Compressor Seal Gas Recirculation for Leakage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas systems for compressing process gas face significant losses and environmental pollution due to leaks, particularly at compressor stages, where high-pressure process gas escapes and mixes with seal gas, leading to unnecessary gas loss and increased costs for separate disposal.
Innovation Solution
A gas system design that incorporates a seal gas to prevent leaks and a second line for returning a mixture of process gas and seal gas to the intake side or upstream locations within the system, allowing for efficient recirculation and minimizing losses, with additional lines for capturing leaks downstream of compressor stages to further enhance gas recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If seal gas is used at high pressure to prevent process gas leakage through shaft passages, then leakage prevention is improved, but process gas is lost when the seal gas mixture is discharged to environment or disposed of separately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures the seal gas mixture containing process gas that would otherwise be discharged to the environment or disposed of separately. A return line transports this mixture back to the intake side of the first compressor stage, recovering the process gas and preventing its loss. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining leakage prevention through seal gas while recovering the valuable process gas that mixes with it.
2Loss of substance
If process gas is captured and fed back into the gas system, then process gas loss is reduced, but the pressure of captured process gas must be greater than the pressure at the feed-back location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses seal gas as an intermediary substance that is introduced at high pressure to prevent process gas leakage at shaft passages. The seal gas creates a pressure barrier that maintains the required pressure differential without requiring direct pressure control of the process gas throughout the system. This simplifies pressure management while still achieving process gas recovery.
3Power
If multiple compressor stages are arranged in series to achieve greater compression, then compression capability is improved, but the number of potential leakage points increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the compression system into multiple separate compressor stages arranged in series, each with its own seal gas system. By segmenting the compression process into discrete stages with intermediate cooling and sealing, the system achieves high compression capability while isolating potential leakage points. Each stage can be independently sealed and monitored, reducing the overall reliability risk compared to a single-stage high-pressure system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves reduced gas losses, increased efficiency, and minimized environmental pollution by recirculating the gas mixture, avoiding costly separate storage and disposal, while maintaining high compression efficiency and purity of process gases like CO2.
Implementation Method 1
The seal gas is under such a high pressure that it is impossible for the process gas to flow out through the shaft passages
Implementation Method 2
a first compressor stage for compressing a process gas (18). The first compressor stage (20) has in this context an intake side (20a) and a pressure side (20b)
Data Source
AI summary
A gas system has a first compressor stage for compressing a process gas. The first compressor stage includes an intake side and a pressure side. A seal gas is provided outside the first compressor stage in order to prevent process gas from issuing from leaks in the first compressor stage, having at least one second line for returning a gas mixture issuing from the gas system, this mixture including at least of process gas and seal gas. The at least one second line is configured for returning the issuing gas mixture to the intake side of the first compressor stage and/or to a location in the gas system upstream of the first compressor stage.