Oil flow protection scheme
First Claim
1. A protection system for a compressor comprising:
- a compressor having a discharge and including at least one rotor and at least one bearing;
a lubrication system including at least one oil recovery device for recovering oil from the compressor, and further including bearing conduit connecting the oil recovery device to the compressor bearing and including rotor conduit for connecting the oil recovery device to the compressor rotors; and
an oil protection system including a compressor discharge temperature sensor located in the discharge for sensing the temperature of a lubricant/refrigerant mixture discharged by the compressor, a differential pressure sensor located in the bearing conduit for measuring a differential pressure in the bearing conduit, and an oil detector located in the rotor conduit for detecting the presence of oil in the rotor conduit.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A protection system for a compressor. The system comprises a compressor having a discharge and including at least one rotor and at least one bearing; a lubrication system including at least one oil recovery device for recovering oil from the compressor, and further including bearing conduit connecting the oil recovery device to the compressor bearing and including rotor conduit for connecting the oil recovery device to the compressor rotors; and an oil protection system. The oil protection system includes a compressor discharge temperature sensor located in the discharge for sensing the temperature of a lubricant/refrigerant mixture discharged by the compressor, a differential pressure sensor located in the bearing conduit for measuring a differential pressure in the bearing conduit, and an oil detector located in the rotor conduit for detecting the presence of oil in the rotor conduit.
92 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A protection system for a compressor comprising:
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a compressor having a discharge and including at least one rotor and at least one bearing; a lubrication system including at least one oil recovery device for recovering oil from the compressor, and further including bearing conduit connecting the oil recovery device to the compressor bearing and including rotor conduit for connecting the oil recovery device to the compressor rotors; and an oil protection system including a compressor discharge temperature sensor located in the discharge for sensing the temperature of a lubricant/refrigerant mixture discharged by the compressor, a differential pressure sensor located in the bearing conduit for measuring a differential pressure in the bearing conduit, and an oil detector located in the rotor conduit for detecting the presence of oil in the rotor conduit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An oil protection system for a compressor comprising:
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a compressor operable to compress a compressible fluid and having a discharge, a rotor and a bearing; an oil supply system including a first oil line operably connected to and providing lubricant to the rotor and a second oil line operably connected to and providing lubricant to the bearing; an orifice located in either of the first or second oil lines and controlling flow therethrough; a first sensor located in the discharge so as to measure a condition representative of the temperature of the compressible fluid discharged by the compressor and provide a representative signal to the controller; a second sensor located proximal the orifice so as to measure a differential pressure across the orifice and provide a representative signal to the controller; a third sensor located proximal the oil line lacking the orifice, the third sensor measuring the presence or absence of liquid and providing a representative binary signal to the controller; and a controller operably connected to and receiving the signals from the first, second, and third sensors and operable to control the operation of the compressor and in response thereto, the controller using the first sensor signal to determine the quality of lubricating fluid, the second sensor signal to verify actual flow of the lubricating fluid, and the third sensor signal to distinguish between a liquid state of the lubricant and a vaporous state of the compressible fluid. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A method of protecting a compressor lubrication system comprising the steps of:
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sensing differential pressure in a compressor lubrication line to verify lubricant flow; sensing the discharge temperature of the compressor to verify lubricant concentration; and sensing the level of foaminess in a lubrication feed line to the compressor to verify lubricant quality. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification