US 11,982,285 B2
Compressor
Steffen Schmitt, Ditzingen (DE); Frieder Stetter, Stuttgart (DE); Oliver Kuhne, Stuttgart (DE); Rüdiger Kleinschmidt, Besigheim (DE); and Gunter Winkler, Stuttgart (DE)
Assigned to BMTS Technology GmbH &Co. KG, Stuttgart (DE)
Appl. No. 17/795,251
Filed by BMTS Technology GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart (DE)
PCT Filed Feb. 4, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/052615
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 26, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/160502, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 19, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20 156 734 (EP), filed on Feb. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0146415 A1, May 11, 2023
Int. Cl. F04D 17/10 (2006.01); F04D 25/06 (2006.01); F04D 29/057 (2006.01); F04D 29/063 (2006.01); F04D 29/58 (2006.01); F16C 33/66 (2006.01)
CPC F04D 29/057 (2013.01) [F04D 17/10 (2013.01); F04D 25/0606 (2013.01); F04D 29/063 (2013.01); F04D 29/5806 (2013.01); F16C 33/667 (2013.01); F16C 33/6692 (2013.01); F16C 2360/44 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A compressor for generating a compressed air flow for a fuel cell, comprising:
a drive shaft;
a compressor wheel mounted on the drive shaft for co-rotation with the drive shaft;
an electric motor configured to drive the drive shaft;
at least one plain bearing rotatably supporting the drive shaft, the plain bearing including a lubricant inlet for receiving a lubricant for hydrodynamic or hydrostatic pressure generation and a lubricant outlet for discharging the lubricant;
a lubricant supply connected to the plain bearing to supply the lubricant to the lubricant inlet of the plain bearing, the lubricant being water or a fluid mixture predominantly comprising water; and
a discharge area arranged to hold the lubricant discharged from the lubricant outlet of the plain bearing such that an entire cross-section area of the lubricant outlet is completely covered by the lubricant held in the discharge area.