Compressor apparatus and method of operating the same
AssigneeKaeser Kompressoren SE
InventorsMichael Gutsche, Annika Marx
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a compressor apparatus comprising a screw compressor (3) capable of producing a compressed air-oil mixture; a compressor outlet (13); an oil separator (11) to which the compressed air-oil mixture is transferable and by means of which a compressed air and an oil from the compressed air-oil mixture are separable from each other and the compressed air is dischargable at the compressor outlet (13); an oil diversion duct (15), which connects the oil separator (11) to the screw compressor (3), wherein the oil diversion duct comprises a fan device (19) at an oil cooler (17); and a controller (21), by means of which a speed (n) of the fan (19) and thus also the cooling of the oil at the oil cooler (17) is adjustable.
Claims15
A compressor apparatus, comprising:
- a screw compressor (3) capable of producing a compressed air-oil mixture;
- a compressor outlet (13);
- an oil separator (11), to which the compressed air-oil mixture is transferable, wherein a compressed air and an oil are separable from each other from the air-oil mixture and the compressed air is dischargable to the compressor outlet (13);
- an oil diversion duct (15), connecting the oil separator (11) to the screw compressor (3), wherein the oil diversion duct comprises a fan device (19) provided at an oil cooler (17);
- and a controller (21), wherein a speed (n) of the fan device (19) and thus also the cooling of the oil at the fan device (17) is adjustable,
- wherein a current operation point of the compressor apparatus (1) is determinable by the controller (21),
- wherein based on a relation (41) stored in the controller (21), in particular predetermined and/or determined in advance, an adjustable value for an oil-cooling parameter can be determined as a function of the determined current operation point, wherein the relation (41) reflects the relationship between a plurality of operation points of the compressor apparatus (1) and a plurality of adjustable values of the oil-cooling parameter,
- and wherein the determined value of the oil-cooling parameter is adjustable by means of the controller (21), in particular for operation of the compressor apparatus (1) with a defined value of a specific output or within a predefined range from a minimum value of the specific output, the specific output comprising a quotient of a total electrical power consumption of the compressor apparatus and a volume flow of compressed air produced.
A method for operating a compressor apparatus the method comprising:
- producing an air-oil mixture by a screw compressor (3);
- transferring the air-oil mixture to an oil separator (11);
- separating a compressed air and an oil from the air-oil mixture by the oil separator;
- discharging the compressed air at a compressor outlet (13) of the compressor apparatus, wherein the compressor apparatus includes an oil diversion duct (15) connecting the oil separator (11) to the screw compressor (3), wherein the oil diversion duct comprises a fan device (19) at an oil cooler (17);
- adjusting a speed of the fan device (19) by a controller (21) and thus also adjusting the cooling of the oil at the fan device (17);
- determining by the controller (21) a current operation point of the compressor apparatus (1);
- determining by a relation (41) stored in the controller (21), in particular predetermined and/or determined in advance, an adjustable value for an oil-cooling parameter as a function of the determined current operation point, wherein the relation (41) reflects the relationship between a plurality of operation points of the compressor apparatus (1) and a plurality of adjustable values of the oil-cooling parameter;
- and
- adjusting the determined value of the oil-cooling parameter by the controller (21), in particular for operation of the compressor apparatus (1) with a defined value of a specific output or within a predefined range from a minimum value of the specific output, the specific output comprising a quotient of a total electrical power consumption of the compressor apparatus and a volume flow of compressed air produced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.