Gas Compressor and Control Method Therefor

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a gas compressor capable of reducing variation in discharge pressure through control of the number of compressor bodies and a control method for the gas compressor. In order to solve the problem, this gas compressor includes a plurality of compressor units each having a compressor body, a motor for driving the compressor body, and an inverter for controlling a rotational speed of the motor, and a control device for controlling the inverters. Discharge pipes of the compressor bodies converge on one main discharge pipe. A drive frequency of the motor of each compressor body is controlled by the corresponding inverter, whereby a pressure of each discharge pipe is controlled and a discharge pressure of the main discharge pipe is controlled. When the discharge pressure of the main discharge pipe has increased in a period of reduction in the drive frequency of the motor of the compressor body before the drive frequency reaches a lower-limit frequency, the control device calculates a prediction time for reaching a stopping pressure. The control device stops one of the compressor bodies when the prediction time is less than a threshold value.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.