Screw compressor with integral bearing cover and discharge plenum divider

Abstract

A three rotor screw compressor is provided with a bearing cover, and an integral discharge case having a divider wall formed integrally with the bearing cover. The bearing cover closes bearing chambers for each of three rotor shafts, and the divider wall divides a plenum into two distinct chambers. By providing the divider wall, noise and efficiency losses from intermixing of two discharge flows from two separate compression chambers is eliminated. By forming a divider wall integrally with the bearing cover, leakage which has existed in the prior art is eliminated.

1 . A compressor comprising:
 at least three screw rotors, each of said screw rotors having a shaft, said compressor for delivering a compressed fluid to each of at least two separate discharge ports in a compressor case;   bearings received in bearing chambers and supporting each of said three shafts of said at least three screw rotors; and   a bearing cover surface closing off said bearing chambers for each of said bearings, said bearing cover being formed integrally with a discharge case, said discharge case including a divider wall for providing a separate discharge chamber communicating with each of said discharge ports, such that a fluid compressed in the compressor passes the bearing cover, and through the separate discharge chambers, to a downstream use.   
   
   
       2 . The compressor set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said bearings chambers are positioned within an outlet housing, said outlet housing abutting said compressor housing, and said discharge case being secured to said outlet housing. 
   
   
       3 . The compressor as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said divider wall extends over a relatively thin extent, and becomes larger to merge into said bearing cover. 
   
   
       4 . The compressor as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said divider wall extends over a relatively thin extent, and becomes larger to merge into said bearing cover. 
   
   
       5 . The compressor as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said divider wall extends for the majority of an axial length of the discharge case, and the bearing cover is generally formed adjacent an end of the discharge case. 
   
   
       6 . A compressor comprising:
 at least three screw rotors, each of said screw rotors having a shaft, said screw rotors interfitting to define two compression chambers, said compressor for delivering a compressed refrigerant from each of said two compression chambers to one of two separate discharge ports in a compressor case;   bearings received in bearing chambers formed in an outlet housing, said outlet housing attached to said compressor case, said bearings supporting each of said shafts of said at least three screw rotors, said discharge ports communicating with discharge passages in said outlet housing; and   a bearing cover surface closing off said bearing chambers for each of said bearings, and attached to said outlet housing, said bearing cover being formed integrally with a discharge case, said discharge case including a divider wall for providing a separate discharge chamber communicating with each of the discharge passages formed in said outlet housing, and the divider wall ensuring that fluid compressed in the compressor passes the bearing cover and through the separate discharge chambers in the discharge case to a downstream use, said divider wall extending over a relatively thin extent, and becoming larger to merge into said bearing cover, with said divider wall extending over the majority of an axial length of said discharge case, and said bearing cover being formed adjacent an end of said discharge case which faces said outlet housing.