Gas compressor and gas compression system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12454953-B2
Application number	US-202318840543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2023
Priority date	Mar 11, 2022
Publication date	Oct 28, 2025
Grant date	Oct 28, 2025

Abstract

A gas compressor includes: a low pressure gas path that introduces compressed gas delivered from a low pressure stage compressor body into a high pressure stage compressor body; a first low pressure gas release valve disposed on a first low pressure branch path branched from the low pressure gas path; a high pressure gas path that introduces the compressed gas delivered from the high pressure stage compressor body to a demand destination; a first high pressure gas release valve disposed on a first high pressure branch path branched from the high pressure gas path; and a control device. The first low pressure branch path is disposed on a downstream side of a heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery. The first high pressure branch path is disposed on a downstream side of a heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery. The control device opens the first low pressure gas release valve and the first high pressure gas release valve at a time of switching from load operation to no-load operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas compression system comprising:
a gas compressor including a low pressure stage compressor body that compresses gas, an intercooler that cools compressed gas delivered from the low pressure stage compressor body, a high pressure stage compressor body that further compresses the compressed gas cooled by the intercooler, an aftercooler that cools the compressed gas delivered from the high pressure stage compressor body, a low pressure gas path that introduces the compressed gas delivered from the low pressure stage compressor body into the high pressure stage compressor body through the intercooler, and a high pressure gas path that introduces the compressed gas delivered from the high pressure stage compressor body to a demand destination through the aftercooler, the gas compressor comprising:
a first low pressure branch path that is branched from the low pressure gas path;
a first low pressure gas release valve that is disposed on the first low pressure branch path and releases the compressed gas delivered from the low pressure stage compressor body;
a first high pressure branch path that is branched from the high pressure gas path;
a first high pressure gas release valve that is disposed on the first high pressure branch path and releases the compressed gas delivered from the high pressure stage compressor body; and
a control device that controls the first low pressure gas release valve and the first high pressure gas release valve,
the first low pressure branch path being branched from the low pressure gas path on an upstream side of the intercooler and on a downstream side of a heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery that effects heat exchange between the compressed gas delivered from the low pressure stage compressor body and a fluid for exhaust heat recovery,
the first high pressure branch path being branched from the high pressure gas path on an upstream side of the aftercooler and on a downstream side of a heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery that effects heat exchange between the compressed gas delivered from the high pressure stage compressor body and the fluid for exhaust heat recovery,
the control device effecting heat exchange between the compressed gas and the exhaust heat recovery fluid that pass through the heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery and the heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery, while releasing the compressed gas from the first low pressure gas release valve and the first high pressure gas release valve during no-load operation, by opening the first low pressure gas release valve and the first high pressure gas release valve at a time of switching from load operation to the no-load operation of the low pressure stage compressor body and the high pressure stage compressor body;
a second low pressure branch path branched from the low pressure gas path on an upstream side of the heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery;
a second low pressure gas release valve disposed on the second low pressure branch path;
a second high pressure branch path branched from the high pressure gas path on an upstream side of the heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery; and
a second high pressure gas release valve disposed on the second high pressure branch path,
the control device being configured to
determine whether or not a disabling condition for disabling an exhaust heat recovery function during the no-load operation is satisfied,
when the disabling condition is not satisfied, open the first low pressure gas release valve and the first high pressure gas release valve and close the second low pressure gas release valve and the second high pressure gas release valve at the time of switching from the load operation to the no-load operation of the low pressure stage compressor body and the high pressure stage compressor body, and
when the disabling condition is satisfied, open at least the second low pressure gas release valve and the second high pressure gas release valve at the time of switching from the load operation to the no-load operation of the low pressure stage compressor body and the high pressure stage compressor body.

2. The gas compression system according to claim 1 , wherein
the disabling condition includes at least one of
a condition that at least one of the heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery and the heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery is not supplied with the exhaust heat recovery fluid, and
a condition that a temperature of the exhaust heat recovery fluid supplied to at least one of the heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery and the heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery is higher than a temperature threshold value.

3. The gas compression system according to claim 1 , wherein
the gas compression system includes an input device operable by an operator, and
the disabling condition includes a condition that a disabling operation is performed by the input device.

4. The gas compression system according to claim 1 , wherein
the gas compression system includes
a lubricating oil path through which a lubricating oil that lubricates the low pressure stage compressor body and the high pressure stage compressor body flows,
an oil cooler that is disposed on the lubricating oil path and cools the lubricating oil,
the lubricating oil path including a first path that introduces the lubricating oil into the oil cooler through a heat exchanger for lubricating oil exhaust heat recovery that effects heat exchange between the lubricating oil and the fluid for exhaust heat recovery and a second path that introduces the lubricating oil into the oil cooler so as to bypass the heat exchanger for lubricating oil exhaust heat recovery, and
a path switching valve that makes one of the first path and the second path communicate with the oil cooler, and
the control device is configured to
make the first path and the oil cooler communicate with each other by the path switching valve when the disabling condition is not satisfied, and
make the second path and the oil cooler communicate with each other by the path switching valve when the disabling condition is satisfied.

5. A gas compression system comprising:
the gas compressor according to claim 2 ;
the heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery disposed on the low pressure gas path; and
the heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery disposed on the high pressure gas path.

6. The gas compression system according to claim 1 , wherein
the gas compression system includes
the heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery disposed on the low pressure gas path,
the heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery disposed on the high pressure gas path,
a first supply flow passage that supplies the exhaust heat recovery fluid to the heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery,
a second supply flow passage that supplies the exhaust heat recovery fluid discharged from the heat exchanger for low pressure stage exhaust heat recovery to the heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery,
a third supply flow passage that supplies the exhaust heat recovery fluid discharged from the heat exchanger for high pressure stage exhaust heat recovery to a demand destination,
a differential pressure sensor that detects a differential pressure between a pressure of the exhaust heat recovery fluid within the first supply flow passage and a pressure of the exhaust heat recovery fluid within the third supply flow passage, and
a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the exhaust

Assignees

• Hitachi Industry Equipment Systems Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsuzaka Takehiro
• Takano Masahiko

Classifications

• F04C2240/30

  Casings or housings · CPC title

• F04C29/04

  Heating; Cooling (of machines or engines in general F01P); Heat insulation (heat insulation in general F16L59/00) · CPC title

• F04C29/02

  Lubrication (of machines or engines in general F01M); Lubricant separation (separation in general B01D) · CPC title

• F04C28/065

  Capacity control using a multiplicity of units or pumping capacities, e.g. multiple chambers, individually switchable or controllable · CPC title

• F04C23/001

  of similar working principle · CPC title