Radial compressor impeller including a shroud and aerodynamic bearing between shroud and housing

Abstract

A compressor for a heat pump circuit and/or a refrigerating system circuit, including a housing and a rotor rotatably supported around a rotation axis, the housing being situated at least partially on the circumference of the rotor, the rotor including at least one hub and at least one blade situated radially on the outside of the hub, the blade being designed to convey a main fluid flow, the rotor including a shroud situated radially on the outside of the blade, the shroud being situated radially spaced apart from the housing, a bearing structure being provided radially on the outside of the shroud, the bearing structure is designed to form a bearing fluid flow between the shroud and the housing in order to form a fluid-dynamic bearing for supporting the rotor in the housing.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A compressor for a heat pump circuit or refrigerating system circuit, comprising:
 a housing;   a rotor rotatably supported around a rotation axis, the housing being situated at least partially on the circumference of the rotor, the rotor including at least one hub and at least one blade situated radially on an outside of the hub, the blade being designed to convey a main fluid flow, the rotor including a shroud situated radially on the outside of the blade, the shroud being situated radially spaced apart from the housing; and   a bearing structure provided radially outside of the shroud, the bearing structure being designed to form a bearing fluid flow between the shroud and the housing to form a fluid-dynamic bearing for supporting the rotor in the housing.   
     
     
         12 . The compressor as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the rotor includes an input side and an output side, the blade being designed to convey the main fluid flow from the input side toward the output side, the bearing structure being designed to convey the bearing fluid flow from the output side toward the input side. 
     
     
         13 . The compressor as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the input side is situated radially on an inside of the rotor and the output side is situated radially on an outside of the rotor, the bearing structure being at least partially helically. 
     
     
         14 . The compressor as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the bearing structure includes a sealing element, the sealing element being situated between the shroud and the housing, the sealing element being designed to delimit the bearing fluid flow in the axial direction. 
     
     
         15 . The compressor as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the sealing element is designed as a labyrinth seal. 
     
     
         16 . The compressor as recited in  claim 12 , wherein at least one of: i) the bearing structure is designed in a fishbone pattern, and ii) the bearing structure has a surface texture in the range from 1 Rz through 60 Rz. 
     
     
         17 . The compressor as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the bearing structure has at least one of: i) at least one recess, and ii) at least one bulge, situated obliquely or transversely to a circumferential direction of the hub. 
     
     
         18 . The compressor as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the rotor has a second hub, at least one second blade being situated radially on the outside of the second hub, the second blade being designed to convey a second main fluid flow, the second hub being coupled to the hub via a shaft, the rotor including a second shroud situated radially on an outside of the second blade, the second shroud being situated radially spaced apart from the housing, the housing encompassing the second shroud at least partially on a circumferential side, a second bearing structure being provided radially outside of the second shroud and being designed to provide a second bearing fluid flow between the second shroud and the housing. 
     
     
         19 . The compressor as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the second bearing structure and the bearing structure are designed axially symmetrically to an axis of symmetry situated between the hub and the second hub. 
     
     
         20 . The compressor as recited in  claim 19 , wherein at least one magnet is situated on the shaft between the hub and the second hub, the magnet being connected in a torque-locked manner to the shaft, at least one coil ring being provided radially on the outside of the shaft to provide an alternating magnetic field, the alternating magnetic field being designed to engage in operative connection with the magnet in order to induce a rotation of the rotor.