Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
190 words
A pressure increasing turbomachine comprising a stationary housing having an elongated generally cylindrical chamber with a fluid flow intake at one end and a fluid flow discharge at the other end, a shaft, means for mounting said shaft for rotation within and concentric to the housing wall, said shaft adapted to be connected to a prime mover to impart rotation to the shaft, at least one fluid-dynamically integral runner including a centripetal inducer and a centrifugal impeller wheel portion, each portion comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced fluid flow energy increasing vanes within the vicinity of the periphery of said wheel portions and an intermediate shroud member separating the vanes of one portion from the other, means for mounting said runner for co-rotation on said shaft, means including stationary straightening vanes upstream of said centripetal portion for drawing a fluid flow substantially without tangential velocity components radially into said centripetal inducer portion, and stationary means for guiding said flow from said ceNtrifugal impeller portion axially through said housing, said stationary guide means including a plurality of stationary guide vanes arranged for substantially axial through-flow downstream of said centrifugal impeller portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
190 words
A pressure increasing turbomachine comprising a stationary housing having an elongated generally cylindrical chamber with a fluid flow intake at one end and a fluid flow discharge at the other end, a shaft, means for mounting said shaft for rotation within and concentric to the housing wall, said shaft adapted to be connected to a prime mover to impart rotation to the shaft, at least one fluid-dynamically integral runner including a centripetal inducer and a centrifugal impeller wheel portion, each portion comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced fluid flow energy increasing vanes within the vicinity of the periphery of said wheel portions and an intermediate shroud member separating the vanes of one portion from the other, means for mounting said runner for co-rotation on said shaft, means including stationary straightening vanes upstream of said centripetal portion for drawing a fluid flow substantially without tangential velocity components radially into said centripetal inducer portion, and stationary means for guiding said flow from said ceNtrifugal impeller portion axially through said housing, said stationary guide means including a plurality of stationary guide vanes arranged for substantially axial through-flow downstream of said centrifugal impeller portion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
The turbomachine of claim 1 including a plurality of runners mounted on said shaft for co-rotation and means separating said runners axially on said shaft, said separating means defining with said housing an interstage flow channel, and said stationary guide means for impeller flow being disposed in said channel for removing tangential velocity components from said flow.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The turbomachine of claim 2, wherein said separating means includes an inner housing member, said stationary guide means mounting said inner housing member within said housing.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The turbomachine of claim 2 wherein said separating means includes an axial extension connecting one runner to another runner.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The turbomachine of claim 2 wherein said stationary guide means for impeller flow comprise a plurality of circumferentially spaced blades, said blades being mounted to said housing to project radially inwardly.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The turbomachine of claim 5 wherein said separating means includes an inner housing member, said stationary guide means mounting said inner housing member within said housing.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
94 words
The turbomachine of claim 1 wherein said means for drawing a fluid flow into said centripetal inducer portion further comprises an inlet inner casing, means mounting said inlet casing in coaxial relation to said housing, and an annular baffle element, means mounting said element within said housing to project toward said intermediate shroud member, said baffle element diverting said fluid to predominantly a radial direction and in cooperation with said intermediate shroud member providing demarcation between a pressure zone at said centripetal inducer inlet and a higher pressure zone at said centrifugal impeller outlet.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The turbomachine of claim 7, said stationary straightening vanes providing a mounting for said inlet inner casing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The turbomachine of claim 7 including a forward shroud member, said forward shroud member mounting both said inducer vanes and said inlet inner casing on said shaft.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The turbomachine of claim 1 including a rearward shroud member, said rearward shroud member mounting said impeller vanes on said shaft.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
76 words
The turbomachine of claim 1 including a forward and rearward shroud member, said forward and rearward shroud members formed as disc-shaped plates mounting said centripetal inducer and centrifugal impeller vanes to said shaft and defining the extremes of a space within said runner, said intermediate shroud member cooperating therewith to provide a multiplicity of fluid paths directed substantially obliquely through said space from a centripetal inducer flow deflecting vane to a centrifugal impeller flow deflecting vane.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
The turbomachine of claim 8 wherein said stationary straightening vanes include plate-like members arranged circumferentially about said housing and extending axially toward said annular baffle element.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
73 words
The turbomachine of claim 1 wherein said means for drawing fluid flow into said centripetal inducer portion includes a guide baffle having a surface directed generally toward the axis of said centripetal inducer portion, circumferentially spaced projections jutting out from said surface is substantially an axial direction and defining a plurality of inlet openings arranged around the periphery of said centripetal inducer portion for admission of fluid thereto in substantially a radial direction.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
39 words
The turbomachine of claim 1 comprising a runner in which the internal space formed by said centripetal centrifugal inducer and impeller portions is open for unobstructed crosswise fluid flow from said centripetal inducer vanes to said centrifugal impeller vanes.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
62 words
The turbomachine of claim 1 including an inner housing membEr arranged in downstream position adjacent said centrifugal impeller portion, means mounting said inner housing member within said housing, said inner housing member defining with said housing an annular discharge flow channel, and said stationary guide means for impeller flow being disposed in said channel for minimizing tangential velocity components in said flow.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
The turbomachine of claim 4 wherein said plurality of runners are arranged and connected in series to form a unitary runner, said unitary runner capable of being axially removed from the housing.