Patent ID: 6709243
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: F01D,F04D

Abstract:
A rotary machine including a helical flow compressor/turbine and a permanent magnet motor/generator, comprising:a housing including a stator positioned therein; a shaft rotatably supported within said housing; a permanent magnet rotor mounted on said shaft and operatively associated with said stator; and an impeller mounted on said shaft, said impeller having an impeller disk with a plurality of impeller blades extending therefrom, said housing including a generally horseshoe-shaped fluid flow stator channel with an inlet at a first end and an outlet at a second end, the fluid in said generally horseshoe-shaped fluid flow stator channel proceeding from said inlet to said outlet while following a generally helical flow path with multiple passes through the impeller blades, wherein said impeller disk has a plurality of axially-oriented vent holes formed therethrough to minimize a pressure differential across the impeller, thereby minimizing thrust loads applied to the impeller, and wherein said axially-oriented vent holes comprise a plurality of small vent holes and a plurality of large vent holes arranged in a manner such that the smaller holes are positioned near the impeller blades and the larger holes are positioned near the center of the impeller.