US 12,085,082 B2
Thrust-balancing wet gas compressor
Hans Fredrik Kjellnes, Nesttun (NO); Åsmund Valland, Sandsli (NO); Joakim Almqvist, Sandsli (NO); Thomas Bucher-Johannessen, Sandsli (NO); and Marius Askevold, Sandsli (NO)
Assigned to ONESUBSEA IP UK LIMITED, London (GB)
Filed by ONESUBSEA IP UK LIMITED, London (GB)
Filed on Jan. 24, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/582,567.
Application 17/582,567 is a continuation of application No. 16/536,547, filed on Aug. 9, 2019, granted, now 11,231,039.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/725,597, filed on Aug. 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0220963 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. F04D 19/02 (2006.01); F04D 29/051 (2006.01)
CPC F04D 19/024 (2013.01) [F04D 29/051 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A contra-rotating compressor for compressing a process fluid, comprising:
a first motor rotatably coupled with a first shaft assembly disposed in a housing and rotatable about a longitudinal axis, the first shaft assembly comprising an outer shaft, and a first plurality of impellers coupled to the outer shaft, wherein the outer shaft comprises a final stage that includes a final impeller of the first plurality of impellers;
a second motor rotatably coupled with a second shaft assembly disposed in the housing and rotatable about the longitudinal axis, the second shaft assembly comprising a second plurality of impellers interleaved with the first plurality of impellers;
a first passage extending through the housing; and
a second passage extending through the final stage;
wherein the first motor is configured to rotate the first shaft assembly in a first rotational direction to exert a force on the process fluid in an axial direction;
wherein the second motor is configured to rotate the second shaft assembly in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to exert a force on the process fluid in the axial direction;
wherein a radially inner end of the final impeller is coupled to an inner cylindrical member of the final stage and a radially outer end of the final impeller is permitted to flex relative to the outer cylindrical member of the final stage.