DEVICE FOR COMPRESSING A GASEOUS FLUID

• US 20150211440A1
• Filed: 07/26/2013
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boostheat SA
• Original Assignee: Boostheat SA
• Inventors: Joffroy, Jean-Marc
• Granted Patent: US 9,273,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01B 7/16 with pistons synchronously moving in tandem arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 1/055 Heaters or coolers
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 1/057 Regenerators
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 25/00 Multi-stage pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 35/00 Piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids and characterised by the driving means to their working members, or by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/10 with multi-stage compression with cascade operation F25B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/008 the refrigerant being carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/14 characterised by the cycle used, e.g. Stirling cycle

Abstract

A modular device for compressing gaseous fluid includes a first stage with a first hot chamber, a second cold chamber, a piston assembly separating the first and second chambers inside a main enclosure, a regenerative heat exchanger establishing a fluid communication between the first and second chambers by at least a first communication line, and optionally third and fourth chambers separated by a fixed divider separating the third and fourth chambers placed in communication by a second communication line. It thus includes a compressor with one, two, or four stages based on a modular architecture with common components.

Claims

1. A device for compressing gaseous fluid, comprising:

an inlet for gaseous fluid to be compressed and an outlet for compressed gaseous fluid;

a cylindrical main enclosure for containing the gaseous fluids;

a first chamber thermally coupled to a heat source adapted for adding heat energy to the gaseous fluid;

a second chamber thermally coupled to a cold source in order to transfer heat energy from the gaseous fluid to the cold source;

a piston assembly mounted in a cylindrical sleeve so as to move in an axial direction and separating the first chamber and second chamber inside said main enclosure;

at least one regenerative heat exchanger arranged circumferentially around the sleeve and establishing a fluid communication between the first and second chambers by at least one first communication line;

the first chamber comprising a one first communication passage arranged at a first end of the enclosure and connected to the at least one first communication line, the second chamber comprising a second communication passage arranged at a second end of the enclosure and connected to the at least one first communication line; and

the first chamber, the second chamber, and the at least one first communication line forming a first compression stage;

wherein the device comprises a plurality of third and fourth passages of that are ports arranged in an intermediate portion of the enclosure between the first and second ends.

2. The device for compressing gaseous fluid according to claim 1, additionally comprising, within the same main enclosure, third and fourth chambers arranged in the main enclosure between the first and second chambers, and a fixed divider separating the third and fourth chambers, the piston assembly comprising a rod and first and second pistons connected to each other the rod and arranged on each side of the fixed divider, at least one second communication line establishing a communication between the third and fourth chambers through the at least one regenerative heat exchanger, the third chamber, the fourth chamber, and the at least one second communication line forming a second compression stage, functionally placed serially behind the first compression stage.

3. The device for compressing gaseous fluid according to claim 2, wherein the at least one regenerative heat exchanger comprises at least two regenerator ring sections, independent of each other, the at least two regenerator ring sections forming a ring arranged about the sleeve near the first fixed divider.

4. The device for compressing gaseous fluid according to claim 3, comprising N stages, N being chosen from among a set of values including 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, wherein the at least two regenerator ring sections N regenerator ring sections each having an arc of 360°

/N, independent of each other.

5. The device for compressing gaseous fluid according to claim 4, additionally comprising, within the same main enclosure, third and fourth stages, the third stage comprising a hot chamber, a cold chamber, and a third communication line, and the fourth stage comprising a hot chamber, a cold chamber, and a fourth communication line.

6. The device for compressing gaseous fluid according to claim 5, wherein the chambers of the fourth stage are are positioned between the chambers of the third stage, which themselves are positioned between the chambers of the second stage, which in turn are positioned between the chambers of the first stage.

7. The device for compressing gaseous fluid according to claim 1, additionally comprising a drive system for the piston assembly, the drive system including an auxiliary chamber, a first rod secured to the piston assembly and axially guided, a second rod connected to the first rod, and a flywheel connected to the second rod, said drive system being configured to self-sustain back and forth movement of the piston assembly.

8. The device for compressing gaseous fluid according to claim 5 wherein at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth communication lines comprises at least one external portion arranged in an immediate vicinity of at least one of the hot and cold sources, between the at least one regenerative heat exchanger and at least one of the ends of the enclosure.

9. The device for compressing gaseous fluid according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the second, third, and fourth communication lines comprises a borehole and the device includes a dissymmetrical core positioned in the borehole.

10. A thermal system comprising a heat transfer circuit and a device for compressing gaseous fluid according to claim 1.