WO2023273907A1

WO2023273907A1 - Gas compression system

Info

Publication number: WO2023273907A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/099266
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chunlin Wang
Original assignee: Atlas Copco (Wuxi) Compressor Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2021-07-01
Filing date: 2022-06-16
Publication date: 2023-01-05
Also published as: AU2022301380A1; EP4363725A1; BR112023027082A2; CN113266572A; CA3216319A1; BE1029468A1; BE1029468B1

Abstract

A gas compression system (100) includes: a first-stage compressor head (1) and a second-stage compressor head (2); an oil-gas separation vessel (4); and a sprayer (9) disposed between the first-stage compressor head (1) and the second-stage compressor head (2) and configured to cool inter-stage compressed gas. The sprayer (9) includes: a gas inlet (94) configured to introduce compressed gas; an oil inlet (93) configured to introduce compressor oil; and at least one oil-spraying opening (95) configured to oil-spray which cool the inter-stage compressed gas. With the gas compression system (100), the sprayer (9) can spray a mixture of oil and gas into the inter-stage compressed gas between the first-stage compressor head (1) and the second-stage compressor head (2). Accordingly, by intelligently employing a characteristic of containing oil and gas in the scavenge line, an inter-stage heat exchange effect of the sprayer can be enhanced, thereby improving the performance of two-stage compression.

Description

GAS COMPRESSION SYSTEM

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202110744471.3, filed on July 01, 2021, and Belgian Patent Application NO. BE 2022/5335, filed on May 04, 2022, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by their references.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of gas compression technologies, and more particularly, to an air compression system.

BACKGROUND

Advantages of two-stage screw-type variable frequency air compressors, with the wide application thereof, are gradually recognized by users. Due to the variable flow design, a diameter of a pipeline for receiving oil returned from an oil-gas separation cartridge is often designed based on a maximum oil return amount. In some cases, in order to prevent the oil return pipeline from being clogged, the diameter of the pipeline is intentionally designed to be relatively large. In this way, during the oil return, the oil-gas separation cartridge is in direct communication with compressed gas in an oil-gas separation vessel and a gas inlet end of a compressor head for a period of time, which results in an introduction of high-temperature and high-pressure gas into the gas inlet end of the compressor head, thereby negatively affecting suction efficiency and performance of the compressor head. The advantages in terms of energy-saving of the two-stage compression is mainly attributed to an inter-stage cooling. At present, the inter-stage cooling for two-stage compression available on the market is generally designed in such a manner that the oil-gas separation vessel is adopted to return oil for oil-injecting cooling. Due to the influences caused by an oil-injecting pressure and a size of a nozzle for oil- injecting, an atomization effect of the oil-injecting is unsatisfactory, resulting in insufficient inter-stage cooling, thereby increasing the overall power consumption. Thus, the design thereof is required to be improved.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems in the prior art. In this regard, an objective of the present disclosure is to provide a gas compression system, capable of preventing high-temperature and high-pressure gas which come from the separator vessel entering the inlet end of a compressor head, thereby ensuring suction efficiency of the compressor head, and by mixing with compressor oil introduced into an inter-stage cooling chamber, the atomization effect of the compressor oil sprayed by the sprayer is improved, thereby improving a cooling effect of an inter-stage stage.

The gas compression system according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes: a first-stage compressor head and a second-stage compressor head; an oil-gas separation vessel in communication with the second-stage compressor head and the first-stage compressor head; and a sprayer disposed between the first-stage compressor head and the second-stage compressor head and configured to cool inter-stage compressed gas. The sprayer includes: a gas inlet configured to access compressed gas; an oil inlet configured to access compressor oil; and at least one oil-spraying opening configured to oil-spray cools the inter-stage compressed gas.

With the gas compression system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a mixture containing oil and gas can be sprayed by a sprayer into the inter-stage compressed gas between the first-stage compressor head and the second-stage compressor head. Accordingly, an atomization effect of oil sprayed at an inter-stage stage is improved by employing a characteristic of the compressed air-containing secondary oil return from the oil-gas separation cartridge, thereby promoting an inter-stage heat exchange efficiency, and further, improving performance of the whole system.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first-stage compressor head and the second-stage compressor head are formed as one piece, and the sprayer is disposed at an inter-stage stage between the first-stage compressor head and the second-stage compressor head.

The gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure further includes an inter-stage cooling chamber disposed between the first-stage compressor head and the second-stage compressor head, and the sprayer is disposed in the inter-stage cooling chamber.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the oil inlet of the sprayer is connected to the oil-gas separation vessel.

The gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure further includes an oil-gas separation cartridge disposed in the oil-gas separation vessel, and the gas inlet of the sprayer is connected to the oil-gas separation cartridge through a pipe.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gas inlet of the sprayer can be connected to gas exhaust end of the second-stage compressor head.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gas inlet of the sprayer can be connected to outlet end of the oil-gas separation vessel.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sprayer includes an inner pipe having a hollow inner chamber, and an outer pipe sleeved on the inner pipe; and an outer chamber is defined by the outer pipe and the inner pipe, and the inner chamber is connected to the outer chamber.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the oil inlet is connected to the outer chamber, the gas inlet is connected to the inner chamber, and the oil-spraying opening is defined in an outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gas inlet is disposed at a first end of the outer pipe and penetrates a first end of the inner pipe, and a second end of the inner pipe is located within the outer pipe.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second end of the inner pipe has at least one oil passage hole defined therein and configured to communicate the inner chamber with the outer chamber.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one oil passage hole includes a plurality of oil passage holes, and the plurality of oil passage holes are circumferentially and/or axially distributed along an outer peripheral wall of the inner pipe.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the oil inlet is disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the oil-spraying opening is defined in the outer pipe and spaced apart from the oil inlet.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one oil-spraying opening includes a plurality of oil-spraying openings, and the plurality of oil-spraying openings are circumferentially and/or axially distributed along the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the oil-gas separation vessel is connected to the inter-stage through a scavenge line.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the oil-gas separation vessel can be connected to the second-stage compressor inlet through a scavenge line.

The gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure further includes an oil cooler and a filter, which are sequentially connected between the oil-gas separation vessel and the first-stage compressor head.

The gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a gas cooler, and a gas exhaust end of the oil-gas separation vessel is in communication with the gas cooler.

In the gas compression system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gas inlet of the sprayer can be from gas exhaust end of the gas cooler.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be given at least in part in the following description, or become apparent at least in part from the following description, or can be learned from practicing of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent and more understandable from the following description of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (in which an inter-stage cooling chamber is included) ;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sprayer of a gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a sprayer of a gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion A-Ain FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (illustrating a direct spray into an inter-stage stage) ;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (in which compressed air is introduced from a gas exhaust end of a gas cooler) ;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (in which compressed air is introduced from a gas exhaust end of an oil-gas separation vessel) ;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (in which compressed air is introduced from an oil-gas separation cartridge) ;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (one-piece structure) ; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (in which compressed air is introduced from a second-stage compressor head) .

Reference numerals in the accompanying drawings:

gas compression system 100,

first-stage compressor head 1, second-stage compressor head 2, inter-stage cooling chamber 3,

oil-gas separation vessel 4, oil-gas separation cartridge 5, gas cooler 6, scavenge line 7, first oil return pipeline 81, second oil return pipeline 82, third oil return pipeline 83,

sprayer 9, inner pipe 91, inner chamber 911, outer pipe 92, outer chamber 921, oil inlet 93, gas inlet 94, oil-spraying opening 95, oil passage hole 96, oil cooler 10, filter 11.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to examples thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which same or similar elements, or elements having same or similar functions, are denoted by same or similar reference numerals. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative only, and are intended to explain, rather than limiting, the present disclosure.

A gas compression system 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 10. A sprayer 9 is arranged between a first-stage compressor head 1 and a second-stage compressor head 2 of the gas compression system 100, and the sprayer 9 can spray compressor oil accompanied with compressed gas into inter-stage compressed gas between the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2, which is beneficial to improve a cooling effect of the inter-stage compressed gas, enhancing an atomization effect of oil sprayed at an inter-stage stage, and ensuring cooling at the inter-stage stage between the compressor heads, thereby improving performance of the whole machine.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the gas compression system 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes the first-stage compressor head 1, the second-stage compressor head 2, an oil-gas separation vessel 4, and the sprayer 9.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2 are connected in series in sequence. It should be noted that the first-stage compressor head 1 is provided with a suction port configured to suck and compress external gas. Both the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2 are configured to compress gas, to increase a temperature and a pressure of the gas, thereby outputting high-pressure compressed gas. That is, in the present disclosure, the first-stage compressor head 1 is a low-pressure compressor head, and the second-stage compressor head 2 is a high-pressure compressor head.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the oil-gas separation vessel 4 is in communication with the second-stage compressor head 2 and the first-stage compressor head 1. Specifically, a gas exhaust end of the second-stage compressor head 2 is in communication with a gas inlet end of the oil-gas separation vessel 4, and an oil supply port of the oil-gas separation vessel 4 is in communication with a compression chamber of the first-stage compressor head 1 and a compression chamber of the second-stage compressor head 2. In this way, compressor oil flowing out of the oil-gas separation vessel 4 can flow into the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2, so as to lubricate and cool the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2. It should be noted that, through an arrangement of this portion, the external gas, after being compressed by the first-stage compressor head 1 and further compressed by the second-stage compressor head 2, can enter the oil-gas separation vessel 4. The oil-gas separation vessel 4 can roughly separate the compressed gas that has undergone two times of compression. As a result, most of the separated compressor oil may sink to a bottom of the oil-gas separation vessel 4, and enter, via the oil supply port located at the bottom of the oil-gas separation vessel 4, the compression chamber of the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2 to perform cyclic lubrication.

The sprayer 9 is arranged between the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2, and configured to cool the inter-stage compressed gas between the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2. The sprayer 9 includes a gas inlet 94 and an oil inlet 93. The gas inlet 94 is configured to be connected to an output end of the high-pressure gas to introduce the compressed gas into the sprayer 9, and the oil inlet 93 is configured to be connected to an output end of the compressor oil to introduce the compressor oil into the sprayer 9. The sprayer 9 further includes an oil-spraying opening 95 configured to spray, towards the inter-stage compressed gas, the compressed gas introduced at the gas inlet 94 and the compressor oil introduced at the oil inlet 93, such that the inter-stage compressed gas is cooled by oil-spraying. Therefore, the compressor oil accompanied with the compressed gas can join the inter-stage compressed gas, thereby exerting a spraying effect on the inter-stage compressed gas. The compressed gas in oil droplets may expand rapidly, resulting in a blasting effect on the oil droplets. In this manner, granularity of the sprayed oil is greatly refined, and a total heat exchange area of the oil droplets is enlarged, and thus, energy efficiency of the compressors can be optimized to achieve energy saving.

At least one oil-spraying opening 95 is provided. For example, one oil-spraying opening 95, or two or more oil-spraying openings 95 may be provided to enable the sprayer 9 to spray towards the inter-stage compressed gas from different angles and different positions, which is beneficial to optimize a spraying effect.

In the gas compression system 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the oil-spraying opening 95 is disposed towards the inter-stage compressed gas between the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2 to introduce the compressor oil accompanied with the compressed gas into the inter-stage compressed gas, which is beneficial to improve the cooling effect of the inter-stage compressed gas, enhancing the atomization effect of oil sprayed at the inter-stage stage, and ensuring the suction efficiency and performance of the compressor heads, thereby improving performance of the whole machine.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2 are formed as one piece, and the sprayer 9 is arranged at the inter-stage stage between the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2. In this case, the first-stage compressor head 1, the sprayer 9, and the second-stage compressor head 2 can be integrated into an integral structure to reduce an overall structure size of the gas compression system 100, thereby improving an integration level of the gas compression system 100, and reducing an actually-occupied mounting space.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, an inter-stage cooling chamber 3 is further included. The inter-stage cooling chamber 3 is arranged between the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2. That is, the first-stage compressor head 1, the inter-stage cooling chamber 3, and the second-stage compressor head 2 are connected in sequence, and the sprayer 9 is arranged on the inter-stage cooling chamber 3. The inter-stage cooling chamber 3 is configured to cool the gas compressed by the first-stage compressor head 1. It can be understood that, after the gas is compressed by the first-stage compressor head 1, the temperature of the compressed gas may gradually increase. However, in the present disclosure, this part of gas is cooled in the inter-stage cooling chamber 3, which is beneficial to lower the power consumption required for the compression of the second-stage compressor head 2, thereby reducing the overall energy consumption of the gas compression system 100 and reducing compression costs.

In this manner, the compressed gas introduced at the gas inlet 94 and the compressor oil introduced at the oil inlet 93, after being mixed with each other, are sprayed from the oil-spraying opening 95 towards the inter-stage cooling chamber 3, so as to oil-spray cool the gas in the inter-stage cooling chamber 3. As a result, the spraying effect is exerted on the inter-stage compressed gas in the inter-stage cooling chamber 3. The compressed gas in the oil droplets may expand rapidly, resulting in the blasting effect on the oil droplets. In this manner, the granularity of the sprayed oil is refined, and the total heat exchange area of the oil droplets is enlarged, and thus, the energy efficiency of the compressors can be optimized to achieve energy saving.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, the oil inlet 93 of the oil sprayer 9 is connected to the oil-gas separation vessel 4 through a first oil return pipeline 81. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the first oil return pipeline 81 is connecting the oil-gas separation vessel 4 and the oil sprayer 9 between the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2. That is, the first oil return pipeline 81 is configured to be in communication with an outlet end of the oil-gas separation vessel 4 to enable the compressor oil flowing out of the outlet end of the oil-gas separation vessel 4 to enter, through the first oil return pipeline 81, the oil sprayer 9 for mixing with the high-pressure gas.

In some embodiments, an oil-gas separation cartridge 5 is further included and disposed in the oil-gas separation vessel 4. As illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9, the gas inlet 94 of the sprayer 9 is in communication with the oil-gas separation cartridge 5 through the scavenge line7. It should be noted that the remaining portion of the compressor oil after being roughly separated by the oil-gas separation vessel 4 enters, accompanied with the compressed gas, the oil-gas separation cartridge 5 for further separation. In this manner, the compressed gas, which is further separated by the oil-gas separation cartridge 5, is discharged from the outlet end of the oil-gas separation cartridge 5 for subsequent use. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, separated oil at the bottom of oil-gas separation cartridge 5 can be returned, through scavenge line 7, connect to the oil sprayer 9 air inlet.

In this manner, the gas that is further separated by the oil-gas separation cartridge 5 can flow to the gas inlet 94 of the sprayer 9 through the scavenge line 7. For example, this portion of gas can be mixed with the compressor oil in the sprayer 9 and then sprayed into the inter-stage cooling chamber 3 to cool the compressed gas, which is compressed by the first-stage compressor head 1. It can be understood that, with the above arrangement, the compressor oil, which flows into the inter-stage chamber from the oil supply port of the oil-gas separation vessel 4, has relative high pressure, the gas which come from the scavenge line 7, when also entering the oil sprayer 9 , normally the gas from the scavenge line pressure is higher than the oil pressure from oil-gas separation vessel 4 by 1～3bar, which makes the compressor oil with a lot air bubbles inside, it will enhance the spraying effect which take place in the inter-stage cooling chamber 3. The compressed gas in the oil droplets may expand rapidly, resulting in the blasting effect on the oil droplets. In this manner, the granularity of the sprayed oil is refined, and the total heat exchange area of the oil droplets is enlarged, and thus, the cooling effect is enhanced. So, the compression process can be improved to achieve energy saving.

It should be noted that, in some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the oil inlet 93 of the sprayer 9 is in communication with the oil-gas separation vessel 4 through the first oil return pipeline 81, and the gas inlet 94 of the sprayer 9 is in communication with the oil-gas separation cartridge 5 through the scavenge line 7. The first oil return pipeline 81 and the scavenge line 7 are two separate pipelines, and the outlet end of the first oil return pipeline 81 and the outlet end of the scavenge line 7 are both in communication with an inside of the sprayer 9. Therefore, after the compressor oil in the oil-gas separation vessel 4 flows out from the outlet end of the oil-gas separation vessel 4, the compressor oil enters the sprayer 9 through the first oil return pipeline 81. At the same time, the high-pressure gas at the oil-gas separation vessel 5 enters the sprayer 9 through the scavenge line 7, and thus the inter-stage compressed gas is cooled by the compressor oil accompanied with the compressed gas, thereby improving the cooling effect of the inter-stage cooling chamber 3, optimizing the energy efficiency of the compressor, and saving energy.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the gas inlet 94 of the sprayer 9 is in communication with the gas exhaust end of the second-stage compressor head 2. That is, the gas inlet 94 of the sprayer 9 can be in communication with the gas exhaust end of the second-stage compressor head 2 to allow the gas discharged from the second-stage compressor head 2 to enter the gas inlet 94 of the sprayer 9, so as to supplement the compressed gas to the sprayer 9. As a result, the compressed gas exerts the blasting effect on the oil droplets of the compressor oil entering the sprayer 9, granularity of the compressor oil is refined, and a total heat exchange area of the oil droplets is enlarged. Therefore, the oil droplets can be in a sufficient contact with the gas in the inter-stage cooling chamber 3, which improves the cooling effect of the inter-stage cooling chamber 3, thereby optimizing the energy efficiency of the compressor, and saving energy.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the gas inlet 94 of the sprayer 9 is in communication with the gas outlet end of the oil-gas separation vessel 4, such that the gas discharged from the oil-gas separation vessel 4 can enter the gas inlet 94 of the sprayer 9 for supplementing the compressed gas to the sprayer 9. Therefore, the compressed gas can exert the blasting effect on the oil droplets of the compressor oil entering the sprayer 9, which improves the cooling effect of the inter-stage compressed gas, thereby optimizing the energy efficiency of the compressor, and saving energy.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the sprayer 9 is in communication with the scavenge line 7, the first oil return pipeline 81, and the inter-stage cooling chamber 3. In this manner, the compressed gas in the scavenge line 7 and the compressor oil in the first oil return pipeline 81 can enter the inter-stage cooling chamber 3 through the sprayer 9.

The sprayer 9 includes the oil inlet 93, the gas inlet 94, and the oil-spraying opening 95. Both the oil inlet 93 and the gas inlet 94 are in communication with the oil-spraying opening 95. In addition, the oil inlet 93 is in communication with the first oil return pipeline 81, the gas inlet 94 is in communication with the scavenge line 7, and the oil-spraying opening 95 is configured to spray oil into the inter-stage cooling chamber 3.

That is, the sprayer 9 in the present disclosure is in communication with the first oil return pipeline 81 through the oil inlet 93 and in communication with the scavenge line 7 through the gas inlet 94, such that the compressor oil in the first oil return pipeline 81 and the compressed gas in the scavenge line 7 can be converged and mixed in the sprayer 9. In this way, the compressor oil and the compressed gas can be fully mixed with each other before they are sprayed into the inter-stage cooling chamber 3 through the oil-spraying opening 95 of the sprayer 9, thereby enhancing the atomization effect of the spray, and improving the heat exchange effect of the inter-stage cooling chamber 3.

The oil inlet 93 and the gas inlet 94 can be provided at one end of the sprayer 9, and the oil-spraying opening 95 can be provided at the other end of the sprayer 9, such that the compressor oil and the compressed gas can travel sufficiently long distances to achieve sufficient mixing. Opening shapes of the oil inlet 93, the gas inlet 94, and the oil-spraying opening 95 can be flexibly designed in accordance with practical requirements. The opening shapes can be designed as circular shapes as illustrated in FIG. 2, or as rectangular shapes.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the sprayer 9 includes an inner pipe 91 and an outer pipe 92 sleeved on the inner pipe 91. The inner pipe 91 has a hollow inner chamber 911 defined therein, and an outer chamber 921 is defined by the outer pipe 92 and the inner pipe 91. The inner chamber 911 is in communication with the outer chamber 921. The oil inlet 93 is in communication with the outer chamber 921, the gas inlet 94 is in communication with the inner chamber 911, and the oil-spraying opening 95 is defined on an outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92 and in communication with the outer chamber 921.

That is, the sprayer 9 includes a two-layer pipe structure, in which the inner chamber 911 of the inner pipe 91 is formed as a flow chamber for the compressor oil accompanied with the compressed gas in the scavenge line 7, and the outer chamber 921 between the outer pipe 92 and the inner pipe 91 is formed as a flow chamber for the compressor oil in the first oil return pipeline 81. The compressor oil accompanied with the compressed gas in the inner chamber 911 can flow into the outer chamber 921 to be mixed with the compressor oil in the first oil return pipeline 81, and the mixture can be sprayed into the inter-stage cooling chamber 3 through the oil-spraying opening 95 defined in the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92, thereby cooling the gas in the inter-stage cooling chamber 3.

In the present disclosure, by designing the way in which the outer pipe 92 is sleeved on the inner pipe 91, the inner pipe 91 and the outer pipe 92 can share radial and axial spaces of the sprayer 9, without providing separate flow pipes for the compressor oil and the compressed gas. In this way, a structure size of the sprayer 9 and the mounting space occupied by the sprayer 9 can be reduced. In addition, the inner pipe 91 and the outer pipe 92 can be formed as one piece, which is beneficial to reduce processing costs.

In some embodiments, a first end of the inner pipe 91 is connected to a first end of the outer pipe 92, the gas inlet 94 is disposed at the first end of the outer pipe 92 and penetrates the first end of the inner pipe 91 to be in communication with the inner chamber 911, and a second end of the inner pipe 91 is located within the outer pipe 92 and spaced apart from an inner peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, an upper end of the inner pipe 91 is connected to an upper end of the outer pipe 92, and the gas inlet 94 is disposed at the upper end of the outer pipe 92 and penetrates the upper end of the inner pipe 91 to be in communication with the inner chamber 911. In this manner, the compressor oil accompanied with the compressed gas in the scavenge line 7 can pass through an end portion of the outer pipe 92 at the gas inlet 94 to enter the inner chamber 911 of the inner pipe 91, and flow downwards along an axial direction of the inner pipe 91.

A lower end of the inner pipe 91 is located within the outer pipe 92 and spaced apart from the inner peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92. As illustrated in FIG. 4, an outer peripheral wall of the lower end of the inner pipe 91 is radially spaced from the inner peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92, and an end surface of the lower end of the inner pipe 91 is axially spaced apart from a lower wall surface of the outer chamber 921.

In some embodiments, at least one oil passage hole 96 is defined in the second end of the inner pipe 91, and configured to communicate the inner chamber 911 with the outer chamber 921. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the oil passage hole 96 is defined in the lower end of the inner pipe 91. In this manner, the compressor oil entering the inner chamber 911, which is accompanied with the compressed gas, can flow towards the oil passage hole 96 from top to bottom, and be radially sprayed outwards from the oil passage hole 96 into the outer chamber 921. Thus, the compressor oil accompanied with the compressed gas can be mixed with the compressor oil in the outer chamber 921, and then the mixture can be sprayed into the inter- stage cooling chamber 3 through the oil-spraying opening 95. It should be noted that, in the present disclosure, the above-mentioned upper and lower ends are described with reference to an upward-downward direction as illustrated in the figures, and they are not intended to limit the actual mounting positions or directions of the sprayer 9.

In some embodiments, a plurality of oil passage holes 96 are provided, and the oil passage holes 96 are circumferentially and/or axially distributed along an outer peripheral wall of the inner pipe 91. In other words, one, two, or more oil passage holes 96 may be provided. The plurality of oil passage holes 96 may be defined in the outer peripheral wall of the lower end of the inner pipe 91, such that the plurality of oil passage holes 96 can be simultaneously used to introduce the compressed gas and the compressor oil in the inner pipe 91 into the outer chamber 921, which increases a flow efficiency, and the mixing with the compressor oil in the outer chamber 921 can be performed at several positions, which improves a mixing effect.

In order to enhance oil output efficiency, the plurality of oil passage holes 96 may be axially spaced apart from each other along the inner pipe 91, circumferentially spaced apart from each other along the inner pipe 91, or axially and circumferentially arranged in rows and columns. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the oil passage holes 96 are constructed as circular holes. A plurality of circular holes are axially spaced apart from each other along the inner pipe 91, and adjacent circular holes are spaced apart from each other at a uniform distance, such that the compressed gas in return oil from the oil-gas separation cartridge 5 can be separated, through the small holes, into a number of small air bubbles in the compressor oil.

In some embodiments, the oil inlet 93 is disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92 to supply oil from the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92 to the inside of the outer pipe 92.

In some embodiments, both the oil inlet 93 and the oil-spraying opening 95 are disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92 and spaced apart from each other. The oil inlet 93 is disposed on the outer peripheral wall of a first end of the outer pipe 92, and the oil-spraying opening 95 is disposed on the outer peripheral wall of a second end of the outer pipe 92. As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the oil inlet 93 is disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the upper end of the outer pipe 92, and therein the oil inlet 93 penetrates and forms a joint portion radially protruding outwards from the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92, for connecting to the first oil return pipeline 81, which is beneficial to improve assembly efficiency. In addition, the oil-spraying opening 95 is disposed the outer peripheral wall of the upper end of the outer pipe 92, and is formed as a through hole penetrating the outer peripheral wall of the upper end of the outer pipe 92 for achieving the communication between an inside and an outside of the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92, which facilitates spraying of the compressor oil from the outer chamber 921 into the inter-stage cooling chamber 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, at least one oil-spraying opening 95 is provided, and when two or more oil-spraying openings 95 are provided, the oil-spraying openings 95 are circumferentially and/or axially distributed along the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe 92. That is, a plurality of oil-spraying openings 95 may be defined in the outer peripheral wall of the lower end of the outer pipe 92, and the plurality of oil-spraying openings 95 can simultaneously spray the mixed gas and compressor oil from the outer pipe 92 into the inter-stage cooling chamber 3, which increases the flow efficiency, and the outer chamber 921 and an inner chamber of the inter-stage cooling chamber 3 can be in communication with each other at a number of positions, which improves the spraying effect.

It should be noted that, in addition to the circular shapes illustrated in FIG. 4, the oil inlet 93 and the oil-spraying opening 95 can also be designed as openings of other types, such as mesh holes or small long slits.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, the oil-gas separation vessel 4 and the first-stage compressor head 1 are in communication with each other through the second oil return pipeline 82, such that the compressor oil in the oil-gas separation vessel 4 can enter the first-stage compressor head 1 through the second oil return pipeline 82 for lubricating the first-stage compressor head 1, thereby ensuring a stable working state of the first-stage compressor head 1.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, the oil-gas separation vessel 4 and the second-stage compressor head 2 are in communication with each other through a third oil return pipeline 83, such that the compressor oil in the oil-gas separation vessel 4 can enter the second-stage compressor head 2 through the third oil return pipeline 83 for lubricating the second-stage compressor head 2, thereby ensuring a stable working state of the second-stage compressor head 2.

In some embodiments, the gas compression system 100 further includes an oil cooler 10 and a filter 11. The oil cooler 10 and the filter 11 are sequentially connected between the oil-gas separation vessel 4 and the first-stage compressor head 1.

In this manner, the compressor oil in the oil-gas separation vessel 4, after flowing out from the outlet end of the oil-gas separation vessel 4, can sequentially pass through the oil cooler 10 and the filter 11. Thus, the temperature of the compressor oil entering the first-stage compressor head 1 and the second-stage compressor head 2 can be lowered, and impurities in the compressor oil can be reduced to guarantee cleanliness of the compressor oil. Both the oil cooler 10 and the filter 11 are located at an upstream end of the first oil return pipeline 81.

In some embodiments, the gas compression system 100 further includes a gas cooler 6. The gas cooler 6 is in communication with the gas exhaust end of the oil-gas separation vessel 4, in order to cool the finally-separated compressed gas.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the gas inlet 94 of the sprayer 9 is in communication with a gas exhaust end of the gas cooler 6, such that gas cooled by the gas cooler can enter the sprayer 9 to be mixed, in the sprayer 9, with the compressor oil. Therefore, compressed gas can be sprayed to the inter-stage stage to optimize the cooling effect at the inter-stage stage. In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms “center” , “longitudinal” , “transverse” , “length” , “width” , “thickness” , “upper” , “lower” , “front” , “rear” , “left” , “right” , “vertical” , “horizontal” , “top” , “bottom” , “inner” , “outer” , “clockwise” , “counterclockwise” , “axial” , “radial” , “circumferential” , etc., is based on the orientation or position relationship illustrated in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the pointed device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

In the description of the present disclosure, “first feature” or “second feature” may include one or more of said features.

In the description of the present disclosure, “aplurality of” means two or more.

In the description of the present disclosure, the first feature being “on” or “under” the second feature may mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an additional feature between the first and second features.

In the description of the present disclosure, the first feature being “above” the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply mean that the level of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature.

In the description of this specification, descriptions with reference to the terms “an embodiment” , “some embodiments” , “illustrative embodiments” , “examples” , “specific examples” , or “some examples” etc. mean that specific features, structure, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific described features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described above, those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications, replacements, and alternatives to these embodiments, without departing from the principle and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims as attached and their equivalents.

Claims

A gas compression system (100) , comprising:

a first-stage compressor head (1) and a second-stage compressor head (2) ;

an oil-gas separation vessel (4) in communication with the second-stage compressor head (2) and the first-stage compressor head (1) ; and

a sprayer (9) disposed between the first-stage compressor head (1) and the second-stage compressor head (2) and configured to cool inter-stage compressed gas, wherein the sprayer (9) comprises:

a gas inlet (94) configured to introduce compressed gas;

an oil inlet (93) configured to introduce compressor oil; and

at least one oil-spraying opening (95) configured to oil-spray cool the inter-stage compressed gas.
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the first-stage compressor head (1) and the second-stage compressor head (2) are formed as one piece, and the sprayer (9) is disposed at an inter-stage stage between the first-stage compressor head (1) and the second-stage compressor head (2) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 1, further comprising an inter-stage cooling chamber (3) disposed between the first-stage compressor head (1) and the second-stage compressor head (2) , wherein the sprayer (9) is disposed in the inter-stage cooling chamber (3) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the oil inlet (93) of the sprayer (9) is in communication with the oil-gas separation vessel (4) through a first oil return pipeline (81) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 1, further comprising an oil-gas separation cartridge (5) disposed in the oil-gas separation vessel (4) , wherein the gas inlet (94) of the sprayer (9) is in communication with the oil-gas separation cartridge (5) through a scavenge line (7) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the gas inlet (94) of the sprayer (9) is in communication with a gas exhaust end of the second-stage compressor head (2) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the gas inlet (94) of the sprayer (9) is in communication with a gas outlet end of the oil-gas separation vessel (4) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the sprayer (9) comprises an inner pipe (91) having a hollow inner chamber (911) , and an outer pipe (92) sleeved on the inner pipe (91) ; an outer chamber (921) is defined by the outer pipe (92) and the inner pipe (91) , and the inner chamber (911) is in communication with the outer chamber (921) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 8, wherein the oil inlet (93) is in communication with the outer chamber (921) , the gas inlet (94) is in communication with the inner chamber (911) , and the at least one oil-spraying opening (95) is defined in an outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe (92) and in communication with the outer chamber (921) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 9, wherein the gas inlet (94) is disposed at a first end of the outer pipe (92) and penetrates the first end of the inner pipe (91) , and a second end of the inner pipe (91) is located within the outer pipe (92) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 10, wherein at least one oil passage hole (96) is defined within the second end of the inner pipe (91) and configured to communicate the inner chamber (911) with the outer chamber (921) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 11, wherein the at least one oil passage hole (96) comprises a plurality of oil passage holes (96) , and the plurality of oil passage holes (96) are circumferentially and/or axially distributed along an outer peripheral wall of the inner pipe (91) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 9, wherein the oil inlet (93) is disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe (92) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 9, wherein the at least one oil-spraying opening (95) is defined in the outer pipe (92) and spaced apart from the oil inlet (93) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 14, wherein the at least one oil-spraying opening (95) comprises a plurality of oil-spraying openings (95) , and the plurality of oil-spraying openings (95) are circumferentially and/or axially distributed along the outer peripheral wall of the outer pipe (92) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the oil-gas separation vessel (4) is in communication with the first-stage compressor head (1) through a second oil return pipeline (82) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the oil-gas separation vessel (4) is in communication with the second-stage compressor head (2) through a third oil return pipeline (83) .
The gas compression system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising an oil cooler (10) and a filter (11) , wherein the oil cooler (10) and the filter (11) are sequentially connected between the oil-gas separation vessel (4) and the first-stage compressor head (1) .
The gas compression system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising a gas cooler (6) , wherein a gas exhaust end of the oil-gas separation vessel (4) is in communication with the gas cooler (6) .
The gas compression system (100) according to claim 19, wherein the gas inlet (94) of the sprayer (9) is in communication with a gas exhaust end of the gas cooler (6) .