Apparatus and method for gas compression
View Patent ↗An apparatus and method for substantially reducing or eliminating the introduction of ambient air into an open-crankcase compressor is disclosed. The method employs a compressed gas recycle control loop to reduce the magnitude of vacuum inside the open-crankcase compressor relative to ambient air pressure, thereby reducing or eliminating the introduction of ambient air into the open-crankcase compressor during the gas compression process.
1. An apparatus comprising:
an oil-less open-crankcase compressor in an environment, the environment comprising a quantity of ambient air, the oil-less open-crankcase compressor comprising:
an inlet; and
an outlet;
a quantity of compressed gas produced by the oil-less open-crankcase compressor; and
a recycle loop coupled to the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor and the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor, wherein the recycle loop is configured to control the flow of the quantity of compressed gas through the recycle loop so as to introduce at least a portion of the quantity of compressed gas produced by the oil-less open-crankcase compressor from the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor to the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor, thereby substantially inhibiting the creation of a vacuum at the inlet of oil-less open-crankcase compressor relative to the quantity of ambient air, thereby substantially eliminating the intrusion of the quantity of ambient air into the compressor.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recycle loop further comprises a pulsation dampener coupled to the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recycle loop further comprises a pulsation dampener coupled to the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recycle loop further comprises:
a pulsation dampener coupled to the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor; and
a pulsation dampener coupled to the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recycle loop further comprises a heat exchanger coupled between the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor and the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recycle loop further comprises:
a first pulsation dampener coupled to the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor;
a second pulsation dampener coupled to the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor; and
a heat exchanger coupled between the first pulsation dampener and the second pulsation dampener.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recycle loop further comprises a pressure regulator.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recycle loop further comprises:
a first pulsation dampener coupled to the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor;
a second pulsation dampener coupled to the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor;
a heat exchanger coupled between the first pulsation dampener and the second pulsation dampener; and
a pressure regulator coupled between the first pulsation dampener and the heat exchanger.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recycle loop is configured to selectively deliver at least a portion of the quantity of compressed gas to the inlet when a vacuum condition is detected at the inlet and wherein the recycle loop is configured to selectively not deliver at least a portion of the quantity of compressed gas to the inlet when a vacuum condition is not detected at the inlet.
10. An apparatus for compressing air, the apparatus comprising:
an oil-less open-crankcase compressor producing a quantity of compressed gas, the oil-less open-crankcase compressor comprising an inlet and an outlet;
a pressure relief valve coupled to the inlet;
a gas source coupled to the pressure relief valve; and
a recycle loop configured to recycle at least a portion of the quantity of compressed gas by supplying at least a portion of the quantity of compressed gas to the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor, depending on a pressure sensed at the inlet, the recycle loop comprising:
a first volume bottle coupled to the outlet;
a heat exchanger coupled to the first volume bottle;
a pressure regulator coupled to the heat exchanger; and
a second volume bottle coupled to the pressure regulator and to the inlet.
11. A method of reducing the intrusion of ambient air into an oil-less open-crankcase compressor comprising the steps of:
using the oil-less open-crankcase compressor to compress a quantify of gas;
monitoring an ambient air pressure at an inlet for the oil-less open-crankcase compressor; and
delivering at least a portion of the compressed gas from an outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor to the inlet whenever the ambient air pressure at the inlet drops below a pre-determined level.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of delivering at least a portion of the compressed gas from the oil-less open-crankcase compressor to the inlet whenever the ambient air pressure at the inlet drops below a pre-determined level comprises the step of using a recycle loop to deliver at least a portion of the compressed gas from the oil-less open-crankcase compressor to the inlet whenever the ambient air pressure at the inlet drops below a pre-determined level.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the recycle loop further comprises:
a pulsation dampener coupled to the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor; and
a pulsation dampener coupled to the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the recycle loop further comprises a heat exchanger coupled between the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor and the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein the recycle loop further comprises:
a first pulsation dampener coupled to the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor;
a second pulsation dampener coupled to the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor; and
a heat exchanger coupled between the first pulsation dampener and the second pulsation dampener.
16. The method of claim 12 wherein the recycle loop further comprises:
a first pulsation dampener coupled to the inlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor;
a second pulsation dampener coupled to the outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor;
a heat exchanger coupled between the first pulsation dampener and the second pulsation dampener; and
a pressure regulator coupled between the first pulsation dampener and the heat exchanger.
17. The method of claim 12 wherein the recycle loop is configured to selectively deliver at least a portion of the quantity of compressed gas to the inlet when a vacuum condition is detected at the inlet and wherein the recycle loop is configured to selectively not deliver at least a portion of the quantity of compressed gas to the inlet when a vacuum condition is not detected at the inlet.
18. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of not delivering at least a portion of the compressed gas from an outlet of the oil-less open-crankcase compressor to the inlet whenever the ambient air pressure at the inlet rises above a pre-determined level.