Helical impeller type liquid ring compressor

Abstract

A helical impeller liquid ring compressor includes a compressor body cooperating with first and second cover plates to define a compression chamber for receiving a helical impeller and a liquid. The compressor body has a compression section. The first cover plate seals a suction end of the compression chamber, and has an air inlet in fluid communication with the compression chamber. The second cover plate seals a pressure end of the compression chamber, and has an air outlet in fluid communication with the compression chamber. The impeller extends through the compression chamber, and includes a shaft rod and at least one helical blade. Upon rotation of the impeller, a liquid ring is generated from the liquid, and cooperates with the shaft rod and the blade to form air chambers.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A liquid ring compressor comprising:
 a compressor body having a compression section;   an upright first cover plate sealing one end of said compression section and having an air inlet adapted to permit a gas to be fed into said compression section therethrough;   an upright second cover plate sealing the other end of said compression section and having an air outlet adapted to permit the gas to flow out of said compression section therethrough, said second cover plate being horizontally spaced apart from said first cover plate along a compressing direction;   a compression chamber defined by said compression section and said first and second cover plates and having a suction end in fluid communication with said air inlet, and a pressure end in fluid communication with said air outlet, said compression chamber being adapted to receive a liquid; and   a helical impeller disposed rotatably within said compression chamber and extending along the compressing direction, said helical impeller including a shaft rod and at least one helical blade disposed on said shaft rod and in said compression chamber;   wherein said helical blade extends from said suction end of said compression chamber to said pressure end of said compression chamber such that, when said helical impeller rotates within said compression chamber, a liquid ring is generated from the liquid by virtue of eccentric force, and is in contact with a portion of said shaft rod and a portion of said helical blade, so as to form a plurality of air chambers among said shaft rod, said helical blade, and liquid ring, and the liquid is driven by said helical blade to flow toward said air outlet along the compression direction, so that the gas is compressed in the air chambers;   wherein each of said air chambers increases gradually in volume, axial length, and radial length when in fluid communication with said air inlet, and reduces gradually in volume, axial length, and radial length when in fluid communication with said air outlet, a maximum volume of each of the air chambers when in fluid communication with said air inlet being greater than that of each of the air chambers when in fluid communication with said air outlet, so that the gas is compressed in said compression chamber, and subsequently is discharged from said pressure end.   
     
     
         2 . The liquid ring compressor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said helical impeller is eccentric with respect to said compression chamber and the liquid ring. 
     
     
         3 . The liquid ring compressor as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said helical impeller has a rotating axis that is spaced apart from a central axis of said compression chamber in a horizontal direction. 
     
     
         4 . The liquid ring compressor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said compression chamber has an elliptical cross-section, and said helical impeller has a rotating axis that is located at a center of said compression chamber. 
     
     
         5 . The liquid ring compressor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said helical impeller includes a plurality of said helical blades, each of the air chambers being not in fluid communication with an adjacent one of said air chambers. 
     
     
         6 . The liquid ring compressor as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said compressor body further has an intake chamber, an exhaust chamber, an intake tube, and an exhaust tube, said compression chamber being disposed between said intake and exhaust chambers along the compressing direction, said intake chamber being in fluid communication with said compression chamber through said air inlet and with the outside through said intake tube, said exhaust chamber being in fluid communication with said compression chamber through said air outlet and with the outside through said exhaust tube. 
     
     
         7 . The liquid ring compressor as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said compressor body further has two bearings disposed respectively in said suction end and said pressure end of said compression chamber, said shaft rod of said helical impeller having two opposite ends extending respectively and rotatably through said bearings.