COMPRESSOR SYSTEM INCLUDING GEAR INTEGRATED SCREW EXPANDER

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates to a gear driven compressor system. More particularly, the invention relates to a gear driven multi-stage compressor system including a screw expander.

[0002] Multi-stage compressors can be driven by a single prime mover such as a motor using a gear box that includes multiple drive outputs.

[0003] US 2007/193301 discloses (see Figure 1) an expendable turbine driven vapour compression cycle cooling system 2. The system 2 includes a high pressure working fluid supply path 6, expansion valve 4, heat source 10, compressor 14 and heat exchanger 22. The compressor 14 is driven by a prime mover 16. In a separate circuit, an expendable fluid tank 14 supplies expandable fluid via a pump 28 into the heat exchanger 22. Heat is exchanged between the working fluid (which is cooled) and the expandable (which is heated), before the expandable is expanded through a turbine 34. The turbine 34 assists in the driving of the compressor 14 via turbine drive shaft 36.

SUMMARY

[0004] The invention provides a compressor system that includes the features of Claim 1.

[0005] Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] 

Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of a compressor system including a screw expander;

Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the compressor system of Fig. 1 including the screw expander;

Fig. 3 is a partially broken away side view of the compressor system of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of the compressor system of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a top broken away view of a prior art screw expander suitable for use in the compressor system of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a side broken away view of the prior art screw expander of Fig. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0007] Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

[0008] Figs. 1-3 illustrate a portion of a compressor system 10 integrated into one compact assembly. The compressor system 10 includes a tank 15, a gear box 20, a first stage compressor 25, a second stage compressor 30, and an expander 35. The tank 15 contains a quantity of lubricant and also functions as a base that supports the remaining components. The lubricant both lubricates and cools the various components during operation. In some constructions, filters, moisture separators, lubricant separators, and the like are supported on the tank 15 or within the tank 15 to condition the lubricant during use.

[0009] The gear box 20 includes a housing 40 that attaches to the tank 15 and contains a plurality of gears arranged in a meshing relationship to provide the desired rotational torque to the first stage compressor 25 and the second stage compressor 30. The gears are arranged to rotate about a plurality of parallel axis that are substantially horizontal. Of course, other arrangements are possible including vertical shaft arrangements or helical gear arrangements in which some of the rotational axes are not parallel.

[0010] A drive shaft 45 extends from the gear box housing 40 and supports a gear 50 (shown in Fig. 4) that is in meshing relationship with one or more gears within the gear box 20. The drive shaft 45 extends from the gear box 20 on the opposite side of the gear box 20 as the first stage compressor 25, the second stage compressor 30, and the expander 35. This arrangement provides room for a prime mover 55 to attach to the gear box 20 and to engage the drive shaft 45 to input a torque into the gear box. In preferred constructions, an electric motor attaches to the drive shaft and provides the desired torque. Of course, other prime movers 55 such as internal combustion engines, diesel engines, combustion turbines, and the like could be employed in place of, or in conjunction with the electric motor.

[0011] A lubricant pump (not shown) directs lubricant from the tank 15 to the various gears within the gear box 20 to provide lubrication and cooling. The lubricant is contained by the housing 40 and drains to the bottom of the housing 40 where it is collected and returned to the tank 15.

[0012] The first stage compressor 25 includes a first casing 60 that supports a rotating element. The first casing 60 attaches to the gear box housing 40 to support the first stage compressor 25 in an operating position. In the illustrated construction, the first stage compressor 25 is a rotary screw compressor that includes a drive screw having a drive shaft 65 that extends out of the first casing 60. A first driven gear 70 (shown in Fig. 4) is attached to the drive shaft 65 and meshes with one or more gears in the gear box 20 to facilitate rotational operation of the first stage compressor 25.

[0013] The first casing 60 includes an inlet 75 that provides a flow path for atmospheric air 185 into the compressor 25. In some constructions, a filter is provided to filter the air 185 before it enters the first casing 60. In other constructions, a gas supply is connected to the inlet 75 to provide a flow of a gas other than air to the compressor 25. The first casing 60 also defines an outlet 80 that provides a flow path for compressed gas 190 to exit the first stage compressor 25.

[0014] The second stage compressor 30 includes a second casing 85 that contains and supports a rotating element for rotation. The second casing 85 attaches to the gear box housing 40 to support the second stage compressor 30 in an operating position. In the illustrated construction, the second stage compressor 30 is a rotary screw compressor that includes a drive screw having a drive shaft 90 that extends out of the second casing 85. A second driven gear 95 (shown in Fig. 4) is attached to the drive shaft 90 and meshes with one or more gears in the gear box 20 to facilitate rotational operation of the second stage compressor 30.

[0015] The second casing 85 includes an inlet 100 that provides a flow path for gas 190 into the second stage compressor 30. As the second stage compressor 30, the gas 190 is received either directly, or indirectly from the first stage compressor 25. In preferred constructions, the compressed gas 190 is treated before it enters the second stage compressor 30. Treatment could include a drying process, an intercooling process, an oil separation process or the like. The second casing 85 also defines an outlet 105 that provides a flow path for compressed gas 195 to exit the second stage compressor 30.

[0016] In some constructions, oil-flooded screw compressors are employed as the first stage compressor 25 or the second stage compressor 30. In these constructions, lubricant is drawn from the tank 15 and directed into the first stage compressor 25 or the second stage compressor 30 to lubricate and cool the rotating elements. In preferred constructions, oil-less screw compressors (sometimes referred to as dry compressors) or other rotary compressors are employed as the first stage compressor 25 or the second stage compressor 30.

[0017] The expander 35 includes an expander casing 110 that contains and supports one or more rotary elements 115. The expander casing 110 attaches to the gear box housing 40 to support the expander 35 in the desired operating position. As illustrated in Fig. 3, one of the rotary elements 115 includes a drive shaft 120 that extends through the casing 110 and supports a drive gear 125. The drive gear 125 meshes with one or more gears in the gear box 20 to facilitate the input of torque by the expander 35 into the gear box 20.

[0018] The expander casing 110 includes an inlet aperture 130 and an outlet aperture 135. In a preferred construction, steam 175 enters the expander casing 110 through the inlet 130, passes through the rotary elements 115 where the steam 175 expands and imparts rotational energy to the rotary elements 115, and then exits the casing 110 via the outlet aperture 135. In some constructions, other gases are employed in place of steam 175 as the working fluid.

[0019] In the illustrated construction, the expander 35 is a rotary screw expander 35 such as the one illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. The rotary screw expander 35 includes a drive screw 115a and an idler screw 115b that meshes with and rotates with the drive screw 115a. The steam 175 enters in the small spaces between the meshing screws 115a, 115b and forces the screws 115a, 115b to rotate. As the screws 115a, 115b rotate, the spaces expand until the steam 175 is discharged from the rotary screw expander 35. Of course, other constructions could employ other devices in place of the rotary screw expander 35. For example, some constructions may employ a radial or axial flow turbine in place of or in conjunction with the rotary screw expander 35.

[0020] Fig. 4 schematically illustrates the portion of the compressor system 10 of Figs. 1-3 incorporated into a full compressor system 140 that includes a first stage intercooler 145, a second stage intercooler 150, and a steam cycle 155 that provides steam 175 to the expander 35. The first stage intercooler 145 includes a first heat exchanger 160 positioned to receive the flow of compressed gas 190 from the first stage compressor 25, cool the flow of compressed gas 190, and direct the flow of compressed gas 190 to the second stage compressor 30.

[0021] The second stage intercooler 150 includes a second heat exchanger 165 positioned to receive the flow of compressed gas 195 from the second stage compressor 30, cool the flow of compressed gas 195, and direct the flow of compressed gas 195 to a point of use or other downstream process. It should be noted that other components such as moisture separators, filters, oil separators, and the like could be positioned upstream or downstream of either one of the first stage heat exchanger 160 or the second heat exchanger 165.

[0022] The steam cycle 155 includes a pump 170 positioned to pump water 200 to the second stage intercooler 150. The water 200 operates to cool the flow of compressed gas 195 as it passes through the second stage intercooler 150 and is in turn heated. The water 200 exits the second stage intercooler 150 and flows to the first stage intercooler 145. The water 200 flows through the first stage intercooler 145 and cools the compressed gas 190 as the gas 140 flows through the first stage intercooler 145. Again, the water 200 is heated as it cools the compressed gas 190 in the first stage intercooler 145. At some point between where the water 200 enters the second stage intercooler 150 and exits the first stage intercooler 145 the water 200 boils and transitions to a flow of steam 175.

[0023] The flow of steam 175 is directed to the expander 35 and flows through the expander 35 as discussed. After passing through the expander 35, the steam 175 flows to a condenser 180 and is cooled and condensed to water 200 which is collected in the bottom of the condenser 180. The water 200 is then drawn from the condenser 180 by the pump 170 to complete the steam cycle 155.

[0024] With continued reference to Fig. 4, the motor or prime mover 55 drives the first drive gear 50 to input torsional power into the gear box 20. The expander 35 drives the second drive gear 125 such that the expander 35 also provides torsional power to the gear box 20. In some constructions, a clutch mechanism is positioned between the expander 35 and the gear box 20 to inhibit rotation of the expander 35 when the expander 35 is not providing power to the gear box 20. In preferred constructions, the motor, or other prime mover 55, provides most of the torsional power. However, other constructions could employ larger expanders 35 that provide a larger percentage of the power to the gear box 20.

[0025] The drive shaft 65 of the first stage compressor 25 is coupled to the first driven gear 70 such that torsional power is applied to the first stage compressor 25 by the gear box 20. Similarly, the drive shaft 90 of the second stage compressor 30 is coupled to the second driven gear 95 such that torsional power is applied to the second stage compressor 30 by the gear box 20.

[0026] It should be noted that the size of the gears 50, 70, 95, 125 illustrated in Fig. 4 are selected for the convenience of the figure and do not necessarily represent the actual gear ratios between the various components. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the gear ratios selected for the compressor system 140 would be selected based on the desired operating speeds of the various components. It should also be noted that additional gears, such as idler gears, may be necessary to interconnect the gears 50, 70, 95, 125 as desired and to provide the desired gear ratios. It should also be noted that in some constructions, a belt drive or chain drive could be employed in place of some of the gears 50, 70, 95, 125 if desired.

[0027] The compressor system 140 illustrated herein utilizes the heat of compression to produce steam 175 that is used in an expander 35 to reduce the power required to drive the compressor stages 25, 30. The illustrated system thus reduces the energy used to compress a gas and improves the efficiency of the compressor system 140. In some constructions, an external source of heat 300 may be available. The external heat source 300 may be used with a heat exchanger 305 to replace or supplement the heat of compression to produce steam 175. For example, heat from an external industrial process or heat from an internal combustion engine may be available to produce additional steam 175, thereby facilitating the use of a larger expander 35 or an expander 35 that inputs a greater percentage of the total torque to the gear box 20. It should also be noted that similar systems could be employed to drive a single stage compression system or compressor systems with three or more stages.

[0028] Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a compressor system 140 that uses heat of compression to drive an expander 35 to improve the efficiency of the compressor system 140.

Claims

1. A compressor system (10,140) comprising:

a gear box (20) including a first drive gear (50), a second drive gear (125) and a first driven gear (70) driven by the said first drive gear (50);

a prime mover (55) coupled to the first drive gear (50) and operable to input rotational power to the gear box (20) through the said first drive gear (50);

a compressor (25) coupled to the first driven gear (70) and operable in response to rotation of the first driven gear (70) to produce a flow of compressed gas;

a heat exchanger (160) positioned to receive the flow of compressed gas and a flow of fluid and operable to cool the flow of compressed gas and heat the flow of fluid to produce a flow of heated gas; and

a screw expander (35) coupled to the second drive gear and operable in response to the said flow of heated gas to input rotational power to the gear box.

2. The compressor system of claim 1, wherein the prime mover (55) includes an electric motor.

3. The compressor system of claim 1, further comprising a pump (170) operable to produce the flow of fluid.

4. The compressor system of claim 1, further comprising a second driven gear (95) and a second compressor (30) coupled to the second driven gear (95), the second compressor (30) operable in response to rotation of the second driven gear (95) to receive the flow of compressed gas and produce a second flow of compressed gas.

5. The compressor system of claim 4, further comprising a second heat exchanger (165) positioned to receive the second flow of compressed gas and the flow of fluid and operable to cool the second flow of compressed gas and heat the flow of fluid.

6. The compressor system of claim 1, wherein the flow of fluid includes water and the flow of heated gas includes steam.

7. The compressor system of claim 1, further comprising a condenser (180) positioned to receive the flow of heated gas from the screw expander (35) and operable to cool the flow of heated gas.

8. The compressor system of claim 1, further comprising an external heat source (300) positioned to receive the flow of fluid and operable to heat the flow of fluid.

Ansprüche

1. Verdichteranlage (10, 140), umfassend:

ein Getriebe (20), das ein erstes Antriebszahnrad (50), ein zweites Antriebszahnrad (125) und ein erstes angetriebenes Zahnrad (70), angetrieben von dem ersten Antriebszahnrad (50), beinhaltet;

einen Primärantrieb (55), gekoppelt mit dem ersten Antriebszahnrad (50) und betreibbar, um über das erste Antriebszahnrad (50) Rotationsenergie in das Getriebe (20) einzugeben;

einen Verdichter (25), gekoppelt mit dem ersten angetriebenen Zahnrad (70) und betreibbar als Reaktion auf Rotation des ersten angetriebenen Zahnrades (70), um einen Strom von verdichtetem Gas zu produzieren;

einen Wärmetauscher (160), positioniert, um den Strom von verdichtetem Gas und einen Strom von Fluid zu empfangen, und betreibbar, um den Strom von verdichtetem Gas zu kühlen und den Strom von Fluid zu erwärmen, um einen Strom von erwärmtem Gas zu produzieren; und

einen Schraubenexpandierer (35), gekoppelt mit dem zweiten Antriebszahnrad und betreibbar als Reaktion auf den Strom von erwärmtem Gas, um in das Getriebe Rotationsenergie einzugeben.

2. Verdichteranlage nach Anspruch 1, wobei der Primärantrieb (55) einen elektrischen Motor beinhaltet.

3. Verdichteranlage nach Anspruch 1, ferner umfassend eine Pumpe (170), die betreibbar ist, um den Strom von Fluid zu produzieren.

4. Verdichteranlage nach Anspruch 1, ferner umfassend ein zweites angetriebenes Zahnrad (95) und einen zweiten Verdichter (30), gekoppelt an das zweite angetriebene Zahnrad (95), wobei der zweite Verdichter (30) als Reaktion auf Drehung des zweiten angetriebenen Zahnrades (95) betreibbar ist, um den Strom von verdichtetem Gas zu empfangen und einen zweiten Strom von verdichtetem Gas zu produzieren.

5. Verdichteranlage nach Anspruch 4, ferner umfassend einen zweiten Wärmetauscher (165), der positioniert ist, um den zweiten Strom von verdichtetem Gas und den Strom von Fluid zu empfangen, und der betreibbar ist, um den zweiten Strom von verdichtetem Gas zu kühlen und den Strom von Fluid zu erwärmen.

6. Verdichteranlage nach Anspruch 1, wobei der Strom von Fluid Wasser beinhaltet und der Strom von erwärmtem Gas Dampf beinhaltet.

7. Verdichteranlage nach Anspruch 1, ferner umfassend einen Kondensator (180), positioniert, um den Strom von erwärmtem Gas von dem Schraubenexpandierer (35) zu empfangen, und betreibbar, um den Strom von erwärmtem Gas zu kühlen.

8. Verdichteranlage nach Anspruch 1, ferner umfassend eine externe Wärmequelle (300), positioniert, um den Strom von Fluid zu empfangen, und betreibbar, um den Strom von Fluid zu erwärmen.

Revendications

1. Système de compresseur (10, 140), comprenant:

un carter d'engrenages (20) comprenant un premier engrenage d'entraînement (50), un second engrenage d'entraînement (125) et un premier engrenage entraîné (70) entraîné par ledit premier engrenage d'entraînement (50);

un moteur principal (55) couplé au premier engrenage d'entraînement (50) et actionnable pour introduire une puissance de rotation à l'intérieur du carter d'engrenages (20) par l'intermédiaire dudit premier engrenage d'entraînement (50);

un compresseur (25) couplé au premier engrenage entraîné (70) et actionnable en réponse à la rotation du premier engrenage entraîné (70) afin de produire un écoulement de gaz comprimé;

un échangeur de chaleur (160) positionné de manière à recevoir l'écoulement de gaz comprimé et un écoulement de fluide et actionnable pour refroidir l'écoulement de gaz comprimé et pour chauffer l'écoulement de fluide afin de produire un écoulement de gaz chauffé; et

un détendeur à vis (35) couplé au second engrenage d'entraînement et actionnable en réponse audit écoulement de gaz chauffé pour introduire une puissance de rotation à l'intérieur du carter d'engrenages.

2. Système de compresseur selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moteur principal (55) comprend un moteur électrique.

3. Système de compresseur selon la revendication 1, comprenant en outre une pompe (170) actionnable pour produire l'écoulement de fluide.

4. Système de compresseur selon la revendication 1, comprenant en outre un second engrenage entraîné (95) et un second compresseur (30) couplé au second engrenage entraîné (95), le second compresseur (30) étant actionnable en réponse à la rotation du second engrenage entraîné (95) afin de recevoir l'écoulement de gaz comprimé et de produire un second écoulement de gaz comprimé.

5. Système de compresseur selon la revendication 4, comprenant en outre un second échangeur de chaleur (165) qui est positionné de manière à recevoir le second écoulement de gaz comprimé et l'écoulement de fluide et qui est actionnable pour refroidir le second écoulement de gaz comprimé et pour chauffer l'écoulement de fluide.

6. Système de compresseur selon la revendication 1, dans lequel l'écoulement de fluide comprend de l'eau et l'écoulement de gaz chauffé comprend de la vapeur.

7. Système de compresseur selon la revendication 1, comprenant en outre un condenseur (180) qui est positionné de manière à recevoir l'écoulement de gaz chauffé en provenance du détendeur à vis (35) et qui est actionnable pour refroidir l'écoulement de gaz chauffé.

8. Système de compresseur selon la revendication 1, comprenant en outre une source de chaleur externe (300) qui est positionnée de manière à recevoir l'écoulement de fluide et qui est actionnable pour chauffer l'écoulement de fluide.

Drawing