Compressor with multiple lubricant sumps

A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system, comprising:

• a working fluid circuit, including:
• a compressor, a condenser, at least one expander, and an evaporator, fluidly connected, wherein a working fluid flows therethrough,
• wherein the compressor comprises:
• a compressor housing;
• a discharge chamber and an intermediate-pressure chamber each disposed within the compressor housing, the discharge chamber having a first lubricant sump, and the intermediate-pressure chamber having a second lubricant sump;
• a suction inlet and a discharge outlet formed in the compressor housing;
• a compression mechanism disposed within the compressor housing, the compression mechanism configured to suction working fluid from the suction inlet and discharge working fluid into the discharge chamber, the compression mechanism including an intermediate injection port fluidly connected to the intermediate-pressure chamber;
• and
• a lubricant supply passage extending from the discharge chamber to the intermediate-pressure chamber, the lubricant supply passage including a lubricant sump valve configured to control a flow of lubricant through the lubricant supply passage from first lubricant sump of the discharge chamber to the second lubricant sump of the intermediate pressure-chamber, and
• wherein the lubricant in the second lubricant sump is supplied to at least the compression mechanism.

A method for operating a compressor comprises:

• driving, with a motor, a compression mechanism to suction working fluid into the compressor via a suction inlet, compress the working fluid into a compressed working fluid, and discharge the compressed working fluid from the compressor via a discharge outlet, the compressor including a compressor housing with the suction inlet and the discharge outlet, a discharge chamber with a first lubricant sump disposed within the compressor housing, and an intermediate-pressure chamber with a second lubricant sump disposed within the compressor housing;
• injecting intermediate-pressure working fluid from the intermediate-pressure chamber into the compression mechanism, the intermediate-pressure working fluid being compressed by the compression mechanism and discharged as part of the compressed working fluid;
• and
• directing lubricant from the first lubricant sump of the discharge chamber to the second lubricant sump of the second lubricant sump through a lubricant supply passage extending from the discharge chamber to the intermediate-pressure chamber, which includes detecting a lubricant level in the second lubricant sump and controlling, via a lubricant sump valve, a flowrate of the lubricant through the lubricant supply passage.