A multi-compressor system having individual oil balancing lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multi-compressor systems face issues with oil imbalance and insufficient lubrication when some compressors are turned off, leading to potential damage due to uneven oil distribution, and existing solutions to address this issue increase system costs.
Innovation Solution
A multi-compressor system with identical suction and discharge line dimensions and individual oil balancing lines connecting adjacent compressors, controlled by a controller to prevent unauthorized operating configurations that cause oil imbalance, ensuring balanced oil distribution without additional design costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual oil balancing lines are used to connect compressors, then oil distribution between compressors is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional connections and control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the oil balancing function into individual oil balancing lines connecting each compressor to its adjacent compressors, rather than using a single common oil line. This segmentation allows independent oil flow control between compressor pairs, improving oil distribution balance while keeping each individual connection simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller dynamically selects which compressors to operate based on load requirements and prevents unauthorized operating configurations that would cause oil imbalance. This dynamic control approach adapts the system operation to maintain oil balance without requiring physical modifications to the oil balancing infrastructure.
2Use of energy by moving object
If compressors are turned off to match load requirements, then energy efficiency is improved, but oil balance deteriorates due to pressure differences causing gas flow through oil balancing lines
Solution Approach 1:
The controller monitors the operating status of compressors and actively prevents unauthorized configurations where turned-off compressors would create harmful gas flow through oil balancing lines. This feedback control mechanism ensures energy-efficient operation while maintaining oil balance by intelligently managing compressor start-stop sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The system proactively prevents unauthorized operating configurations before they can cause oil balance problems. By controlling which compressors can be turned off based on their connections to other compressors, the system eliminates the root cause of oil imbalance rather than reacting to it after it occurs.
3Reliability
If asymmetric inlet connection line designs are used to ensure oil supply, then oil availability to running compressors is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses symmetric, identical inlet connection lines for all compressors, eliminating the need for asymmetric designs. Oil availability is ensured through the intelligent control of compressor operations and the oil balancing line configuration, rather than through costly asymmetric physical modifications to the connection lines.
Data Source
AI summary
The multi-compressor system (7) includes a plurality of compressors (8) which are parallelly coupled; a common suction line (14) and inlet connection lines (15) each connecting the common suction line (14) to a suction fitting (11) of a respective compressor (8); a common discharge line (16) and outlet connection lines (17) each connecting the common discharge line (16) to a discharge fitting (12) of a respective compressor (8); a plurality of individual oil balancing lines (18) each fluidly connecting low pressure volumes of two respective compressors (8) of the plurality compressors, at least one compressor (8) comprising two oil balancing line connections (19) formed in the respective compressor shell (9) and each connected to a respective individual oil balancing line (18), and two compressors including a single oil balancing line connection (19) formed in the respective compressor shell (9) and connected to a respective individual oil balancing line (18); and a controller configured to operate the multi-compressor system (7) according to a plurality of predetermined authorized operating configurations.