Shared Screw Compression for Parallel Cryogenic Refrigeration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large refrigeration systems requiring low temperatures face high costs and complexity due to multiple compressor stations and fluctuating thermal loads, which are inefficient and inflexible.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration installation with multiple refrigerators/liquefiers in parallel, sharing a single compression station with lubricated screw compression machines and de-oiling systems, allowing for flexible operation and reduced equipment needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate compressor stations are used for each refrigerator, then each refrigerator can operate independently, but the overall system cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple compressor stations into a single shared compression station that serves multiple refrigerators in parallel. The compression station includes multiple compression stages with intercoolers and common de-oiling systems, reducing the total number of compressors while maintaining independent refrigerator operation through shared high-pressure distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared compression station is designed with multi-functionality to serve multiple refrigerators simultaneously. It includes a common de-oiling system, shared intercoolers, and a unified high-pressure distribution network that can supply working fluid to any or all refrigerators as needed, making the compression infrastructure universally applicable across the parallel refrigerator array.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate compressor stations are used for each refrigerator, then each refrigerator can be optimized independently, but the installation cost and material requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple compression functions into a single integrated station with shared components including de-oiling systems, intercoolers, and control infrastructure. This merging reduces material requirements, simplifies installation, and lowers overall system cost while maintaining the ability to independently optimize each refrigerator's operational parameters through the shared high-pressure supply.
3Adaptability or versatility
If each refrigerator has its own compression station, then the system can handle fluctuating thermal loads independently, but the overall system efficiency decreases due to redundant equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges compression functions into a shared station that serves multiple refrigerators, eliminating redundant compression equipment. The system maintains load handling flexibility through the ability to independently control each refrigerator's expansion valve and heat exchanger configuration while sharing the compression infrastructure, thereby improving overall system efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared compression station maintains continuous operation to supply high-pressure working fluid to multiple refrigerators simultaneously. The system ensures continuous useful action by coordinating the operation of parallel refrigerators through the common compression source, reducing idle compression capacity and improving overall energy utilization efficiency.
4Device complexity
If a single compression station is shared among multiple refrigerators, then equipment costs are reduced, but the system must handle complex flow and pressure variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the compression process into multiple stages with intercoolers between stages. Each compression stage can be independently controlled to manage flow and pressure variations, allowing the shared compression station to handle complex operational requirements while maintaining reduced equipment complexity through the segmented architecture.
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, allows for efficient load management, and enhances flexibility and cost-effectiveness by sharing compression and de-oiling systems across refrigerators, optimizing compressor performance and handling flow and pressure variations.
Implementation Method 1
Compression of helium liquefaction/refrigeration cycles generally uses one or more stages of lubricated screw compression machines (compressors)
Implementation Method 2
systems for de-oiling the working fluid at the outlet of the compression machines
Implementation Method 3
the working gas cooled by each of the respective cold boxes of the refrigerators/liquefiers being put into thermal exchange with the application with a view to transferring frigories to the latter
Implementation Method 4
the working gas cooled by each of the respective cold boxes of the refrigerators/liquefiers being put into thermal exchange with the application with a view to transferring frigories to the latter
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 2~3
AI summary
An installation for refrigerating a same application (1) by means of a single refrigerator/liquefier (L/R) or several refrigerators/liquefiers (L/R) arranged in parallel, the refrigerator(s)/liquefier(s) (L/R) using a working gas of the same type having a low molar mass, each refrigerator/liquefier (L/R) comprising a compression station (2) to compress the working gas, a cold box (3) intended for cooling the working gas at the outlet of the compression station (2), the compression station (2) comprising only compression machines of the lubricated screw type (EC1, EC2, EC3) and systems (4, 14) for removing the oil from the working fluid at the outlet of the compression machines (EC1, EC2, EC3), and the compression station (2) comprises a plurality of compression machines (EC1, EC2, EC3) defining several levels of pressure (VLP, LP, MP, HP, HP1, HP2) for the working fluid, the compression station comprising at least two compression machines (EC2, EC3) defining at least two levels of pressure (MP, HP) increasing above the level of pressure (VLP/LP) of the fluid at the inlet of the compression station (2), two main compression machines (EC1, EC2) being arranged in series and defining, at their respective fluid outlet, levels of pressure respectively called "low" (LP) and "high" (HP), another secondary compression machine (EC3) being supplied at the inlet with a fluid coming from the cold boxes (3) at an intermediate level of pressure called "medium" (MP) between the low (LP) and high (HP) levels, this secondary compression machine (EC3) also defining, at its fluid outlet, a "high" level of pressure (HP).