US 5,791,159 AGranted

Compression apparatus

AssigneeSulzer Turbo AG

InventorsWalter Aicher, Heinrich Lorenzen

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Abstract

The invention relates to a compression apparatus (10) comprising a turbocompressor (1) with a plurality of compression stages (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) as well as infeed flows (5b, 5c, 5d), where the compression apparatus (10) serves for operating a refrigerant circuit, especially with a hydrocarbon gas such as propane, ethylene, methane, or a mixture thereof, wherein a mixer device (8a, 8b, 8c) is arranged outside the turbocompressor (1) and wherein a preceding and a succeeding compression stage (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) are connected to one another via the mixer device (8a, 8b, 8c) in such a manner that the infeed flow (5b, 5c, 5d) provided for the succeeding compression stage (1b, 1c, 1d) opens into the mixer device (8a, 8b, 8c) in order to mix the infeed flow (5b, 5c, 5d) with a main flow (6a, 6b, 6c) of the preceding compression stage (1a, 1b, 1c).

Claims10

Dependent claims

A multi-stage turbocompressor for a refrigerant circuit comprising:

a first turbocompressor stage for receiving gas at an inlet and discharging compressed gas at a first stage outlet;
a second and successive turbocompressor stage for receiving compressed gas from the first turbocompressor stage with gas infeed of additional gas and discharging compressed infeed and compressed gas at a second stage outlet;
a third and successive turbocompressor stage for receiving compressed gas from the second and successive turbocompressor stage with gas infeed of additional gas and discharging compressed infeed and compressed gas at the third and successive stage outlet;
a process for receiving the compressed gas from the outlet of the last successive turbocompressor stage and relaxing pressure on the compressed gas to generate the gas infeed;
a first mixer for receiving compressed gas from the first stage outlet of the first turbocompressor stage and gas infeed from the process and discharging mixed compressed gas and infeed to the second and successive turbocompressor stage inlet;
and,
a second mixer for receiving compressed gas from the second stage outlet of the second and successive turbocompressor stage and gas infeed from the process and discharging mixed compressed gas and infeed to the second and successive turbocompressor stage inlet whereby the inlet to the second and successive turbocompressor stage and the inlet to the third and successive turbocompressor stage receives uniformly mixed compressed gas and infeed with a homogenous temperature distribution.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.