Multimode compressor systems, devices, and methods

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling a compressor system (100) are provided, the systems being configurable to: cause a multi-mode drive controller (164) of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operating profile; determine energy usage for the first compression mode based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determine estimated energy usage for a second compression mode based on estimated operation of the compressor in a second compression mode associated with a second operating profile different from the first operating profile under one or more operating conditions; and determine energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the energy usage for the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage for the second compression mode.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to methods, systems, and apparatus for monitoring and / or controlling energy usage of a multi-mode compressor system, and particularly for monitoring actual energy usage of a multi-mode compressor system when operating under specified conditions in a first compression mode and inferring estimated energy usage of a multi-mode compressor system when operating under specified conditions in a second compression mode. [Background technology]

[0002] Compressed air is used in a wide variety of applications, including, but not limited to, food processing, chemical and pharmaceutical operations, pneumatic tools, HVAC and HVAC control systems, abrasive blasting, injection molding, airbrushing, manufacturing, etc. Many businesses implement compressed air systems to supply enough compressed air to meet their compressed air flow demands. Such compressed air systems may include one or more air compressors connected to a network of outlet ports for delivering the compressed air to desired locations.

[0003] Various flow control systems / methods exist to enable compressed air systems to meet flow demands while at least partially mitigating energy waste. The most common flow control method is the load / no-load method. In an exemplary load / no-load system, when air is needed, the compressor motor activates the compressor elements, and a signal is sent to a solenoid valve that causes the compressor inlet valve to be fully open, allowing the compressor motor and elements to supply compressed air. In many conventional load / no-load systems, the valve is either fully open (loaded) or fully closed (no-loaded). Compressed air systems can be equipped with a pressure switch that has two selectable values: one for minimum pressure (to initiate load) and one for maximum pressure (to initiate no-load). In this case, the compressor operates within a set value range (e.g., within 0.5 bar) by entering a loaded state supplying compressed air when the minimum pressure is reached and entering a no-load state (e.g., idle state) when the maximum pressure is reached. In situations where compressed air is less needed, the compressor motor can operate primarily in a no-load state (idle). The length of idling can be limited by a timer (for example, set to 20 minutes), after which the compressor will shut off and can be inhibited from restarting until the pressure drops below a minimum value.

[0004] In some load / no load systems, the pressure switch is replaced with a pressure transducer and electronic regulation system that monitors the rate at which pressure in the system changes, allowing the system to start the motor and control the opening and closing of the damper at the appropriate times. When no air is used, the pressure remains constant and the compressor operates in no load (idle) mode.

[0005] Load / unload compressors typically operate at a fixed speed whenever the compressor motor is running. Therefore, load / unload systems typically consume power (to run the compressor motor at a fixed speed) to meet the maximum compressed air demand whenever the compressor motor is running, even if the current compressed air demand is less than the maximum. This can lead to inefficient energy usage, especially in situations where compressed air demand fluctuates widely.

[0006] In another flow control scheme, the speed of the compressor motor can be controlled to match it to the demand for compressed air. Compressor systems that facilitate compressor motor speed control are called variable speed drive (VSD) compressor systems. VSD systems often include sensors to measure changes in system pressure and / or demanded flow. The VSD system uses this sensor data to select and run the compressor motor at a speed that matches the current pressure and / or flow requirements (e.g., higher motor speed when flow demand is high and lower motor speed when flow demand is low). VSD systems typically implement a frequency converter (or "inverter") to control the operating frequency and voltage of the compressor motor, which in turn controls the motor speed of the compressor motor. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] By facilitating variable motor speed, VSD systems can often reduce energy usage compared to load / no-load systems, especially in implementations where compressed air flow demand fluctuates. As a result, VSD systems can also reduce a consumer's energy costs and / or carbon emissions (compared to load / no-load systems). However, VSD systems typically have more complex hardware and / or software than load / no-load systems (e.g., by implementing frequency converters, additional or alternative sensors, and / or computer-executable instructions that enable the VSD system to appropriately adjust motor speed based on flow demand). Thus, VSD systems are typically associated with a higher initial cost to the consumer.

[0008] In many situations, despite the higher initial cost, VSD systems can be more cost-effective for customers in the long term, particularly due to the energy savings associated with VSD systems compared to load / unload systems. Unfortunately, many customers fail to recognize the long-term cost savings associated with VSD systems and instead allocate resources to acquiring load / unload systems to relieve their immediate compressed air needs, even when a VSD system would be advantageous for their particular use case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Provided is a system comprising one or more processors and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions, the instructions being executable by the one or more processors, configured to: cause a multi-mode drive controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor system in accordance with a first compression mode associated with a first operating profile; determine energy usage for the first compression mode based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determine an estimated energy usage for the second compression mode based on estimated operation of the compressor in a second compression mode associated with a second operating profile different from the first operating profile under one or more operating conditions; and determine energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the energy usage for the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage for the second compression mode.

[0010] A method for controlling a compressor system is provided, comprising the steps of: causing a multi-mode drive controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operating profile; determining energy usage for the first compression mode based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determining estimated energy usage for a second compression mode based on estimated operation of the compressor in a second compression mode associated with a second operating profile different from the first operating profile under one or more operating conditions; and determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the energy usage for the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage for the second compression mode.

[0011] At least one embodiment includes a system comprising: a compressor motor configured to operate a compressor element to facilitate gas compression; a frequency converter configured to couple to a power source and to the compressor motor, the frequency converter operable to control an operating motor speed of the compressor motor; a multi-mode drive controller configured to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to a plurality of operating modes, the plurality of operating modes comprising: (i) a load / no-load compression mode; and (ii) a variable speed drive (VSD) mode; one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions, the instructions being executable by the one or more processors and configured to operate the compressor system. and one or more hardware storage devices configuring the compressor system to: cause the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the compressor motor according to a loaded / unloaded compression mode; determine an energy usage for the loaded / unloaded compression mode based on data representing actual operation of the compressor motor in the loaded / unloaded compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determine an estimated VSD mode energy usage based on estimated operation of the compressor motor in the VSD mode under one or more operating conditions; determine energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the energy usage for the unloaded / unloaded compression mode and the estimated VSD mode energy usage; and display the energy savings information on a user interface.

[0012] At least one embodiment includes a system comprising one or more processors and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions executable by the one or more processors, the instructions configuring the system to: cause a multi-mode drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system according to a load / no-load compression mode; determine load / no-load compression mode energy usage based on data representing actual operation of the compressor motor in the load / no-load compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determine estimated VSD mode energy usage based on estimated operation of the compressor motor in the VSD mode under one or more operating conditions; and determine energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the load / no-load compression mode energy usage and the estimated VSD mode energy usage.

[0013] At least one embodiment includes a compressor motor configured to operate a compressor element to facilitate gas compression; a frequency converter configured to connect to a power source and to the compressor motor, the frequency converter operable to control an operating motor speed of the compressor motor; a multi-mode drive controller configured to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to a plurality of operating modes, the plurality of operating modes comprising: (i) a loaded / unloaded compression mode associated with a first operating motor speed profile; and (ii) a second compression mode associated with a second operating motor speed profile different from the first operating motor speed profile; one or more processors; and one or more hardware devices storing instructions executable by the one or more processors. and one or more hardware storage devices, the instructions configuring the compressor system to: cause a multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the compressor motor according to a first compression mode; determine energy usage for the first compression mode based on data representing actual operation of the compressor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determine an estimated energy usage for the second compression mode based on estimated operation of the compressor motor in the second compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determine energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the energy usage for the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage for the second compression mode; and display the energy savings information on a user interface. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary multi-mode compressor system. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram for generating efficiency information associated with operation of a multi-mode compressor system in various operating modes. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram of receiving user input for displaying efficiency information on a user interface and activating operational modes in response to the user input. [Figure 4] 1 shows an example flow diagram depicting acts associated with the operation of a multi-mode compressor system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The drawings are included to provide a better understanding of the components and are intended to provide an exemplary explanation, not to limit the scope.

[0016] The inventive concepts of the present disclosure will now be described in connection with embodiments and with reference to the drawings. However, the claimed invention is not limited thereto. The drawings described are merely schematic and are not intended to limit the scope thereof. In the drawings, the size of some elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for ease of illustration. The dimensions and relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to practical embodiments of the invention.

[0017] Furthermore, terms such as first, second, third, etc. may be used to distinguish between similar elements and not necessarily to describe a sequential or chronological order. These terms may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, and embodiments of the invention may be performed in orders other than those described or illustrated herein.

[0018] Terms such as "top," "upper," "bottom," "lower," "above," "below," and the like in the specification and claims are used for illustrative purposes and not necessarily to describe relative positions. These terms may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, and the embodiments of the invention described herein may be practiced in orientations other than those described or illustrated herein.

[0019] Furthermore, various embodiments described as "preferred embodiments" are to be construed as merely illustrative of ways and modes to carry out the invention, and do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0020] The terms "comprise," "include," or "have" used in the claims should not be interpreted as being limited to the means or steps listed thereafter. These terms should be interpreted as specifying the presence of stated features, elements, steps, or components, but not excluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression "an apparatus or device comprising means A and B" should not be understood as being limited to an apparatus or device consisting only of components A and B. For the purposes of this disclosure, although only parts A and B of the device are specifically recited, the claims should also be interpreted to include equivalents of these parts.

[0021] As discussed above, VSD compressed air systems can offer various energy efficiencies and / or advantages over load / no-load compressed air systems. However, VSD compressed air systems are typically associated with higher initial costs, often causing customers to purchase load / no-load systems instead (even if the VSD system offers long-term cost savings and / or reduced carbon emissions for the customer's particular implementation requirements).

[0022] At least some disclosed embodiments are directed to a compressor system including a multi-mode drive controller that enables the compressor system to operate in multiple compression modes. For example, the compressor systems disclosed herein can operate in a loaded / unloaded mode or alternatively in a VSD mode. The multi-mode compressor system can be manufactured to include hardware components that enable the multi-mode compressor system to operate in a loaded / unloaded mode or a VSD mode. For example, the multi-mode compressor system can include a frequency converter that enables the multi-mode compressor system to selectively vary the compressor motor speed in response to detected flow demands / conditions and / or other environmental conditions. Despite including a frequency converter, the frequency converter can be configured to bypass the frequency converter or run the compressor motor at a substantially constant motor speed when the multi-mode compressor system operates in a loaded / unloaded mode.

[0023] In some cases, the multi-mode compressor system may selectively activate the load / unload mode or the VSD mode based on flow demand or requested flow. For example, in some cases, if sensor data indicates that the requested flow is consistently high over a period of time, the multi-mode compressor system may selectively enable the load / unload compression mode, whereas if sensor data indicates that the requested flow varies over a period of time, the multi-mode compressor system may selectively enable the VSD mode.

[0024] A multimode compressor system with hardware components that allow operation in either load / no-load mode or VSD mode allows a distributor to offer a single type of air compressor system to a customer regardless of whether the customer desires primary operation in load / no-load mode or VSD mode. A distributor may choose to charge a different price for the multimode compressor system based on whether the customer intends to operate the system in load / no-load mode or VSD mode. For example, a distributor may selectively disable (e.g., by software means) the VSD mode operation of the multimode compressor system and charge a lower price to a customer who intends to operate the multimode compressor system in load / no-load mode.

[0025] A multimode compressor system may include components for tracking the system's energy usage when operating in a loaded / unloaded system (under specific usage conditions) and for estimating the energy usage that would apply if the system were instead operated in VSD mode (under the same specific usage conditions). Thus, estimated energy, cost, and / or CO2 savings achievable in VSD mode can be calculated and presented to a multimode compressor user who operates the multimode compressor exclusively in loaded / unloaded mode (and / or pays a lower price for such operation). Presenting such energy, cost, and / or CO2 savings can easily inform the user of the efficiency gains possible with VSD mode in their specific usage environment. Thus, a user may be motivated to request VSD mode activation / unlock for the multimode compressor system. Enabling / unlocking VSD mode for a multimode compressor system may be associated with an additional or increased cost to the distributor, allowing the distributor to recoup the cost of offering a VSD-capable compressor (i.e., a multimode compressor system) at a lower initial price. However, the additional or increased cost may be less than what the user would face if they instead acquired an entirely separate VSD-enabled compressed air system.

[0026] Such functionality allows a user to meet their immediate compressed air needs (e.g., at a lower initial price) by acquiring a single multi-mode compressed air system for immediate load / unload mode operation, while still being able to conveniently upgrade to VSD operation in an efficient manner (e.g., by paying an additional fee to the distributor after being presented with cost savings information associated with VSD operation tailored to the user's environment). Such functionality can alleviate situations where a user initially purchases a dedicated load / unload compressor system and then feels unable to upgrade to a dedicated VSD system due to the sunk costs of the initial purchase of the load / unload compressor system.

[0027] While this disclosure focuses, at least in some respects, on load / no-load and VSD modes, the principles described herein may be applied to other flow regulation schemes. Additionally, while this disclosure focuses on obtaining and / or providing cost savings and / or other information during operation in load / no-load mode, such cost savings and / or other information may be obtained during operation in VSD mode to continually communicate to a user the efficiencies achieved by operation in VSD mode (e.g., estimated energy usage for load / no-load mode may be calculated, while actual energy usage for VSD mode may be calculated, and the two may be compared to provide energy savings and / or other information for presentation to a user).

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates various example components of an exemplary compressor system 100 (e.g., a multi-mode compressor system) that may comprise or implement one or more disclosed embodiments. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates that compressor system 100 may include processor(s) 102, memory 104, sensor(s) 110, input / output system(s) 114 (I / O system(s) 114), communication system(s) 116, and / or other components. While FIG. 1 illustrates compressor system 100 as including certain components, it should be understood, in light of the present disclosure, that compressor system 100 may include any number of additional or alternative components. Furthermore, while some of the components may be illustrated or described as separate entities, it should be understood, in light of the present disclosure, that such distinctions are made for illustrative / descriptive purposes only. For example, functionality described in connection with a particular component herein may be performed by a different component or combination of components described herein. Accordingly, aspects of the components described herein may be combined with other components or separated into multiple components in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0029] The processor(s) 102 may comprise one or more sets of electronic circuitry including any number of logic units, registers, and / or control units for facilitating the execution of computer-readable instructions (e.g., instructions forming a computer program). Such computer-readable instructions may be stored in storage device 104 (e.g., instructions 106). Storage device 104 may comprise physical system memory and may be volatile, non-volatile, or some combination thereof. Furthermore, storage device 104 may comprise local storage device, remote storage device (e.g., accessible via communication system(s) 116 or otherwise), or some combination thereof. Further details regarding processors (e.g., processor(s) 102) and computer storage media (e.g., storage device 104) will be presented below.

[0030] In some implementations, the processor(s) 102 may comprise or be configurable to execute any combination of software and / or hardware components operable to facilitate processing with machine learning models or other artificial intelligence-based structures / architectures. For example, the processor(s) 102 may comprise and / or utilize hardware components or computer-executable instructions operable to execute functional blocks and / or processing layers configured in the following forms, by way of non-limiting example: a single-layer neural network, a feedforward neural network, a radial basis function network, a deep feedforward network, a recurrent neural network, a long short-term memory (LSTM) network, a gated recurrent unit, an autoencoder neural network, a variational autoencoder, a denoising autoencoder, a sparse autoencoder, a Markov chain, a Hopfield neural network, a Boltzmann machine network, a restricted Boltzmann machine network, a deep belief network, a deep convolutional network (or convolutional neural network), a deconvolutional neural network, a deep convolutional inverse neural network, a generative adversarial network, a liquid state machine, an extreme learning machine, an echo state network, a deep residual network, a Kohonen network, a support vector machine, a neural Turing machine, and / or others.

[0031] As will be described in more detail, the processor(s) 102 may be configured to execute instructions 106 stored in the memory device 104 to perform certain actions related to the operation of the compressor system 100. Those actions may depend at least in part on data 108 stored in the memory device 104 in a volatile or non-volatile manner.

[0032] In some cases, actions may rely at least in part on communication system(s) 116 to receive data from other components and / or remote system(s) 118, which may include, for example, separate systems or computing devices, sensors, and / or the like. Communication system(s) 116 may comprise any combination of software or hardware components operable to facilitate communication between components / devices on the system and / or with components / devices outside the system. For example, communication system(s) 116 may comprise ports, buses, or other physical connections for communicating with other devices / components. Additionally or alternatively, communication system(s) 116 may comprise systems / components operable to wirelessly communicate with external systems and / or devices via any suitable communication channel(s), such as, by way of non-limiting example, Bluetooth, ultra-wideband, WLAN, infrared communication, and / or the like.

[0033] 1 illustrates that compressor system 100 may include or communicate with sensor(s) 110 (e.g., to obtain data 108 used to perform actions described herein). Sensor(s) 110 may include any device for capturing or measuring data representative of a sensible or detectable phenomenon. By way of non-limiting example, sensor(s) 110 may include one or more flow sensors, pressure sensors, hygrometers, image sensors, microphones, thermometers, barometers, magnetometers, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and / or the like.

[0034] 1 further illustrates that compressor system 100 may include or be in communication with I / O system(s) 114. I / O system(s) 114 may include any type of input or output device, such as, by way of non-limiting example, a display, a touchscreen, a mouse, a keyboard, a controller, speakers, and / or the like.

[0035] FIG. 1 also illustrates examples of additional components of or in communication with compressor system 100. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates compressor system 100 as including a compressor motor 120 configured to operate compressor element 122 to facilitate gas compression (e.g., compressing ambient air). Compressor motor 120 can take any suitable form, such as a three-phase induction motor. Similarly, compressor element 122 can take any suitable form, such as any type of dynamic compressor (e.g., an ejector-type, radial-type, or axial-type compressor), or a displacement compressor, such as a rotary compressor (e.g., a single-rotor compressor such as a vane-type, liquid-ring-type, or scroll-type compressor, or a multi-rotor compressor such as a screw-type, tooth-type, or blower-type compressor), or a piston compressor.

[0036] 1 also illustrates various additional components that may cooperate with compressor motor 120 and compressor element 122 to facilitate compression of the gas. FIG. 1 illustrates the compressor system as including an inlet filter 124, a sentinel valve 126, an air / oil tank separator 128, a thermostatic bypass valve 130, an oil filter 132, a safety valve 134, an oil separator 136, a minimum pressure valve 138, a solenoid valve 140, an aftercooler 142, a fan 144, an oil cooler 146, an electronic drain 148, a dryer 150 (in implementations omitting dryer 150, electronic drain 148 may be attached to aftercooler 142), and a condensate prevention cycle 152. As noted above, one or more of the components illustrated in FIG. 1 may be omitted from compressor system 100, or alternative components / structures may be utilized in accordance with the scope of the present disclosure.

[0037] 1 also illustrates compressor system 100 as including a frequency converter 160 configured to connect to a power source 162 and compressor motor 120 (as indicated in FIG. 1 by the dashed lines extending from power source 162 to frequency converter 160 and from frequency converter 160 to compressor motor 120). As discussed above, frequency converter 160 controls the frequency and voltage of compressor motor 120, thereby controlling the operating motor speed of the compressor motor. Frequency converter 160 may comprise a rotary frequency converter, a solid state frequency converter, or the like. Power source 162 may comprise a grid-tied power source or an off-grid power source.

[0038] 1 shows that the operation of frequency converter 160 (and / or compressor motor 120) can be controlled by multi-mode drive controller 164 (as shown in FIG. 1 by the dashed lines extending from multi-mode drive controller 164 to frequency converter 160 and to compressor motor 120). Multi-mode drive controller 164 can include or interface with processor(s) 102 to manage the operation of frequency converter 160 and / or compressor motor 120.

[0039] According to a first embodiment, the multi-mode controller is configured to operate the frequency converter 160 and / or the compressor motor 120 according to multiple operating modes, including at least a first compression mode 166 and a second compression mode 168 (as shown in FIG. 1 by the solid lines extending from the multi-mode drive controller 164 to the first compression mode 166 and the second compression mode 168). The first compression mode 166 and the second compression mode 168 are associated with different operating motor speed profiles. For example, the first compression mode 166 may comprise a load / no-load compression mode, and the second compression mode 168 may comprise a VSD mode. As described above, the load / no-load compression mode may be associated with multiple states, such as a loaded state (delivering compressed air / gas), a no-load state (e.g., idling), or a stopped state (e.g., which may be implemented after an idle period). During the loaded state (and often the no-load state), the compressor motor 120 runs at a substantially constant operating motor speed. This can be accomplished, for example, by configuring frequency converter 160 via multi-mode drive controller 164 to impose a substantially constant frequency and voltage on compressor motor 120 to operate under load conditions in load / unload compression modes, or by bypassing one or more aspects of frequency converter 160 via multi-mode drive controller 164 so that a constant frequency and voltage can be supplied to compressor motor 120 from power supply 162 and / or one or more intervening components.

[0040] As previously mentioned, the VSD mode is associated with a variable operating motor speed for the compressor motor 120 and may be achieved by directing the frequency converter 160, via the multi-mode drive controller 164, to dynamically vary the frequency and voltage at which the compressor motor 120 operates. The motor speed (and / or associated voltage / frequency) of the compressor motor 120 may be dynamically determined based on demands associated with use of the compressor system, such as the required compressed air flow rate, the current compressed air pressure of the compressor system 100, etc.

[0041] According to other embodiments, the multi-mode controller is configured to operate one or more other control components of the compressor system according to a plurality of operating modes, including at least a first compression mode and a second compression mode. Such control components may include one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controllers.

[0042] 2 illustrates a conceptual diagram for generating efficiency information associated with operation of a multi-mode compressor system (e.g., multi-mode compressor system 100 of FIG. 1 ) in various operating modes (e.g., first compression mode 166 and second compression mode 168). In the example of FIG. 2 , the first compression mode is a loaded / unloaded mode (denoted in FIG. 2 by loaded / unloaded operation 202) and the second compression mode is a VSD mode (denoted in FIG. 2 by inferred VSD operation). As discussed above, a compressor system (e.g., compressor system 100) may be initially configured to allow operation in loaded / unloaded mode, with the user then being given the option to upgrade or enable / activate operation in VSD mode. 2 illustrates load / unload operation 202 associated with a compressor system (e.g., compressor system 100) and illustrates initial operation of the compressor system in a load / unload mode (e.g., this may be facilitated by multi-mode drive controller 164 directly or indirectly controlling frequency converter 160 and / or compressor motor 120, as described above). Load / unload operation 202 may be associated with a particular time horizon or combination of time horizons, such as load / unload operation 202 over a period of hours, days, months, years, etc.

[0043] The load / unload operation 202 may be performed under specific operating conditions 204 that represent actual, real-world conditions experienced by the compressor system performing the load / unload operation 202. For example, the load / unload operation 202 may be performed under specific operating conditions 204 related to demands associated with use of the compressor system, such as a demand flow rate (e.g., measured over time and / or for different times and / or tasks), changes in the demand flow rate, and / or other metrics based thereon. Additional operating conditions may include, by way of non-limiting example, ambient pressure, ambient temperature, ambient humidity, etc. The demands associated with use of the compressor system and / or other aspects of the operating conditions 204 may be determined using one or more sensors associated with the compressor system (e.g., the sensors 110 of the compressor system 100 described above). At least some aspects of the operating conditions 204 may be based on configuration parameters, such as specifications / aspects of the compressor system hardware / software itself and / or the specifications / aspects of the operating environment in which the compressor system is utilized.

[0044] Based on the operating conditions 204, the system may determine a load / no-load energy usage 206 associated with the actual load / no-load operation 202 (e.g., operation in a load / no-load mode) performed by the compressor system (as shown in FIG. 2 by the arrows extending from the load / no-load operation 202 and the operating conditions 204 to the load / no-load energy usage 206). The load / no-load energy usage 206 may be determined / quantified in various ways and / or based on various aspects of the load / no-load operation 202 and / or the operating conditions 204. In one example, the load / no-load energy usage 206 is based on no-load time, no-load power, load time, load power, transient losses, number of load cycles, and / or number of no-load cycles. For example, the load / no-load energy usage 206 may be calculated according to the following equation:

number

[0045] where E l / u represents the load / no-load energy usage 206, and Tu represents the no-load time during the load / no-load operation 202, and P u represents the no-load power for load / no-load operation 202, and T l represents the load time during the load / unload operation 202, and P l represents the load power for load / no load operation 202, and TL l / u represents the transient losses for load / no load operation 202, and Q l represents the number of load cycles of the load / unload operation 202, and Q u represents the number of no-load cycles in the load / no-load operation 202. In some cases, such as when the load / no-load operation includes a large number of load and / or no-load cycles, the transient loss TL l / u may increase or decrease based on the time associated with the cycle (e.g., average cycle time). The loaded time, unloaded time, number of loaded cycles, and / or number of unloaded cycles may be determined utilizing timers and / or counters associated with the compressor system undergoing loaded / unloaded operation 202. The unloaded power, load power, and / or transient losses may be determined based on known compressor system specifications (e.g., obtained from factory testing) and / or measured in real time via one or more sensors (e.g., sensor(s) 110).

[0046] In some embodiments, to provide an efficiency comparison for the loaded / unloaded energy usage 206, the system may determine an estimated VSD energy usage 210 that would apply to the multimode compressor system associated with the loaded / unloaded operation 202 if the multimode compressor system were instead operated in VSD mode. The estimated VSD energy usage 210 is based on estimated VSD operation 208 (e.g., VSD mode) of the multimode compressor system under the same operating conditions 204 that existed for the loaded / unloaded operation 202 (e.g., loaded / unloaded mode). The estimated VSD energy usage 210 may be determined utilizing the operating conditions 204 (e.g., flow profile, ambient pressure, ambient temperature, ambient humidity, and / or other metrics over time), available VSD mode compressor motor speed settings (e.g., within a range of 0% to 100% of maximum compressor motor speed), estimated VSD operation 208 of the multimode compressor system, such as VSD mode power rating, VSD mode free air discharge (FAD), VSD mode transient losses, and / or other aspects. Such aspects of the inferred VSD operation 208 may be determined based on known compressor system specifications (e.g., obtained from factory testing) and / or may be varied based on operating conditions (e.g., measured ambient pressure, temperature, and / or humidity for the installation environment).

[0047] Based on the operating conditions 204, the system may determine an estimated VSD energy usage 210 associated with the estimated VSD operations 208 (e.g., operating in VSD mode) performed by the compressor system (as shown in FIG. 2 by the arrows extending from the operating conditions 204 and the estimated VSD operations 208 toward the estimated VSD energy usage 210). The estimated VSD energy usage 210 may be determined / quantified in various ways and / or based on various aspects of the operating conditions 204 and / or the estimated VSD operations 208. In one example, the estimated VSD energy usage 210 is based on the power for each available operating motor speed associated with the VSD mode, the estimated time spent at each available operating motor speed associated with the VSD mode, transient losses, the estimated number of starts, and the estimated number of stops. For example, the estimated VSD energy usage 210 may be calculated according to the following equation:

number

[0048] where E VSD represents the estimated VSD energy usage210, and TL VSD represents the transient loss for the assumed VSD operation 208, and Q start represents the number of cycles of inferred VSD operation 208, and Q stop represents the number of cycle stops for the inferred VSD operation 208, n represents the available operating motor speed associated with the inferred VSD operation 208 (e.g., within the range of 0% to 100% of the compressor motor rpm), and T VSD,n represents the amount of time spent operating at each available operating motor speed associated with the inferred VSD operation 208, and P VSD,nrepresents the power associated with each available operating motor speed associated with inferred VSD operation 208. In some cases, motor speeds below a threshold motor speed (e.g., 10% of maximum compressor motor rpm) may be considered to be associated with transient losses. The implemented / selected operating motor speed, the operating time spent at each available operating motor speed, the number of cycle starts, and the number of cycle starts may be estimated using a computational model that utilizes the operating conditions 204 and associated flow requirement profile (e.g., profile over time) as inputs (additional inputs such as ambient pressure, temperature, and / or humidity may also be utilized). The power consumption associated with each operating motor speed and the transient losses associated with VSD modes may be determined based on known compressor system specifications (e.g., obtained from factory testing).

[0049] Once the (actual) load / no-load energy usage 206 and estimated VSD energy usage 210 have been determined for a particular operating condition 204 (e.g., according to equations (1) and (2), respectively), the system can determine energy savings information 212 that compares the load / no-load energy usage 206 to the estimated VSD energy usage 210. The energy savings information 212 can be used to convey potential energy savings that can be realized by utilizing VSD mode instead of load / no-load mode, tailored to a user's particular implementation requirements. In one example, the energy savings information can include the difference between the load / no-load energy usage 206 and the estimated VSD energy usage 210, such as:

number

[0050] where E sav represents the potential energy savings estimate (e.g., energy savings information 212), and E l / u represents the load / no-load energy usage 206, and E VSD represents the estimated VSD energy usage 210.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2 , additional or alternative efficiency metrics can be determined based at least in part on load / no-load energy usage 206 and estimated VSD energy usage 210. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates cost savings information 214, which can be determined based on energy savings information 212 (and / or operating conditions 204; as indicated by the arrows extending from energy savings information 212 and operating conditions 204 to cost savings information 214). For example, energy savings information 212 can be combined with one or more power costs (which can be expressed in operating conditions 204) associated with operation of the multi-mode compressor system. Cost savings information 214 can be associated with any particular time horizon (e.g., cost savings per day, month, year, etc.). Power costs can be correlated temporally with load / no-load operation 202 and / or estimated VSD operation 208 to account for temporal variations in power costs (e.g., to account for higher power costs during peak hours) when determining cost savings information 214. Such information can provide the user with an easily interpreted and relevant metric for comparing VSD mode operation to loaded / unloaded mode operation for a particular use case.

[0052] 2 also illustrates CO2 savings information 216, which may be determined based on energy savings information 212 (and / or operating conditions 204; as indicated by the arrows extending from energy savings information 212 and operating conditions 204 to CO2 savings information 216). For example, energy savings information 212 may be combined with one or more CO2 emission metrics associated with the type(s) of available electricity used to power the multi-mode compressor system (whether grid-connected or not). The CO2 emission metrics may be correlated in time with load / no-load operation 202 and / or inferred VSD operation 208 to account for different CO2 emissions associated with different power sources available at different times (e.g., to account for solar power availability during a particular time period). Such information may provide a user with additional, easily interpreted and relevant metrics for comparing VSD mode operation to load / no-load mode operation for a particular use case.

[0053] FIG. 3 illustrates a conceptual diagram of displaying efficiency information on a user interface and receiving user input indicating activation of an operating mode in response to the user input. In particular, FIG. 3 illustrates energy savings information 212, cost savings information 214, and CO2 savings information 216, as described above with reference to FIG. 2. One or more of energy savings information 212, cost savings information 214, and / or CO2 savings information 216 may be displayed on user interface 302 (e.g., on I / O system 114 of compressor system 100 or on remote system 118) for user awareness (as indicated in FIG. 3 by arrows extending from energy savings information 212, cost savings information 214, and CO2 savings information 216 toward user interface 302). Presenting such information may enable a user to understand and / or monitor the benefits of utilizing the multi-mode compressor system in VSD mode rather than load / unload mode (or vice versa, such as in instances of consistently high flow demand).

[0054] FIG. 3 also illustrates a prompt 304 that may be displayed on the user interface 302 (as indicated in FIG. 3 by an arrow extending from the prompt 304 to the user interface 302). The prompt 304 may comprise a prompt for activating a VSD mode for the multimode compressor system (e.g., by paying an additional fee to unlock VSD mode functionality in the multimode compressor system, which may be done “over the air” by transmitting computer-executable instructions to a computing component associated with the compressor system). In some cases, the prompt 304 is displayed on the user interface 302 in response to determining that the energy savings information 212 (and / or the cost savings information 214 and / or the CO2 savings information) meets one or more conditions. For example, the threshold condition may include a threshold amount related to energy, cost, or CO2 savings. As another example, the threshold condition may include whether the cost savings information 214 indicates that the potential cost savings outweigh the costs associated with enabling VSD mode operation in the multimode compressor system (e.g., a fee charged by a distributor to facilitate enabling VSD mode).

[0055] A user may respond to prompt 304 on user interface 302 by providing user input 306, which results in enabling 308 of VSD mode in the multimode compressor system, as shown in FIGURE 3. In light of the present disclosure, it should be understood that there may be any number of intervening actions between providing user input 306 and enabling VSD mode 308 to ultimately configure the multimode compressor system (and / or one or more components thereof, e.g., multimode drive controller 164) to operate in accordance with VSD mode. For example, compressor system 100 may receive instructions to configure the multimode drive controller (e.g., multimode drive controller 164) to control operation of the frequency converter (e.g., frequency converter 160) and the compressor motor (e.g., compressor motor 120) in accordance with VSD mode.

[0056] The following description refers to numerous methods and method acts that can be performed in accordance with the present disclosure. Although the method acts are described in a particular order and shown in the flowcharts as occurring in a particular order, no particular order is required unless otherwise specified or unless one step is required because it depends on the completion of another step before it can be performed. It should be understood that certain embodiments of the present disclosure can omit one or more of the acts described herein.

[0057] FIG. 4 illustrates an example flow diagram 400 showing acts associated with the operation of a multi-mode compressor system.

[0058] Step 402 of flowchart 400 includes causing a multi-mode drive controller of the compressor system to control operation of the frequency converter and compressor motor of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operating motor speed profile. In some embodiments, the first compression mode comprises a loaded / unloaded compression mode that can be associated with at least a loaded condition and an unloaded condition. In some cases, the loaded condition is associated with a substantially constant operating motor speed of the compressor motor.

[0059] Step 404 of flowchart 400 includes determining energy usage for the first compression mode based on actual operation of the compressor motor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions. In some implementations, the one or more operating conditions include a demand associated with usage of the compressor system. The one or more operating conditions may further include one or more of ambient pressure, ambient temperature, and ambient humidity. In some cases, the energy usage for the first compression mode is based on no-load time, no-load power, load time, load power, transient losses, number of load cycles, and number of no-load cycles (e.g., according to equation (1)).

[0060] Step 406 of flowchart 400 includes determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based on estimated compressor motor operation in the second compression mode under one or more operating conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operating motor speed profile that is different from the first operating motor speed profile. In some implementations, the second compression mode comprises a VSD mode that can be associated with a variable operating motor speed of the compressor motor. The variable operating motor speed is dynamically determined based on demand associated with compressor system usage. In some cases, the estimated VSD mode energy usage is based on one or more of the following: power for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the VSD mode, estimated time for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the VSD mode, transient losses, estimated number of starts, and estimated number of stops.

[0061] Step 408 of flowchart 400 includes determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the energy usage of the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage of the second compression mode. In some implementations, the energy savings information includes a difference between the energy usage of the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage of the second compression mode.

[0062] Step 410 of flowchart 400 includes determining cost savings information based on the energy savings information. In some implementations, the cost savings information is further based on the cost of available power associated with the power source.

[0063] Step 412 of flowchart 400 includes determining CO2 savings information based on the energy savings information. In some cases, the CO2 savings information is further based on the type of available power associated with the power source.

[0064] Step 414 of flowchart 400 includes displaying the energy savings information on a user interface. Step 416 of flowchart 400 includes displaying the cost savings information on a user interface. Step 418 of flowchart 400 includes displaying the CO2 savings information on a user interface. The user interface may comprise an input / output component of the compressor system or another device (such as a user's smartphone) associated with the operation of the compressor system.

[0065] Step 420 of flowchart 400 includes displaying a prompt on a user interface to activate operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the second compression mode. In some cases, the prompt is displayed in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon (e.g., cost savings information and / or CO2 savings information) satisfies one or more conditions. Such conditions may include, by way of example, whether cost savings based on the energy savings information exceed activation costs associated with activating operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the second compression mode.

[0066] Step 422 of flowchart 400 includes receiving user input directing activation of operation of the multi-mode drive controller in accordance with the second compression mode. Step 424 of flowchart 400 includes configuring the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter and compressor motor in accordance with the second compression mode based on the user input.

[0067] Embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise or utilize special-purpose or general-purpose computer systems, as described in more detail below. Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure also include physical and other computer-readable media for carrying or storing computer-executable instructions and / or data structures. Such computer-readable media may be any available media accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer system. Computer-readable media that store computer-executable instructions and / or data structures are computer storage media, which may comprise physical computer storage media or hardware storage devices. Computer-readable media that carry computer-executable instructions and / or data structures are transmission media. Thus, by way of example, embodiments of the present invention may comprise at least two distinctly different kinds of computer-readable media: computer storage media and transmission media.

[0068] A computer-readable medium is a physical storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions and / or data structures. Physical storage media include computer hardware such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, solid-state drives ("SSD"), flash memory, phase-change memory ("PCM"), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other hardware storage device(s) that can be used to store program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures that can be contained within or accessed and executed by a controller, general-purpose, or special-purpose computer system to implement the disclosed functions of the present disclosure.

[0069] Transmission media can be used to store program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and can include networks and / or data links accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer system. A "network" is defined as one or more data links that enable the transfer of electronic data between computer systems and / or modules and / or other electronic devices. When information is transferred or provided to a computer system over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired and wireless), the computer system may view the connection as a transmission medium. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0070] Additionally, program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures may be automatically transferred from transmission media to computer storage media (or vice versa) upon reaching the various computer system components. For example, computer-executable instructions or data structures received over a network or data link may be buffered in RAM within a network interface module (e.g., a "NIC") and then ultimately transferred to the computer system's RAM and / or to less volatile computer storage media within the computer system. Thus, it should be understood that computer storage media may be included in computer system components that also (or even primarily) utilize transmission media.

[0071] Computer-executable instructions may include, for example, instructions and data that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a general-purpose computer system, special-purpose computer system, or special-purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Computer-executable instructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, or even source code.

[0072] The disclosure of this application may be implemented in networked computing environments with many types of computer system configurations, including, but not limited to, personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, message processors, handheld devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics devices, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, cellular phones, PDAs, tablets, pagers, routers, switches, etc. The disclosure may also be implemented in distributed system environments where tasks are performed by both local and remote computer systems that are linked through a network (either by wired data links, wireless data links, or a combination of wired and wireless data links). Thus, in a distributed system environment, a computer system may include multiple component computer systems. In a distributed system environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

[0073] The disclosure of this application may also be implemented in a cloud computing environment. A cloud computing environment can be, but need not be, distributed. A distributed cloud computing environment may be distributed internationally within an organization and / or have components owned across multiple organizations. For purposes of this specification and the claims that follow, "cloud computing" is defined as a model that enables on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, services). The definition of "cloud computing" is not limited to any of the many benefits that can be derived from such a model when properly deployed.

[0074] Cloud computing models can consist of a variety of characteristics, including on-demand self-service, extensive network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and scalable services. Cloud computing models can also be delivered through a variety of service models, such as Software as a Service ("SaaS"), Platform as a Service ("PaaS"), and Infrastructure as a Service ("IaaS"). Cloud computing models can also be deployed using a variety of deployment models, including private clouds, community clouds, public clouds, and hybrid clouds.

[0075] Some embodiments, such as a cloud computing environment, may include a system including one or more hosts, each capable of running one or more virtual machines. During operation, the virtual machines emulate a functional computing system, supporting an operating system and possibly one or more other applications. In some embodiments, each host includes a hypervisor that emulates virtual resources for the virtual machine using physical resources abstracted away from the virtual machine. The hypervisor also provides appropriate isolation between the virtual machines. Thus, the hypervisor provides the illusion that the virtual machine is interacting with physical resources, even though from the perspective of any given virtual machine, the virtual machine is interacting only with the appearance of physical resources (e.g., virtual resources). Examples of physical resources include processing power, memory, disk space, network bandwidth, media drives, etc.

[0076] Certain terms are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to particular methods, features, or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different people may refer to the same method, feature, or component by different names. This disclosure does not intend to distinguish between methods, features, or components that differ in name but not function. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Certain features and components herein may be shown on an exaggerated scale or in somewhat schematic form, and for reasons of clarity and conciseness, some details relating to conventional elements may not be shown or described.

[0077] Although various exemplary embodiments have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, in light of the present disclosure, that many modifications to these exemplary embodiments are possible without materially departing from the concepts of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, while the present disclosure contains many details, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure or any of the appended claims, but merely as providing information related to one or more specific embodiments that may fall within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. Any features described from the various disclosed embodiments may be used in combination. Furthermore, other embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised that fall within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. Each addition, deletion, and modification to the embodiments that falls within the spirit and scope of the claims is intended to be encompassed within the scope of the claims.

[0078] Certain embodiments and features may be described with a set of upper and lower limits. It should be understood that ranges including any combination of two values ​​are contemplated, including any combination of any lower value with any higher value, any combination of any two lower values, and / or any combination of any two higher values, unless otherwise specified. Certain lower and upper limits and ranges may appear in one or more claims below. Any numerical values ​​are "about" or "approximately" the stated value and account for experimental error and variations that would be expected by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0079] This disclosure provides various examples, embodiments, and features, which are understood to be combinable with other examples, embodiments, or features described herein unless expressly stated otherwise or are mutually exclusive.

[0080] In addition to the above, further embodiments and examples include the following.

[0081] 1. A system comprising one or more processors and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions, the instructions being executable by the one or more processors, the system being: causing a multi-mode drive controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with the first operating profile; determining energy usage for the first compression mode based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based on estimated operation of the compressor in a second compression mode associated with a second operating profile different from the first operating profile under one or more operating conditions; and determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the energy usage of the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage of the second compression mode; A system configured as follows.

[0082] 2. A system according to 1 above and / or any one or combination of 2 to 23 below, wherein the data representative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and / or current usage data.

[0083] 3. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 2 above and / or 3 to 23 below, wherein causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control the operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both the frequency converter and the compressor motor of the compressor system.

[0084] 4. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 3 above and / or 5 to 23 below, wherein the first operating profile is a first operating motor profile representing a first operating motor speed profile of the compressor motor.

[0085] 5. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 4 above and / or 6 to 23 below, wherein causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control the operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls.

[0086] 6. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 5 above and / or 7 to 23 below, wherein the first compression mode comprises a loaded / unloaded compression mode.

[0087] 7. A system according to any one or combination of paragraphs 1 to 6 above and / or paragraphs 8 to 23 below, wherein the loaded / unloaded compression mode is associated with at least a loaded condition and an unloaded condition, and the loaded condition is associated with a substantially constant operating motor speed of the compressor motor.

[0088] 8. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 7 above and / or 9 to 23 below, wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

[0089] 9. A system according to any one or combination of paragraphs 1 to 8 above and / or paragraphs 10 to 23 below, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operating motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operating motor speed being dynamically determined based on demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

[0090] 10. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 9 above and / or 11 to 23 below, wherein the one or more operating conditions include demand associated with compressor system usage.

[0091] 11. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 10 above and / or 12 to 23 below, wherein the one or more operating conditions include one or more of ambient pressure, ambient temperature, and ambient humidity.

[0092] 12. A system according to any one or combination of paragraphs 1 to 11 above and / or paragraphs 13 to 23 below, wherein the energy usage in the first compression mode is based on no-load time, no-load power, load time, load power, transient losses, number of load cycles, and number of no-load cycles.

[0093] 13. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 12 above and / or 14 to 23 below, wherein the estimated second compression mode energy usage is based on one or more of: power for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode; estimated time for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode; transient losses; estimated number of starts; and estimated number of stops.

[0094] 14. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 13 above and / or 15 to 23 below, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between energy usage in a first compression mode and estimated energy usage in a second compression mode.

[0095] 15. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 14 above and / or 16 to 23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors and further configure the system to display energy savings information on a user interface.

[0096] 16. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 15 above and / or 17 to 23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors, and the system is further configured to determine cost savings information based on the energy savings information and display the cost savings information on a user interface.

[0097] 17. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 16 above and / or 18 to 23 below, wherein the cost savings information is further based on the cost of available electricity associated with the power source.

[0098] 18. A system according to any one or combination of paragraphs 1 to 17 above and / or paragraph 23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors and further configure the system to determine CO2 savings information based on the energy savings information and display the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

[0099] 19. A system according to any one or combination of paragraphs 1 to 18 above and / or 20 to 23 below, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based on the type of available electricity associated with the power source.

[0100] 20. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 19 above and / or 21 to 23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors, and the system is further configured to, in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions, display a prompt on a user interface and activate operation of the multi-mode drive controller in a second compression mode.

[0101] 21. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 20 above and / or 22 to 23 below, wherein the one or more conditions include whether cost savings based on the energy savings information outweigh activation costs associated with activating operation of the multi-mode drive controller according to the second compression mode.

[0102] 22. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 21 above and / or 23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors, and further configured to: receive user input directing activation of a multi-mode drive controller in accordance with a second compression mode; and, based on the user input, configure the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of a frequency converter, a compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls in accordance with the second compression mode.

[0103] 23. A system according to any one or combination of 1 to 22 above, wherein the compressor comprises a compressor motor, a compressor element, a frequency converter, and / or a multi-mode drive controller.

[0104] 24. One or more hardware storage devices storing instructions executable by one or more processors of the system, the instructions configuring the system to: causing a multi-mode drive controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with the first operating profile; determining energy usage for the first compression mode based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based on estimated operation of the compressor in a second compression mode associated with a second operating profile different from the first operating profile under one or more operating conditions; and determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the energy usage of the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage of the second compression mode; One or more hardware storage devices configured to:

[0105] 25. One or more hardware storage devices according to paragraph 24 above and / or any one or combination of paragraphs 26 to 46 below, wherein the data representative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and / or current usage data.

[0106] 26. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 to 25 above and / or 27 to 43 below, wherein causing a multi-mode device controller of a compressor system to control operation of a compressor includes causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both the frequency converter and the compressor motor of the compressor system.

[0107] 27. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 26 above and / or 28 to 46 below, wherein the first operating profile is a first operating motor profile representing a first operating motor speed profile of a compressor motor.

[0108] 28. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 through 27 above and / or 28 through 46 below, wherein causing a multi-mode device controller of a compressor system to control operation of a compressor includes causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls.

[0109] 29. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 to 28 above and / or 30 to 46 below, wherein the first compression mode comprises a loaded / unloaded compression mode.

[0110] 30. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 to 29 and / or 31 to 46 below, wherein the loaded / unloaded compression mode is associated with at least a loaded state and an unloaded state, and the loaded state is associated with a substantially constant operating motor speed of the compressor motor.

[0111] 31. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 to 30 above and / or 32 to 46 below, wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

[0112] 32. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 to 31 above and / or 33 to 46 below, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operating motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operating motor speed being dynamically determined based on demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

[0113] 33. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 to 32 above and / or 34 to 46 below, wherein the one or more operating conditions include compressor system usage and associated demand.

[0114] 34. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 33 above and / or 35 to 46 below, wherein the one or more operating conditions include one or more of ambient pressure, ambient temperature, and ambient humidity.

[0115] 35. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 to 34 above and / or paragraphs 36 to 46 below, wherein the energy usage in the first compression mode is based on no-load time, no-load power, load time, load power, transient losses, number of load cycles, and number of no-load cycles.

[0116] 36. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 to 35 and / or paragraphs 37 to 46 below, wherein the estimated energy usage of the second compression mode is based on one or more of: power for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode; estimated time for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode; transient losses; estimated number of starts; and estimated number of stops.

[0117] 37. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of paragraphs 24 to 36 above and / or 38 to 46 below, wherein the energy savings information includes a difference between energy usage in a first compression mode and estimated energy usage in a second compression mode.

[0118] 38. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 37 above and / or 39 to 46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors and further configure the system to display energy savings information on a user interface.

[0119] 39. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 38 above and / or 40 to 46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors and further configure the system to determine cost savings information based on the energy savings information and display the cost savings information on a user interface.

[0120] 40. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 39 above and / or 41 to 46 below, wherein the cost savings information is further based on the cost of available electricity associated with the power source.

[0121] 41. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 40 above and / or 42 to 46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors and further configure the system to determine CO2 savings information based on the energy savings information and display the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

[0122] 42. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 41 above and / or 43 to 46 below, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based on the type of available electricity associated with the power source.

[0123] 43. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 42 above and / or 44 to 46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors, and the hardware storage device further configures the system to, in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions, display a prompt on a user interface and activate operation of the multi-mode drive controller in a second compression mode.

[0124] 44. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 43 above and / or 45 to 46 below, wherein the one or more conditions include whether cost savings based on the energy savings information outweigh the activation costs associated with activating operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the second compression mode.

[0125] 45. One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 through 44 above and / or 46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors and further configure the system to receive user input directing activation of the multi-mode drive controller in accordance with a second compression mode, and based on the user input, configure the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter, the compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls in accordance with the second compression mode.

[0126] 46. ​​One or more hardware storage devices according to any one or combination of 24 to 45 above, wherein the system comprises a compressor system including a compressor motor, compressor elements, a frequency converter, and / or a multi-mode drive controller.

[0127] 47. A method for controlling a compressor system, comprising: causing a multi-mode drive controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operating profile; determining energy usage for the first compression mode based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based on estimated operation of the compressor in a second compression mode associated with a second operating profile different from the first operating profile under one or more operating conditions; determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the energy usage of the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage of the second compression mode; A method comprising:

[0128] 48. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 above and / or 49 to 68 below, wherein the data representative of actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and / or current usage data.

[0129] 49. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 48 and / or 50 to 68 below, wherein the step of causing a multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both the frequency converter and the compressor motor of the compressor system.

[0130] 50. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 49 above and / or paragraphs 51 to 68 below, wherein the first operating profile is a first operating motor profile representing a first operating motor speed profile of the compressor motor.

[0131] 51. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 50 above and / or paragraphs 52 to 68 below, wherein the step of causing a multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls.

[0132] 52. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 51 above and / or 53 to 68 below, wherein the first compression mode comprises a loaded / unloaded compression mode.

[0133] 53. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 52 and / or paragraphs 54 to 68 below, wherein the loaded / unloaded compression mode is associated with at least a loaded condition and an unloaded condition, the loaded condition being associated with a substantially constant operating motor speed of the compressor motor.

[0134] 54. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 53 above and / or 55 to 68 below, wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

[0135] 55. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 54 above and / or paragraphs 56 to 68 below, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operating motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operating motor speed being dynamically determined based on demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

[0136] 56. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 55 above and / or paragraphs 57 to 68 below, wherein the one or more operating conditions include demand related to usage of the compressor system.

[0137] 57. A method according to any one or combination of 47 to 56 above and / or 58 to 68 below, wherein the one or more operating conditions include one or more of ambient pressure, ambient temperature, and ambient humidity.

[0138] 58. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 57 above and / or 59 to 68 below, wherein the energy usage in the first compression mode is based on no-load time, no-load power, load time, load power, transient losses, number of load cycles, and number of no-load cycles.

[0139] 59. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 58 and / or 60 to 68 below, wherein the estimated second compression mode energy usage is based on one or more of: power for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode; estimated time for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode; transient losses; estimated number of starts; and estimated number of stops.

[0140] 60. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 59 and / or 61 to 68 below, wherein the energy savings information comprises the difference between the energy usage of the first compression mode and the estimated energy usage of the second compression mode.

[0141] 61. A method according to any one or combination of 47 to 60 above and / or 62 to 68 below, further comprising the step of displaying energy savings information on a user interface.

[0142] 62. A method according to any one or combination of 47 to 61 above and / or 63 to 68 below, further comprising the steps of determining cost savings information based on the energy savings information, and displaying the cost savings information on a user interface.

[0143] 63. A method according to any one or combination of 47 to 62 above and / or 64 to 68 below, wherein the cost savings information is further based on the cost of available electricity associated with the power source.

[0144] 64. A method according to any one or combination of 47 to 63 above and / or 65 to 68 below, further comprising the steps of determining CO2 savings information based on the energy savings information, and displaying the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

[0145] 65. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 64 above and / or 66 to 68 below, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based on the type of available electricity associated with the power source.

[0146] 66. A method according to any one or combination of paragraphs 47 to 65 above and / or paragraphs 67 to 68 below, further comprising the step of, in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions, displaying a prompt on a user interface and activating operation of the multi-mode drive controller in a second compression mode.

[0147] 67. A method according to any one or combination of 47 to 66 above and / or 68 below, wherein the one or more conditions include whether cost savings based on the energy savings information outweigh activation costs associated with activating operation of the multi-mode drive controller according to the second compression mode.

[0148] 68. The method according to any one or combination of 47 to 67 above, further comprising the steps of receiving a user input directing activation of operation of the multi-mode drive controller in accordance with a second compression mode, and configuring the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter, the compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls in accordance with the second compression mode based on the user input.

[0149] A multi-mode compressor system or method of use thereof as shown and / or described herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 100 Compressor System 102 processors 104 Storage device 106 Instructions 108 Data 110 Sensors 114 Input / Output System 116 Communication Systems 118 Remote Systems 120 Compressor motor 122 Compressor Elements 124 Inlet filter 126 Sentinel valve 128 Air / Oil Tank Separator 130 Thermostat bypass valve 132 Oil filter 134 Safety valve 136 Oil Separator 138 Minimum Pressure Valve 140 Solenoid valve 142 Aftercooler 144 fans 146 Oil Cooler 148 Electronic Drain 150 Dryer 152 Condensate Prevention Cycle 160 Frequency Converter 162 Power supply 164 Multimode Drive Controller 166 First Compression Mode 168 Second Compression Mode

Claims

1. 1. A method for controlling a compressor system, comprising: causing a multi-mode drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operating profile; determining an energy usage for a first compression mode based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor system in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based on estimated operation of the compressor system under the one or more operating conditions in a second compression mode associated with a second operating profile different from the first operating profile; determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage; A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data representative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and / or current usage data.

3. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control the operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operating profile is a first operating motor profile representing a first operating motor speed profile of the compressor motor.

5. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system to control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first compression mode comprises a load / unload compression mode.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the load / no-load compression mode is associated with at least a loaded condition and an no-load condition, the loaded condition being associated with a substantially constant operating motor speed of the compressor motor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operating motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operating motor speed being dynamically determined based on demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more operating conditions include a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more operating conditions include one or more of ambient pressure, ambient temperature, and ambient humidity.

12. 12. The method of claim 1 or a combination thereof, wherein the energy usage in the first compression mode is based on no-load time, no-load power, load time, load power, transient losses, number of load cycles, number of no-load cycles, and / or sensor measurement data.

13. 13. The method of claim 1 or a combination thereof, wherein the estimated second compression mode energy usage is based on one or more of: power for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode; estimated time for each of the plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode; transient losses; estimated number of starts; estimated number of stops; and first compression mode flow consumption.

14. 14. The method according to any one or combination of claims 1 to 13, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between the energy usage of the first compressed mode and the estimated energy usage of the second compressed mode.

15. The method according to any one or combination of claims 1 to 14, further comprising displaying the energy saving information on a user interface.

16. determining cost savings information based on the energy savings information; displaying the cost savings information on a user interface; 16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 or a combination thereof, further comprising:

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the cost savings information is further based on a cost of available electricity associated with a power source and / or a geographic location of the power source.

18. determining CO2 savings information based on the energy savings information; displaying the CO2 savings information on a user interface; 18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 or a combination thereof, further comprising:

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based on the type of available power associated with the power source and / or the geographic location.

20. 20. The method of claim 1 or a combination thereof, further comprising the step of displaying a prompt on a user interface and activating operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the second compression mode in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based on the energy savings information satisfies one or more conditions.

21. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more conditions include whether cost savings based on the energy savings information outweigh an activation cost associated with activating operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the second compression mode.

22. receiving a user input directing activation of operation of the multi-mode drive controller according to the second compression mode; configuring the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter, the compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls according to the second compression mode based on the user input; 22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21 or a combination thereof, further comprising:

23. 1. A system for controlling a compressor system, comprising: one or more processors; one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions executable by the one or more processors, the instructions configuring the system to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 22; and A system comprising:

24. 23. One or more hardware storage devices storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a system, the instructions configuring the system to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 22.

25. a compressor motor configured to operate the compressor element to facilitate gas compression; a frequency converter configured to connect to a power source and to the compressor motor, the frequency converter operable to control an operating motor speed of the compressor motor; a multi-mode drive controller configured to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to a plurality of operating modes comprising: (i) a load / unload compression mode; and (ii) a variable speed drive (VSD) mode; one or more processors; one or more hardware storage devices that store instructions executable by the one or more processors; A compressor system comprising: The instructions further comprise: causing the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the compressor motor in accordance with the load / unload compression mode; determining a load / no-load compression mode energy usage based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor motor in the load / no-load compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determining an estimated VSD mode energy usage based on the estimated operation of the compressor motor in the VSD mode under the one or more operating conditions; determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the load / no-load compression mode energy usage and the estimated VSD mode energy usage; and displaying the energy saving information on a user interface; A compressor system configured as follows.

26. 26. The compressor system of claim 25, wherein the load / no-load compression mode is associated with at least a loaded condition and an no-load condition, the loaded condition being associated with a substantially constant operating motor speed of the compressor motor.

27. 27. The compressor system of claims 25-26, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operating motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operating motor speed being dynamically determined based on demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

28. 28. The compressor system of claims 25 to 27, wherein the one or more operating conditions include a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

29. 29. The compressor system of claims 25-28, wherein the one or more operating conditions further include one or more of ambient pressure, ambient temperature, and ambient humidity.

30. 30. The compressor system of claim 25, wherein the load / no-load compression mode energy usage is based on no-load time, no-load power, load time, load power, transient losses, number of load cycles, number of no-load cycles, and / or sensor measurement data.

31. 31. The compressor system of claim 30, wherein the estimated VSD mode energy usage is based on one or more of: power for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the VSD mode; an estimated time for each of the plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the VSD mode; transient losses; an estimated number of starts; and an estimated number of stops.

32. 32. The compressor system of claim 31, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between the load / no-load compression mode energy usage and the estimated VSD mode energy usage.

33. the instructions are executable by the one or more processors; determining cost savings information based on the energy savings information and the cost of available electricity associated with the power source; and displaying the cost savings information on a user interface; 33. The compressor system of claims 25 to 32, further configured to:

34. the instructions are executable by the one or more processors; determining CO2 savings information based on the energy savings information and the type of available power associated with the power source; and displaying the CO2 savings information on a user interface; 34. The compressor system of claims 25 to 33, further configured to:

35. 35. The compressor system of claim 25, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors and further configure the system to: display a prompt on a user interface and activate operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the VSD mode in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based on the energy savings information satisfies one or more conditions, the one or more conditions including whether cost savings based on the energy savings information exceed activation costs associated with activating operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the VSD compression mode.

36. the instructions are executable by the one or more processors; receiving a user input directing activation of operation of the multi-mode drive controller in accordance with the VSD mode; and configuring the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to the VSD mode based on the user input; 36. The compressor system of claims 25 to 35, further configured to:

37. 37. The compressor system of claims 25 to 36, wherein the data representative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and / or current usage data.

38. one or more processors; one or more hardware storage devices that store instructions executable by the one or more processors; A system comprising: The instructions cause the system to: causing a multi-mode drive controller of the compressor system to control operation of a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system according to a load / unload compression mode; determining a load / no-load compression mode energy usage based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor motor in the load / no-load compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determining an estimated VSD mode energy usage based on the estimated operation of the compressor motor in a VSD mode under the one or more operating conditions; and determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the load / unload compression mode energy usage and the estimated VSD mode energy usage; Configure your system as follows:

39. the instructions are executable by the one or more processors; displaying the energy saving information or information based on the energy saving information on a user interface; displaying a prompt on a user interface to activate operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the VSD mode; receiving a user input directing activation of operation of the multi-mode drive controller in accordance with the VSD mode; and configuring the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to the VSD mode based on the user input; 39. The system of claim 38, further configured to:

40. a compressor motor configured to operate the compressor element to facilitate gas compression; a frequency converter configured to connect to a power source and to the compressor motor, the frequency converter operable to control an operating motor speed of the compressor motor; a multi-mode drive controller configured to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to a plurality of operating modes comprising: (i) a first compression mode associated with a first operating motor speed profile; and (ii) a second compression mode associated with a second operating motor speed profile different from the first operating motor speed profile; one or more processors; one or more hardware storage devices that store instructions executable by the one or more processors; A compressor system including: The instructions further comprise: causing the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the compressor motor in accordance with the first compression mode; determining energy usage for a first compression mode based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor motor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based on the estimated operation of the compressor motor in the second compression mode under the one or more operating conditions; determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage; and displaying the energy saving information on a user interface; A compressor system configured as follows.

41. 41. The compressor system of claim 40, wherein the first compression mode comprises a load / unload compression mode and the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

42. 41. The compressor system of claim 40, wherein the first compression mode comprises a VSD mode and the second compression mode comprises a load / unload compression mode.

43. 1. A method for controlling a compressor system, comprising: Providing a compressor in accordance with any one of claims 25 to 37 or a combination thereof; causing the one or more processors to execute the instructions stored on the one or more hardware storage devices; A method comprising:

44. 1. A method for controlling a system, comprising: Providing a compressor in accordance with any one or combination of claims 38 to 39; causing the one or more processors to execute the instructions stored on the one or more hardware storage devices; A method comprising:

45. 1. A method for controlling a compressor system, comprising: Providing a compressor in accordance with any one of claims 40 to 42 or a combination thereof; causing the one or more processors to execute the instructions stored on the one or more hardware storage devices; A method comprising:

46. 38. One or more hardware storage devices for storing instructions according to any one of claims 35 to 37 or a combination thereof.

47. 40. One or more hardware storage devices for storing instructions according to any one of claims 38 to 39 or a combination thereof.

48. 43. One or more hardware storage devices for storing instructions according to any one of claims 40 to 42 or a combination thereof.

49. one or more processors; one or more hardware storage devices that store instructions executable by the one or more processors; A system comprising: The instructions cause the system to: causing a multi-mode drive controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operating profile; determining energy usage for a first compression mode based on data representative of actual operation of the compressor in the first compression mode under one or more operating conditions; determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based on estimated operation of the compressor under the one or more operating conditions in a second compression mode associated with a second operating profile different from the first operating profile; and determining energy savings information based on one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage; Configure your system as follows:

50. 50. The system of claim 49, wherein the data representative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and / or current usage data.

51. 51. The system of claims 49-50, wherein having the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system control operation of the compressor comprises having the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system.

52. 52. The system of claims 49-51, wherein the first operating profile is a first operating motor profile representing a first operating motor speed profile of the compressor motor.

53. 53. The system of claims 49-52, wherein having the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system control the operation of the compressor includes having the multi-mode device controller of the compressor system control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls.

54. 54. The system of claims 49-53, wherein the first compression mode comprises a load / unload compression mode.

55. 55. The system of claims 49-54, wherein the load / no-load compression mode is associated with at least a loaded condition and an no-load condition, the loaded condition being associated with a substantially constant operating motor speed of the compressor motor.

56. 56. The system of claims 49-55, wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

57. 57. The system of claims 49-56, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operating motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operating motor speed being dynamically determined based on demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

58. 58. The system of claims 49-57, wherein the one or more operating conditions include a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

59. 59. The system of claims 49 to 58, wherein the one or more operating conditions include one or more of ambient pressure, ambient temperature, and ambient humidity.

60. 60. The system of claims 49 to 59, wherein the energy usage in the first compression mode is based on no-load time, no-load power, load time, load power, transient losses, number of load cycles, number of no-load cycles, and / or sensor measurement data.

61. 61. The system of claims 49 to 60, wherein the estimated second compression mode energy usage is based on one or more of: power for each of a plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, estimated time for each of the plurality of operating motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, transient losses, estimated number of starts, estimated number of stops, and consumed flow rate of the first compression mode.

62. 62. The system of claims 49-61, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between the energy usage of the first compressed mode and the estimated energy usage of the second compressed mode.

63. 63. The system of claims 49-62, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors and further configure the system to display the energy savings information on a user interface.

64. 64. The system of claims 49 to 63, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors and further configure the system to determine cost savings information based on the energy savings information and display the cost savings information on a user interface.

65. 65. The system of claims 49-64, wherein the cost savings information is further based on a cost of available electricity associated with a power source and / or a geographic location of the power source.

66. 66. The system of claims 49 to 65, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors and further configure the system to determine CO2 savings information based on the energy savings information and display the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

67. 67. The system of claims 49 to 66, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based on the type of available electricity associated with the power source and / or the geographic location of the power source.

68. 68. The system of claims 49 to 67, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors and further configure the system to: display a prompt on a user interface and activate operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the second compression mode in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions.

69. 69. The system of claims 49 to 68, wherein the one or more conditions include whether cost savings based on the energy savings information outweigh an activation cost associated with activating operation of the multi-mode drive controller in the second compression mode.

70. the instructions are executable by the one or more processors; receiving a user input directing activation of operation of the multi-mode drive controller in accordance with the second compression mode; configuring the multi-mode drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter, the compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and / or one or more pressure vessel controls according to the second compression mode based on the user input.

70. The system of claims 49 to 69, further configured to:

71. 71. The system of claims 49 to 70, wherein the compressor system comprises a compressor motor, a compressor element, a frequency converter, and / or a multi-mode drive controller.

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