Sliding Vane Compression and Expansion Device
OwnerRobert Whitesellinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sliding vane compression and expansion device for both cryogenic and normal refrigeration cycles, including the production of liquefied natural gas, is disclosed herein. The device can operate in extreme conditions of pressure and temperature, and incorporates replaceable wear elements as well as functional design elements into a sliding vane device to permit processing of a wide variety of gases (for example, but not limited to, methane, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, etc.), liquids and other media under very extreme conditions, including, but not limited to, super-heated steam, cryogenic liquids, bi-phase gas/liquids (wherein both gaseous and liquid media co-exist or are created in the same area), plasma media, semi-solids and powders.
Claims17
A sliding vane expander/compressor device for receiving a cooled, compressed natural gas feed stream and expanding the stream to form a bi-phase stream with a vapor component and a liquid component, the device comprising:
- a. a stator comprising an inner polydynamic ellipse profile, an inlet port and at least one discharge port;
- b. a rotor rotatably supported in the stator for rotation about a main shaft, the rotor comprising a plurality of vane slots for receiving sliding vanes;
- and
- c. a plurality of sliding vanes, each vane adapted to be slidably mounted within one of the plurality of vane slots in the rotor.
A sliding vane expander/compressor device for receiving a cooled, compressed natural gas feed stream and expanding the stream to form a bi-phase stream with a vapor component and a liquid component, the device comprising:
- a. a stator comprising an inner polydynamic ellipse profile, an inlet port and at least one discharge port;
- b. a rotor rotatably supported in the stator for rotation about a main shaft, the rotor comprising a plurality of vane slots for receiving sliding vanes;
- and
- c. a plurality of sliding vanes, each vane adapted to be slidably mounted within one of the plurality of vane slots in the rotor, wherein each sliding vane comprises:
- i. a vane vent operable to provide an escape path for fluid;
- ii. a vane tip insert configured to be retained at the top of the vane, wherein the vane tip insert is made of a low friction material;
- iii. a pair of vane bearing inserts configured to be retained within each bottom face of the vane;
- iv. a pair of vane side seal inserts operable to seal the side ends of the vane against the rotor housing, wherein each of the vane side seal inserts are preloaded from behind by a waffle spring;
- and
- v. a plurality of vane load springs adapted to stabilize the vane tip within the stator.
The device of claim 14, further comprising floating end thrust bearings operable to allow the main shaft to move laterally in a controlled fashion during startup and shutdown and during the normalization period of function.
The device of claim 14, wherein the vane vent is in the form of a V-shaped groove within the face of the vane, the groove including a pair of vent holes connected to a spring well within the vane.
The device of claim 14, wherein the vane end seals and the waffle springs are secured in place by locator pins.
The device of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of vane load springs includes a guide pin adapted to fit inside the spring, and wherein the guide pin includes a head adapted to fit within spring wells located in a vane guide plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.