Turbomachine Fluid-Conduit Housing Coupling System and Method

Abstract

A shroud portion of a fluid-conduit housing provides for concentrically shrouding a portion of bladed rotor operatively coupled to a rotor shaft rotationally supported by at least one bearing operatively coupled to the centerbody. An internal cylindrical surface at an end of the fluid-conduit housing mates with a corresponding external cylindrical surface on a corresponding side of the centerbody. The fluid-conduit housing is operatively coupled to the centerbody with a plurality of radial pins, wherein each radial pin slideably engages with at least one of a corresponding radial bore in the fluid-conduit housing or a corresponding radial bore in the centerbody so as to provide for substantially maintaining the concentricity of the shroud portion of the fluid-conduit housing relative to the bladed rotor regardless of a thermal expansion of the fluid-conduit housing relative to the centerbody.

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a. a centerbody, wherein said centerbody comprises:
 i. a bearing housing; 
 ii. at least one bearing within and operatively coupled to said bearing housing; and 
 iii. a rotor shaft rotationally supported by said at least one bearing spaced along said rotor shaft; 
   b. at least one bladed rotor operatively coupled to said rotor shaft supported by said centerbody; and   c. at least one fluid-conduit housing in cooperation with said at least one bladed rotor, wherein said at least one bladed rotor is operative within a corresponding fluid conduit defined by said fluid-conduit housing, said at least one fluid-conduit housing incorporates an inlet to provide for receiving a corresponding fluid within said fluid conduit that provides for either driving or being pumped by a corresponding said at least one bladed rotor responsive to an interaction of said corresponding fluid with a plurality of blades of said at least one bladed rotor, said at least one fluid-conduit housing comprises an internal cylindrical surface at an end thereof that mates with a corresponding external cylindrical surface on a corresponding side of said centerbody, an axis of said external cylindrical surface is substantially concentric with an axis of rotation of said at least one bladed rotor and with an axis of said internal cylindrical surface, said at least one fluid-conduit housing is operatively coupled to said centerbody with a plurality of radial pins, so that said internal cylindrical surface is free to thermally expand relative to said external cylindrical surface, each radial pin of said plurality of radial pins is slideably engaged with at least one of a corresponding radial bore in said at least one fluid-conduit housing or a corresponding radial bore in said centerbody, said radial bore in said fluid-conduit housing is closed to said fluid conduit; each said radial pin is oriented radially with respect to both said internal cylindrical surface and said external cylindrical surface, said plurality of radial pins are arranged around said centerbody so as to provide for said internal and external cylindrical surfaces to remain substantially concentric regardless of a thermal expansion of said at least one fluid-conduit housing relative to said centerbody, and at least a portion of said at least one fluid-conduit housing comprises a shroud portion that substantially concentrically surrounds a portion of said at least one bladed rotor.   
     
     
         2 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one bladed rotor comprises at least one of the group selected from a compressor rotor and a turbine rotor. 
     
     
         3 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said internal and external cylindrical surfaces are mated with an interference fit at room temperature. 
     
     
         4 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of radial pins are symmetrically located around said centerbody and around said at least one fluid-conduit housing. 
     
     
         5 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of radial pins are equi-spaced around said centerbody and around said at least one fluid-conduit housing. 
     
     
         6 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of radial pins comprise at least three radial pins. 
     
     
         7 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least one said radial pin is slideably engaged with both said corresponding radial bore in said at least one fluid-conduit housing and said corresponding radial bore in said centerbody, and at least one said radial pin is retained to said at least one fluid-conduit housing by either staking or welding. 
     
     
         8 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least one said radial pin is retained to said at least one fluid-conduit housing by an interference fit in said radial bore in said at least one fluid-conduit housing. 
     
     
         9 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least one said radial pin is retained by engagement of a screw thread portion of at least one said radial pin with a corresponding screw thread portion in one of said at least one fluid-conduit housing and said centerbody. 
     
     
         10 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said at least one bladed rotor comprises said turbine rotor of a turbocharger, said fluid-conduit housing comprises an exhaust housing configured to receive exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine, and a portion of said exhaust housing comprises said shroud portion that substantially concentrically surrounds said portion of said turbine rotor. 
     
     
         11 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said exhaust housing comprises a volute portion of said fluid conduit that is operative between said inlet and said turbine rotor, an aft boundary of said volute portion comprises a surface of revolution about said axis of rotation of said turbine rotor where said fluid is discharged from said volute portion onto said turbine rotor during operation of said turbocharger, and said aft boundary is located further from said centerbody than a corresponding opposing forward boundary of said volute portion. 
     
     
         12 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said surface of revolution comprises a planar surface that is substantially perpendicular to said axis of rotation. 
     
     
         13 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , wherein a tip clearance between said shroud portion of said exhaust housing and at least one tip of said turbine rotor is less than 4 percent of a radius of said turbine rotor at said at least one tip of said turbine rotor at room temperature. 
     
     
         14 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising a seal operative between an end face of said exhaust housing and said centerbody, so as to provide for preventing said exhaust gases from escaping said exhaust housing from a gap between said exhaust housing and said centerbody, wherein said seal is configured so as to provide for accommodating thermal expansion or contraction of said exhaust housing relative to said centerbody. 
     
     
         15 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said seal is operative within a groove in said end face of said exhaust housing. 
     
     
         16 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 15 , wherein said seal comprises a thermal gasket. 
     
     
         17 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 15 , wherein said seal comprises a metallic seal comprising a radial cross-section selected from the group consisting of a V-shaped cross-section and a C-shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         18 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said external cylindrical surface is stepped into said corresponding side of said centerbody, and said seal is operative between said end face and a radial surface extending radially outwards from said external cylindrical surface that is stepped into said corresponding side of said centerbody. 
     
     
         19 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising a heat shield operative between said centerbody and said turbine rotor within an axial bore wherein said exhaust housing, wherein said axial bore has a diameter in excess of a maximum diameter of said turbine rotor. 
     
     
         20 . A apparatus as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said at least one bladed rotor comprises said compressor rotor of a turbocharger, and said at least one fluid-conduit housing comprises a compressor housing surrounding said compressor rotor, wherein said compressor housing comprises:
 a. a central inlet; and   b. a volute diffuser.   
     
     
         21 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody, comprising:
 a. sliding an internal cylindrical surface over a corresponding external cylindrical surface, wherein said internal cylindrical surface is located at an end of a fluid-conduit housing, and said external cylindrical surface is located on a side of a centerbody;   b. operatively coupling said fluid-conduit housing to said centerbody using a plurality of radial pins, wherein each radial pin of said plurality of radial pins extends radially across a junction between said internal cylindrical surface and said external cylindrical surface, each said radial pin engages both said centerbody and a wall of said fluid-conduit housing so as to prevent more than insubstantial relative axial movement therebetween, and each radial pin of said plurality of radial pins is slideably engaged with at least one of a corresponding radial bore in said fluid-conduit housing or a corresponding radial bore in said centerbody;   c. providing for retaining each said radial pin in engagement with both said centerbody and said wall of said fluid-conduit housing; and   d. shrouding a portion of a bladed rotor with a portion of said fluid-conduit housing, wherein said bladed rotor is rotatable with respect to said centerbody about an axis that is substantially concentric with respect to said external cylindrical surface and with respect to said portion of said fluid-conduit housing that shrouds said bladed rotor.   
     
     
         22 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody as recited in  claim 21 , wherein at room temperature a diameter of said corresponding external cylindrical surface exceeds a corresponding diameter of said internal cylindrical surface so as to provide for an interference fit therebetween when both said centerbody and said fluid-conduit housing are at said room temperature. 
     
     
         23 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising forming at least one of said corresponding radial bore in said fluid-conduit housing or said corresponding radial bore in said centerbody after the operation of sliding said internal cylindrical surface over said corresponding external cylindrical surface. 
     
     
         24 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising slideably engaging at least one said radial pin with both said corresponding radial bore in said fluid-conduit housing and said corresponding radial bore in said centerbody. 
     
     
         25 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising retaining at least one said radial pin is retained to said fluid-conduit housing by either staking or welding. 
     
     
         26 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising retaining at least one said radial pin is retained to said fluid-conduit housing by an interference fit in said radial bore in said fluid-conduit housing. 
     
     
         27 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising retaining at least one said radial pin by engaging a screw thread portion of at least one said radial pin with a corresponding screw thread portion in one of said fluid-conduit housing and said centerbody. 
     
     
         28 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising installing a heat shield operative between a portion of said side of said centerbody and said bladed rotor, wherein said heat shield provides for substantially filling an annulus located between a portion of said centerbody proximate to said bladed rotor and an axial bore in said fluid-conduit housing that provides for receiving said bladed rotor therethrough during the operation of sliding said internal cylindrical surface of said fluid-conduit housing over said corresponding external cylindrical surface of said centerbody. 
     
     
         29 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising providing a volute portion of a fluid conduit within said fluid-conduit housing that extends forward of an aft boundary of an outlet of said fluid conduit onto said bladed rotor so as to provide for a direction of flow of a fluid onto or from said bladed rotor that is either substantially radially inwards or at least partially axially aftwards from said centerbody with decreasing distance from said bladed rotor. 
     
     
         30 . A method of operatively coupling a fluid-conduit housing to a centerbody as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising sealing a gap between a portion of an end face of said fluid-conduit housing and a portion of said side of said centerbody, wherein the operation of sealing said gap provides for relative radial movement of said portion of said end face of said fluid-conduit housing relative to said centerbody responsive to a thermal expansion of said fluid-conduit housing. 
     
     
         31 . A method of operating a bladed rotor in cooperation with an associated fluid-conduit housing, comprising:
 a. rotating a bladed rotor with a rotor shaft rotationally supported from a centerbody;   b. concentrically surrounding a portion of said bladed rotor with a shroud portion of a fluid-conduit housing that is radially separated from said bladed rotor by an associated tip clearance; and   c. causing said fluid-conduit housing to be heated relative to said centerbody, thereby thermally expanding said fluid-conduit housing relative to said centerbody in a radial direction by action of a plurality of radial pins operative between said centerbody and said fluid-conduit housing, wherein said plurality of radial pins provide for unrestrained relative radial movement of said fluid-conduit housing relative to said centerbody, said plurality of radial pins provide for axially retaining said fluid-conduit housing against said centerbody, and said plurality of radial pins provides for substantially maintaining a concentricity of said shroud portion of said fluid-conduit housing relative to said portion of said bladed rotor responsive to the operation of thermally expanding said fluid-conduit housing.   
     
     
         32 . A method of operating a bladed rotor in cooperation with an associated fluid-conduit housing as recited in  claim 31 , wherein said fluid-conduit housing comprises an exhaust housing of a turbocharger, and said bladed rotor comprises a turbine rotor of said turbocharger driven by exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine directed through a portion of a fluid conduit within said exhaust housing onto said turbine rotor. 
     
     
         33 . A method of operating a bladed rotor in cooperation with an associated fluid-conduit housing as recited in  claim 32 , wherein said portion of said fluid conduit comprises a volute, further comprising causing said exhaust gases to flow within said volute in a region that extends forward of an aft boundary of an outlet of said volute onto said turbine rotor so as to provide for a direction of flow of said exhaust gases onto said turbine rotor that is either substantially radially inwards or at least partially axially aftwards from said centerbody with decreasing distance from said turbine rotor. 
     
     
         34 . A method of operating a bladed rotor in cooperation with an associated fluid-conduit housing as recited in  claim 31 , wherein said fluid-conduit housing comprises a compressor housing of a turbocharger, and said bladed rotor comprises a compressor rotor of said turbocharger that provides for compressing and pumping air into a portion of a fluid conduit within said compressor housing and then into an internal combustion engine. 
     
     
         35 . A method of operating a bladed rotor in cooperation with an associated fluid-conduit housing as recited in  claim 31 , further comprising sealing a gap between a portion of an end face of said fluid-conduit housing and a portion of said side of said centerbody, wherein the operation of sealing said gap provides for relative radial movement of said portion of said end face of said fluid-conduit housing relative to said centerbody responsive to a thermal expansion of said fluid-conduit housing.