Claims
- 1. The method of controlling a fluid compressor including a compressor rotor journaled within a housing, said housing providing a fluid inlet to said rotor and an outlet therefrom, said method including the steps of:
- providing a guide vane which is movable into said inlet upstream of said compressor rotor;
- moving said guide vane into and out of said inlet to respectively impart and relieve a tangential velocity to fluid flowing in said inlet to said compressor rotor;
- imparting said tangential velocity only to a selected portion of said fluid flowing in said inlet to said compressor rotor while maintaining the remainder of said fluid flow substantially free of said imparted tangential velocity;
- flowing said selected portion of said fluid flow to a radially outer portion of said compressor rotor while flowing said remainder of said fluid flow to a radially inner portion of said compressor rotor;
- separating said selected portion of said fluid flow from said remainder of said fluid flow prior to imparting said tangential velocity to said selected portion; and
- reuniting said selected portion of said fluid flow with said remainder of said fluid flow after imparting said tangential velocity to said selected portion.
- 2. The method of claim 1 including the step of moving said guide vane entirely out of said inlet so as to allow said inlet flow to proceed to said compressor rotor unimpeded and free of influence from said guide vane.
- 3. The method of claim 1 including the step of moving said guide vane into said inlet so as to impart a tangential velocity to all of said fluid flowing in said inlet to said compressor rotor.
- 4. The method of claim 1 including the step of imparting with said guide vane a radially variant tangential velocity to said fluid flow in said inlet to said compressor rotor, said radially variant tangential velocity having a greater magnitude at a radially outer margin of said fluid flow and decreasing in tangential velocity magnitude radially inwardly toward the rotational axis of said compressor rotor.
- 5. The method of operating a fluid compressor, said fluid compressor comprising a rotatable compressor impeller having a radially outer part, a housing defining an axially and circumferentially extending inlet leading to said compressor impeller, said method including the steps of:
- flowing into said inlet a radially inwardly directed flow of fluid;
- selectively variably dividing said fluid flow into a first radially inwardly directed axial portion and a second radially inwardly directed axial portion;
- imparting a tangential velocity to said first portion with respect to the axis of rotation of said compressor impeller;
- directing said first portion of said radially outer part of said compressor impeller;
- said step of selectively variably dividing said fluid flow into first and second portions including the steps of providing an annular dividing member movable axially within said axially extending inlet from one end thereof to the other end thereof; and selectively moving said dividing member to a determined axial position within said inlet to divide said inlet flow in accordance with said determined position.
- 6. The method of claim 5 wherein said step of imparting said tangential velocity to said first fluid flow portion includes the steps of providing an annular array of axially elongate guide vanes circumscribing said rotational axis and movable axially with said dividing member, said guide vanes extending from said dividing member in one axial direction through said first fluid flow portion, and flowing said first fluid flow portion between said array of guide vanes to impart said tangential velocity to said first portion.
- 7. The method of claim 6 further including the steps of providing an annular array of axially extending recesses defined by said housing and opening to said inlet; slidably disposing one of said guide vanes in each one of said recesses; and moving said guide vanes into and out of said inlet by respectively moving said guide vanes axially out of and into said recesses.
- 8. The method of claim 5, further including the step of progressively increasing said imparted tangential velocity with increasing axial dimension away from said dividing member.
- 9. The method of claim 7 including the step of reducing said first portion to substantially zero so that substantially all of said inlet fluid flow proceeds to said compressor impeller unimpeded by said guide vanes.
- 10. The method of claim 9 further including the step of moving said dividing member to one end of said axially extending inlet adjacent the openings of said recesses, and matchingly juxtapositioning said dividing member with said housing to prevent fluid flow therebetween.
Parent Case Info
This is a division of application Ser. No. 333,500 filed Dec. 22, 1981, U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,256.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4005572 |
Giffhorn |
Feb 1977 |
|
4214440 |
Rucker |
Jul 1980 |
|
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
875411 |
Aug 1961 |
GBX |
957884 |
May 1964 |
GBX |
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
333500 |
Dec 1981 |
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