Compressor system for hvac&r system

Abstract

A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC&R) system includes an economizer configured to receive a heat transfer fluid from a condenser. The economizer is configured to separate the heat transfer fluid into liquid heat transfer fluid and vapor heat transfer fluid. The HVAC&R system includes a low flow compressor configured to receive the vapor heat transfer fluid from the economizer, pressurize the vapor heat transfer fluid, and direct the vapor heat transfer fluid to the condenser.

1 . A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
 an economizer configured to receive a heat transfer fluid from a condenser, wherein the economizer is configured to separate the heat transfer fluid into liquid heat transfer fluid and vapor heat transfer fluid; and   a low flow compressor configured to receive the vapor heat transfer fluid from the economizer, pressurize the vapor heat transfer fluid, and direct the vapor heat transfer fluid to the condenser.   
     
     
         2 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 1 , wherein the low flow compressor comprises a shaft and a plate coupled to the shaft, wherein the shaft is configured to rotate the plate to cause the plate to direct the vapor heat transfer fluid through the low flow compressor via boundary layer effects. 
     
     
         3 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 2 , wherein the plate comprises a flat geometry. 
     
     
         4 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 2 , wherein the economizer is a first economizer, the HVAC&R system comprises a second economizer configured to receive the liquid heat transfer fluid from the first economizer and to separate the liquid heat transfer fluid into additional liquid heat transfer fluid and additional vapor heat transfer fluid, and the second economizer is configured to direct the additional vapor heat transfer fluid to the low flow compressor. 
     
     
         5 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 4 , wherein the plate is a first plate, the low flow compressor comprises a second plate coupled to the shaft, and the shaft is configured to rotate the second plate to cause the second plate to direct the additional vapor heat transfer fluid received from the second economizer through the low flow compressor via boundary layer effects. 
     
     
         6 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 5 , wherein the first plate and the second plate are arranged in a series flow arrangement along the shaft, the second plate is configured to direct the additional vapor heat transfer fluid received from the second economizer to the first plate, and the first economizer is configured to direct the vapor heat transfer fluid to the first plate and to bypass the second plate. 
     
     
         7 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 1 , wherein the low flow compressor comprises:
 a shaft and a plate coupled to the shaft, wherein the plate encircles the shaft, and the shaft is configured to rotate the plate to cause the plate to direct the vapor heat transfer fluid through the low flow compressor; and   a motor coupled to the shaft and configured to drive rotation of the shaft.   
     
     
         8 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 7 , wherein the motor is a direct drive motor. 
     
     
         9 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 7 , wherein the motor is a single speed motor. 
     
     
         10 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 1 , wherein the low flow compressor is mounted to an enclosure of the economizer at an interface between the economizer and the low flow compressor. 
     
     
         11 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 1 , wherein the economizer is configured to direct the liquid heat transfer fluid to an evaporator configured to place the liquid heat transfer fluid in a heat exchange relationship with a conditioning fluid. 
     
     
         12 . A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
 an economizer configured to separate a heat transfer fluid into liquid heat transfer fluid and vapor heat transfer fluid; and   a compressor configured to receive the vapor heat transfer fluid from the economizer, wherein the compressor comprises a shaft and a plate coupled to the shaft, the shaft is configured to rotate the plate to drive flow of the vapor heat transfer fluid through the compressor via boundary layer effects imparted by a surface of the plate and to pressurize the vapor heat transfer fluid to produce pressurized vapor heat transfer fluid, and wherein the compressor is configured to direct the pressurized vapor heat transfer fluid to a heat exchanger of the HVAC&R system.   
     
     
         13 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 12 , wherein the plate comprises a flat geometry. 
     
     
         14 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 12 , wherein the plate is one of a plurality of plates coupled to the shaft, wherein the plurality of plates is spaced apart from one another along the shaft to form gaps along the shaft between adjacent plates of the plurality of plates. 
     
     
         15 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 12 , wherein the economizer is a first economizer, the HVAC&R system comprises a second economizer configured to receive the liquid heat transfer fluid from the first economizer and to separate the liquid heat transfer fluid into additional liquid heat transfer fluid and additional vapor heat transfer fluid, and the second economizer is configured to direct the additional vapor heat transfer fluid to the compressor. 
     
     
         16 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 15 , wherein the first economizer and the second economizer are disposed within an enclosure, and wherein the low flow compressor is mounted to the enclosure. 
     
     
         17 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 12 , comprising:
 a motor of the compressor, wherein the motor is coupled to the shaft and configured to drive rotation of the shaft; and   a control system, wherein the control system is configured to operate the motor without a variable speed drive (VSD).   
     
     
         18 . A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
 a first compressor configured to direct a heat transfer fluid to a condenser;   an economizer configured to receive the heat transfer fluid from the condenser, wherein the economizer is configured to separate the heat transfer fluid into liquid heat transfer fluid and vapor heat transfer fluid; and   a second compressor comprising a plate, wherein the second compressor is configured to receive the vapor heat transfer fluid from the economizer, wherein the second compressor is configured to rotate the plate to direct the vapor heat transfer fluid to the condenser via boundary layer effects imparted on the vapor heat transfer fluid by a surface of the plate.   
     
     
         19 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 18 , wherein a majority of the surface of the plate has a flat geometry. 
     
     
         20 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 18 , wherein the first compressor is configured to pressurize the heat transfer fluid by a first amount of pressurization, the second compressor is configured to pressurize the vapor heat transfer fluid by a second amount of pressurization, and wherein the first amount of pressurization is greater than the second amount of pressurization.