US 12,480,530 B2
Centrifugal acceleration stabilizer
Chester V. Swiatek, Amherst, NY (US); Mikhail Grigoriev, East Amherst, NY (US); Paul C. Brown, Buffalo, NY (US); and Charles Impastato, East Aurora, NY (US)
Assigned to Ingersoll-Rand Industrial U.S., Inc., Davidson, NC (US)
Filed by Ingersoll-Rand Industrial U.S., Inc., Davidson, NC (US)
Filed on Dec. 9, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/973,370.
Application 18/973,370 is a continuation of application No. 18/465,313, filed on Sep. 12, 2023, granted, now 12,163,535.
Application 18/465,313 is a continuation of application No. 17/738,730, filed on May 6, 2022, granted, now 11,788,557, issued on Oct. 17, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0122891 A1, Apr. 17, 2025
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. F04D 29/44 (2006.01); F04D 17/10 (2006.01); F04D 29/66 (2006.01); F04D 29/46 (2006.01)
CPC F04D 29/661 (2013.01) [F04D 17/10 (2013.01); F04D 29/441 (2013.01); F04D 29/444 (2013.01); F04D 29/464 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A centrifugal compressor comprising:
an impeller having a hub, the impeller configured to rotate about an axis of rotation to receive a fluid flow at least substantially aligned with the axis of rotation;
a shroud configured to surround the impeller and direct a high velocity fluid flow dispensed by the impeller; and
a diffuser having a shroud surface adjacent to the shroud and a hub surface adjacent to the hub, the diffuser defining a diffuser passage;
wherein the diffuser includes a centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring defined by a curved protrusion, the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring disposed in the shroud surface and configured to increase the radial velocity of a lower momentum region of a flow field flowing in the diffuser, where the centrifugal acceleration stabilizer ring has a height within a range between three percent (3%) and twenty percent (20%) of a distance between the shroud surface and the hub surface.