Trane International Inc.

Rick Todd James

Paul Francis Haley

William J Plzak

Randall L Janssen

David Marshall Foye

Dennis R Dorman

Frederic Byron Hamm, Jr

James A Kwiatkowski

Mark W Harrison

Jon Christopher Johnson

Christopher Glen Thilges

Yuanjie Wu

Paul H Haley

Centrifugal compressors can incorporate a side stream flow of intermediate pressure vapor between stages of that compressor. The side stream flow can be controlled by a side stream injection port controlled by a capacity control valve that has a curved surface facing a flow of refrigerant from the first stage to the second stage. The capacity control valve can allow or obstruct flow through the side stream injection port. The capacity control valve can extend and retract in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of flow from the first stage impeller to the second stage impeller. The side stream injection port and the capacity control valve can be ring-shaped. The side stream injection port and the capacity control valve can allow at least some of the side stream to be introduced on a side of the capacity control valve opposite the curved surface.

Interstage capacity control valve with side stream flow distribution and flow regulation for multi-stage centrifugal compressors

Embodiments provided herein are directed to systems and methods of re-injecting vaporized flash refrigerant from an economizer into a two-stage compressor. The injection can be through an injection port positioned after the first compression stage. The location of the injection may have a relatively low static refrigerant pressure. The injection port and/or an injection pipe of the economizer may be configured to pre-condition the vaporized flash refrigerant so that a flow velocity and/or direction of the vaporized flash refrigerant flow can be match a flow velocity and/or direction of the refrigerant in the refrigerant conduit.

Economizer injection assembly and method

A coaxial economizer for use in a chiller system comprising an inner housing and an outer housing having a common longitudinal axis. The outer housing has an inlet for receiving a fluid from a upstream compressor stage of a multistage compressor and an outlet for conveying a fluid to a downstream compressor stage of a multistage compressor. A flow chamber forms a fluid flow path about the inner housing. A flash chamber is coterminous with the flow chamber and flashes fluid in a liquid state to a gas state. A flow passage between said flash chamber and the flow chamber for conveying a flashed gas from the flash chamber to the flow chamber; wherein the flashed gas conveyed from the flash chamber and the fluid received from the inlet of the outer housing mix along the fluid flow path toward the outlet of the outer housing.

Coaxial economizer assembly and method

A centrifugal compressor assembly for compressing refrigerant in a 250-ton capacity or larger chiller system comprising a motor, preferably a compact, high energy density motor or permanent magnet motor, for driving a shaft at a range of sustained operating speeds under the control of a variable speed drive. Another embodiment of the centrifugal compressor assembly comprises a mixed flow impeller and a vaneless diffuser sized such that a final stage compressor operates with an optimal specific speed range for targeted combinations of head and capacity, while a non-final stage compressor operates above the optimum specific speed of the final stage compressor. Another embodiment of the centrifugal compressor assembly comprises an integrated inlet flow conditioning assembly to condition flow of refrigerant into an impeller to achieve a target approximately constant angle swirl distribution with minimal guide vane turning.

Centrifugal compressor assembly and method

A centrifugal compressor assembly for compressing refrigerant in a 250-ton capacity or larger chiller system comprising a motor, preferably a compact, high energy density motor or permanent magnet motor, for driving a shaft at a range of sustained operating speeds under the control of a variable speed drive. Another embodiment of the centrifugal compressor assembly comprises a mixed flow impeller and a vaneless diffuser sized such that a final stage compressor operates with an optimal specific speed range for targeted combinations of head and capacity, while a non-final stage compressor operates above the optimum specific speed of the final stage compressor. Another embodiment of the centrifugal compressor assembly comprises an integrated inlet flow conditioning assembly comprising a flow conditioning nose, a plurality of inlet guide vanes and a flow conditioning body that positions inlet guide vanes to condition flow of refrigerant into an impeller to achieve a target approximately constant angle swirl distribution with minimal guide vane turning.

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La Crescent, MN, United States of America

Rick Todd James