Patent ID: 7793499

Claim:
A center housing rotating assembly comprising: a turbine wheel ( 260 ); a compressor wheel ( 240 ); a center housing ( 380 , 480 , 580 , 780 ) that comprises a through bore extending from a compressor end to a turbine end, a lubricant inlet and a lubricant outlet; a pair of bearings ( 232 , 232 ′) disposed at least partially in the through bore of the center housing; a rotatable bearing spacer ( 790 , 1190 ) disposed in the through bore between the pair of bearings wherein the bearing spacer comprises a cylindrical wall having an axial length defined by a turbine side end and a compressor side end and slots at at least one end wherein a slot extends axially inward an axial slot depth from the turbine side end or the compressor side end; and a shaft ( 220 ) rotatably supported by the pair of bearings and having a rotational axis coincident with a rotational axis of the turbine wheel and a rotational axis of the compressor wheel; wherein the center housing comprises bearing lubricant paths to direct lubricant from the lubricant inlet to the pair of bearings ( 271 , 272 ) and a shaft lubricant path ( 373 , 473 , 573 , 573 ′, 773 ) to direct lubricant from the lubricant inlet to the shaft; and wherein the center housing comprises a shaft lubricant bore ( 383 , 483 , 583 , 583 ′, 783 ) that defines part of the shaft lubricant path wherein the shaft lubricant bore comprises an opening at the through bore of the center housing, the opening positioned axially within a span defined by the axial slot depth of the rotatable bearing spacer ( 790 , 1190 ).