Compressor impeller

Abstract

A compressor impeller includes: a compressor impeller body portion including a boss portion and a plurality of vane portions disposed at intervals in a circumferential direction on a peripheral surface of the boss portion; and a heat shield portion disposed on a side of a back surface of the boss portion and configured to rotate with the compressor impeller body portion.

Claims

1. A compressor impeller, comprising: a compressor impeller body portion including a boss portion and a plurality of vane portions disposed at intervals in a circumferential direction on a peripheral surface of the boss portion; and a heat shield portion disposed on a side of a back surface of the boss portion and configured to rotate with the compressor impeller body portion, wherein the heat shield portion is formed to have an annular shape, wherein the heat shield portion is disposed so as to face the back surface of the boss portion via a gap, wherein the heat shield portion extends along a radial direction of the compressor impeller from an inner side toward an outer side of the boss portion, wherein the heat shield portion includes a curved portion curved so as to become closer to the back surface of the boss portion outward in the radial direction of the compressor impeller, the curved portion being curved so as to be convex in a direction away from the back surface of the boss portion, and wherein the gap is in communication with a space on an outer side of the heat shield portion with respect to a radial direction of the compressor impeller.

2. The compressor impeller according to claim 1, wherein the heat shield portion is formed of a different material from the compressor impeller body portion.

3. The compressor impeller according to claim 2, wherein the heat shield portion is formed of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the compressor impeller body portion.

4. The compressor impeller according to claim 1, wherein the heat shield portion is made of sheet metal.

5. A compressor impeller, comprising: a compressor impeller body portion including a boss portion and a plurality of vane portions disposed at intervals in a circumferential direction on a peripheral surface of the boss portion; and a heat shield portion disposed on a side of a back surface of the boss portion and configured to rotate with the compressor impeller body portion, wherein the heat shield portion is formed to have an annular shape, wherein the heat shield portion is disposed so as to face the back surface of the boss portion via a gap, wherein the heat shield portion extends along a radial direction of the compressor impeller from an inner side toward an outer side of the boss portion, wherein the heat shield portion includes a protruding portion having an annular shape and protruding toward the back surface of the boss portion, and wherein the gap is in communication with a space on an outer side of the heat shield portion with respect to a radial direction of the compressor impeller.

6. The compressor impeller according to claim 5, wherein the heat shield portion is formed of a different material from the compressor impeller body portion.

7. The compressor impeller according to claim 6, wherein the heat shield portion is formed of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the compressor impeller body portion.

8. The compressor impeller according to claim 5, wherein the heat shield portion is made of sheet metal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50A) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50B) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 3 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50C) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50D) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50E) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 6 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50F) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(7) FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the distribution of air temperature on the front side (the side where the vanes 004 are provided) of the boss portion 002 of the compressor impeller 050, during operation of a compressor.

(8) FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the distribution of air temperature in the gap on the back side (the gap in the axial direction between the back surface of the boss portion and the stationary portion of the casing or the like) of the boss portion 002 of the compressor impeller 050, during operation of a compressor.

(9) FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the distribution of the metal temperature of the compressor impeller 050 during operation of the compressor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is intended, however, that unless particularly identified, dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions and the like of components described in the embodiments shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

(11) For instance, an expression of relative or absolute arrangement such as “in a direction”, “along a direction”, “parallel”, “orthogonal”, “centered”, “concentric” and “coaxial” shall not be construed as indicating only the arrangement in a strict literal sense, but also includes a state where the arrangement is relatively displaced by a tolerance, or by an angle or a distance whereby it is possible to achieve the same function.

(12) For instance, an expression of an equal state such as “same” “equal” and “uniform” shall not be construed as indicating only the state in which the feature is strictly equal, but also includes a state in which there is a tolerance or a difference that can still achieve the same function.

(13) Further, for instance, an expression of a shape such as a rectangular shape or a cylindrical shape shall not be construed as only the geometrically strict shape, but also includes a shape with unevenness or chamfered corners within the range in which the same effect can be achieved.

(14) On the other hand, an expression such as “comprise”, “include”, “have”, “contain” and “constitute” are not intended to be exclusive of other components.

(15) FIG. 1 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50A) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50B) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50C) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50D) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50E) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view of a compressor impeller 50 (50F) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(16) Hereinafter, unless otherwise stated, the circumferential direction of the compressor impeller 50 is referred to as merely “circumferential direction”, the radial direction of the compressor impeller 50 is referred to as merely “radial direction”, and the axial direction of the compressor impeller 50 is referred to as merely “axial direction”. Further, the compressor impeller 50 can be suitably used as a compressor for a small-sized turbocharger for automobiles, for instance.

(17) In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 for instance, the compressor impeller 50 (50A to 50F) includes a shaft 10, a compressor impeller body portion 6 including a boss portion 2 (hub portion) mounted to the shaft 10 and a plurality of vane portions 4 disposed at intervals in the circumferential direction on the peripheral surface 2a of the boss portion 2, and a heat shield portion 8 disposed on the side of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and configured to rotate with the compressor impeller body portion 6. The compressor impeller body portion 6 and the heat shield portion 8 are configured to rotate integrally with the shaft portion 10.

(18) In the depicted embodiment, the heat shield portion 8 extends in the radial direction. Furthermore, in the compressor impeller 50 (50A to 50C) shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the heat shield portion 8 is fixed to the shaft 10, and thereby configured to rotate with the compressor impeller body portion 6. In the compressor impeller 50 (50D to 50F) shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the heat shield portion 8 is fixed to back surface 2b of the boss portion 2, and thereby configured to rotate with the compressor impeller body portion 6.

(19) According to the above configuration, with the heat shield portion 8 that rotates with the compressor impeller body portion 6, it is possible to suppress heating of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 due to friction between the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and air. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the amount of heat transmitted to the front side (compressor inlet side, that is, the side of the leading edge 4a of the vane portion 4) of the boss portion 2 from the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2, and suppress a temperature increase of the boss portion 2 and the vane portion 4 disposed on the peripheral surface 2a of the boss portion 2. Thus, it is possible to suppress heating of the air flowing along the compressor impeller body portion 6 from heat transmission from the boss portion 2 and the vane portion 4 (in particular, heat transmission at the compressor inlet side where the temperature difference between the air and the compressor impeller body portion 6 tends to increase), and thus it is possible to obtain a highly-efficient compressor impeller 50 whereby it is possible to suppress reduction of the compressor pressure ratio and the compressor efficiency.

(20) Furthermore, like the compressor disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to suppress a temperature increase of the back surface of the boss portion without providing a supply flow passage for the cooling gas on the side of the casing for accommodating the compressor impeller, and thus it is possible to prevent the configuration of the casing from becoming complex.

(21) In some embodiments, in the compressor impeller 50 (50A to 50F) shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the heat shield portion 8 is formed to have an annular shape around the shaft 10.

(22) According to the above configuration, the heat shield portion 8 is formed over the entire region in the circumferential direction of the compressor impeller 50, and thus it is possible to suppress heating of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 due to friction between the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and air effectively with the heat shield portion 8.

(23) In some embodiments, in the compressor impeller 50 (50A to 50D) shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the heat shield portion 8 is formed of a different material from the compressor impeller body portion 6.

(24) According to the above configuration, by using a suitable material for the heat shield portion 8, it is possible to effectively suppress a temperature increase of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 due to friction between the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and air.

(25) In some embodiments, in the compressor impeller 50 (50A to 50D) shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the heat shield portion 8 is formed of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the compressor impeller body portion 6.

(26) With the above configuration, even if the air opposite to the heat shield portion 8 across the boss portion 2 (the air adjacent to the right side of the heat shield portion 8 in the drawing) is heated from friction with the heat shield portion 8 in rotation, the heat shield portion 8 formed of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the compressor impeller body portion 6 suppresses heat transmission from the air toward the boss portion 2. Thus, it is possible to suppress heating of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 effectively.

(27) In some embodiments, in the compressor impeller 50 (50A, 50B) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for instance, the heat shield portion 8 is formed of sheet metal. According to the above configuration, it is possible to achieve a light-weight heat shield portion 8 at low cost.

(28) In some embodiments, as depicted in FIGS. 1 to 3, 5, and 6, in the compressor impeller 50 (50A to 50C, 50E, 50F), the heat shield portion 8 is formed so as to face the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 via a gap ‘g’.

(29) According to the above configuration, the compressor impeller body portion 6 and the heat shield portion 8 rotate together, and thereby it is possible to rotate the air in the gap ‘g’ interposed between the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8, with the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8. That is, it is possible to make the air in the gap ‘g’ rotate together with the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8 in rotation. Thus, the friction between the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and the air in the gap ‘g’ is small, and the temperature of the air in the gap ‘g’ is less likely to rise. Thus, it is possible to suppress heating of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 effectively.

(30) In some embodiments, as depicted in FIG. 1, in the compressor impeller 50 (50A), the heat shield portion 8 is formed to have a flat plate shape along a surface orthogonal to the axial direction. According to the above configuration, it is possible to obtain the above described effect to suppress a temperature increase of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 with a simple configuration.

(31) In some embodiments, as depicted in FIG. 2, in the compressor impeller 50 (50B), the heat shield portion 8 has a curved portion 16 having an annular shape which is curved toward the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 outward in the radial direction. In an illustrative embodiment, the entire heat shield portion 8 is curved toward the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 outward in the radial direction.

(32) According to the above configuration, air is more likely to be retained on the radially inner side of the curved portion 16 having an annular shape, and the air in the gap ‘g’ is more likely to rotate with the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8. Thus, it is possible to effectively reduce the friction between the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and the air in the gap ‘g’, and suppress a temperature increase of the air in the gap ‘g’. Thus, it is possible to suppress heating of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 effectively.

(33) Furthermore, to promote rotation of the air in the gap ‘g’ with the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8, it is desirable to form the curved portion 16 having an annular shape in a range including at least a part of the radially outer portion 14 of the heat shield portion 8. In an illustrative embodiment, the entire heat shield portion 8 is curved toward the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 outward in the radial direction.

(34) In some embodiments, as depicted in FIG. 3, in the compressor impeller 50 (50C), the heat shield portion 8 has a protruding portion 18 having an annular shape which protrudes toward the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2.

(35) According to the above configuration, air is more likely to be retained on the radially inner side of the protruding portion 18 having an annular shape, and the air in the gap ‘g’ is more likely to rotate with the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8. Thus, it is possible to effectively reduce the friction between the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and the air in the gap ‘g’, and suppress a temperature increase of the air in the gap ‘g’. Thus, it is possible to suppress heating of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 effectively.

(36) Furthermore, to promote rotation of the air in the gap ‘g’ with the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8, it is desirable to form the protruding portion 18 having an annular shape on the radially outer portion 14 of the heat shield portion 8. In the depicted illustrative embodiment, the protruding portion 18 is formed on the radially outer edge of the heat shield portion 8.

(37) In some embodiments, in the compressor impeller 50 (50D) shown in FIG. 4, the heat shield portion 8 is a coating layer coating the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2, including a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the compressor impeller body portion 6. According to the above configuration, it is possible to achieve a light-weight heat shield portion 8 at low cost.

(38) In some embodiments, as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the compressor impeller 50 (50E, 50F), the heat shield portion 8 is formed integrally with the compressor impeller body portion 6 from the same material, and the gap ‘g’ is an annular slit 12 disposed between the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8.

(39) According to the above configuration, the compressor impeller body portion 6 and the heat shield portion 8 rotate together, and thereby it is possible to rotate the air in the slit 12 between the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8, with the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and the heat shield portion 8. Thus, the friction between the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and the air in the slit 12 is small, and the temperature of the air in the slit 12 is less likely to rise. Thus, it is possible to suppress heating of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 effectively. Furthermore, since the heat shield portion 8 is formed integrally with the compressor impeller body portion 6 from the same material, the heat shield portion 8 can be provided without increasing the number of components, which makes it possible to suppress a size increase and a cost increase of the compressor impeller 50.

(40) In some embodiments, as depicted in FIGS. 1 to 6, in the compressor impeller 50 (50A to 50F), the distance R1 between the radially outer end 8e of the heat shield portion 8 and the rotational axis O of the compressor impeller 50 is not smaller than a half of the distance R2 between the radially outer end 2e of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 and the rotational axis O of the compressor impeller 50.

(41) As depicted in FIG. 9, the temperature of the back surface of the boss portion tends to become relatively high at the radially outer portion of the boss portion. Thus, by setting the distance R1 to be not smaller than a half of the distance R2, it is possible to effectively suppress a temperature increase of the radially outer portion of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2, where the temperature tends to rise, with the heat shield portion 8.

(42) In some embodiments, as depicted in FIGS. 1 to 3, and 6, in the compressor impeller 50 (50A to 50F), the radially outer end 8e of the heat shield portion 8 is positioned on the inner side, with respect to the radial direction, of the radially outer end 2e of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2.

(43) According to findings of the present inventors, as depicted in FIG. 8, the temperature of air adjacent to the back surface of the boss portion 002 becomes highest at a radial directional position P on the inner side of the radially outer end 002e of the boss portion 002.

(44) In this regard, with the compressor impeller 50 (50F) depicted in FIG. 6, the radially outer end 8e of the heat shield portion 8 is disposed on the inner side, with respect to the radial direction, of the radially outer end 2e of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2, and thus it is possible to provide the slit 12 from the outer side to the inner side of the radial directional position P with the highest temperature, without increasing the depth ‘d’ of the slit 12 excessively in view of the strength of the compressor impeller. Thus, it is possible to suppress a temperature increase of the back surface 2b of the boss portion 2 effectively while ensuring the strength of the compressor impeller 50 (50F).

(45) Embodiments of the present invention were described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various amendments and modifications may be implemented.

(46) The present invention may be combined to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, that is, the technique of spraying high-pressure cooling air onto the back surface of the boss portion of the compressor impeller to cool the back surface of the boss portion. In this case, it is possible to reduce the flow rate of cooling gas required to cool the back surface of the boss portion of the compressor impeller to a certain standard, and thus it is possible to simplify the configuration of the supply flow passage for supplying cooling gas.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(47) 2 Boss portion 2a Peripheral surface 2b Back surface 2e Radially outer end 4 Vane portion 4a Leading edge 6 Compressor impeller body portion 8 Heat shield portion 8e Radially outer end 10 Shaft portion 12 Slit 14 Radially outer portion 16 Curved portion 18 Protruding portion 50 Compressor impeller O Rotational axis P Position R1, R2 Distance g Gap