Solar Turbines Inc.

Jess Lee Freeman

William Courtney Krehbiel

David Howard Moulton

Donald E Johnson

Steven Gene Muse

David Brian Jahnz

Gordon E Brailean

Wolfgang Faller

Benjamin Dee Freeman

Aziz Asgharzadeh-Fozi

William Watkins

James Richard Stabe

An integrated gas compressor is disclosed herein. The integrated gas compressor includes an integrated motor with a stator, centrifugal impellers, and a shaft assembly with a rotor and conical transition. The integrated motor can produce an electromotive force that is imparted by the stator to rotate the rotor and components coupled to the rotor, such as the conical transition and the centrifugal impellers. At least one of the rotor and conical transition have a cavity.

Integrated gas compressor

A magnetic bearing assembly for a rotary machine may lose power and fail to support the rotating assembly resulting in damage to magnetic bearing assembly and/or other components. An auxiliary bearing assembly may be used to support the rotating assembly during such a failure. The auxiliary bearing assembly is located radially inwards of the magnetic bearing assembly and may reduce resonance and/or whirl of the rotating assembly during failure of the magnetic bearing assembly.

Support assembly for a rotary machine

A universal housing for a centrifugal gas compressor is disclosed. The universal housing includes a body, a suction port extending from the body, a discharge port extending from the body, and a first compartment within the body. The first compartment includes a suction inlet in flow communication with the suction port and a discharge outlet in flow communication with the discharge port. The first compartment is configured to receive more than one staging length for the staging. The staging inlet is in flow communication with the suction inlet and the staging outlet is in flow communication with the discharge outlet.

Universal housing for a centrifugal gas compressor

A bearing assembly for a rotary machine is disclosed herein. The bearing assembly includes a bearing housing, a squeeze film cylinder, a damper spring, and a journal bearing. The squeeze film cylinder is located within the bearing housing. The damper spring includes a first portion, a second portion, and a spring portion. The first portion is located proximal the first end. The second portion is located proximal the second end. The spring portion extends axially between the first portion and the second portion and is located within the bearing housing.

Compact squeeze film damper bearing

A centrifugal gas compressor radial magnetic bearing () may include windings (), a lamination sleeve (), and a lamination (). The lamination () aligned with the windings () may provide for efficient operation of the radial magnetic bearing (). The centrifugal gas compressor shaft () may include a tapered region () with an adjacent shelf () for alignment with the forward surface () and taper of the lamination sleeve (). The lamination sleeve () may include one or more axial hydraulic fitting ports () for coupling the lamination sleeve () and shaft () with an interference fit.

Lamination sleeve with an axial hydraulic fitting port

Radial magnetic bearings () of a centrifugal gas compressor () may lose power and fail to support the shaft () resulting in damage to the shaft (). Auxiliary bearings () may be used to support the shaft () during such a failure. A landing guard () may be installed as a sacrificial piece between the shaft () and the auxiliary bearings (). Landing guard () includes slots () that may be used with pins () in the shaft () to prevent an angular displacement between the landing guard () and the shaft ().

Auxiliary bearing landing guard

A thrust collar () includes a central disk (), a forward wing (), and an aft wing (). The central disk () is a disk shaped hollow cylinder with a central axis (). The forward wing () and the aft wing () are thin walled hollow cylinders extending axially from an inner portion of the central disk () about the central axis () in opposite directions. The forward wing () includes a forward mounting pilot () extending radially inward from the forward wing () distal to the central disk (). The aft wing () includes an aft mounting pilot () extending radially inward from the aft wing () distal to the central disk ().

Centrifugal gas compressor magnetic bearing thrust collar with mounting pilots

A method of manufacturing a plurality of housings. The method may include maintaining an inventory of initial products. Each of the initial products may include a central hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis and monolithically formed with at least one of a suction passage and a discharge passage. Each of the products may have a same initial length. The method may further include receiving a first order for a first housing having a first length and machining a first product to the first length to form the first housing. Also, the method may include receiving a second order for a second housing having a second length and machining a second product to the second length to form the second housing. The first length and the second length may be different.

Method of manufacturing a housing

A method of fabricating a shrouded impeller is disclosed. The method includes providing an open faced impeller, the open faced impeller including a plurality of blades extending at least partially radially from a hub. The method also includes performing a first powder metallurgical process to form a first material over at least part of the open faced impeller. The method further includes forming a shroud circumferentially disposed about the hub and connected to one of more of the blades. Forming the shroud includes performing a second powder metallurgical process to metallurgically bond the shroud to at least some of the blades.

Process of making a shrouded impeller

Conventional gas compressors use dry gas sealing arrangements mounted on a shaft of the gas compressor. Functionally, for the dry gas sealing arrangement to properly seal, the concentricity of shaft and the dry gas sealing arrangement must be maintained at a close tolerance. Past assembly techniques have failed to mount such dry gas sealing arrangement to the shaft in an effective and efficiently manner to control the concentricity during operation. The present method and apparatus for controlling the concentricity of a member with a centering device effectively and efficiently controls the concentricity between the member and the shaft. The structure of the centering device includes a first cylindrical portion, a second cylindrical portion and a transition portion. The first cylindrical portion is cantilevered about the shaft and centers a first end of the member. The second cylindrical portion and the transition portion form a mid-support for a second end of the member. Each of the mid-support and the cantilevered structure provide a uniform concentrically mounted member.

Method for controlling the concentricity of a member with a centering device

Conventional gas compressors use dry gas sealing arrangements mounted on a shaft of the gas compressor. Functionally, for the dry gas sealing arrangement to properly seal, the concentricity of shaft and the dry gas sealing arrangement must be maintained at a close tolerance. Past assembly techniques have failed to mount such dry gas sealing arrangement to the shaft in an effective and efficient manner to control the concentricity during operation. The present method and apparatus for controlling the concentricity of a member with a centering device effectively and efficiently controls the concentricity between the member and the shaft. The structure of the centering device includes a first cylindrical portion, a second cylindrical portion and a transition portion. The first cylindrical portion is cantilevered about the shaft and centers a first end of the member. The second cylindrical portion and the transition portion form a mid-support for a second end of said member. Each of the mid-support and the cantilevered structure provide a uniform concentrically mounted member.

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Poway, CA, United States of America

Jess Lee Freeman