Energy system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9982918-B2
Application number	US-201615190130-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2016
Priority date	Jul 15, 2015
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A heating medium supplied to an evaporator is used to heat lubricant oil in a screw compressor before the screw compressor starts up, and no additional heater for heating the lubricant oil in the screw compressor is required. When the screw compressor operates, the heating medium discharged from the evaporator after the evaporator is heated by the heating medium, is used to cool the lubricant oil. The lubricant oil heated by a lubricant oil heat exchanger is directly injected into a motor and a screw rotor so that introduction of a liquid refrigerant into a compressive chamber is reduced when the screw compressor starts up later. The lubricant oil introduced into the motor is discharged toward a lubricant oil storage portion before the screw compressor starts up so that the liquid refrigerant is prevented in advance from being introduced into the screw rotor when the screw compressor starts up.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy system comprising:
a screw compressor;
a condenser;
an expansion device;
an evaporator;
a lubricant oil heat-exchanging unit comprising:
a lubricant oil heat-exchanger configured to perform a heat-exchanging operation of lubricant oil in a lubricant oil storage portion provided in the screw compressor and a heating medium on an evaporator heat source flow path;
a lubricant oil circulation flow path configured to connect the lubricant oil storage portion and the lubricant oil heat exchanger, to deliver the lubricant oil in the lubricant oil storage portion to the lubricant oil heat exchanger, and to circulate the lubricant oil heat-exchanged by the lubricant oil heat exchanger into the lubricant oil storage portion; and
a lubricant oil circulation pump installed on the lubricant oil circulation flow path and configured to pump the lubricant oil in the lubricant oil storage portion;

an injection flow path configured to inject the lubricant oil bypassed via the lubricant oil circulation flow path and heat-exchanged by the lubricant oil heat exchanger into the screw compressor;
an injection flow path opening/closing valve installed on the injection flow path;
a lubricant oil discharge flow path configured to guide the lubricant oil including the refrigerant at a motor provided in the screw compressor to be discharged toward the lubricant oil storage portion;
a lubricant oil discharge pump installed on the lubricant oil discharge flow path; and
a controller, before the screw compressor starts up, configured to operate the lubricant oil circulation pump and the lubricant oil discharge pump and to open the injection flow path opening/closing valve, and when temperature inside the screw compressor reaches a preset temperature, configured to stop an operation of the lubricant oil circulation pump and an operation of the lubricant oil discharge pump and to close the injection flow path opening/closing valve.

2. The energy system of claim 1 , wherein, after operating the lubricant oil circulation pump before the screw compressor starts up, the controller controls an operation of the lubricant oil circulation pump depending on temperature inside the screw compressor.

3. The energy system of claim 1 , further comprising an injection flow path configured to inject the lubricant oil bypassed via the lubricant oil circulation flow path and heat-exchanged by the lubricant oil heat exchanger into the screw compressor.

4. The energy system of claim 3 , wherein the injection flow path comprises:
a motor injection flow path configured to inject the lubricant oil heat-exchanged by the lubricant oil heat exchanger into a motor provided in the screw compressor; and
a screw rotor injection flow path configured to inject the lubricant oil heat-exchanged by the lubricant oil heat exchanger into a screw rotor provided in the screw compressor.

5. The energy system of claim 3 , further comprising an injection flow path opening/closing valve installed on the injection flow path and configured to control injection of the lubricant oil.

6. The energy system of claim 1 , wherein the screw compressor comprises a motor chamber in which a motor is provided, a compressive chamber in which a screw rotor is provided, and a lubricant oil storage portion in which the lubricant oil is stored,
wherein the lubricant oil discharge flow path is configured to connect the motor chamber and the lubricant oil storage portion and to discharge the lubricant oil including the refrigerant in the motor chamber toward the lubricant oil storage portion before the screw compressor starts up.

7. The energy system of claim 6 , further comprising a water level sensor installed in the motor chamber and configured to detect a water level of the lubricant oil, wherein the controller stops an operation of the lubricant oil discharge pump when the water level detected by the water level sensor is less than a preset water level.

8. The energy system of claim 6 , wherein a check valve is installed on the lubricant oil discharge flow path to prevent backflow of the lubricant oil.

9. The energy system of claim 1 , wherein the energy system is a heat pump.

10. The energy system of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant oil heat-exchanging unit is configured to perform a heat-exchanging operation of the heating medium on an evaporator heat source flow path and lubricant oil including a refrigerant inside the screw compressor, to heat the lubricant oil by the heating medium before the screw compressor starts up, and to cool the lubricant oil by the heating medium discharged from the evaporator after the evaporator is heated by the heating medium, after the screw compressor starts up.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Energy Res

Inventors

• Lee Gil Bong
• Cho Jun Hyun
• Lee Young Soo
• Shin Hyung Ki
• Baik Young Jin
• Ra Ho Sang

Classifications

• F25B25/005

  using primary and secondary systems · CPC title

• F25B2500/26

  characterised by the startup of the refrigeration cycle · CPC title

• F25B2400/01

  Heaters · CPC title

• F25B41/00

  Fluid-circulation arrangements · CPC title

• F25B31/006

  Cooling of compressor or motor · CPC title