Natural gas reciprocating compressor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10900476-B2
Application number	US-201615255987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2016
Priority date	Sep 2, 2016
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

A reciprocating compressor including a compressor frame including a drive shaft received therein, a rotary to linear motion converter coupling the drive shaft and a first end of a piston rod, a piston coupled to a second end of the piston rod, a compression cylinder in which the piston is received, an inlet valve coupled to the compression cylinder and a discharge valve coupled to the compression cylinder, a pressure casing encasing the compressor frame and the rotary to linear motion converter, a motor coupled to the drive shaft, wherein the motor is located external to the pressure casing, and a mechanical seal coupled between the drive shaft and the pressure casing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reciprocating compressor, comprising:
a compressor frame including a drive shaft received therein;
a rotary to linear motion converter coupling said drive shaft and a first end of a piston rod;
a pressure casing encasing said compressor frame and said rotary to linear motion converter;
a piston coupled to a second end of said piston rod;
a gas compression cylinder in which said piston is received, said gas compression cylinder disposed external to the pressure casing;
an inlet valve coupled to said gas compression cylinder and a discharge valve coupled to said gas compression cylinder; and
a seal coupled between said drive shaft and said pressure casing, said seal to maintain an operating pressure within said pressure casing, said operating pressure including a pressure between a gas suction pressure at said gas compression cylinder and a gas discharge pressure at said gas compression cylinder based on movement of the piston.

2. The reciprocating compressor of claim 1 , wherein said seal is a rotating seal.

3. The reciprocating compressor of claim 2 , wherein said rotating seal is a dry gas seal.

4. The reciprocating compressor of claim 1 , wherein said rotary to linear motion converter comprises a connecting rod driven by said drive shaft; and a crosshead affixed to said connecting rod, wherein said crosshead is configured to transfer the rotational motion of the connecting rod to a linear motion, said crosshead being slidably mounted in a crosshead guide and said piston rod is coupled to the crosshead.

5. The reciprocating compressor of claim 4 , wherein a distance piece is provided between said crosshead guide and said gas compression cylinder and said piston rod is supported by said distance piece.

6. The reciprocating compressor of claim 5 , wherein a pressure packing is received between said gas compression cylinder and said distance piece.

7. The reciprocating compressor of claim 1 , further comprising a second inlet valve coupled to said gas compression cylinder and a second discharge valve coupled to said gas compression cylinder, wherein said reciprocating compressor is a double acting compressor.

8. The reciprocating compressor of claim 1 , further comprising a reclamation system including a flow pathway coupled to said pressure casing and to said gas compression cylinder inlet valve.

9. The reciprocating compressor of claim 8 , further comprising a filter coupled to said flow pathway.

10. A supply line including a reciprocating compressor affixed in the flow path thereof, comprising:
a compressor frame including a drive shaft received therein;
a rotary to linear motion converter coupling said drive shaft to a first end of a piston rod;
a pressure casing encasing said compressor frame and said rotary to linear motion converter;

a piston coupled to a second end of said piston rod;
a gas compression cylinder in which said piston is received, said gas compression cylinder disposed external to said pressure casing;
an inlet valve coupling a first portion of said supply line to said gas compression cylinder and a discharge valve coupling said gas compression cylinder to a second portion of said supply line; and
a seal coupled between said drive shaft and said pressure casing, said seal to maintain an operating pressure within said pressure casing, said operating pressure including a pressure between a gas suction pressure at said gas compression cylinder and a gas discharge pressure at said gas compression cylinder based on movement of the piston.

11. The supply line of claim 10 , wherein said seal is a rotating seal.

12. The supply line of claim 10 , wherein said rotating seal is a dry gas seal.

13. The supply line of claim 10 , wherein said rotary to linear motion converter comprises a connecting rod driven by said drive shaft; and a crosshead affixed to said connecting rod, wherein said crosshead is configured to transfer the rotational motion of the connecting rod to a linear motion, said crosshead being slidably mounted in a crosshead guide and said piston is coupled to the crosshead.

14. The supply line of claim 13 , wherein a distance piece is provided between said crosshead guide and said gas compression cylinder, wherein said piston rod is supported by said distance piece.

15. The supply line of claim 14 , wherein a pressure packing is received between said gas compression cylinder and said distance piece.

16. The supply line of claim 15 , wherein said supply line is a natural gas pipeline.

17. A reciprocating compressor, comprising:
a compressor frame including a drive shaft received therein;
a rotary to linear motion converter coupling said drive shaft and a first end of a piston rod;
a pressurized casing encasing said compressor frame and said rotary to linear motion converter;
a compression cylinder disposed external to said pressure casing;
at least a first inlet valve coupled to said compression cylinder to receive a compressible process fluid;
at least a first discharge valve coupled to said compression cylinder to discharge the compressible process fluid; and
a piston coupled to a second end of said piston rod, the piston to be received within the compression cylinder between the first inlet valve and the first discharge valve to generate suction pressure to cause said process fluid to enter said compression cylinder, and generate discharge pressure to discharge the compressible process fluid based on said rotary to linear motion converter; and
a seal coupled between said drive shaft and said pressure casing to hold said pressurized casing at a pressure in a range between 200 psi and 10,000 psi based at least in part on said generated suction pressure.

18. The reciprocating compressor of claim 17 , wherein said compressible process fluid comprises a gas, and wherein said seal coupled between said drive shaft and said pressure casing includes a sealing gas inlet to receive said gas to hold said pressurized casing at said pressure.

19. The reciprocating compressor of claim 17 , wherein said pressurized casing is held at a first pressure when said compressible process fluid enters said compression chamber based on said generated suction pressure, and said pressurized casing is held at a second pressure when said compressible process fluid discharges based on said generated discharge pressure.

20. The reciprocating compressor of claim 17 , further comprising a reclamation system, the pressurized casing held at said pressure based at least in part on said reclamation system providing a flow pathway coupled between said pressurized casing and said compression cylinder to receive compressible process fluid leaked from said compression cylinder by way of at least one compression cylinder inlet valve, said flow pathway of said reclamation system further to provide said received compressible process fluid to said compression cylinder to recompress and discharge said received compressible process fluid via said first discharge valve.

Assignees

• Southwest Res Inst

Inventors

• Brun Klaus
• Wilkes Jason C

Classifications

• F04B35/01 Primary

  the means being mechanical · CPC title

• F04B37/18

  for specific elastic fluids · CPC title

• F04B35/04

  the means being electric · CPC title

• F04B39/041

  sealing for a reciprocating rod (sealing in general F16J) · CPC title

• F04B39/16

  Filtration; Moisture separation · CPC title