Temperature control for compressor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9702358-B2
Application number	US-201414213710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

According to at least one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for cooling a coolant for a gas compressor includes a compressor to generate a flow of compressed gas, a dryer in fluid communication with the compressor, and a coolant circuit. The coolant circuit includes a accumulator to accumulate the coolant, a pump in fluid communication with the accumulator and the compressor to circulate the coolant through the coolant circuit, a first intercooler in fluid communication with the accumulator and the pump and structured to transfer heat from the coolant circuit to the compressed gas flow via the dryer, and a valve disposed between the accumulator and the first intercooler and structured to route at least a portion of the coolant through the first intercooler depending on a temperature of the coolant relative to prescribed low and high temperature limits.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for cooling a coolant for a gas compressor, the apparatus comprising:
a compressor structured to generate a flow of compressed gas;
a dryer in fluid communication with the compressor to receive an outlet flow from the compressor, the dryer further structured to separate an entrained coolant from the compressed gas flow by cooling the flow of compressed gas to form a condensate of the entrained coolant; and
a coolant circuit, the coolant circuit comprising:
an accumulator to accumulate the coolant separated from the compressed gas flow, the accumulator in fluid communication with the dryer via a passage that is separate and wart from a passage that conveys the flow of compressed gas from the compressor such that the bulk flow of compressed air bypasses the accumulator,
a pump in fluid communication with the accumulator and the compressor, the pump structured to introduce the coolant into the compressor, and thereby into the flow of compressed gas, and to circulate the coolant through the coolant circuit,
an intercooler in thermal communication with the dryer and in fluid communication with the accumulator and the pump, the intercooler structured to transfer heat from the coolant circuit to the compressed gas flow via the dryer at a downstream compressor flow location of the dryer, wherein the dryer is structured to cool the flow of compressed gas, and wherein the intercooler is structured to heat the condensed gas after it has been cooled by the dryer as a result of being located at a downstream compressor flow location of the dryer, and
a valve disposed between the accumulator and the intercooler, the valve structured to enable at least a portion of the coolant in the coolant circuit to flow through the first intercooler depending on a temperature of the coolant relative to prescribed low and high temperature limits.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve is a thermostatic valve adapted to activate and deactivate depending on the coolant temperature relative to the prescribed low and high temperature limits.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve is a solenoid actuated by a controller structured to operate upon a change in coolant temperature, wherein the controller is configured to activate and deactivate the solenoid depending on the coolant temperature relative to the prescribed low and high temperature limits.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the coolant is the temperature of the coolant in the accumulator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the coolant is water, the compressed gas is air, and the compressor is a contact-cooled rotary screw compressor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , the apparatus further comprising:
a gas circuit, the gas circuit comprising:
the compressor;
another intercooler disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with the compressor and structured to lower a gas temperature of the compressed gas flow and to form a condensate,
a second separator disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with the another intercooler and structured to separate the condensate from the compressed gas flow,
an integrated dryer disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with the second separator and structured to further lower the temperature of the compressed gas flow and to form additional condensate, wherein the integrated dryer includes the dryer in fluid communication with a first separator, the first separator structured to separate the additional condensate from the compressed gas flow, and in thermal communication with the intercooler, and
a compressed gas outlet disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with the integrated dryer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the accumulator includes a temperature sensor in communication with a controller configured to activate and deactivate the valve depending on the coolant temperature relative to prescribed high and low temperature limits.

8. A method for cooling a coolant for a gas compressor, the method comprising:
introducing a coolant into a gas compressor, the compressor structured to generate a flow of compressed gas, such that the coolant is substantially dispersed in the compressed gas flow;
separating the coolant entrained in the compressed gas flow from the compressed gas using a dryer and a first separator in fluid communication with the compressor;
routing the coolant separated from the compressed gas flow to a cooling circuit, the cooling circuit comprising:
an accumulator to accumulate the coolant separated from the compressed gas flow, the accumulator structured to receive coolant via a passage that is independent of the passage of compressed gas flow such that the compressed gas flow does not flow through the accumulator,
a pump in fluid communication with the accumulator and the compressor, the pump structured to introduce the coolant into the compressor, and thereby into the flow of compressed gas, and to circulate the coolant through the coolant circuit,
an intercooler in thermal communication with the dryer and in fluid communication with the accumulator and the pump, the intercooler structured to transfer heat from the coolant circuit to the compressed gas flow via the dryer, and
a valve disposed between the accumulator and the intercooler, the valve structured to enable at least a portion of the coolant in the coolant circuit to flow through the intercooler depending on a temperature of the coolant relative to low and high temperature limits;

monitoring the coolant temperature;
actuating the valve when the coolant temperature exceeds the high temperature limit to enable at least a portion of the coolant in the coolant circuit to flow from the accumulator, through the intercooler, and to the pump;
actuating the valve when the coolant temperature is below the low temperature limit to bypass the intercooler and enable coolant to flow from the accumulator to the pump;
as a result of activating the valve when the coolant temperature exceeds the high temperature limit; transferring heat from the coolant to an outlet flow of compressed air from the compressor.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the valve is a thermostatic valve adapted to activate and deactivate depending on the coolant temperature relative to the prescribed low and high temperature limits.

10. The method of claim 8 ; wherein the valve is a solenoid actuated by a controller structured to operate upon a change in coolant temperature, wherein the controller is configured to activate and deactivate the solenoid depending on the coolant temperature of to the prescribed low and high temperature limits.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the coolant temperature is the temperature of the coolant in the accumulator.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the coolant is water, the compressed gas is air, and the compressor is a contact-cooled rotary screw compressor.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the compressor is a portion of a gas circuit, the gas circuit further comprising:
another intercooler disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with the compressor and structured to lower a gas temperature of the compressed gas flow and to form a condensate,
a second separator disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with the another intercooler and structured to separate the condensate from the compressed gas flow,
an integrated dryer disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with the second separator and structured to further lower the temperature of the compressed gas flow and to form additional condensate, wherein the integrated dryer includes the dryer in fluid communi

Assignees

• Ingersoll-Rand Company

Inventors

• Vezil Stefano
• Peussa Jouko Tapani
• Lissoni Cristiano

Classifications

• F04C18/16

  with helical teeth, e.g. chevron-shaped, screw type {(for non-parallel axes of movement F04C18/48)} · CPC title

• F04B49/22 Primary

  by means of valves (F04B49/03 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F04C23/005 Primary

  of dissimilar working principle · CPC title

• F04C2240/81

  Sensor, e.g. electronic sensor for control or monitoring · CPC title

• F04C2270/195

  Controlled or regulated · CPC title