EP4634530A1

EP4634530A1 - Multi-modal compressor systems, devices, and methods

Info

Publication number: EP4634530A1
Application number: EP23822468.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hannes DEWOLF; Joris Aerts; Mark SEVEREYNS; Jan VANSWEEVELT
Original assignee: Atlas Copco Airpower NV
Current assignee: Atlas Copco Airpower NV
Priority date: 2022-12-12
Filing date: 2023-12-06
Publication date: 2025-10-22
Also published as: JP2025541846A; BE1031067B1; WO2024127167A1; BE1031067A1; KR20250114102A; TW202432957A

Abstract

A system and method are provided for controlling a multi-modal compressor system (100), the system being configurable to: cause a multi-modal drive controller (164) of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operational profile; determine a first compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor according to a second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operational profile that is different than the first operational profile; and determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

Description

MULTI-MODAL COMPRESSOR SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS

[01] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[02] The present disclosure relates to methods, systems, and apparatuses for monitoring and/or controlling energy usage of a multi-modal compressor system, and particularly for monitoring actual energy usage of a multi-modal compressor system when operating under particular conditions in a first compression mode and inferring estimated energy usage of the multi-modal compressor system when operating under the particular conditions in a second compression mode.

[03] BACKGROUND

[04] Compressed air is used in a wide range of applications including, but not limited to, food processing, chemical and pharmaceutical operations, pneumatic tools, HVAC and HVAC control systems, abrasive blasting, injection molding, airbrushing, manufacturing, and others. Many enterprises implement compressed air systems for providing a sufficient supply of compressed air to meet the compressed air flow demands of the enterprise. Such compressed air systems may include one or more air compressors connected to a network of outlet ports for delivery of compressed air to desired locations.

[05] Various flow control systems/regimes exist to enable compressed air systems to meet flow demands while at least partially mitigating energy waste. The most common flow control regime is a load/unload regime. In an example load/unload system, when air is required, a compressor motor actuates a compressor element, and a signal is sent to a solenoid valve that guides a compressor’s inlet valve to a fully open position, allowing the compressor motor and element to provide compressed air. In many conventional load/unload systems, the valve is either fully opened (loaded) or fully closed (unloaded). A pressure switch may be placed in the compressed air system that has two selectable values: one for the minimum pressure (to begin loading) and one for maximum pressure (to begin unloading). The compressor will then work within the limits of the set values (e.g., within a range of 0.5 bar) by entering a loading state to provide compressed air when the minimum pressure reached and entering an unloading state (e.g., an idling state) when the maximum pressure is reached. In situations of low compressed air requirements, the compressor motor can run predominantly in the unloaded state (idling). The length of the idling period can be limited by a timer (set, for example, to 20 minutes). When the set time period elapses, the compressor can stop and can refrain from starting again until the pressure has dropped to or below the minimum value.

[06] Some load/unload systems replace the pressure switch with a pressure transducer and an electronic regulation system for monitoring how quickly the pressure in the system changes, allowing the system to start the motor and control the opening and closing of a damper at the right time. If no air is used, the pressure remains constant, and the compressor runs in off-loaded (idling) mode.

[07] Load/unload compressors typically operate at a fixed speed whenever the compressor motor is running. Accordingly, load/unload systems typically draw power to meet the maximum compressed air demand (to run the compressor motor at its fixed speed) whenever the compressor motor is run, even if the current compressed air demand is less than maximum. This can result in inefficient energy usage, particularly in situations of high variability of compressed air demand.

[08] Another flow control regime enables control of the compressor motor speed to tailor the compressor motor speed to compressed air demand. Compressor systems that facilitate control of compressor motor speed are referred to as variable speed drive (VSD) compressor systems. VSD systems often include sensors for measuring system pressure and/or changes in requested flow. VSD systems utilize this sensor data to select and implement a compressor motor speed that is tailored to the current pressure and/or flow requirements (e.g., high motor speed for high flow demand, low motor speed for low flow demand). VSD systems typically implement a frequency converter (or “inverter”) to control the operational frequency and voltage of the compressor motor, thereby controlling the motor speed of the compressor motor.

[09] By facilitating variable motor speeds, VSD systems can often reduce energy usage when compared to load/unload systems, especially in implementations where variation in compressed air flow demand occurs. Consequently, VSD systems can also reduce energy costs and/or carbon emissions for consumers (relative to load/unload systems). However, VSD systems typically have more complex hardware and/or software than load/unload systems (e.g., by implementing frequency converters, additional or alternative sensors, and/or computer-executable instructions that enable the VSD system to properly tailor motor speed based on flow requirements). Thus, VSD systems are typically associated with higher up-front costs for consumers.

[10] In many situations, notwithstanding the higher up-front costs, VSD systems can be more cost-effective for consumers over time, in particular because of the energy savings associated with VSD systems relative to load/unload systems. Unfortunately, many consumers fail to recognize the long-term cost savings associated with VSD systems and instead allocate resources toward acquiring load/unload systems to alleviate immediate compressed air needs (even where a VSD system would be advantageous for the consumer’s particular use case).

[11] SUMMARY

[ 12] A system is provided that comprises one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the system to: cause a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operational profile; determine a first compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor according to a second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operational profile that is different than the first operational profile; and determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

[13] A method is provided for controlling a compressor system, the method comprising: causing a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operational profile; determining a first compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor according to a second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operational profile that is different than the first operational motor speed profile; and determining energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

[14] At least one embodiment includes a compressor system, comprising: a compressor motor configured to actuate a compressor element to facilitate gas compression; a frequency converter configured to connect to a power source and to the compressor motor, the frequency converter being operable to control an operational motor speed of the compressor motor; a multi-modal drive controller configured to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to a plurality of operational modes, the plurality of operational modes comprising (i) a load/unload compression mode and (ii) a variable speed drive (VSD) mode; one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the compressor system to: cause the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the compressor motor according to the load/unload compression mode; determine a load/unload compression mode energy usage based upon actual operation of the compressor motor according to the load/unload compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated VSD mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor motor according to the VSD mode under the one or more operational conditions; determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the load/unload compression mode energy usage and the estimated VSD mode energy usage; and present the energy savings information on a user interface.

[15] At least one embodiment includes a system, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the system to: cause a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system according to a load/unload compression mode; determine a load/unload compression mode energy usage based upon actual operation of the compressor motor according to the load/unload compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated VSD mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor motor according to a VSD mode under the one or more operational conditions; and determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the load/unload compression mode energy usage and the estimated VSD mode energy usage.

[16] At least one embodiment includes a compressor system, comprising: a compressor motor configured to actuate a compressor element to facilitate gas compression; a frequency converter configured to connect to a power source and to the compressor motor, the frequency converter being operable to control an operational motor speed of the compressor motor; a multi-modal drive controller configured to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to a plurality of operational modes, the plurality of operational modes comprising (i) a first compression mode associated with a first operational motor speed profile and (ii) a second compression mode associated with a second operational motor speed profile that is different than the first operational motor speed profile; one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the compressor system to: cause the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the compressor motor according to the first compression mode; determine a first compression mode energy usage based upon actual operation of the compressor motor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor motor according to the second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions; determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage; and present the energy savings information on a user interface.

[17] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[18] Figure 1 illustrates example components of an example multi-modal compressor system.

[19] Figure 2 illustrates a conceptual representation of generating efficiency information associated with operation of a multi-modal compressor system in different operational modes. [20] Figure 3 illustrates a conceptual representation of presenting efficiency information on a user interface and receiving user input directed toward activating an operational mode responsive to the user input.

[21] Figure 4 illustrates an example flow diagram depicting acts associated with operating a multi-modal compressor system.

[22] The drawings are included to provide a better understanding of the components and are not intended to be limiting in scope, but to provide exemplary illustrations.

[23] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

[24] The inventive concepts of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to embodiments and with reference to the drawings. But the claimed invention is not limited thereto. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting in scope. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale; this is for ease of illustration. The dimensions and relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to practical embodiments of the invention.

[25] Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like may be used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. The terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention can be practiced in sequences other than those described or illustrated herein.

[26] The terms “topmost,” “upper,” “bottommost,” “lower,” “above,” “below,” and the like in the description and in the claims are also used for purposes of example and are not necessarily used to describe relative positions. These terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can be practiced in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

[27] In addition, the various embodiments which may be described as “preferred embodiments” are to be construed as merely illustrative of ways and modes for carrying out the invention and not as limitations on the scope of the invention.

[28] The terms “comprising”, “including”, or “having” as used in the claims should not be interpreted as being limited to the means or steps mentioned thereafter. The terms are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, elements, steps or components as referred to, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “an apparatus or device comprising means A and B” should not be taken as being limited to an apparatus or device consisting only of components A and B. It is intended that for the purposes of this disclosure, only the parts A and B of the device are specifically mentioned, but the claims should be further construed to include equivalents of these parts.

[29] As noted above, VSD compressed air systems may provide various energy efficiency and/or benefits over load/unload compressed air systems. However, VSD compressed air systems are typically associated with higher up-front cost, which often causes consumers to purchase load/unload systems instead (even where a VSD system would provide longterm cost savings and/or reduce carbon emissions for the consumer’s particular implementation conditions).

[30] At least some disclosed embodiments are directed to compressor systems that include a multi-modal drive controller, enabling the compressor system to operate in multiple compression modes. For example, a compressor system as disclosed herein may operate in a load/unload mode or, alternatively, in a VSD mode. The multi-modal compressor system may be manufactured to include hardware components that allow the multi-modal compressor system to operate in the load/unload mode or the VSD mode. For instance, the multi-modal compressor system may include a frequency converter to allow the multimodal compressor system to selectively change the compressor motor speed responsive to detected flow demand/conditions and/or other environmental conditions. Notwithstanding the inclusion of the frequency converter, the frequency converter may be bypassed or configured to run the compressor motor with a substantially constant motor speed when the multi-modal compressor system operates in the load/unload mode.

[31] In some instances, the multi-modal compressor system may selectively activate the load/unload mode or the VSD mode based upon flow demand or requested flow. For example, in some instances, where sensor data indicates that requested flow is consistently high for a period of time, the multi-modal compressor system may selectively enable the load/unload compression mode, whereas, when sensor data indicates that requested flow varies for a time period, the multi-modal compressor system may selectively enable the VSD mode. [32] A multi-modal compressor system with hardware components that enable operation in either a load/unload mode or a VSD mode may allow vendors to provide a single type of air compressor system to consumers, whether the consumers desire primary operation in the load/unload mode or the VSD mode. Vendors may elect to charge a different price for the multi-modal compressor system based upon whether the consumer intends to operate the system in the load/unload mode or the VSD mode. For instance, the vendor may selectively disable operation of the multi-modal compressor system in the VSD mode (e.g., by software means) and demand a lower price for consumers that intend to operate the multi-modal compressor system in the load/unload mode.

[33] The multi-modal compressor system may include components for tracking energy usage of the system when operating in the load/unload system (under particular use conditions) and for estimating energy usage that would apply if the system was instead operated in the VSD mode (under the same particular use conditions). Estimated energy, cost, and/or CO2 savings that may be achieved in the VSD mode may thus be calculated and presented to users of the multi-modal compressor system who operate (and/or paid a lower price for operation of) the multi-modal compressor solely in the load/unload mode. Presentation of such energy, cost, and/or CO2 savings may readily communicate to users the efficiency gains that are possible with the VSD mode in the user’s particular use environment. Users may thus be motivated to request activation/unlocking of the VSD mode on their multi-modal compressor system. The activation/unlocking of the VSD mode on a multi-modal compressor system may be associated with an additional or increased cost payable to the vendor to allow vendors to recuperate the cost of providing a VSD-enabled compressor (i.e., the multi-modal compressor system) at a lower initial price. The additional or increased cost, however, may be lower than the cost that the user would face if the user were to instead acquire an entirely separate VSD-enabled compressed air system.

[34] Such functionality may allow users to fill their immediate compressed air needs (e.g., at a lower initial price) by acquiring a single multi-modal compressed air system for immediate operation in a load/unload mode, while still enabling users to feasibly upgrade to VSD operation in an efficient manner (e.g., by paying an additional fee to a vendor after being presented with cost savings information associated with VSD operation that is tailored to the user’s use environment). Such functionality can mitigate situations where users initially purchase a dedicated load/unload compressor system and subsequently feel unable to upgrade to a dedicated VSD system in view of the sunken cost associated with the initial purchase of the load/unload compressor system.

[35] Although the present disclosure focuses, in at least some respects, on a load/unload mode and a VSD mode, the principles described herein may be applied to other flow regulation regimes. Furthermore, although the present disclosure focuses on acquiring and/or providing cost savings and/or other information during operation in a load/unload mode, such cost savings and/or other information may be acquired during operation in a VSD mode to continually communicate to users the efficiencies achieved by operation in the VSD mode (e.g., estimated energy usage may be calculated for the load/unload mode, whereas actual energy usage may be calculated for the VSD mode, and the two may be compared to provide energy savings and/or other information for presentation to users).

[36] Figure 1 illustrates various example components of an example compressor system 100 (e.g., a multi-modal compressor system) that may comprise or implement one or more disclosed embodiments. For example, Figure 1 illustrates that a compressor system 100 may include processor(s) 102, storage 104, sensor(s) 110, input/output system(s) 114 (I/O system(s) 114), communication system(s) 116, and/or other components. Although Figure 1 illustrates a compressor system 100 as including particular components, one will appreciate, in view of the present disclosure, that a compressor system 100 may comprise any number of additional or alternative components. Furthermore, although some of the components may be illustrated or described as distinct entities, one will appreciate, in view of the present disclosure, that such distinctions are made for the sake of explanation/description only. For example, functionality described herein in association with a particular component may be performed by a different component or a combination of components as described herein. Accordingly, aspects of the components described herein may be combined with other components or divided into multiple components in accordance with the present disclosure.

[37] The processor(s) 102 may comprise one or more sets of electronic circuitries that include any number of logic units, registers, and/or control units to facilitate the execution of computer-readable instructions (e.g., instructions that form a computer program). Such computer-readable instructions may be stored within storage 104 (e.g., instructions 106). The storage 104 may comprise physical system memory and may be volatile, non-volatile, or some combination thereof. Furthermore, storage 104 may comprise local storage, remote storage (e.g., accessible via communication system(s) 116 or otherwise), or some combination thereof. Additional details related to processors (e.g., processor(s) 102) and computer storage media (e.g., storage 104) will be provided hereinafter.

[38] In some implementations, the processor(s) 102 may comprise or be configurable to execute any combination of software and/or hardware components that are operable to facilitate processing using machine learning models or other artificial intelligence-based structures/architectures. For example, processor(s) 102 may comprise and/or utilize hardware components or computer-executable instructions operable to carry out function blocks and/or processing layers configured in the form of, by way of non-limiting example, single-layer neural networks, feed forward neural networks, radial basis function networks, deep feed-forward networks, recurrent neural networks, long-short term memory (LSTM) networks, gated recurrent units, autoencoder neural networks, variational autoencoders, denoising autoencoders, sparse autoencoders, Markov chains, Hopfield neural networks, Boltzmann machine networks, restricted Boltzmann machine networks, deep belief networks, deep convolutional networks (or convolutional neural networks), deconvolutional neural networks, deep convolutional inverse graphics networks, generative adversarial networks, liquid state machines, extreme learning machines, echo state networks, deep residual networks, Kohonen networks, support vector machines, neural Turing machines, and/or others.

[39] As will be described in more detail, the processor(s) 102 may be configured to execute instructions 106 stored within storage 104 to perform certain actions associated with operation of the compressor system 100. The actions may rely at least in part on data 108 stored on storage 104 in a volatile or non-volatile manner.

[40] In some instances, the actions may rely at least in part on communication system(s) 116 for receiving data from other components and/or remote system(s) 118, which may include, for example, separate systems or computing devices, sensors, and/or others. The communications system(s) 116 may comprise any combination of software or hardware components that are operable to facilitate communication between on-system components/devices and/or with off-system components/devices. For example, the communications system(s) 116 may comprise ports, buses, or other physical connection apparatuses for communicating with other devices/components. Additionally, or alternatively, the communications system(s) 116 may comprise systems/components operable to communicate wirelessly with external systems and/or devices through any suitable communication channel(s), such as, by way of non-limiting example, Bluetooth, ultra-wideband, WLAN, infrared communication, and/or others.

[41] Figure 1 illustrates that a compressor system 100 may comprise or be in communication with sensor(s) 110 (e.g., to obtain data 108 used to perform acts described herein). Sensor(s) 110 may comprise any device for capturing or measuring data representative of perceivable or detectable phenomena. By way of non-limiting example, the sensor(s) 110 may comprise one or more flow sensors, pressure sensors, hygrometers, image sensors, microphones, thermometers, barometers, magnetometers, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and/or others.

[42] Furthermore, Figure 1 illustrates that a compressor system 100 may comprise or be in communication with I/O system(s) 114. I/O system(s) 114 may include any type of input or output device such as, by way of non-limiting example, a display, a touch screen, a mouse, a keyboard, a controller, a speaker, and/or others, without limitation.

[43] Figure 1 also illustrates additional example components of or in communication with the compressor system 100. For instance, Figure 1 illustrates the compressor system 100 as including a compressor motor 120 configured to actuate a compressor element 122 to facilitate gas compression (e.g., compression of ambient air). The compressor motor 120 may take on any suitable form, such as a three-phase induction motor. Similarly, the compressor element 122 may take on any suitable form, such as any type of dynamic compressor (e.g., ejector, radial, or axial compressor) or displacement compressor such as a rotary compressor (e.g., a single rotor such as a vane, liquid ring, or scroll compressor; or a multi-rotor compressor such as a screw, tooth, or blower compressor) or a piston compressor.

[44] Figure 1 also illustrates various additional components that may operate in conjunction with the compressor motor 120 and the compressor element 122 to facilitate gas compression. Figure 1 illustrates the compressor system as including an inlet filter 124, a sentinel valve 126, air/oil vessel separator 128, thermostatic bypass valve 130, oil filter 132, safety valve 134, oil separator 136, minimum pressure valve 138, solenoid valve 140, after cooler 142, fan 144, oil cooler 146, electronic drain 148, a dryer 150 (the electronic drain 148 can be mounted on the after cooler 142 in implementations that omit the dryer 150), and a condensate prevention cycle 152. As noted above, one or more of the components shown in Figure 1 may be omitted from a compressor system 100, or alternative components/structures may be utilized in accordance with the scope of the present disclosure.

[45] Figure 1 also illustrates the compressor system 100 as including a frequency converter 160 configured to connect to a power source 162 and to the compressor motor 120 (as indicated in Figure 1 by dashed lines extending from the power source 162 to the frequency converter 160 and from the frequency converter 160 to the compressor motor 120). As discussed above, the frequency converter 160 controls the operational motor speed of the compressor motor by controlling the frequency and voltage of the compressor motor 120. The frequency converter 160 may comprise a rotary frequency converter, a solid state frequency converter, etc. The power source 162 may comprise a grid-connected power source or an off-grid power source.

[46] Figure 1 depicts that operation of the frequency converter 160 (and/or the compressor motor 120) may be controlled by a multi-modal drive controller 164 (as indicated in Figure 1 by dashed lines extending from the multi-modal drive controller 164 to the frequency converter 160 and to the compressor motor 120). The multi-modal drive controller 164 may comprise or operate in conjunction with the processor(s) 102 to govern operation of the frequency converter 160 and/or the compressor motor 120.

[47] According to a first embodiment, the multi-modal controller is configured to operate the frequency converter 160 and/or the compressor motor 120 according to a plurality of operational modes including at least a first compression mode 166 and a second compression mode 168 (as indicated in Figure 1 by solid lines extending from the multimodal drive controller 164 to the first compression mode 166 and the second compression mode 168). The first compression mode 166 and the second compression mode 168 are associated with different operational motor speed profiles. For example, the first compression mode 166 may comprise a load/unload compression mode, and the second compression mode 168 may comprise a VSD mode. As noted above, the load/unload compression mode may be associated with multiple states, such as a load state (to provide compressed air/gas), an unload state (e.g., idling), or a stop state (e.g., which may be implemented after a period of idling). During the load state (and often the unload state), the compressor motor 120 runs at a substantially constant operational motor speed. This can be accomplished, for example, by configuring the frequency converter 160, via the multi-modal drive controller 164, to impose a substantially constant frequency and voltage for the compressor motor 120 for operation in the load state of the load/unload compression mode, or by bypassing, via the multi-modal drive controller 164, one or more aspects of the frequency converter 160 to allow a constant frequency and voltage to be supplied to the compressor motor 120 from the power source 162 and/or one or more intervening components.

[48] As also noted above, a VSD mode is associated with variable operational motor speed of the compressor motor 120, which can be accomplished by causing, via the multi-modal drive controller 164, the frequency converter 160 to dynamically modify the frequency and voltage for operation of the compressor motor 120. The motor speed for the compressor motor 120 (and/or the associated voltage/frequency) may be dynamically determined based upon a demand associated with usage of the compressor system, such as a requested flow of compressed air, a current compressed air pressure of the compressor system 100, etc.

[49] According to other embodiments, the multi-modal controller is configured to operate the one or more other control components of the compressor system according to a plurality of operational modes including at least a first compression mode and a second compression mode. Such control components may include one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls.

[50] Figure 2 illustrates a conceptual representation of generating efficiency information associated with operation of a multi-modal compressor system (e.g., multi-modal compressor system 100 of Figure 1) in different operational modes (e.g., a first compression mode 166 and a second compression mode 168). In the example of Figure 2, a first compression mode is a load/unload mode (depicted in Figure 2 by load/unload operation 202) and a second compression mode is a VSD mode (depicted in Figure 2 by inferred VSD operation). As noted above, a compressor system (e.g., compressor system 100) may be initially configured to enable operation in a load/unload mode, with an option provided to users to upgrade or subsequently enable/activate operation in a VSD mode. Accordingly, Figure 2 depicts load/unload operation 202 associated with a compressor system (e.g., compressor system 100), indicating initial operation of a compressor system in a load/unload mode (e.g., which may be facilitated by a multi-modal drive controller 164 directly or indirectly controlling a frequency converter 160 and/or compressor motor 120, as discussed above). The load/unload operation 202 may be associated with any particular time horizon or combination of time periods, such as load/unload operation 202 over a number of hours, days, months, years, etc.

[51] The load/unload operation 202 may be performed in particular operational conditions 204 which may represent actual, real-world conditions that the compressor system enacting load/unload operation 202 is subject to. For instance, the load/unload operation 202 may be performed under particular operational conditions 204 related to demand associated with usage of the compressor system, such as requested flow (e.g., measured over time and/or for different time periods and/or tasks), change in requested flow, and/or other metrics based thereon. Additional operational conditions may include, by way of non-limiting example, ambient pressure, ambient temperature, ambient humidity, etc. The demand associated with usage of the compressor system and/or other aspects of the operational conditions 204 may be determined utilizing one or more sensors associated with the compressor system (e.g., sensor(s) 110 of compressor system 100 discussed hereinabove). At least some aspects of the operational conditions 204 may be based upon set parameters, such as specifications/aspects of the compressor system hardware/software itself, and/or specifications/aspects of the operational environment in which the compressor system is utilized.

[52] Based upon the operational conditions 204, a system may determine load/unload energy usage 206 associated with the actual load/unload operation 202 (e.g., operation in a load/unload mode) performed by a compressor system (as indicated in Figure 2 by the arrows extending from load/unload operation 202 and operational conditions 204 toward load/unload energy usage 206). The load/unload energy usage 206 may be determined/quantified in various ways and/or based on various aspects of the load/unload operation 202 and/or operational conditions 204. In one example, the load/unload energy usage 206 is based upon unload time, unload power, load time, load power, transient loss, number of load cycles, and/or number of unload cycles. For instance, load/unload energy usage 206 may be calculated according to the following equation:

Ei/u = ( u * Pu) + ( i * Pl) + (TL_t/u * (Qi + Q_u)) (1) where E_t/_U represents the load/unload energy usage 206, T_u represents the unload time during the load/unload operation 202, P_u represents the unload power for the load/unload operation 202, 7) represents the load time during the load/unload operation 202, represents the load power for the load/unload operation 202, TL_t/_u represents the transient loss for the load/unload operation 202, Qi represents the number of load cycles for the load/unload operation 202, and Q_u represents the number of unload cycles for the load/unload operation 202. In some instances, such as where the load/unload operation includes a large quantity of load cycles and/or unload cycles, the transient loss TL_t/_u may be scaled based on a time associated with the cycles (e.g., an average cycle time). The load time, unload time, number of load cycles, and/or number of unload cycles may be determined utilizing timers and/or counters associated with the compressor system undergoing load/unload operation 202. The unload power, load power, and/or transient loss may be determined based on known compressor system specifications (e.g., resulting from factory testing) and/or measured in real-time via one or more sensors (e.g., sensor(s) 110).

[53] In some implementations, to provide an efficiency comparison relative to the load/unload energy usage 206, a system may determine estimated VSD energy usage 210 that would apply to the multi-modal compressor system associated with the load/unload operation 202 if the multi-modal compressor system were instead operated in a VSD mode. The estimated VSD energy usage 210 is based upon inferred VSD operation 208 of the multi-modal compressor system (e.g., in the VSD mode) under the same operational conditions 204 that existed for the load/unload operation 202 (e.g., in the load/unload mode). The estimated VSD energy usage 210 may be determined by utilizing the operational conditions 204 (e.g., flow profile, ambient pressure, ambient temperature, ambient humidity, and/or other metrics over time) and aspects of inferred VSD operation 208 of the multi-modal compressor system such as available VSD mode compressor motor speed settings (e.g., within a range 0% to 100% of maximum compressor motor speed), VSD mode power ratings, VSD mode free air delivery (FAD), VSD mode transient loss, and/or others. Such aspects of inferred VSD operation 208 may be determined based on known compressor system specifications (e.g., resulting from factory testing) and/or may be modified based on the operational conditions (e.g., measured ambient pressure, temperature, and/or humidity of the implementation environment). [54] Based upon the operational conditions 204, a system may determine the estimated VSD energy usage 210 associated with the inferred VSD operation 208 (e.g., operation in a VSD mode) performed by a compressor system (as indicated in Figure 2 by the arrows extending from the operational conditions 204 and the inferred VSD operation 208 toward the estimated VSD energy usage 210). The estimated VSD energy usage 210 may be determined/quantified in various ways and/or based on various aspects of the inferred VSD operation 208 and/or operational conditions 204. In one example, the estimated VSD energy usage 210 is based upon power for each of the available operational motor speeds associated with the VSD mode, estimated time spent in each of the available operational motor speeds associated with the VSD mode, transient loss, estimated number of starts, and estimated number of stops. For instance, estimated VSD energy usage 210 may be calculated according to the following equation: where E_VSD represents the estimated VSD energy usage 210, TL_VSD represents the transient loss for the inferred VSD operation 208, Q_start represents the number of cycle starts for the inferred VSD operation 208, Q_stop represents the number of cycle stops for the inferred VSD operation 208, n indexes the different available operational motor speeds associated with the inferred VSD operation 208 (e.g., within a range of 0% compressor motor rpm to 100% compressor motor rpm), T_{VSD n} represents the amount of time spent operating in each available operational motor speed associated with the inferred VSD operation 208, and PysD.n represents the power associated with each available operational motor speed associated with the inferred VSD operation 208. In some instances, motor speeds below a threshold motor speed (e.g., 10% of maximum compressor motor rpm) may be assumed to be associated with transient loss. The operational motor speeds that are implemented/selected, the time spent operating in each available operational motor speed, the number of cycle starts, and the number of cycle starts may be estimated utilizing a computational model that utilizes the flow requirement profile (e.g., overtime) associated with the operational conditions 204 as an input (additional inputs may be utilized, such as ambient pressure, temperature, and/or humidity). The power consumption associated with each operational motor speed and the transient loss associated with the V SD mode may be determined based on known compressor system specifications (e.g., resulting from factory testing).

[55] With the (actual) load/unload energy usage 206 and the estimated VSD energy usage 210 determined (e.g., according to Equations (1) and (2), respectively) for the particular operational conditions 204, a system may determine energy savings information 212 that compares the load/unload energy usage 206 to the estimated VSD energy usage 210. The energy savings information 212 may be used to communicate potential energy savings that may be realized by utilizing a VSD mode instead of a load/unload mode for a user’s particular implementation needs. In one example, the energy savings information may comprise a difference between the load/unload energy usage 206 and the estimated VSD energy usage 210, such as:

Esav /_u E VSD ) where E_sav represents an estimated amount of potential energy savings (e.g., energy savings information 212), £)/_u represents the load/unload energy usage 206, and E_VSD represents the estimated VSD energy usage 210.

[56] As shown in Figure 2, additional or alternative efficiency metrics may be determined based at least in part on the load/unload energy usage 206 and the estimated VSD energy usage 210. For instance, Figure 2 illustrates cost savings information 214, which may be determined based upon the energy savings information 212 (and/or the operational conditions 204, as indicated by the arrows extending from the energy savings information 212 and the operational conditions 204 toward the cost savings information 214). For example, the energy savings information 212 may be combined with one or more costs of power associated with operation of the multi-modal compressor system (which may be represented in the operational conditions 204). The cost savings information 214 may be associated with any particular time horizon (e.g., cost saved per day, month, year, etc.). The cost of power may be temporally correlated with the load/unload operation 202 and/or the inferred VSD operation 208 to account for temporal variations in the cost of power (e.g., to account for higher power costs during peak hours) when determining the cost savings information 214. Such information may provide users with a readily interpretable and relevant metric for comparing VSD mode operation to load/unload mode operation for their particular use case. [57] Figure 2 also illustrates CO2 savings information 216, which may be determined based upon the energy savings information 212 (and/or the operational conditions 204, as indicated by the arrows extending from the energy savings information 212 and the operational conditions 204 toward the CO2 savings information 216). For example, the energy savings information 212 may be combined with one or more CO2 emission metrics associated with the type(s) of available power used to power the multi-modal compressor system (whether grid-connected or not). The CO2 emission metrics may be temporally correlated with the load/unload operation 202 and/or the inferred VSD operation 208 to account for different CO2 emissions associated with different power sources available during different times (e.g., to account for solar availability during particular hours). Such information may provide users with an additional readily interpretable and relevant metric for comparing VSD mode operation to load/unload mode operation for their particular use case.

[58] Figure 3 illustrates a conceptual representation of presenting efficiency information on a user interface and receiving user input directed toward activating an operational mode responsive to the user input. In particular, Figure 3 illustrates the energy savings information 212, the cost savings information 214, and the CO2 savings information 216 discussed hereinabove with reference to Figure 2. One or more of the energy savings information 212, the cost savings information 214, and/or the CO2 savings information 216 may be presented on a user interface 302 (e.g., an I/O system 114 of a compressor system 100, or a remote system 118) for perception by a user (as indicated in Figure 3 by the arrows extending from the energy savings information 212, the cost savings information 214, and the CO2 savings information 216 toward the user interface 302). Presentation of such information may enable users to understand and/or monitor the benefits of utilizing a multi-modal compressor system in a VSD mode rather than a load/unload mode (or vice-versa, such as in instances where flow demand is consistently high).

[59] Figure 3 also illustrates a prompt 304 that may be presented on a user interface 302 (as indicated in Figure 3 by the arrow extending from the prompt 304 to the user interface 302). The prompt 304 may comprise a prompt to activate the VSD mode of a multi-modal compressor system (e.g., by paying an additional fee to unlock functionality of the VSD mode at the multi-modal compressor system, which can be performed “over the air” by sending computer-executable instructions to a computing component associated with the compressor system). In some instances, the prompt 304 is presented on a user interface 302 in response to determining that the energy savings information 212 (and/or the cost savings information 214 and/or the CO2 savings information) satisfy one or more conditions. For example, a threshold condition may include a threshold amount of energy, cost, or CO2 savings. As another example, a threshold condition may include whether the cost savings information 214 indicates that potential cost savings exceed a cost associated with activating operation of the VSD mode at the multi-modal compressor system (e.g., a cost due to a vendor to facilitate activation of the VSD mode).

[60] A user may respond to the prompt 304 on a user interface 302 by providing user input 306 that causes activation of the VSD mode 308 at the multi-modal compressor system, as depicted in Figure 3. One will appreciate, in view of the present disclosure, that any number of intervening actions may exist between the provision of the user input 306 and the activation of the VSD mode 308 to ultimately configure the multi-modal compressor system (and/or one or more components thereof, such as the multi-modal drive controller 164) to operate according to the VSD mode. For example, the compressor system 100 may receive instructions that configure a multi-modal drive controller (e.g., multi-modal drive controller 164) to control operation of a frequency converter (e.g., frequency converter 160) and a compressor motor (e.g., compressor motor 120) according to the VSD mode.

[61] The following discussion now refers to a number of methods and method acts that may be performed in accordance with the present disclosure. Although the method acts are discussed in a certain order and illustrated in a flow chart as occurring in a particular order, no particular ordering is required unless specifically stated, or required due to a step being dependent on another step being completed prior to the step being performed. One will appreciate that certain embodiments of the present disclosure may omit one or more of the acts described herein.

[62] Figure 4 illustrates an example flow diagram 400 depicting acts associated with operating a multi-modal compressor system.

[63] Step 402 of flow diagram 400 includes causing a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operational motor speed profile. In some implementations, the first compression mode comprises a load/unload compression mode, which may be associated with at least a load state and an unload state. In some instances, the load state is associated with a substantially constant operational motor speed of the compressor motor.

[64] Step 404 of flow diagram 400 includes determining a first compression mode energy usage based upon actual operation of the compressor motor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions. In some implementations, the one or more operational conditions comprise a demand associated with usage of the compressor system. The one or more operational conditions may further comprise one or more of an ambient pressure, an ambient temperature, and an ambient humidity. In some instances, the first compression mode energy usage based upon an unload time, an unload power, a load time, a load power, a transient loss, a number of load cycles, and a number of unload cycles (e.g., according to Equation (1)).

[65] Step 406 of flow diagram 400 includes determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor motor according to a second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operational motor speed profile that is different than the first operational motor speed profile. In some implementations, second compression mode comprises a VSD mode, which may be associated with a variable operational motor speed of the compressor motor. The variable operational motor speed is dynamically determined based upon a demand associated with usage of the compressor system. In some instances, the estimated VSD mode energy usage is based upon one or more of: a power for each of a plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the VSD mode, an estimated time for each of the plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the VSD mode, a transient loss, an estimated number of starts, and an estimated number of stops.

[66] Step 408 of flow diagram 400 includes determining energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage. In some implementations, the energy savings information comprises a difference between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage. [67] Step 410 of flow diagram 400 includes determining cost savings information based upon the energy savings information. In some implementations, the cost savings information is further based upon a cost of available power associated with the power source.

[68] Step 412 of flow diagram 400 includes determining CO2 savings information based upon the energy savings information. In some instances, the CO2 savings information is further based upon a type of available power associated with the power source

[69] Step 414 of flow diagram 400 includes presenting the energy savings information on a user interface. Step 416 of flow diagram 400 includes presenting the cost savings information on a user interface. Step 418 of flow diagram 400 includes presenting the CO2 savings information on a user interface. The user interface may comprise an input/output component of the compressor system, or another device (e.g., a smartphone of a user associated with operation of the compressor system).

[70] Step 420 of flow diagram 400 includes presenting a prompt at a user interface to activate operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode. In some instances, the prompt is presented in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon (e.g., cost savings information and/or CO2 savings information) satisfies one or more conditions. Such conditions may include, by way of example, whether a cost saving based upon the energy savings information exceeds an activation cost associated with activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode.

[71] Step 422 of flow diagram 400 includes receiving user input directed toward activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode. Step 424 of flow diagram 400 includes, based upon the user input, configuring the multimodal drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to the second compression mode.

[72] Embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise or utilize a special-purpose or general-purpose computer system, as discussed in greater detail below. Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure also include physical and other computer- readable media for carrying or storing computer-executable instructions and/or data structures. Such computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer system. Computer-readable media that store computer-executable instructions and/or data structures are computer storage media and may comprise physical computer storage media or hardware storage devices. Computer-readable media that carry computer-executable instructions and/or data structures are transmission media. Thus, by way of example, embodiments of the disclosure can comprise at least two distinctly different kinds of computer-readable media: computer storage media and transmission media.

[73] Computer storage media are physical storage media that store computer-executable instructions and/or data structures. Physical storage media include computer hardware, such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, solid state drives (“SSDs”), flash memory, phase-change memory (“PCM”), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other hardware storage device(s) which can be used to store program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures, which can be included within or accessed and executed by a controller, a general-purpose, or a special-purpose computer system to implement the disclosed functionality of the disclosure.

[74] Transmission media can include a network and/or data links which can be used to carry program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures, and which can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer system. A “network” may be defined as one or more data links that enable the transport of electronic data between computer systems and/or modules and/or other electronic devices. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a computer system, the computer system may view the connection as transmission media. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[75] Further, upon reaching various computer system components, program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures can be transferred automatically from transmission media to computer storage media (or vice versa). For example, computer-executable instructions or data structures received over a network or data link can be buffered in RAM within a network interface module (e.g., a “NIC”), and then eventually transferred to computer system RAM and/or to less volatile computer storage media at a computer system. Thus, it should be understood that computer storage media can be included in computer system components that also (or even primarily) utilize transmission media.

[76] Computer-executable instructions may comprise, for example, instructions and data which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a general-purpose computer system, special-purpose computer system, or special-purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Computer-executable instructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, or even source code.

[77] The disclosure of the present application may be practiced in network computing environments with many types of computer system configurations, including, but not limited to, personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, message processors, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones, PDAs, tablets, pagers, routers, switches, and the like. The disclosure may also be practiced in distributed system environments where local and remote computer systems, which are linked (either by hardwired data links, wireless data links, or by a combination of hardwired and wireless data links) through a network, both perform tasks. As such, in a distributed system environment, a computer system may include a plurality of constituent computer systems. In a distributed system environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

[78] The disclosure of the present application may also be practiced in a cloud-computing environment. Cloud computing environments may be distributed, although this is not required. When distributed, cloud computing environments may be distributed internationally within an organization and/or have components possessed across multiple organizations. In this description and the following claims, “cloud computing” is defined as a model for enabling on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services). The definition of “cloud computing” is not limited to any of the other numerous advantages that can be obtained from such a model when properly deployed.

[79] A cloud-computing model can be composed of various characteristics, such as on- demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, measured service, and so forth. A cloud-computing model may also come in the form of various service models such as, for example, Software as a Service (“SaaS”), Platform as a Service (“PaaS”), and Infrastructure as a Service (“laaS”). The cloud-computing model may also be deployed using different deployment models such as private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, and so forth.

[80] Some embodiments, such as a cloud-computing environment, may comprise a system that includes one or more hosts that are each capable of running one or more virtual machines. During operation, virtual machines emulate an operational computing system, supporting an operating system and perhaps one or more other applications as well. In some embodiments, each host includes a hypervisor that emulates virtual resources for the virtual machines using physical resources that are abstracted from view of the virtual machines. The hypervisor also provides proper isolation between the virtual machines. Thus, from the perspective of any given virtual machine, the hypervisor provides the illusion that the virtual machine is interfacing with a physical resource, even though the virtual machine only interfaces with the appearance (e.g., a virtual resource) of a physical resource. Examples of physical resources including processing capacity, memory, disk space, network bandwidth, media drives, and so forth.

[81] Certain terms are used throughout the description and claims to refer to particular methods, features, or components. As those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same methods, features, or components by different names. This disclosure does not intend to distinguish between methods, features, or components that differ in name but not function. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Certain features and components herein may be shown in exaggerated scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown or described in interest of clarity and conciseness.

[82] Although various example embodiments have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate in view of the present disclosure that many modifications are possible in the example embodiments without materially departing from the concepts of present disclosure. Accordingly, any such modifications are intended to be included in the scope of this disclosure. Likewise, while the disclosure herein contains many specifics, these specifics should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure or of any of the appended claims, but merely as providing information pertinent to one or more specific embodiments that may fall within the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims. Any described features from the various embodiments disclosed may be employed in combination. In addition, other embodiments of the present disclosure may also be devised which lie within the scopes of the disclosure and the appended claims. Each addition, deletion, and modification to the embodiments that falls within the meaning and scope of the claims is to be embraced by the claims.

[83] Certain embodiments and features may have been described using a set of numerical upper limits and a set of numerical lower limits. It should be appreciated that ranges including the combination of any two values, e.g., the combination of any lower value with any upper value, the combination of any two lower values, and/or the combination of any two upper values are contemplated unless otherwise indicated. Certain lower limits, upper limits and ranges may appear in one or more claims below. Any numerical value is “about” or “approximately” the indicated value, and takes into account experimental error and variations that would be expected by a person having ordinary skill in the art.

[84] This disclosure provides various examples, embodiments, and features which, unless expressly stated or which would be mutually exclusive, should be understood to be combinable with other examples, embodiments, or features described herein.

[85] In addition to the above, further embodiments and examples include the following:

[86] 1. A system, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the system to: cause a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operational profile; determine a first compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor according to a second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operational profile that is different than the first operational profile; and determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

[87] 2. The system according to any or a combination of 1 above and/or 2-23 below, wherein the data indicative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and/or current usage data.

[88] 3. The system according to any or a combination of 1-2 above and/or 3-23 below, wherein causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system.

[89] 4. The system according to any or a combination of 1-3 above and/or 5-23 below, wherein the first operation profile is a first operational motor profile indicative of a first operational motor speed profile of the compressor motor.

[90] 5. The system according to any or a combination of 1-4 above and/or 6-23 below, wherein causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls.

[91] 6. The system according to any or a combination of 1-5 above and/or 7-23 below, wherein the first compression mode comprises a load/unload compression mode.

[92] 7. The system according to any or a combination of 1-6 above and/or 8-23 below, wherein the load/unload compression mode is associated with at least a load state and an unload state, and wherein the load state is associated with a substantially constant operational motor speed of the compressor motor.

[93] 8. The system according to any or a combination of 1-7 above and/or 9-23 below, wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode. [94] 9. The system according to any or a combination of 1-8 above and/or 10-23 below, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operational motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operational motor speed being dynamically determined based upon a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

[95] 10. The system according to any or a combination of 1-9 above and/or 11-23 below, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

[96] 11. The system according to any or a combination of 1-10 above and/or 12-23 below, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise one or more of an ambient pressure, an ambient temperature, and an ambient humidity.

[97] 12. The system according to any or a combination of 1-11 above and/or 13-23 below, wherein the first compression mode energy usage is based upon an unload time, an unload power, a load time, a load power, a transient loss, a number of load cycles, and a number of unload cycles.

[98] 13. The system according to any or a combination of 1-12 above and/or 14-23 below, wherein the estimated second compression mode energy usage is based upon one or more of: a power for each of a plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, an estimated time for each of the plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, a transient loss, an estimated number of starts, and an estimated number of stops

[99] 14. The system according to any or a combination of 1-13 above and/or 15-23 below, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

[100] 15. The system according to any or a combination of 1-14 above and/or 16-23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to present the energy savings information on a user interface.

[101] 16. The system according to any or a combination of 1-15 above and/or 17-23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to determine cost savings information based upon the energy savings information; and present the cost savings information on a user interface.

[102] 17. The system according to any or a combination of 1-16 above and/or 18-23 below, wherein the cost savings information is further based upon a cost of available power associated with a power source

[103] 18. The system according to any or a combination of 1-17 above and/or 23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to determine CO2 savings information based upon the energy savings information; and present the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

[104] 19. The system according to any or a combination of 1-18 above and/or 20-23 below, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based upon a type of available power associated with the power source.

[105] 20. The system according to any or a combination of 1-19 above and/or 21-23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to, in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions, present a prompt at a user interface to activate operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode.

[106] 21. The system according to any or a combination of 1-20 above and/or 22-23 below, wherein the one or more conditions comprise whether a cost saving based upon the energy savings information exceeds an activation cost associated with activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode.

[107] 22. The system according to any or a combination of 1-21 above and/or 23 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to receive user input directed toward activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode; and based upon the user input, configure the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter, the compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls according to the second compression mode. [108] 23. The system according to any or a combination of 1-22 above, wherein the compressor system comprises a compressor motor, a compressor element, a frequency converter, and/or a multi-modal drive controller.

[109] 24, One or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a system to configure the system to: cause a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operational profile; determine a first compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor according to a second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operational profile that is different than the first operational profile; and determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

[110] 25. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24 above and/or 26-46 below, wherein the data indicative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and/or current usage data.

[111] 26. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-25 above and/or 27-43 below, wherein causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multimodal device controller of the compressor system to control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system. [112] 27. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-26 above and/or 28-46 below, wherein the first operation profile is a first operational motor profile indicative of a first operational motor speed profile of the compressor motor.

[113] 28. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-27 above and/or 29-46 below, wherein causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multimodal device controller of the compressor system to control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls.

[114] 29. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-28 above and/or 30-46 below, wherein the first compression mode comprises a load/unload compression mode.

[115] 30. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-29 above and/or 31-46 below, wherein the load/unload compression mode is associated with at least a load state and an unload state, and wherein the load state is associated with a substantially constant operational motor speed of the compressor motor.

[116] 31. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-30 above and/or 32-46 below, wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

[117] 32. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-31 above and/or 33-46 below, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operational motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operational motor speed being dynamically determined based upon a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

[118] 33. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-32 above and/or 34-46 below, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

[119] 34. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-33 above and/or 35-46 below, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise one or more of an ambient pressure, an ambient temperature, and an ambient humidity

[120] 35. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-34 above and/or 36-46 below, wherein the first compression mode energy usage is based upon an unload time, an unload power, a load time, a load power, a transient loss, a number of load cycles, and a number of unload cycles.

[121] 36. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-35 above and/or 37-46 below, wherein the estimated second compression mode energy usage is based upon one or more of: a power for each of a plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, an estimated time for each of the plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, a transient loss, an estimated number of starts, and an estimated number of stops

[122] 37. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-36 above and/or 38-46 below, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

[123] 38. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-37 above and/or 39-46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to present the energy savings information on a user interface.

[124] 39. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-38 above and/or 40-46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to determine cost savings information based upon the energy savings information; and present the cost savings information on a user interface.

[125] 40. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-39 above and/or 41-46 below, wherein the cost savings information is further based upon a cost of available power associated with a power source [ 126] 41. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-40 above and/or 42-46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to determine CO2 savings information based upon the energy savings information; and present the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

[127] 42. The one or more hardware storage devices according to to any or a combination of 24-41 above and/or 43-46 below, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based upon a type of available power associated with the power source.

[128] 43. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-42 above and/or 44-46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to, in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions, present a prompt at a user interface to activate operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode.

[129] 44. The one or more hardware storage devices according to to any or a combination of 24-43 above and/or 45-46 below, wherein the one or more conditions comprise whether a cost saving based upon the energy savings information exceeds an activation cost associated with activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode

[130] 45. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-44 above and/or 46 below, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to receive user input directed toward activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode; and based upon the user input, configure the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter, the compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls according to the second compression mode.

[131] 46. The one or more hardware storage devices according to any or a combination of 24-45 above, wherein the system comprises a compressor system, wherein the compressor system comprises a compressor motor, a compressor element, a frequency converter, and/or a multi-modal drive controller. [132] 47. A method for controlling a compressor system, the method comprising: causing a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operational profile; determining a first compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor according to a second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operational profile that is different than the first operational motor speed profile; and determining energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

[133] 48. The method according to any or a combination of 47 above and/or 49-68 below, wherein the data indicative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and/or current usage data.

[134] 49. The method according to any or a combination of 47-48 above and/or 50-68 below, wherein causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system.

[135] 50. The method according to any or a combination of 47-49 above and/or 51-68 below, wherein the first operation profile is a first operational motor profile indicative of a first operational motor speed profile of the compressor motor.

[136] 51. The method according to any or a combination of 47-50 above and/or 52-68 below, wherein the step of causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls.

[137] 52. The method according to any or a combination of 47-51 above and/or 53-68 below, wherein the first compression mode comprises a load/unload compression mode.

[138] 53. The method according to any or a combination of 47-52 above and/or 54-68 below, wherein the load/unload compression mode is associated with at least a load state and an unload state, and wherein the load state is associated with a substantially constant operational motor speed of the compressor motor.

[139] 54. The method according to any or a combination of 47-53 above and/or 55-68 below, wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

[140] 55. The method according to any or a combination of 47-54 above and/or 56-68, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operational motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operational motor speed being dynamically determined based upon a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

[141] 56. The method according to any or a combination of 47-55 above and/or 57-68 below, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

[142] 57. The method according to any or a combination of 47-56 above and/or 58-68 below, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise one or more of an ambient pressure, an ambient temperature, and an ambient humidity

[143] 58. The method according to any or a combination of 47-57 above and/or 59-68 below, wherein the first compression mode energy usage is based upon an unload time, an unload power, a load time, a load power, a transient loss, a number of load cycles, and a number of unload cycles.

[144] 59. The method according to any or a combination of 47-58 above and/or 60-68 below, wherein the estimated second compression mode energy usage is based upon one or more of: a power for each of a plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, an estimated time for each of the plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, a transient loss, an estimated number of starts, and an estimated number of stops

[145] 60. The method according to any or a combination of 47-59 above and/or 61-68 below, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

[146] 61. The method according to any or a combination of 47-60 above and/or 62-68 below, further comprising presenting the energy savings information on a user interface.

[147] 62. The method according to any or a combination of 47-61 above and/or 63-68 below, further comprising determining cost savings information based upon the energy savings information; and presenting the cost savings information on a user interface.

[148] 63. The method according to any or a combination of 47-62 above and/or 64-68 below, wherein the cost savings information is further based upon a cost of available power associated with a power source

[149] 64. The method according to any or a combination of 47-63 above and/or 65-68 below, further comprising determining CO2 savings information based upon the energy savings information; and presenting the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

[150] 65. The method according to any or a combination of 47-64 above and/or 66-68 below, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based upon a type of available power associated with the power source.

[151] 66. The method according to any or a combination of 47-65 above and/or 67-68 below, further comprising, in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions, presenting a prompt at a user interface to activate operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode.

[152] 67. The method according to any or a combination of 47-66 above and/or 68 below, wherein the one or more conditions comprise whether a cost saving based upon the energy savings information exceeds an activation cost associated with activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode [153] 68. The method according to any or a combination of 47-67 above, further comprising: receiving user input directed toward activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode; and, based upon the user input, configuring the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter, the compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls according to the second compression mode.

[154] A multi-modal compressor system or method for using the same, as shown and/or described herein.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method for controlling a compressor system, the method comprising: causing a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operational profile; determining a first compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determining an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor according to a second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operational profile that is different than the first operational profile; and determining energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data indicative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and/or current usage data.

3. The method according to claims 1-2, wherein causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system.

4. The method according to claims 1-3, wherein the first operation profile is a first operational motor profile indicative of a first operational motor speed profile of the compressor motor.

5. The method according to claims 1-4, wherein the step of causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls.

6. The method according to claims 1-5, wherein the first compression mode comprises a load/unload compression mode.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the load/unload compression mode is associated with at least a load state and an unload state, and wherein the load state is associated with a substantially constant operational motor speed of the compressor motor.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operational motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operational motor speed being dynamically determined based upon a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise one or more of an ambient pressure, an ambient temperature, and an ambient humidity.

12. The method according to any one of claims or a combination of 1-11, wherein the first compression mode energy usage is based upon an unload time, an unload power, a load time, a load power, a transient loss, a number of load cycles, a number of unload cycles, and/or sensor and measurement data.

13. The method according to any one of claims or a combination of 1-12, wherein the estimated second compression mode energy usage is based upon one or more of: a power for each of a plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, an estimated time for each of the plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, a transient loss, an estimated number of starts, an estimated number of stops, and flow consumption of the first compression mode.

14. The method according to any one of claims or a combination of 1-13, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

15. The method according to any one of claims or a combination of 1-14, further comprising presenting the energy savings information on a user interface.

16. The method according to any one of claims or a combination of 1-15, further comprising: determining cost savings information based upon the energy savings information; and presenting the cost savings information on a user interface.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the cost savings information is further based upon a cost of available power associated with a power source and/or its geographical location.

18. The method according to any one of claims or a combination of 1-17, further comprising: determining C02 savings information based upon the energy savings information; and presenting the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based upon a type and/or geographical location of available power associated with the power source.

20. The method according to any one of claims or a combination of 1-19, further comprising, in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions, presenting a prompt at a user interface to activate operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the one or more conditions comprise whether a cost saving based upon the energy savings information exceeds an activation cost associated with activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode

22. The method according to any one of claims or a combination of 1-21, further comprising: receiving user input directed toward activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode; and based upon the user input, configuring the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter, the compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls according to the second compression mode.

23. A system for controlling a compressor system, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the system to perform the method of any one of claims 1-22.

24. One or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a system to configure the system to perform the method of any one of claims 1-22.

25. A compressor system, comprising: a compressor motor configured to actuate a compressor element to facilitate gas compression; a frequency converter configured to connect to a power source and to the compressor motor, the frequency converter being operable to control an operational motor speed of the compressor motor; a multi-modal drive controller configured to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to a plurality of operational modes, the plurality of operational modes comprising (i) a load/unload compression mode and (ii) a variable speed drive (VSD) mode; one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the compressor system to: cause the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the compressor motor according to the load/unload compression mode; determine a load/unload compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor motor according to the load/unload compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated VSD mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor motor according to the VSD mode under the one or more operational conditions; determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the load/unload compression mode energy usage and the estimated VSD mode energy usage; and present the energy savings information on a user interface.

26. The compressor system of claim 25, wherein the load/unload compression mode is associated with at least a load state and an unload state, and wherein the load state is associated with a substantially constant operational motor speed of the compressor motor.

27. The compressor system of claims 25-26, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operational motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operational motor speed being dynamically determined based upon a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

28. The compressor system of claims 25-27, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

29. The compressor system of claim2 25-28, wherein the one or more operational conditions further comprise one or more of an ambient pressure, an ambient temperature, and an ambient humidity.

30. The compressor system of claims 25-29, wherein the load/unload compression mode energy usage is based upon an unload time, an unload power, a load time, a load power, a transient loss, a number of load cycles, a number of unload cycles, and/or sensor and measurement data.

31. The compressor system of claim 30, wherein the estimated V SD mode energy usage is based upon one or more of: a power for each of a plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the VSD mode, an estimated time for each of the plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the V SD mode, a transient loss, an estimated number of starts, and an estimated number of stops.

32. The compressor system of claim 31, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between the load/unload compression mode energy usage and the estimated VSD mode energy usage.

33. The compressor system of claims 25-32, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the compressor system to: determine cost savings information based upon the energy savings information and a cost of available power associated with the power source; and present the cost savings information on a user interface.

34. The compressor system of claims 25-33, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the compressor system to: determine CO2 savings information based upon the energy savings information and a type of available power associated with the power source; and present the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

35. The compressor system of claims 25-34, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to, in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions, present a prompt at a user interface to activate operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the VSD mode, wherein the one or more conditions comprise whether a cost saving based upon the energy savings information exceeds an activation cost associated with activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the VSD mode.

36 The compressor system of claims 25-35, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to: receive user input directed toward activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the VSD mode; and based upon the user input, configure the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to the V SD mode .

37. The compressor system of claims 25-36, wherein the data indicative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and/or current usage data.

38. A system, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the system to: cause a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system according to a load/unload compression mode; determine a load/unload compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor motor according to the load/unload compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated VSD mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor motor according to a VSD mode under the one or more operational conditions; and determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the load/unload compression mode energy usage and the estimated VSD mode energy usage.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to: present the energy savings information or information based thereon on a user interface; present a prompt at a user interface to activate operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the VSD mode; receive user input directed toward activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the VSD mode; and based upon the user input, configure the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to the V SD mode .

40. A compressor system, comprising: a compressor motor configured to actuate a compressor element to facilitate gas compression; a frequency converter configured to connect to a power source and to the compressor motor, the frequency converter being operable to control an operational motor speed of the compressor motor; a multi-modal drive controller configured to control operation of the frequency converter and the compressor motor according to a plurality of operational modes, the plurality of operational modes comprising (i) a first compression mode associated with a first operational motor speed profile and (ii) a second compression mode associated with a second operational motor speed profile that is different than the first operational motor speed profile; one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the compressor system to: cause the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the compressor motor according to the first compression mode; determine a first compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor motor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor motor according to the second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions; determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage; and present the energy savings information on a user interface.

41. The compressor system of claim 40, wherein the first compression mode comprises a load/unload compression mode, and wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

42. The compressor system of claim 40, wherein the first compression mode comprises a VSD mode, and wherein the second compression mode comprises a load/unload compression mode.

43. A method for controlling a compressor system, comprising: providing a compressor system according to any or a combination of claims 25-37; and causing the one or more processors to execute the instructions stored on the one or more hardware storage devices.

44. A method for controlling a system, comprising: providing a system according to any or a combination of claims38-39; and causing the one or more processors to execute the instructions stored on the one or more hardware storage devices.

45. A method for controlling a compressor system, comprising: providing a compressor system according to any or a combination of claims40-42; and causing the one or more processors to execute the instructions stored on the one or more hardware storage devices.

One or more hardware storage devices storing instructions according to any or a combination of claims 35-37.

One or more hardware storage devices storing instructions according to any or a combination of claims 38-39.

One or more hardware storage devices storing instructions according to any or a combination of claims 40-42.

49. A system, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the system to: cause a multi-modal drive controller of a compressor system to control operation of the compressor system according to a first compression mode associated with a first operational profile; determine a first compression mode energy usage based upon data indicative of actual operation of the compressor according to the first compression mode under one or more operational conditions; determine an estimated second compression mode energy usage based upon inferred operation of the compressor according to a second compression mode under the one or more operational conditions, the second compression mode being associated with a second operational profile that is different than the first operational profile; and determine energy savings information based upon one or more comparisons between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

50. The system according to claim 49, wherein the data indicative of the actual operation of the compressor includes historical usage data and/or current usage data.

51. The system according to claims 49-50, wherein causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control a frequency converter, or a compressor motor, or both a frequency converter and a compressor motor of the compressor system.

52. The system according to claims 49-51, wherein the first operation profile is a first operational motor profile indicative of a first operational motor speed profile of the compressor motor.

53. The system according to claims 49-52, wherein causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control operation of the compressor includes causing the multi-modal device controller of the compressor system to control one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls.

54. The system according to claims 49-53, wherein the first compression mode comprises a load/unload compression mode.

55. The system according to claims 49-54, wherein the load/unload compression mode is associated with at least a load state and an unload state, and wherein the load state is associated with a substantially constant operational motor speed of the compressor motor.

56. The system according to claims 49-55, wherein the second compression mode comprises a variable speed drive (VSD) mode.

57. The system according to claims 49-56, wherein the VSD mode is associated with a variable operational motor speed of the compressor motor, the variable operational motor speed being dynamically determined based upon a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

58. The system according to claims 49-57, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise a demand associated with usage of the compressor system.

59. The system according to claims 49-58, wherein the one or more operational conditions comprise one or more of an ambient pressure, an ambient temperature, and an ambient humidity.

60. The system according to claims 49-59, wherein the first compression mode energy usage is based upon an unload time, an unload power, a load time, a load power, a transient loss, a number of load cycles, a number of unload cycles, and/or sensor and measurement data.

61. The system according to claims 49-60, wherein the estimated second compression mode energy usage is based upon one or more of: a power for each of a plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, an estimated time for each of the plurality of operational motor speeds associated with the second compression mode, a transient loss, an estimated number of starts, an estimated number of stops, and flow consumption of the first compression mode.

62. The system according to claims 49-61, wherein the energy savings information comprises a difference between the first compression mode energy usage and the estimated second compression mode energy usage.

63. The system according to claims 49-62, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to present the energy savings information on a user interface.

64. The system according to claims 49-63, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to determine cost savings information based upon the energy savings information; and present the cost savings information on a user interface.

65. The system according to claims 49-64, wherein the cost savings information is further based upon a cost of available power associated with a power source and/or its geographical location.

66. The system according to claims 49-65, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to determine CO2 savings information based upon the energy savings information; and present the CO2 savings information on a user interface.

67. The system according to claims 49-66, wherein the CO2 savings information is further based upon a type and/or its geographical location of available power associated with the power source.

68. The system according to claims 49-67, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to, in response to determining that the energy savings information or additional information based thereon satisfies one or more conditions, present a prompt at a user interface to activate operation of the multimodal drive controller according to the second compression mode.

69. The system according to claims 49-68, wherein the one or more conditions comprise whether a cost saving based upon the energy savings information exceeds an activation cost associated with activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode.

70. The system according to claims 49-69, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to further configure the system to receive user input directed toward activating operation of the multi-modal drive controller according to the second compression mode; and based upon the user input, configure the multi-modal drive controller to control operation of the frequency converter, the compressor motor, one or more solenoids, one or more control timers, and/or one or more pressure vessel controls according to the second compression mode.

71. The system according to claims 49-70, wherein the compressor system comprises a compressor motor, a compressor element, a frequency converter, and/or a multi-modal drive controller.