Centrifugal compressor with energy recovery from a recycle line
AssigneeNuovo Pignone Tecnologie Srl
InventorsMassimo Camatti, Manuele Bigi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A centrifugal compressor is described comprising an anti-surge return line is disclosed, wherein a radial expan-sion impeller is arranged downstream the compressor discharge and one or more flow regulators are arranged between the compressor discharge and the radial expansion impeller, and wherein the radial expansion impeller discharge is connected with the anti-surge return line. A method for controlling surge in a compressor is also described, the method comprising a step of directing at least a portion or volume of the continuous flow of fluid from the compressor to a radial expansion impeller and to a return line.
Claims14
A centrifugal compressor comprising:
- a compressor rotor;
- a compressor stator;
- a working fluid compressor inlet;
- a working fluid compressor outlet and a driver, the driver driving the compressor rotor in rotation through a rotor shaft end, wherein a radial expansion impeller is arranged on the rotor shaft end downstream of the compressor rotor, the radial expansion impeller comprising a radial expansion impeller inlet and a radial expansion impeller discharge, and multiple adjustable nozzles are arranged about the compressor between the working fluid compressor discharge and the radial expansion impeller inlet to regulate an amount of the working fluid allowed to pass through the radial expansion impeller, and wherein the radial expansion impeller discharge is connected with the working fluid compressor inlet through a return line;
- and
- an antisurge control system in communication with temperature, pressure and flow measuring instruments on an outlet line of the compressor and to temperature, pressure and flow measuring instruments on an inlet line of the compressor and with the multiple nozzles, the antisurge control system configured to adjust the multiple nozzles to increase and/or decrease the amount of the working fluid allowed to pass through the radial expansion impeller.
A method for controlling surge in a compressor, the compressor causing a pressure rise to a continuous flow of a working fluid;
- the method comprising:
- providing a radial expansion impeller downstream a compressor discharge;
- providing multiple adjustable nozzles between the compressor discharge and the radial expansion impeller;
- providing a return line downstream the radial expansion impeller to connect it with the compressor;
- wherein the method further comprises
- adjusting the multiple adjustable nozzles to direct at least a portion or volume of the continuous flow of fluid to pass through the radial expansion impeller and to the return line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.