Gas Compressor Power Reduction via Intake Throttle and Pressure Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas compressor technologies face limitations in power reduction, requiring complex and costly variable-speed devices and PID control systems to manage energy efficiency during full-load and no-load operations, with high development complexity and costs.
Innovation Solution
A gas compressor with a constant-speed electric motor, utilizing an intake throttle valve and a gas release valve, controlled by a controller that adjusts rotation speed and valve openings to manage discharge pressure between upper and lower limits, achieving power reduction through simpler configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If variable-speed devices and PID control systems are used to manage energy efficiency, then power reduction is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex variable-speed device and PID control system from the compressor architecture. Instead, it uses a constant-speed motor combined with an intake throttle valve and discharge pressure control valve to achieve energy management, thereby removing the source of complexity while maintaining power reduction capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control parameter from motor speed variation to pressure-based control. By using discharge pressure as the primary control parameter and adjusting the intake throttle valve accordingly, the system achieves energy efficiency without requiring variable-speed mechanisms, thus resolving the contradiction between power reduction and device complexity
2Loss of energy
If intake throttle valve is used to control the amount of gas intake, then power ratio is reduced to approximately 65%, but energy savings are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two control mechanisms: the intake throttle valve (from prior art) with a discharge pressure control valve that releases gas to atmosphere. This combination allows the system to achieve both moderate power reduction (65% via throttle valve) and additional energy savings (35% via pressure release), totaling significant energy savings while maintaining simple device structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic switching between full-load operation (intake throttle valve open) and no-load operation (intake throttle valve closed with pressure release). This periodic action between different operational states enables the system to achieve average energy savings greater than either state alone, resolving the limitation of continuous throttle control
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
This configuration enables significant energy savings with reduced complexity and cost, maintaining efficient power management during varying load conditions.
Implementation Method 1
an intake throttle valve that adjusts the amount of gas intake of the compressor main unit
Implementation Method 2
a gas release valve that releases a discharged gas of the compressor main unit to an atmospheric pressure environment
Implementation Method 3
a compressor main unit that compresses a gas
Data Source
AI summary
A technique is provided that can further reduce power at the time of “unload operation control” in a gas compressor that generates a compressed gas at a set pressure by constant-speed control. The gas compressor includes a compressor main unit, a drive source, an intake throttle valve, a gas release valve, rotation speed converting means, a pressure detecting device that detects a discharge pressure, and a controller that, the relationship between an upper-limit pressure H and a lower-limit pressure L being H>L, carries out opening the intake throttle valve and closing the gas release valve and operating the drive source at a full-load rotation speed until the discharge pressure reaches the upper-limit pressure H. The controller carries out at least one of closing the intake throttle valve and opening the gas release valve to reduce the discharge pressure to within a predetermined range when the discharge pressure reaches the upper-limit pressure H. The controller carries out switching to load operation when the discharge pressure drops to the lower-limit pressure L. In the gas compressor, the controller outputs a command of a lower rotation speed than the full-load rotation speed to the rotation speed converting means when the discharge pressure rises and reaches the upper-limit pressure H. The controller outputs a command of the full-load rotation speed to the rotation speed converting means when the discharge pressure drops and reaches the lower-limit pressure L.