Patent ID: 7942626

Claim:
A compressor for compressing a gas, the compressor comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet; an impeller wheel including a plurality of vanes, the wheel being rotatably mounted within the housing between said inlet and outlet; the housing having an inner wall defining a surface located in close proximity to radially outer edges of impeller vanes which sweep across said surface as the impeller wheel rotates about its axis; the inlet comprising an outer tubular wall extending away from the impeller wheel in an upstream direction and forming a gas intake portion of the inlet and an inner tubular wall extending away from the impeller wheel in an upstream direction within the outer tubular wall and defining an inducer portion of the inlet and substantially annular gas flow passage defined between the inner and outer tubular walls, the substantially annular gas flow passage being in fluid communication with the impeller wheel; and a perforated flow-conditioning member in said flow passage that permits communication between the inlet and the impeller wheel, the flow-conditioning member being perforated by a plurality of flow conduits that extend in substantially the axial direction; wherein the flow-conditioning member is annular; and wherein the flow conduits are in the form of bores penetrating the flow-conditioning member.