Centrifugal compressor

Abstract

Disclosed is a centrifugal compressor having improved operation performance to improve durability. The centrifugal compressor includes an impeller connected to a rotary shaft and configured to radially eject a fluid suctioned in an axial direction upon rotation thereof; a shroud configured to cover front and rear sides of the impeller and having a suction port formed to face one surface of the impeller at a center of one side thereof; a volute chamber formed at an outer periphery of the shroud in a circumferential direction thereof and configured to guide the fluid ejected by the impeller to an ejection port; and a regulator installed at one side of the shroud and configured to selectively communicate a space formed at the other surface of the impeller with the outside.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A centrifugal compressor comprising:
 a rotary shaft having a main flow path formed therein in an axial direction thereof to be rotated;   an impeller connected to a first end of the rotary shaft, and configured to suction a fluid in an axial direction and eject the fluid in a radial direction;   a thrust bearing disk having a thrust cooling flow path formed therein in the radial direction, and integrally formed with a second end of the rotary shaft to keep a rotation balance with the impeller; and   a gas bearing including a radial bearing and a thrust bearing disposed at the rotary shaft and an outer surface of the thrust bearing disk, wherein an air gap is formed to support a rotating load.   
     
     
         2 . The centrifugal compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the thrust cooling flow path is branched at least once in a circumferential direction of the thrust bearing disk, and having an inner end in communication with the main flow path and an outer end formed to pass through the gas bearing. 
     
     
         3 . The centrifugal compressor according to  claim 2 , wherein the main flow path is in communication with a through-hole of the thrust bearing installed to pass through the second end of the rotary shaft in a circumferential direction thereof, and
 at least one branch flow path branches from the main flow path to pass through an outer circumference of the rotary shaft adjacent to an end of the radial bearing.   
     
     
         4 . The centrifugal compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the thrust cooling flow path has a smaller diameter than that of the main flow path formed inside the rotary shaft in the axial direction and is radially disposed around the rotary shaft at predetermined intervals.