Internal-driven compressor having a powered compressor rotor

Abstract

The internal-driven compressor having a powered compressor rotor. The internal-driven compressor includes a compressor housing including a suction port and a discharge port, an internal driver including a rotor and a stator, the rotor and the stator located within the compressor housing, the stator located radially inward of the rotor, and a powered compressor rotor including an annular body extending about a center axis, wherein the rotor is fixed to the powered compressor rotor and configured to rotate the powered compressor rotor about the center axis in response to a force imparted by the stator.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An industrial gas compressor comprising:
 a compressor housing including a suction port and a discharge port;   an internal driver including a rotor and a stator, the rotor and the stator located within the compressor housing, the stator located radially inward of the rotor; and   a powered compressor rotor including an annular body extending about a center axis; and   wherein the rotor is fixed to the powered compressor rotor and is configured to rotate the powered compressor rotor about the center axis in response to a force imparted by the stator.   
     
     
         2 . The industrial gas compressor of  claim 1 , further comprising
 a central axle nonrotatably fixed to the compressor housing and configured to support the internal driver and the powered compressor rotor; and   a compressor bearing system, the compressor bearing system including one or more magnetic bearings fixed to the central axle, and configured to rotatably support the powered compressor rotor about the center axis.   
     
     
         3 . The industrial gas compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the powered compressor rotor is further configured to compress a gas, the industrial gas compressor further comprising an internal driver cooling system, the internal driver cooling system configured to receive a portion of the gas, to exchange heat from at least one of the internal driver and the powered compressor rotor to the portion of the gas, and to subsequently discharge the portion of the gas from the internal driver cooling system. 
     
     
         4 . The industrial gas compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the compressor housing includes a balance piston cavity; and
 wherein the powered compressor rotor further includes an impeller bore surface and a series of impeller vanes configured to rotate about the center axis, the impeller bore surface circumscribing the stator, and further includes a balance piston, the balance piston including a balance piston seal and a piston head, the balance piston set in the balance piston cavity.   
     
     
         5 . The industrial gas compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the industrial gas compressor has at least two stages of compression and a maximum gas flow between 50-1300 cubic meters/minute. 
     
     
         6 . An internal-driven compressor comprising:
 a compressor housing;   an internal driver including a rotor and a stator, the rotor and the stator located within the compressor housing, the stator located radially inward of the rotor; and   a powered compressor rotor including an annular body extending about a center axis, an impeller bore surface, and a series of impeller vanes configured to rotate about the center axis, the impeller bore surface circumscribing the stator;   wherein the rotor is fixed to and located within the impeller bore surface, and the rotor is configured to rotate the powered compressor rotor about the center axis in response to a force imparted by the stator.   
     
     
         7 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 an external power supply interface including a power conduit configured to receive electrical power from an external power source and provide the electrical power into the internal-driven compressor;   a central axle fixed to the compressor housing and configured to support the internal driver and the powered compressor rotor, the central axle including at least one internal passageway, the at least one internal passageway including an access port;   a compressor inlet configured to receive a gas into the internal-driven compressor; and   a compressor outlet configured to discharge the gas from the internal-driven compressor; and   wherein the internal driver further includes a power supply extending from the internal driver through the at least one internal passageway of the central axle and the access port.   
     
     
         8 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 6 , further comprising a compressor bearing system, the compressor bearing system including one or more magnetic bearings fixed to the central axle, and configured to rotatably support the powered compressor rotor about the center axis. 
     
     
         9 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 6 , wherein the compressor housing includes a balance piston cavity; and
 wherein the powered compressor rotor further includes a balance piston, the balance piston including a balance piston seal and a piston head, the balance piston set in the balance piston cavity.   
     
     
         10 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 6 , wherein the internal driver is a permanent magnet electric motor, the rotor including permanent magnets, and the stator including motor stator coils. 
     
     
         11 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 6 , wherein the powered compressor rotor is further configured to compress a gas, the internal-driven compressor further comprising an internal driver cooling system, the internal driver cooling system configured to receive a portion of the gas, to exchange heat from at least one of the internal driver and the powered compressor rotor to the portion of the gas, and to subsequently discharge the portion of the gas from the internal driver cooling system. 
     
     
         12 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 11 , wherein the internal driver cooling system includes
 a discharge tap configured to tap the portion of the gas from downstream of the powered compressor rotor,   a cooling line coupled to the discharge tap,   a manifold coupled to the cooling line and configured to distribute the portion of the gas to the at least one of the internal driver and the powered compressor rotor, and   a return line and a suction outlet configured to discharge the portion of the gas upstream of the powered compressor rotor.   
     
     
         13 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 12 , wherein the compressor housing includes a balance piston cavity;
 wherein the powered compressor rotor further includes a balance piston at a downstream end of the powered compressor rotor, the balance piston set in the balance piston cavity; and   wherein the return line pneumatically couples the balance piston cavity to the suction outlet.   
     
     
         14 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 6 , wherein the internal driver and the powered compressor rotor are included in a last stage section, the powered compressor rotor configured as a last stage powered impeller, the internal-driven compressor further comprising
 a first stage section including a first stage internal driver and a first stage powered impeller, the first stage section located upstream of the last stage section; and   a diaphragm section coupled to the first stage section and the last stage section, the diaphragm section configured to route a radial flow discharged from the first stage section into the last stage section as an axial flow; and   wherein the first stage powered impeller is rotatably decoupled from the last stage powered impeller and configured to rotate independently.   
     
     
         15 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 6 , wherein the internal driver and the powered compressor rotor are included in a last stage section, the powered compressor rotor configured as a last stage powered impeller, the internal-driven compressor further comprising:
 a first stage section including a first stage powered impeller supported by a first stage central axle and driven by a first stage internal driver and;   a diaphragm section coupled to and located downstream of the first stage section, the diaphragm section configured to route a first radial flow discharged from the first stage section into an first axial flow;   an intermediate stage section coupled to and located downstream of the diaphragm section, the intermediate stage section including an intermediate stage powered impeller supported by an intermediate stage central axle and driven by an intermediate stage internal driver; and   a plumbed diaphragm section coupled to and located downstream of the last stage section, the plumbed diaphragm section configured to route a second radial flow discharged from the intermediate stage section into an second axial flow, the plumbed diaphragm section including a passageway extending from the intermediate stage central axle out of the plumbed diaphragm section.   
     
     
         16 . The internal-driven compressor of  claim 15 , wherein the plumbed diaphragm section includes
 a flow path configured to pneumatically couple a radial outlet of the intermediate stage section to an axial inlet of the last stage section, the flow path circumscribing the center axis,   a plurality of return vanes distributed in the flow path about the center axis, at least one of the plurality of return vanes including a return vane path, the return vane path being a first portion of the passageway, the first portion of the passageway extending into of the plumbed diaphragm section from a diaphragm outlet, and   a diaphragm bulb including a diaphragm bulb path, the diaphragm bulb path being a second portion of the passageway, the second portion of the passageway extending from the first portion of the passageway to the intermediate stage central axle at a rotor interface, the rotor interface including a cavity and an opening in the diaphragm bulb that interfaces with a radially interior portion of the intermediate stage section.   
     
     
         17 . A powered compressor rotor assembly for an internal-driven compressor, the powered compressor rotor assembly comprising:
 a powered compressor rotor including an annular body with a center axis, the annular body having an impeller bore with an impeller bore surface about the center axis, the powered compressor rotor further including a series of impeller vanes extending from the annular body about the center axis;   a central axle configured to support the powered compressor rotor, the central axle including at least one internal passageway, the at least one internal passageway including an access port; and   an internal driver including a rotor and a stator, the rotor and the stator located within the powered compressor rotor, the stator located radially inward of the rotor relative to the center axis, wherein the rotor is fixed to and located within the powered compressor rotor and the stator is fixed to central axle.   
     
     
         18 . The powered compressor rotor assembly of  claim 17 , further comprising one or more radial bearings, one or more radial bearings fixed to the central axle and configured to rotatably support the powered compressor rotor about the center axis. 
     
     
         19 . The powered compressor rotor of  claim 17 , further comprising at least one magnetic bearing rotor fixed to and located within the impeller bore surface, the at least one magnetic bearing rotor configured to levitate the powered compressor rotor about a magnetic bearing stator located radially inward of the at least one magnetic bearing rotor; and
 wherein the motor rotor is axially located between a first magnetic bearing rotor and a second magnetic bearing rotor.   
     
     
         20 . The powered compressor rotor of  claim 17 , wherein the series of impeller vanes are ducted vanes having a shroud around the series of impeller vanes, the series of impeller vanes being radially underneath the shroud, the powered compressor rotor further comprising a shroud seal located on an outer circumference of the shroud.