US 5,957,667 AGranted

Oilless compressor with a pressurizable crankcase and motor containment vessel

AssigneeBallard Generation Systems Inc.

InventorMark A. Epp

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Abstract

An oilless gas compressor includes a motor containment vessel containing a motor for driving the compressor and a crankcase attached to the motor containment vessel. The crankcase and the motor containment vessel are fluidly connected and together define a sealed, pressurizable interior cavity in which the rotatable motor shaft is disposed. The compressor further includes a cylinder mounted upon the crankcase, the cylinder having a piston disposed therein. The piston is connected to the shaft for reciprocation of the piston within the cylinder. The cylinder also includes a gas intake valve, fluidly connected to the compressor suction inlet port, and a gas discharge valve, fluidly connected to the compressor discharge outlet port. The oilless gas compressor, in which the need for perimeter rotating shaft seals is obviated, is suitable for compression of precious or toxic gases or flammable gases, such as natural gas.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An oilless gas compressor comprising:

a motor containment vessel containing a motor for driving said compressor, said motor comprising a stator and a rotor;
a crankcase attached to said motor containment vessel, said crankcase and said motor containment vessel fluidly connected and together defining a sealed, pressurized interior cavity during operation of the compressor;
a shaft disposed entirely in said interior cavity, said shaft rotatable by said motor;
a cylinder mounted upon said crankcase, said cylinder comprising a piston, said piston connected to said shaft for reciprocation of said piston within said cylinder, said cylinder further comprising a gas intake valve and a gas discharge valve;
a suction inlet port fluidly connected to a fluid passage;
said passage comprising a first conduit, fluidly connected to said gas intake valve, and a second conduit, fluidly connected and adjacent to at least one inlet of said gas intake valve and to said pressurized interior cavity for recovering blow-by gas;
a discharge outlet port fluidly connected to said gas discharge valve.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.