Turbocharger having improved shaft seal

Abstract

The invention relates to a turbocharger which contains a bearing device which is arranged between a compressor and a turbine and which is designed to support a shaft. This bearing device has a bearing housing, in which an oil-lubricated bearing for supporting the shaft is arranged. The shaft has a slinger element extending in the circumferential direction for centrifugally dispersing lubricating oil. The bearing housing has an oil drainage channel for discharging the lubricating oil from the bearing housing. The inner region of the bearing housing forms an oil delimitation chamber, which is sealed off by seals arranged between the shaft and the bearing housing. The oil delimitation chamber has a deflection means which is formed in such a way that, during operation of the turbocharger, lubricating oil that is centrifugally dispersed by the slinger element is deflected by the deflection means and is conducted in the opposite direction to the seals. The oil delimitation chamber is formed in the vicinity of the slinger element in such a way that the lubricating oil centrifugally dispersed by the slinger element during operation of the turbocharger can be transferred directly from said slinger element to the deflection means. A collection channel prevents lubricating oil centrifugally dispersed from the slinger element from flowing back into the seal region. The slinger element is formed in such a way that the lubricating oil sprayed away from the slinger element has a radial and an axial directional component, and the axial directional component runs in the opposite direction to the seals.