Patent Application

App. No. 12/133,628

Abstract

Claims (21)

1 . A compressor cooling system for an air compressor, comprising:

an air compressor including an external surface;

an enclosure for enclosing the air compressor inside the enclosure;

an air passage formed on the inside of the enclosure between the enclosure and the external surface of the air compressor;

multiple holes in the enclosure;

a negative pressure source coupled to the air passage for drawing air through the multiple holes and into the enclosure for cooling the compressor.

2 . The compressor cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the holes include at least one of holes, nozzles, and jet ducts configured to deliver turbulent air flow into the air passage for cooling the compressor.

3 . The compressor cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the turbulent air flow includes a Reynolds number is above 2000.

4 . The compressor cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the holes are the only fluid inlets in the enclosure communicating with the air passage.

5 . The compressor cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the air compressor includes opposite sides and the holes are directed at the opposite sides of the compressor.

6 . The compressor cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the holes are configured so that sound waves emanating from the air compressor take different times to reach an outside of the enclosure, thereby reducing noise emitted from the air compressor.

7 . The compressor cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the negative pressure source is a centrifugal blower.

8 . The compressor cooling system of claim 7 , wherein the centrifugal blower includes an outlet, and the compressor cooling system further includes a tortuous duct connected to the outlet of the centrifugal blower for routing blower exhaust there through to minimize noise.

9 . The compressor cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the air compressor and compressor cooling system is part of a pressure swing adsorption concentrator.

10 . The compressor cooling system of claim 9 , wherein the pressure swing adsorption concentrator is a portable oxygen concentrator.

11 . A method of using a compressor cooling system, comprising:

providing the compressor cooling system of claim 1 ;

imparting a negative pressure in the air passage with the negative pressure source, drawing air through the multiple holes and into the enclosure for cooling the compressor;

creating turbulent air flow in the air passage with the multiple holes, cooling the compressor and reducing compressor noise;

expelling the air flow from the compressor cooling system with the negative pressure source.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the air compressor includes opposite sides and the holes are directed at the opposite sides of the compressor, and the method further includes creating turbulent air flow in the air passage on opposite sides of the compressor with the multiple holes.

Assignments (8)