Shared Helium Compression for Parallel Cryogenic Cold Boxes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-scale refrigeration systems require multiple separate refrigerators and complex compression stations, leading to high costs and inflexibility due to fluctuating thermal loads and the need for multiple compressors and oil-management systems.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration installation with multiple refrigerators/liquefiers in parallel, sharing a single compression station with lubricated-screw compression machines and oil-removal systems, allowing for efficient compression and oil management across multiple pressure levels, and enabling flexible operation by varying the regime of some compression machines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If multiple separate refrigerators are used for large-scale refrigeration, then the refrigeration capacity is sufficient, but the equipment cost and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate refrigerators into a single integrated refrigerator with multiple cold boxes that share a common compression station. This consolidation maintains the required refrigeration capacity while significantly reducing system complexity by eliminating duplicate compression systems, oil-management systems, and associated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The common compression station serves multiple cold boxes simultaneously, making it a universal component that performs the compression function for the entire refrigeration system. This multi-functional approach allows a single compression station to support multiple refrigeration circuits, reducing the total number of components needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple compressors are used to handle fluctuating thermal loads, then the refrigeration demand is met, but the equipment cost and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic load management within a single compression station by enabling selective operation of different compression machines based on the actual thermal load requirements. The system can activate or deactivate specific compression machines and adjust their operating regimes dynamically, providing flexibility to handle fluctuating loads without requiring multiple dedicated compressors for each load scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The compression station is segmented into multiple independent compression machines that can operate individually or in combination. This segmentation allows the system to activate only the necessary number of compression machines based on the current refrigeration demand, providing adaptability while avoiding the complexity of having all compression machines running simultaneously or requiring complex coordination between multiple independent compression stations.
3Ease of repair
If each refrigerator has its own compression station, then the system is modular and easier to maintain, but the overall equipment cost and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the compression stations of multiple refrigerators into a single shared compression station, reducing the total number of compression machines and associated components. This consolidation lowers equipment costs and reduces the overall system complexity while maintaining modular cold box units that can be independently maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
While the compression station is centralized, each cold box maintains its own local characteristics and can be independently maintained or replaced. This local differentiation allows for easy maintenance of individual cold boxes without affecting the entire system, preserving ease of repair while achieving cost savings through compression station sharing.
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 equipment costs, increases compactness, and enhances flexibility and efficiency by sharing compression machines and oil-removal systems, allowing for better management of fluctuating thermal loads and improved refrigeration capacity.
Implementation Method 1
a single compression station compresses the working gas for each of the separate cold boxes of the refrigerators/liquefiers disposed in parallel
Implementation Method 2
a cold box intended to cool the working gas at the output from the compression station
Implementation Method 3
systems for removing oil from the working fluid at the outlet of the compression machines
Implementation Method 4
the working gas cooled by each of the respective cold boxes of the refrigerators/liquefiers being put in thermal exchange with the application with a view to supplying cold to the latter
Data Source
AI summary
Method and installation for refrigerating the same application by means of several refrigerators/liquefiers disposed in parallel, the refrigerators/liquefiers in parallel using a working gas of the same nature having a low molar mass, that is to say having a mean total molar mass of less than 10 g/mol such as pure gaseous helium, each refrigerator/liquefier comprising a station for compressing the working gas, a cold box intended to cool the working gas at the output from the compression station, the working gas cooled by each of the respective cold boxes of the refrigerators/liquefiers being put in thermal exchange with the application with a view to supplying cold to the latter, in which a single compression station compresses the working gas for each of the respective separate cold boxes of the refrigerators/liquefiers disposed in parallel, the single compression station comprising only compression machines of the lubricated-screw type and systems for removing oil from the working fluid output from the compression machines, so that the compression machines and the oil-removal systems are shared by the refrigerators/liquefiers disposed in parallel.