Parallel Refrigerator Compression Station with Shared Oil Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Large refrigeration systems require multiple separate refrigerators connected to a common compression station, leading to high costs and complexity due to fluctuating thermal loads and the need for multiple oil-management systems, making existing systems less efficient and more expensive.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration installation with multiple refrigerators/liquefiers in parallel, using a single compression station with lubricated-screw compression machines and shared oil-removal systems, allowing for flexible operation and reduced equipment needs by compressing helium or similar low-molar-mass gases across multiple pressure levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate refrigerators are connected to a common compression station, then the refrigeration capacity is sufficient to handle fluctuating thermal loads, but the device complexity and cost increase due to multiple oil-management systems and compression machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate refrigerators into a single integrated refrigerator with multiple evaporators sharing a common compression station. This consolidation reduces the number of independent oil-management systems and compression machines while maintaining the ability to handle fluctuating thermal loads through coordinated operation of multiple evaporators.
Solution Approach 2:
The common compression station serves multiple evaporators simultaneously, making it a universal system that can handle diverse refrigeration demands. The single compression station with shared oil-management infrastructure provides multi-functional capability across different evaporator units, reducing overall system complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate refrigerators are used, then sufficient refrigeration capacity is achieved, but the manufacturing cost and installation cost increase due to redundant equipment
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple refrigerators into one integrated system with shared compression and oil-management infrastructure, the patent reduces the total number of components that need to be manufactured and installed. This consolidation directly lowers manufacturing costs and installation complexity while preserving refrigeration capacity.
3Device complexity
If a single compression station is used for multiple refrigerators, then the number of machines is reduced, but the system becomes less flexible in handling varying thermal loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the refrigeration system into multiple independent evaporators that can operate semi-independently, each capable of handling specific thermal loads. This segmentation allows the single compression station to flexibly allocate compression capacity to different evaporators based on varying thermal demands, maintaining system flexibility while reducing the total number of machines.
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 reduces the number of machines and equipment, enhances flexibility in handling varying loads, and optimizes the efficiency and size of compression stages, making the system more cost-effective and compact.
Implementation Method 1
a single compression station compresses the working gas for each of the respective separate cold boxes
Implementation Method 2
a cold box intended to cool the working gas at the output from the compression station
Implementation Method 3
The working gas cooled by each of the respective cold boxes of the refrigerators/liquefiers being put in thermal exchange with the application
Implementation Method 4
systems for removing oil from the working fluid output from the compression machines
Data Source
AI summary
An installation for refrigerating a same application by means of a single refrigerator/liquefier or several refrigerators/liquefiers arranged in parallel, the refrigerator(s)/liquefier(s) using a working gas of the same type having a low molar mass, each refrigerator/liquefier comprising a compression station to compress the working gas, a cold box intended for cooling the working gas at the outlet of the compression station, the compression station comprising only compression machines of the lubricated screw type and systems for removing the oil from the working fluid at the outlet of the compression machines, and the compression station comprises a plurality of compression machines defining several levels of pressure for the working fluid, the compression station comprising at least two compression machines defining at least two levels of pressure increasing above the level of pressure of the fluid at the inlet of the compression station, two main compression machines being arranged in series and defining, at their respective fluid outlet, levels of pressure respectively called “low” and “high”, another secondary compression machine being supplied at the inlet with a fluid coming from the cold boxes at an intermediate level of pressure called “medium” between the low and high levels, this secondary compression machine also defining, at its fluid outlet, a “high” level of pressure.