which has first passed through the first bank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Assignee: Ingersoll-Rand Company
    Inventors: William H. Harden, III, Daniel T. Martin, Devin D. Biehler
  • Patent number: 5362207
    Abstract: A portable compressed air system includes a housing, and a diesel engine having a predetermined torsional inertia, a predetermined cranking speed, and a predetermined idle speed. A centrifugal compressor is flexibly coupled in motive force receiving relation to the diesel engine. The flexible coupling has a predetermined spring rate which places the torsional interia of the compressor above a highest predetermined cranking speed and below the predetermined idle speed of the diesel engine. A microprocessor-based electronic controller controls compressor operation. A receiver stores compressed air. A cooling means cools the portable compressed air system. The cooling means has a fan, an intercooler, an oil cooler, an engine radiator, and an aftercooler. The intercooler, the oil cooler, the radiator, and the aftercooler are arranged in two banks, and each bank is defined by two cooling cores juxtaposed one to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: Ingersoll-Rand Company
    Inventors: Daniel T. Martin, William H. Harden, III, Dale R. Herbstritt, Dilip K. Mistry
  • Patent number: 5340272
    Abstract: A multi-stage centrifugal pump is described having a linear series of impellets mounted on a common impeller shaft, with axial thrusts imparted to the shaft by the impellets being balanced by a sealed high-pressure thrust bearing assembly secured to the pump casing. The pump is particularly suitable for using in pumping an abrasive fluid. A clean lubricating oil is supplied to the thrust bearing assembly at a pressure slightly greater than that of the abrasive pumped fluid, to ensure that the fluid that migrates across a mechanical seal interposed between the impeller assembly and the thrust bearing assembly is the lubricating oil, not the abrasive pumped fluid. High pressure differentials across a breakdown bushing involving the abrasive pumped fluid, and a resulting wear and erosion of pump components, thereby are avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: BW/IP International, Inc.
    Inventor: Rudolf Fehlau
  • Patent number: 5340274
    Abstract: A steam or air cooled combined cycle gas turbine includes first and second turbine stages and a second nozzle stage. During start-up, cooling air is supplied radially inwardly through the second stage nozzle for flow into the gas flow through the turbine and for combining with cooling air flowing radially outwardly from a high pressure compressor port. The combined air flow flows radially outwardly through the turbine blades. In normal operation, steam in lieu of air flows radially inwardly through the second nozzle stage and radially outwardly between the turbine wheels and spacer therebetween. Part of the steam through the nozzle stage combines with the radially outwardly flowing steam for cooling the turbine blades. The balance of the steam flows into the gas flow through the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Francisco J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 5319925
    Abstract: An installation is proposed for generating electrical energy in an open circuit for a gaseous fluid, comprising a compressor unit driven by a turbine receiving the compressed fluid after its passage through an exhaust gas heat exchanger, the installation further comprising a power generator driven by a gas turbine, the circuit also comprising a fuel cell receiving natural gas in its anode from an external source and receiving the gaseous fluid from the compressor unit as an oxidizing agent in its cathode, the electrical power originating from both the generator and the fuel cell forming the output of the installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Assignees: A.S.A. B.V., A.S.A. Turboconsult B.V.
    Inventors: Rudolf Hendriks, Hendrik J. Ankersmit
  • Patent number: 5293929
    Abstract: Cooling apparatus for removing heat generated by friction between machine parts located within a liquid confining enclosure, for example, a seal surrounding the drive shaft of a motor driven pump used for below-ground pumping of sewage, the apparatus comprising a baffled chamber of novel construction which may be mounted on the pump motor housing and cooperates with a tubular heat exchanger, for automatic circulation, in closed circuit, of hot cooling liquid from the seal to the chamber, where it circulates in an orbital motion by virtue of the baffle arrangement, then passes to the tubular heat exchanger, and from there to the seal to cool it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1994
    Inventor: Roger D. Smith
  • Patent number: 5143515
    Abstract: A pump assembly which overcomes a shaft and cover cracking problem comprising a means for heating the seal purge water flowing along the shaft before it exits into an annulus (mixing region) thus reducing the temperature difference between the cooler seal purge water and the hotter product water prior to the mixing of the two waters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignee: BW/IP International, Inc.
    Inventors: Clark S. Boster, Sankaraiyer Gopalakrishnan, Carl F. Reimers, Gordhan K. Vaghasia
  • Patent number: 5046920
    Abstract: A bearing cooling system for a water turbine having a rotatable shaft connected at one end to a movable blade portion and supported by a journal bearing and by a thrust bearing having a collar, comprises a heat pipe including a first container surrounding and spaced from the rotatable shaft and extending axially from a predetermined engaging position adjacent the one end of the shaft to the journal and thrust bearings. The thrust bearing engages the outer surface of the first container, and the shaft and thrust bearing and inner surface of the container define walls of a sealed first chamber surrounding a portion of the rotatable shaft and communicating with the journal and thrust bearings. The system is adapted to include a fluid contained in the first chamber for absorbing heat generated by the journal and thrust bearings. A second container is spaced from and surrounds a portion of the first container adjacent the one end of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1991
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Izumi Higashi, Akio Adachi
  • Patent number: 4923364
    Abstract: A fast axial flow gas laser apparatus comprising an at least essentially closed loop defining a flow path for a laser gas, an arrangement for exciting gas flowing in the loop of the apparatus to cause the gas to lase, and a regenerative compressor for flowing gas through the closed loop along the flow path. The compressor is capable of operating with a pressure ratio sufficient to flow the gas along at least a portion of the loop at a speed at least half the speed of sound in the gas with inlet pressures of only a small fraction of an atmosphere. The uniform discharge pressure of the compressor results in a uniform laser discharge or output. A positive pressure fluid pressure seal prevents lubricant at a bearing support for the impeller shaft of the compressor from moving to the impeller and possibly contaminating the laser gas being compressed thereby and also prevents surrounding air from contaminating the laser gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Assignee: PRC Corporation
    Inventors: Carl J. Nilsen, Hardy P. Weiss
  • Patent number: 4685509
    Abstract: The invention relates to a cooling device for a multi-stage compressor in which two coolers are placed in a common housing. The two coolers cool the medium of the preceiding stage of the multi-stage compressor heated by the input compressor work. The common housing has chambers that are divided into different pressure stages, are connected to the multi-stage compressor by inlet tubes and outlet tubes, and contain water separators with condensate removal pipes associates with them. To be able to conduct the medium to be cooled with a minimum of pressure drops, dividing walls (13, 23) are provided at a distance from the top and bottom end, respectively, of the cooling housing (50). Each dividing wall (13, 23) forms a cylindrical space (24, 14) with the housing wall (51) and the respective end walls (57, 56) of the cooling housing (50) for the installation of the water separators (15, 25).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1987
    Assignee: Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Walter Koeller
  • Patent number: 4618310
    Abstract: As an improvement in an anti-surge control method for a multi-stage centrifugal compressor having interstage coolers, this invention comprises, when there is an imbalance of stage flows relative to surge, replacing recycle with warm expanded gas to the maximum extent possible that still achieves an energy saving as compared with not effecting such replacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1986
    Assignee: Exxon Research & Engineering Co.
    Inventor: Herbert D. Michelson
  • Patent number: 4431371
    Abstract: A gas turbine in which hot gas is directed only over a portion or preselected number of the turbine blades and means are provided for directing a flow of a cooling gas over another portion or different preselected number of blades. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the means for providing cooling gas comprises a compressor means located adjacent the turbine. Preferably the gas turbine comprises a plurality of alternating compressor means and turbine stages wherein the direction of flow of cooling gas is countercurrent to that of the hot gas flowing through the turbine stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1982
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1984
    Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
    Inventor: Wallace B. Thomson
  • Patent number: 4425077
    Abstract: Ports are disposed in steam turbine blade discs to control the environment adjacent the bore of the disc to inhibit stress corrosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1981
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1984
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Harry F. Martin
  • Patent number: 4362462
    Abstract: An improved method of cooling compressed gases intermediate successive compressive stages in a multi-stage intercooled compressor system without forming condensate is provided. Cooling water flow to an intercooler intermediate successive compressive stages is regulated as a function of the actual temperature of the gas downstream of the intercooler and a set point temperature generated as a function of a linear approximation relating the inlet dew point temperature and the pressure of the gases downstream of the intercooler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1982
    Assignee: M.A.N. Uternehmensbereich G.H.H. Sterkrade
    Inventor: Wilfried Blotenberg
  • Patent number: 4254758
    Abstract: With this improved system the final gas discharge temperature can be one hundred degrees lower than the water it heated.Two high velocity, self pressurized vortexes are created by two high speed impeller wheels, one in each stage of the two-stage heat reclaiming system, these vortexes draw the heat carrying discharge gas from the furnace into the two-stage heat exchanger, compressing and compounding it, creating higher heat levels, which allows more wasted heat to be recovered and used. The heat exchanging surfaces of the system are scrubbed by the maximum heat and pressure of these vortexes which have a velocity of many thousands of feet per minute, this action increases the thermal conductivity of these surfaces over 3.5 times, heating the water hotter and cooling the gas faster than the conventional system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1979
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1981
    Inventor: George W. Banks
  • Patent number: 4217952
    Abstract: In a system having an electrical apparatus dissipating thermal energy, an apparatus compartment is provided to substantially surround the apparatus, and a blower, disposed in an inlet air compartment, forces air through the apparatus compartment to an exiting air directing assembly where the heated air is selectively directed to a building structure, or to the outside atmosphere. A temperature responsive control assembly selectively directs a portion of the exiting air to the building structure. Suction air to the blower is selectively provided from the building structure or from outside air, the selection of which is selected by another temperature responsive control assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1980
    Inventor: James V. Kelly
  • Patent number: 4196773
    Abstract: The present system employs a turbine engine system which has three turbo rotor sections coupled to the same drive shaft. The first section employs a high temperature multi-stage expansion turbine to provide the major source of mechanical power. The second section employs a multi-stage turbo compressor which functions to compress air from the ambient, and such compression provides heat, through an interstage heat exchanger, to a heat reservoir, which may be an enclosure which it is desired to heat, or the atmosphere. The third section takes part of the compressed air from said second section and, (after said air is cooled either to near ambient temperature in the cooling mode or near the enclosure temperature in the heating mode) expands that air in a low temperature multi-stage expansion turbine to accomplish three goals. First, the expansion of the compressed air drives the expansion turbine to provide a second source of mechanical power which assists in driving the compressor section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1978
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1980
    Assignee: Turbotherm Corporation
    Inventor: Paul R. Trumpler
  • Patent number: 4125345
    Abstract: A turbo-fluid device in the form of a package, in which a heat exchanger used as a cooler for a turbo-compressor, desiccator, or turbo-refrigerator; or a heater for a turbo-generator is formed in an annular form, while there are housed in the interior of the annular heat exchanger an electric motor or generator, transmission, compressor and/or turbine, oil feed device and other accessories, thereby decreasing sound level and reducing the size and the weight of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1975
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1978
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi Yoshinaga, Haruo Mishina, Kazuhiro Sunobe
  • Patent number: 4087197
    Abstract: The compressor, as evidenced in the several embodiments presented herein, comprises, in its essentials, a self-contained gear housing which, centrally thereof, receives a power input shaft for driving a bull gear. The bull gear drives either one or a plurality of other gears which, in turn, are coupled to one or a complementary plurality of gas compressing impellers. Integral with the outer wall of one side of the gear housing is defined one or a same plurality of gas handling structures within which the impeller(s) are confined. The gas handling structures comprise inlet pipes, compression chambers, diffusers and open-ended plenum chambers. According to the requirements of the user, domed enclosures are replaceably bolted to the gas handling structure either directly, or through intervening inter- or after-cooler heat exchangers, and with inter-stage ducting, to define of the gas compressor either a single compressing stage, a plurality of independent stages, or successive, series-coupled compressing stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1976
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1978
    Assignee: Ingersoll-Rand Company
    Inventor: Ronald L. Haugen
  • Patent number: 4010016
    Abstract: The compressor, as evidenced in the several embodiments presented herein, comprises, in its essentials, a self-contained gear housing which, centrally thereof, receives a power input shaft for driving a bull gear. The bull gear drives either one or a plurality of other gears which, in turn, are coupled to one or a complementary plurality of gas compressing impellers. Integral with the outer wall of one side of the gear housing is defined one or a same plurality of gas handling structures within which the impeller(s) are confined. The gas handling structures comprise inlet pipes, compression chambers, diffusers and open-ended plenum chambers. According to the requirements of the user, domed enclosures are replaceably bolted to the gas handling structure either directly, or through intervening inter- or after-cooler heat exchangers, and with inter-stage ducting, to define of the gas compressor either a single compressing stage, a plurality of independent stages, or successive, series-coupled compressing stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1975
    Date of Patent: March 1, 1977
    Assignee: Ingersoll-Rand Company
    Inventor: Ronald L. Haugen
  • Patent number: 3937276
    Abstract: A tubular heat exchanger designed for easy and compact mounting within a receiver tank. Within the rigid casing of the heat exchanger are mounted a plurality of spaced, parallel tubes. Coolant fluid entering one end of the heat exchanger, flows through a group of the tubes, and returns to the same end of the heat exchanger through the remaining tubes, whereupon it exits the exchanger. Hot fluid such as compressed air enters one end of the exchanger, passes along the length of the exchanger while intermingling with the tubes so as to be cooled, and then exits into a receiver tank through a plurality of holes located in the opposite end of the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1974
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1976
    Assignee: Gordon Smith & Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Ostwald