Compressor system for underwater use having a stator packet with an annular cooling chamber

• US 8,313,316 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innomotics GmbH
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Bade, Maria, Mucha, Joachim, Möhle, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer, Devon
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZOLLINGER, NATHAN C
• Application Number:
  US12/599,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20100239441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 417/410.1, 417/366, 417/423.1, 417/423.3, 417/423.8, 310/54, 310/58
• US Class Current: 417/423.8
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 17/122 the individual rotor discs being, one for each stage, on a common shaft and axially spaced, e.g. conventional centrifugal multi- stage compressors
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/0686 specially adapted for submerged use
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5806 Cooling the drive system
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5826 Cooling at least part of the working fluid in a heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/588 cooling or heating the machine F04D29/5886, F04D29/5893 take precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a compressor system (1), particularly for conveying gases or gas/oil mixtures in the offshore area, with a seawater-tight housing (2) with at least one access opening (3) for gases or gas/oil mixtures which are to be compressed, and with at least one outlet opening (4) for the compressed gases or gas/oil mixtures. In the housing (2), a compressor (8) is disposed, which is connected at the inlet side to the access opening (3) and, at the outlet side, to the outlet opening (4). An electric motor (7), which has a stator assembly (71) and a rotor assembly (72) for driving the compressor (8), is disposed in the housing (2). According to the invention, the stator assembly (71) can be cooled over an inner side (GI) of the housing (2) of the compressor system (1).

Claims

1. A compressor system for transporting a medium in an offshore area, comprising:

a seawater-proof housing having at least one entry opening for the medium, and at least one discharge opening for the medium;

a compressor arranged in the housing and having an inlet side connected to the entry opening and an outlet side connected to the discharge opening; and

an electric motor arranged in the housing and including a stator packet coolable via an inner side of the housing and a rotor packet for driving the compressor, said stator packet being spaced at a distance from the inner side of the housing and having cooling passages extending axially inside the stator packet, said stator packet forming with at least one confronting part of the housing inner side a separate closed annular cooling chamber arranged at an inner peripheral area of the housing and fluidly communicating with both ends of the cooling passages to thereby enable circulation of a coolant in a closed cooling circuit,

wherein the coolant is oil,

wherein the cooling passages are spaced from one another to define one cooling passage arranged at an inner diameter of the stator packet and another cooling passage arranged at an outer diameter of the stator packet; and

wherein the rotor packet is located externally of the annular cooling chamber.

2. The compressor system of claim 1, wherein the medium is a gaseous fluid or a gas/oil mixture.

3. The compressor system of claim 1, wherein the cooling passages extend in substantial axial relationship to a rotational axis of the electric motor.

4. The compressor system of claim 1, wherein the electric motor is defined by a rotational axis which extends essentially in a vertical direction in an installed state of the electric motor.

5. The compressor system of claim 1, wherein the housing has a housing outer side, further comprising a multiplicity of cooling fins arranged on the housing outer side.

6. The compressor system of claim 1, wherein the stator packet has end windings located within the closed cooling chamber.

7. The compressor system of claim 1, wherein the cooling chamber is bounded by walls curved to guide a flow of the coolant and arranged near the ends of the cooling passages.