Compressor

Claim 2

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into a plurality of chambers, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor housing, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a plurality of compressor module support structures mounted directly on said common wall, a housing outer wall structure opposite to and spaced from said common wall, said outer wall structure having a plurality of ports therein aligned with corresponding ones of said compressor module support structures, and a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module support structures, each said compressor module including a shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, each said inlet shroud being supported on an intermediate partition of said housing and each said pinion gear being disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear, each said compressor module being removable as a unit from its support structure through the corresponding port in said outer wall structure of said housing.

Claim 3

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into a plurality of chambers, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor housiNg, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a plurality of compressor module support structures mounted directly on said common wall, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module support structures, each said compressor module including a shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, each said inlet shroud being supported on an intermediate partition of said housing and each said pinion gear being disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear, and an outer wall of said housing opposite said common wall having corresponding ports through which said compressor modules may be removed from said housing as units, and a cooler module disposed in said housing in a flow path between the discharge chamber of one compressor module and the plenum chamber of another compressor module, said cooler module including a series of heat exchanger surface elements, and said outer wall further including a port through which said cooler module may be withdrawn from said housing as a unit.

Claim 4

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into a plurality of chambers, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor housiNg, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a plurality of compressor module support structures mounted directly on said common wall, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module support structures, each said compressor module including a shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, each said inlet shroud being supported on an intermediate partition of said housing and each said pinion gear being disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear, and an outer wall of said housing opposite said common wall having corresponding ports through which said compressor modules may be removed from said housing as units, and a cooler module disposed in said housing in a flow path between the discharge chamber of one compressor module and the plenum chamber of another compressor module, said cooler module including a series of heat exchanger surface elements, and said outer wall further including a port through which said cooler module may be withdrawn from said housing as a unit.

Claim 5

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into a plurality of chambers, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor housing, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a plurality of compressor module support structures mounted directly on said common wall, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module support structures, each said compressor module including a shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, each said inlet shroud being supported on an intermediate partition of said housing and each said pinion gear being disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear and an outer wall of said housing opposite said common wall having corresponding ports through which said compressor modules may be removed from said housing as units, said partitioning means cooperating with each said inlet shroud to define a plurality of plenum chambers between said inlet shroud and said outer wall, and each said plenum chamber being associated with a corresponding compressor module and having a cross-sectional area at least four times the cross-sectional area of the compressor module inlet passage as defined by said inlet shroud.

Claim 6

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into a plurality of chambers, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor housing, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a plurality of compressor module support structures mounted directly on said common wall, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module support structures, each said compressor module including a shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, each said inlet shroud being supported on an intermediate partition of said housing and each said pinion gear being disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear and an outer wall of said housing opposite said common wall having corresponding ports through which said compressor modules may be removed from said housing as units, said partitioning means cooperating with each said inlet shroud to define a plurality of plenum chambers between said inlet shroud and said outer wall, and each said plenum chamber being associated with a corresponding compressor module and having a cross-sectional area at least four times the cross-sectional area of the compressor module inlet passage as defined by said inlet shroud.

Claim 7

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into a plurality of chambers, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor hosuing, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a plurality of compressor module support structures mounted directly on said common wall, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module support structures, each said compressor module including a shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, each said inlet shroud being supported on an intermediate partition of said housing and each said pinion gear being disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear and an outer wall of said housing opposite said common wall having corresponding ports through which said compressor modules may be removed from said housing as units and an annular drain channel formed in said common wall and communicating via said module support structures with said shaft and bearing assemblies.

Claim 8

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into a plurality of chambers, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor hosuing, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a plurality of compressor module support structures mounted directly on said common wall, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module support structures, each said compressor module including a shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, each said inlet shroud being supported on an intermediate partition of said housing and each said pinion gear being disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear and an outer wall of said housing opposite said common wall having corresponding ports through which said compressor modules may be removed from said housing as units and an annular drain channel formed in said common wall and communicating via said module support structures with said shaft and bearing assemblies.

Claim 9

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into a plurality of chambers, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor housing, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a plurality of compressor module support structures mounted directly on said common wall, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module suppOrt structures, each said compressor module including a shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, each said inlet shroud being supported on an intermediate partition of said housing and each said pinion gear being disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear and an outer wall of said housing opposite said common wall having corresponding ports through which said compressor modules may be removed from said housing as units and a drive motor disposed adjacent said gear casing, said drive motor having a motor shaft extending into said gear casing and said bull gear being mounted directly on said motor shaft.

Claim 10

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into a plurality of chambers, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor housing, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a plurality of compressor module support structures mounted directly on said common wall, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module suppOrt structures, each said compressor module including a shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, each said inlet shroud being supported on an intermediate partition of said housing and each said pinion gear being disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear and an outer wall of said housing opposite said common wall having corresponding ports through which said compressor modules may be removed from said housing as units and a drive motor disposed adjacent said gear casing, said drive motor having a motor shaft extending into said gear casing and said bull gear being mounted directly on said motor shaft.

Claim 11

The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein each said plenum chamber has a cross-sectional area at least four times the cross-sectional area of the compressor module inlet passage as defined by said inlet shroud.

Claim 12

The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said partitioning means cooperates with each said inlet shroud to define a plenum chamber between said inlet shroud and said outer wall.

Claim 13

The system as claimed in claim 7 and further including a cooler module disposed in said housing in a flow path between the discharge chamber of one compressor module and the plenum chamber of another compressor module, said cooler module including a series of heat exchanger surface elements, and said outer wall further including a port through which said cooler module may be withdrawn from said housing as a unit.

Claim 14

The system as claimed in claim 8 and further including an annular drain channel formed in said common wall and communicating via said module support structures with said shaft and bearing assemblies.

Claim 15

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, a plurality of compressor module support structures in said housing, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module support structures, partition means in said housing dividing said housing into a plurality of chambers with an inlet plenum chamber and a discharge chamber associated with each compressor module, said partition means further defining a flow path between the discharge chamber of one compressor module and the inlet plenum chamber of another compressor module, a cooler module support structure disposed in said flow path, a cooler module including a series of heat exchanger surface elements releasably secured to said cooler module support structure, said housing having an outer wall with individual spaced ports therein and aligned with corresponding ones of said compressor module support structures and said cooler module support structure through which said compressor and coller modules may be withdrawn as individual units and means for sealing said ports.

Claim 16

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, a plurality of compressor module support structures in said housing, a corresponding plurality of compressor modules supported in said module support structures, partition means in said housing dividing said housing into a plurality of chambers with an inlet plenum chamber and a discharge chamber associated with each compressor module, said partition means further defining a flow path between the discharge chamber of one compressor module and the inlet plenum chamber of another compressor module, a cooler module support structure disposed in said flow path, a cooler module including a series of heat exchanger surface elements releasably secured to said cooler module support structure, said housing having an outer wall with individual spaced ports therein and aligned with corresponding ones of said compressor module support structures and said cooler module support structure through which said compressor and coller modules may be withdrawn as individual units and means for sealing said ports.

Claim 17

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into two chambers, an aperture in said partitioning means, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor housing, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a compressor module support structure on said common wall and extending into one of said chambers, a housing outer wall on the opposite side of said chambers from said common wall, said outer wall having a port therein aligned with said compressor module support structure, a compressor module supported in said module support structure, said compressor module including shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, said inlet shroud being secured in sealing relation in said aperture of said partitioning means, the second of said chambers being a plenum chamber through which the medium to be compressed is supplied and having a cross-sectional area at least four times the cross-sectional area of the compressor module inlet passage as defined by said inlet shroud, and said shaft and bearing assemblY extending through said common wall so that said pinion gear is disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear, said compressor module being removable as a unit from its support structure through said port in said outer wall of said housing.

Claim 18

A centrifugal gaseous medium compressor system comprising a compressor housing, means partitioning said housing into two chambers, an aperture in said partitioning means, a gear casing having a common wall with said compressor housing, a bull gear mounted for rotation in said gear casing, a compressor module support structure on said common wall and extending into one of said chambers, a housing outer wall on the opposite side of said chambers from said common wall, said outer wall having a port therein aligned with said compressor module support structure, a compressor module supported in said module support structure, said compressor module including shaft and bearing assembly, an impeller, a pinion gear, a diffuser structure and an inlet shroud supported on said shaft and bearing assembly, said inlet shroud being secured in sealing relation in said aperture of said partitioning means, the second of said chambers being a plenum chamber through which the medium to be compressed is supplied and having a cross-sectional area at least four times the cross-sectional area of the compressor module inlet passage as defined by said inlet shroud, and said shaft and bearing assemblY extending through said common wall so that said pinion gear is disposed in said gear casing for driving by said bull gear, said compressor module being removable as a unit from its support structure through said port in said outer wall of said housing.

Claim 19

Centrifugal gaseous medium compressor apparatus comprising a housing, a compressor assembly mounted within the housing, said compressor assembly including an impeller assembly and an inlet shroud that defines an inlet passage to said impeller assembly, structure defining a plenum chamber through which the gaseous medium to be compressed passes immediately adjacent the compressor assembly inlet shroud, said plenum chamber being within a distance equal to the inlet diameter of said inlet shroud from the forward blade edge of said impeller assembly and having a cross-sectional area at least four times the cross-sectional inlet area of said compressor assembly as defined by said inlet shroud.

Claim 20

Centrifugal gaseous medium compressor apparatus comprising a housing, a compressor assembly mounted within the housing, said compressor assembly including an impeller assembly and an inlet shroud that defines an inlet passage to said impeller assembly, structure defining a plenum chamber through which the gaseous medium to be compressed passes immediately adjacent the compressor assembly inlet shroud, said plenum chamber being within a distance equal to the inlet diameter of said inlet shroud from the forward blade edge of said impeller assembly and having a cross-sectional area at least four times the cross-sectional inlet area of said compressor assembly as defined by said inlet shroud.

Claim 21

The compressor assembly as claimed in claim 12 wherein the cross-sectional area of said plenum chamber is at least ten times said cross-sectional inlet area of said compressor assembly.

Claim 22

The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said apparatus includes a plurality of compressor assembly modules and associated close coupled plenum chambers and further including a cooler module disposed in said housing in a flow path between the discharge chamber of one compressor module and the plenum chamber of another compressor module, said cooler module including a series of heat exchanger surface elements, and said housing further including a port through which said cooler module may be withdrawn from said housing as a unit.

Claim 23

The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 and further including partitioning means cooperating with each said inlet shroud to define a plenum chamber between said inlet shroud and the outer wall of said housing.

Claim 24

The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 and further including a drive motor having a motor shaft, and a bull gear mounted directly on said motor shaft for engaging drive pinions of said compressor assembly modules.