High pressure ratio compressors with multiple intercooling and related methods

Abstract

Turbo-compressor/generator trains including high pressure ratio compressors with multiple intercooling and related methods are provided. A high pressure ratio compressor with multiple intercooling includes a casing with plural chambers, one or more shafts penetrating inside the chambers, and impellers mounted on the one or more shafts inside the chambers, respectively. Each chamber has a gas inlet and a gas outlet to allow gas flow to be input into and to be output from the respective chamber. A gas flow is successively compressed in each of the chambers, and is cooled outside the compressor when transferring from one chamber to a next chamber among the plural chambers.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A high pressure ratio compressor with multiple intercooling used in a turbo-compressor/generator train, the compressor comprising:
 a casing with plural chambers, each chamber comprising a gas inlet and a gas outlet to allow gas flow to be input into and to be output from the respective chamber;   one or more shafts penetrating inside the chambers; and   impellers mounted on the one or more shafts, inside the chambers, respectively,   wherein a gas flow is successively compressed in each of the chambers, and is cooled outside the casing when transferring from one chamber to a next chamber among the plural chambers.   
     
     
         2 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the compressor is configured to achieve a compression ratio over 20, for a gas flow around 220000 kg/h. 
     
     
         3 . The compressor of  claim 1 , further comprising plural bearings supporting the shaft, wherein one of the plural bearings is located on the shaft outside the casing, at a side of the casing towards a gear box of the turbo-compressor/generator train. 
     
     
         4 . The compressor of  claim 3 , wherein one of the plural bearings is located on the shaft outside the casing, at an opposite side of the casing relative to the side of the casing towards the gear box. 
     
     
         5 . The compressor of  claim 3 , wherein one of the plural bearings is located on the shaft inside the casing, near a wall separating chambers of the compressor. 
     
     
         6 . The compressor of  claim 5 , wherein the chambers are arranged in an order corresponding to an output pressure of the gas flow, the another one of the plural bearings being located near the wall separating lower pressure chambers of the compressor, and the one of the plural bearings being located near a chamber corresponding to the highest output pressure. 
     
     
         7 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the chambers comprise three chambers, and pressure of the gas flow output from one chamber drops about 10% while being cooled outside the casing before being input into the next chamber. 
     
     
         8 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the compressor is configured to meet at least one of the following conditions:
 temperatures of the gas flow input in each of the chambers is around 40° C.; a ratio of pressure of the gas flow output from each chamber to pressure of the gas flow input in the respective chamber is between 2.5 and 3.5;   an input pressure of the gas flow input in a first chamber of the compressor is about 1 bar;   an output pressure of the gas flow output from the compressor is about 20.8 bar; and   a rotation speed of the one or more shafts is between 5000-7000 RPM.   
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A turbo-compressor/generator train, comprising:
 a high pressure ratio compressor with multiple intercooling, compressor comprising:
 a casing with plural chambers, each chamber comprising a gas inlet and a gas outlet to allow gas flow be input into and to be output from the respective chamber; 
 one or more shafts penetrating inside the chambers; and 
 impellers mounted on the one or more shafts inside the chambers, respectively, 
 wherein a gas flow is successively compressed in each of the chambers, and is cooled outside the casing when transferring from one chamber to a next chamber among the plural chambers. 
   
     
     
         11 . A method of retrofitting a conventional turbo-compressor/generator train, the method comprising:
 removing at least two compressors from the conventional turbo-compressor/generator train; and   adding a single high pressure ratio compressor with multiple intercooling,   wherein the single compressor is configured to achieve the same compression as the removed compressors.   
     
     
         12 . The compressor of  claim 3 , wherein the compressor is configured to achieve a compression ratio over 20, for a gas flow around 220000 kg/h. 
     
     
         13 . The compressor of  claim 4 , wherein the compressor is configured to achieve a compression ratio over 20, for a gas flow around 220000 kg/h. 
     
     
         14 . The compressor of  claim 5 , wherein the compressor is configured to achieve a compression ratio over 20, for a gas flow around 220000 kg/h. 
     
     
         15 . The compressor of  claim 7 , wherein the compressor is configured to achieve a compression ratio over 20, for a gas flow around 220000 kg/h. 
     
     
         16 . The compressor of  claim 8 , wherein the compressor is configured to achieve a compression ratio over 20, for a gas flow around 220000 kg/h. 
     
     
         17 . The compressor of  claim 3 , wherein the chambers comprise three chambers, and pressure of the gas flow output from one chamber drops about 10% while being cooled outside the casing before being input into the next chamber. 
     
     
         18 . The compressor of  claim 12 , wherein the chambers comprise three chambers, and pressure of the gas flow output from one chamber drops about 10% while being cooled outside the casing before being input into the next chamber. 
     
     
         19 . The compressor of  claim 18 , wherein the compressor is configured to meet at least one of the following conditions:
 temperatures of the gas flow input in each of the chambers is around 40° C.; a ratio of pressure of the gas flow output from each chamber to pressure of the gas flow input in the respective chamber is between 2.5 and 3.5;   an input pressure of the gas flow input in a first chamber of the compressor is about 1 bar;   an output pressure of the gas flow output from the compressor is about 20.8 bar; and   a rotation speed of the one or more shafts is between 5000-7000 RPM.   
     
     
         20 . The compressor of  claim 3 , wherein the compressor is configured to meet at least one of the following conditions:
 temperatures of the gas flow input in each of the chambers is around 40° C.; a ratio of pressure of the gas flow output from each chamber to pressure of the gas flow input in the respective chamber is between 2.5 and 3.5;   an input pressure of the gas flow input in a first chamber of the compressor is about 1 bar;   an output pressure of the gas flow output from the compressor is about 20.8 bar; and   a rotation speed of the one or more shafts is between 5000-7000 RPM.