Lubrication of positive displacement expanders

Abstract

A method and system for lubricating a positive displacement machine operating as an expander of a compressed gas, comprising introducing into an expansion chamber of the machine a lubricant whose pour point temperature is greater than the operating temperature of the machine in the expansion chamber as determined by the expanding gas, which thus causes the lubricant to freeze-adhere to the internal surfaces of the expansion chamber, to become fluid under increased pressure at a point of contact of the working surfaces of the expander and then to refreeze when the surfaces separate. Considerable reduction in the quantity of lubricant is realised with the attendant advantage that dis-entrainment of lubricant from the gas exhausted from the machine is largely avoided.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.