Rotary Vane Steam Compressor Liquid Water Lubrication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotary vane steam compressors face significant wear and inefficiency when compressing water vapor, as the steam overheats during compression, leading to dry conditions that increase wear and require complex lubrication separation processes, and conventional lubricants are not economically viable for separation from compressed steam.
Innovation Solution
Using a liquid medium, such as water, as both a lubricant and seal within the compressor's gap between the rotor and housing, which is introduced in liquid form and remains under counterpressure to prevent immediate evaporation, reducing friction and wear, and allowing it to evaporate and be absorbed by the vapor, eliminating the need for separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional lubricants are used in steam compressors, then friction and wear are reduced, but the lubricant cannot be economically separated from the compressed steam
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses water as the lubricant, which is the same substance as the steam being compressed (H2O in different phases). This homogeneity allows the lubricant to naturally mix with and be absorbed by the steam without requiring complex separation processes. The lubricant and the compressed medium become part of the same substance family, eliminating the need for elaborate separation equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the phase parameter of the lubricant from liquid to vapor by using water that evaporates and mixes with the steam. This parameter change allows the lubricant to transition from a separate phase requiring separation to an integrated phase that is naturally absorbed by the compressed steam, simplifying the overall system.
2Device complexity
If water vapor is compressed without lubrication, then no lubricant separation is needed, but the compressor experiences immense wear due to high temperatures and dry conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The compressed steam itself serves as the lubricant by absorbing water vapor that evaporates from the liquid water lubricant. The system uses the compressed medium to provide its own lubrication, eliminating the need for external lubricant separation systems while still protecting against wear through the moisture provided by the evaporating water.
3Reliability
If liquid water is introduced as lubricant, then friction is reduced and steam temperature is managed, but the water must remain under counterpressure to prevent immediate evaporation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces liquid water as an intermediary substance that mediates between the mechanical components needing lubrication and the steam being compressed. The liquid water evaporates to provide moisture for lubrication while the counterpressure system manages the phase transition, allowing the intermediary to fulfill both lubrication and temperature management functions.
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 approach reduces wear and friction, maintains effective sealing without the need for complex lubricant separation, and efficiently manages steam temperature, enhancing the compressor's operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
the lubricant does not have to be separated from the vapor of the medium in complex processes after it has left the steam compressor. Since it is preferably the same medium, which is simply introduced into the compressor in different aggregate states, separation is not necessary. For example, if part of the water introduced in liquid form evaporates, this part will simply be absorbed by the vapor of the medium
Implementation Method 2
the part of the medium introduced in liquid form, which evaporates during the compression of the vapor of the medium, is absorbed by the later compressed vapor of the medium and therefore does not have to be separated from it
Implementation Method 3
the medium introduced into the gap in liquid form serves as a lubricant and at the same time as a seal for the gap, so that the compressor chamber is sealed for the vapor of the medium and at the same time the wear caused by friction between the movable slide and the housing is reduced
Implementation Method 4
mechanical seals on the drive shaft sealing the at least one compressor chamber from the external atmosphere
Implementation Method 5
a rotor rotatably mounted about a drive shaft with at least one slide and at least one compressor chamber, which is delimited by a housing and at least also by the at least one slide
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for compressing a vapor of a medium by means of a rotary vane steam compressor (1) which has a rotor (6) rotatably mounted about a drive shaft (10) with at least one slide (14) and at least one compressor chamber (26) which is bounded by a housing (2) and at least also by the at least one slide (14), wherein the method is characterized in that the medium is used in liquid form as a lubricant, which is fed into a gap between the housing (2) and the rotor (6) by at least one feed (44) in the bearing.