Gaseous fluid compression with alternating refrigeration and mechanical compression

Abstract

A gaseous compression system for compressing a gas from an initial pressure to an exit pressure with a first, blower compression bank and a second, mechanical compression bank. Each compression bank has plural stages of gaseous compression with a gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler. The heat pump intercooler comprises a cascading heat pump intercooler with a high temperature section, a medium temperature section, and a low temperature section, each temperature section with an intercooler core. Each stage of the blower compression bank has a high-pressure blower, and each stage of the mechanical compressor bank has a mechanical compressor. A final stage of gaseous compression is without a heat pump intercooler. Gas compressed by the gaseous fluid compression system can be injected into a gas-driven generator to generate electric power from movement of a working fluid induced by injection of the compressed gas.

What is claimed as deserving the protection of Letters Patent: 
     
         1 . A gaseous compression system for compressing a gas from an initial pressure to an exit pressure, the gaseous compression system comprising:
 a first compression bank wherein the first compression bank comprises a stage of gaseous compression with a gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the gaseous fluid compressor wherein the first compression bank is operative to bring the gas from an intake pressure to a first elevated gauge pressure; and   a second compression bank fluidically coupled to receive the gas from the first compression bank wherein the second compression bank comprises a stage of gaseous compression with a gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the gaseous fluid compressor wherein the second compression bank is operative to bring the gas to the exit pressure.   
     
     
         2 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 1 , wherein the exit pressure is greater than the first elevated gauge pressure. 
     
     
         3 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 1 , wherein the heat pump intercooler comprises a cascading heat pump intercooler with plural intercooler sections. 
     
     
         4 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 3 , wherein the cascading heat pump intercooler has a high temperature section and a low temperature section wherein each of the high temperature section and the low temperature section has an intercooler core. 
     
     
         5 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 4 , wherein the cascading heat pump intercooler further comprises a medium temperature section fluidically interposed between the high temperature section and the low temperature section. 
     
     
         6 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 1 , wherein the first compression bank comprises a blower compression bank wherein the gaseous fluid compressor of the stage of gaseous compression of the first compression bank comprises a high-pressure blower and wherein the second compression bank comprises a mechanical compression bank wherein the gaseous fluid compressor of the stage of gaseous compression of the mechanical compression bank comprises a mechanical compressor. 
     
     
         7 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 6 , wherein the gaseous fluid compressor of the stage of gaseous compression of the mechanical compression bank comprises a mechanical compressor comprising a rotary compressor or a reciprocating compressor. 
     
     
         8 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 7 , wherein the gaseous fluid compressor of the stage of gaseous compression of the mechanical compression bank comprises a reciprocating compressor. 
     
     
         9 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 6 , wherein the blower compression bank comprises plural stages of gaseous compression wherein each stage has a high-pressure blower gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the high-pressure blower gaseous fluid compressor and wherein the mechanical compression bank comprises plural stages of gaseous compression wherein each of the plural stages has a mechanical gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the mechanical gaseous fluid compressor. 
     
     
         10 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 9 , wherein the blower compression bank comprises at least four stages of gaseous compression, each stage with a high-pressure blower gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the high-pressure blower gaseous fluid compressor. 
     
     
         11 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 10 , wherein the mechanical compression bank comprises at least three stages of gaseous compression, each stage with a mechanical gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the mechanical gaseous fluid compressor. 
     
     
         12 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 9 , wherein the heat pump intercooler of each stage of gaseous compression comprises a cascading heat pump intercooler with plural intercooler sections. 
     
     
         13 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 12 , wherein the cascading heat pump intercooler has a high temperature section and a low temperature section wherein each of the high temperature section and the low temperature section has an intercooler core. 
     
     
         14 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 13 , wherein the cascading heat pump intercooler further comprises a medium temperature section fluidically interposed between the high temperature section and the low temperature section. 
     
     
         15 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 9 , further comprising an outlet of the gaseous compression system and wherein the mechanical compression bank further comprises a final stage of gaseous compression wherein the final stage has a mechanical gaseous fluid compressor without a heat pump intercooler fluidically interposed between the mechanical gaseous fluid compressor and the outlet. 
     
     
         16 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 1 , further comprising an outlet of the gaseous compression system and further comprising a gas-driven generator for generating electric power from movement of a working fluid wherein the gas-driven generator is fluidically coupled to the outlet. 
     
     
         17 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 16 , wherein the gas-driven generator has one or more elongate gravitational distribution conduits, each gravitational distribution conduit with an upper end and a lower end; and one or more elongate buoyancy conduits, each buoyancy conduit with an upper end and a lower end; wherein the upper end or ends of the buoyancy conduits are in fluidic communication with the upper end or ends of the gravitational distribution conduits and wherein the lower end or ends of the gravitational distribution conduits are in fluidic communication with the lower end or ends of the buoyancy conduits whereby a closed fluid loop is formed between the buoyancy conduits and the gravitational distribution conduit with working fluid flowing from the upper ends of the buoyancy conduits fed into the upper end of the gravitational distribution conduit and working fluid flowing downwardly through the gravitational distribution conduit being fed from the lower end of the distributor conduit into the lower ends of the plural buoyancy conduits; a fluid turbine system fluidically interposed between the lower end or ends of the gravitational distribution conduit or conduits and the lower end or ends of the buoyancy conduits; and wherein an air injection system is operative to inject air from the outlet and into each of the buoyancy conduits. 
     
     
         18 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 9 , further comprising a water trap fluidically coupled to each heat pump intercooler, the water trap operative to remove condensed water. 
     
     
         19 . A gaseous compression system for compressing a gas from an initial pressure to an exit pressure, the gaseous compression system comprising:
 a first compression bank with plural stages of gaseous compression wherein each stage has a gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the gaseous fluid compressor.   
     
     
         20 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 19 , further comprising a second compression bank fluidically coupled to receive the gas from the first compression bank wherein the second compression bank comprises plural stages of gaseous compression with a gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the gaseous fluid compressor wherein the second compression bank is operative to bring the gas to the exit pressure. 
     
     
         21 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 19 , wherein the heat pump intercooler of at least one of the stages comprises a cascading heat pump intercooler with plural intercooler sections. 
     
     
         22 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 21 , wherein the heat pump intercooler of each of the stages comprises a cascading heat pump intercooler with plural intercooler sections. 
     
     
         23 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 22 , wherein the cascading heat pump intercooler has a high temperature section and a low temperature section wherein each of the high temperature section and the low temperature section has an intercooler core. 
     
     
         24 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 23 , wherein the cascading heat pump intercooler further comprises a medium temperature section fluidically interposed between the high temperature section and the low temperature section. 
     
     
         25 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 20 , wherein the first compression bank comprises a blower compression bank wherein the gaseous fluid compressor of each stage of gaseous compression of the first compression bank comprises a high-pressure blower and wherein the second compression bank comprises a mechanical compression bank wherein the gaseous fluid compressor of each stage of gaseous compression of the mechanical compression bank comprises a mechanical compressor. 
     
     
         26 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 25 , wherein the mechanical compressor comprises a rotary compressor or a reciprocating compressor. 
     
     
         27 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 26 , wherein the gaseous fluid compressor comprises a reciprocating compressor. 
     
     
         28 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 25 , wherein the blower compression bank comprises at least four stages of gaseous compression, each stage with a high-pressure blower gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the high-pressure blower gaseous fluid compressor. 
     
     
         29 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 28 , wherein the mechanical compression bank comprises at least three stages of gaseous compression, each stage with a mechanical gaseous fluid compressor and a heat pump intercooler fluidically coupled to the mechanical gaseous fluid compressor. 
     
     
         30 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 19 , further comprising an outlet of the gaseous compression system and further comprising a final stage of gaseous compression wherein the final stage has a mechanical gaseous fluid compressor without a heat pump intercooler fluidically interposed between the mechanical gaseous fluid compressor and the outlet. 
     
     
         31 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 19 , further comprising an outlet of the gaseous compression system and further comprising a gas-driven generator for generating electric power from movement of a working fluid wherein the gas-driven generator is fluidically coupled to the outlet. 
     
     
         32 . The gaseous compression system of  claim 31 , wherein the gas-driven generator has one or more elongate gravitational distribution conduits, each gravitational distribution conduit with an upper end and a lower end; and one or more elongate buoyancy conduits, each buoyancy conduit with an upper end and a lower end; wherein the upper end or ends of the buoyancy conduits are in fluidic communication with the upper end or ends of the gravitational distribution conduits and wherein the lower end or ends of the gravitational distribution conduits are in fluidic communication with the lower end or ends of the buoyancy conduits whereby a closed fluid loop is formed between the buoyancy conduits and the gravitational distribution conduit with working fluid flowing from the upper ends of the buoyancy conduits fed into the upper end of the gravitational distribution conduit and working fluid flowing downwardly through the gravitational distribution conduit being fed from the lower end of the distributor conduit into the lower ends of the plural buoyancy conduits; a fluid turbine system fluidically interposed between the lower end or ends of the gravitational distribution conduit or conduits and the lower end or ends of the buoyancy conduits; and wherein an air injection system is operative to inject air from the outlet and into each of the buoyancy conduits.