Compressor system for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration system

Abstract

A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising an economizer system configured to reduce a pressure of a refrigerant to provide a first vapor refrigerant flow and a second vapor refrigerant flow. The HVAC&R system also includes an auxiliary compressor system that has a first auxiliary compressor configured to receive the first vapor refrigerant flow from the economizer system and pressurize the first vapor refrigerant flow to provide a first pressurized vapor refrigerant flow and a second auxiliary compressor configured to receive the second vapor refrigerant flow from the economizer system and pressurize the second vapor refrigerant flow to provide a second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow. The auxiliary compressor system is configured to discharge a combined vapor refrigerant flow comprising the first pressurized vapor refrigerant flow and the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow toward a condenser of the HVAC&R system.

1 . A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
 an economizer system configured to reduce a pressure of a first portion of a refrigerant;   an auxiliary compressor system configured to receive the first portion of the refrigerant from the economizer system, wherein the auxiliary compressor system comprises a first auxiliary compressor and a second auxiliary compressor;   a primary compressor; and   a condenser configured to receive the first portion of the refrigerant from the auxiliary compressor system and a second portion of the refrigerant from the primary compressor.   
     
     
         2 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 1 , comprising an evaporator configured to supply the second portion of the refrigerant to the primary compressor. 
     
     
         3 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 2 , wherein the evaporator is configured to receive the second portion of the refrigerant in liquid form from the economizer system, and the auxiliary compressor system is configured to receive the first portion of the refrigerant in vapor form from the economizer system. 
     
     
         4 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 1 , wherein the first auxiliary compressor is disposed in series with the second auxiliary compressor with respect to a flow of the first portion of the refrigerant, such that the first auxiliary compressor is configured to receive the first portion of the refrigerant from the economizer system and the second auxiliary compressor is configured to receive the first portion of the refrigerant from the first auxiliary compressor. 
     
     
         5 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 1 , wherein the first auxiliary compressor is disposed in parallel with the second auxiliary compressor with respect to a flow of the first portion of the refrigerant, such that the first auxiliary compressor is configured to receive a first amount of the first portion of the refrigerant from the economizer system and the second auxiliary compressor is configured to receive a second amount of the first portion of the refrigerant from the economizer system. 
     
     
         6 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 5 , wherein the economizer system comprises:
 a first economizer, wherein the first auxiliary compressor is configured to receive the first amount of the first portion of the refrigerant from the first economizer; and   a second economizer, wherein the second auxiliary compressor is configured to receive the second amount of the first portion of the refrigerant from the second economizer.   
     
     
         7 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary compressor system comprises a third auxiliary compressor. 
     
     
         8 . A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
 an economizer system configured to reduce a pressure of a refrigerant to provide a first vapor refrigerant flow and a second vapor refrigerant flow; and   an auxiliary compressor system comprising:
 a first auxiliary compressor configured to receive the first vapor refrigerant flow from the economizer system and pressurize the first vapor refrigerant flow to provide a first pressurized vapor refrigerant flow; and 
 a second auxiliary compressor configured to receive the second vapor refrigerant flow from the economizer system and pressurize the second vapor refrigerant flow to provide a second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow, wherein the auxiliary compressor system is configured to discharge a combined vapor refrigerant flow comprising the first pressurized vapor refrigerant flow and the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow toward a condenser of the HVAC&R system. 
   
     
     
         9 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 8 , wherein the first auxiliary compressor is configured to discharge the first pressurized vapor refrigerant flow toward the condenser as a part of the combined vapor refrigerant flow, and the second auxiliary compressor is configured to discharge the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow toward the condenser as an additional part of the combined vapor refrigerant flow. 
     
     
         10 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 8 , wherein the second auxiliary compressor is configured to discharge the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow toward the first auxiliary compressor, and the first auxiliary compressor is configured to pressurize the first vapor refrigerant flow and the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow to provide the combined vapor refrigerant flow comprising the first pressurized vapor refrigerant flow and the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow for discharge toward the condenser. 
     
     
         11 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 8 , wherein the economizer system comprises:
 a first economizer configured to receive the refrigerant from the condenser and separate the refrigerant into a first liquid refrigerant flow and the first vapor refrigerant flow; and   a second economizer configured to receive the first liquid refrigerant flow and separate the first liquid refrigerant flow into a second liquid refrigerant flow and the second vapor refrigerant flow.   
     
     
         12 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 8 , comprising a third auxiliary compressor, wherein the first auxiliary compressor is configured to discharge the first pressurized vapor refrigerant flow toward the condenser as a part of the combined vapor refrigerant flow, the second auxiliary compressor is configured to discharge the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow toward the third auxiliary compressor, and the third auxiliary compressor is configured to pressurize the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow for discharge toward the condenser as another part of the combined vapor refrigerant flow. 
     
     
         13 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 8 , comprising a third auxiliary compressor, wherein the first auxiliary compressor is configured to discharge the first pressurized vapor refrigerant flow toward the third auxiliary compressor, the second auxiliary compressor is configured to discharge the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow toward the third auxiliary compressor, and the third auxiliary compressor is configured to pressurize the first pressurized vapor refrigerant flow and the second pressurized vapor refrigerant flow to provide the combined vapor refrigerant flow for discharge toward the condenser. 
     
     
         14 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 8 , wherein the economizer system comprises an economizer configured to receive the refrigerant from the condenser and separate the refrigerant into liquid refrigerant and vapor refrigerant, and the economizer system is configured to apportion the vapor refrigerant as the first vapor refrigerant flow and the second vapor refrigerant flow. 
     
     
         15 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 8 , comprising:
 an evaporator configured to receive a refrigerant flow from the economizer system and discharge the refrigerant flow from an outlet of the evaporator; and   a primary compressor configured to operate to pressurize the refrigerant flow from the outlet of the evaporator to a target pressure for discharge toward the condenser.   
     
     
         16 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 15 , wherein the first auxiliary compressor is configured to pressurize the first vapor refrigerant flow and the second auxiliary compressor is configured to pressurize the second vapor refrigerant flow to adjust a pressure of the combined vapor refrigerant flow toward the target pressure. 
     
     
         17 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 8 , comprising a first valve and a second valve, wherein the first valve is configured to control flow of the first vapor refrigerant flow from the economizer system to the first auxiliary compressor, and the second valve is configured to control flow of the second vapor refrigerant flow from the economizer system to the second auxiliary compressor. 
     
     
         18 . A compression system of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, the compression system comprising:
 an auxiliary compressor system configured to receive a first portion of a refrigerant from an economizer system of the HVAC&R system, the auxiliary compression system comprising a first auxiliary compressor and a second auxiliary compressor; and   a primary compressor configured to receive a second portion of the refrigerant from an evaporator of the HVAC&R system.   
     
     
         19 . The compression system of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the auxiliary compressor system is configured to output the first portion of the refrigerant toward a condenser; and   the primary compressor is configured to output the second portion of the refrigerant toward the condenser.   
     
     
         20 . The compression system of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the first auxiliary compressor is disposed in series with the second auxiliary compressor with respect to a flow of the first portion of the refrigerant, such that the second auxiliary compressor is configured to receive the first portion of the refrigerant from the first auxiliary compressor; or   the first auxiliary compressor is disposed in parallel with the second auxiliary compressor with respect to the flow of the first portion of the refrigerant, such that the first auxiliary compressor is configured to receive a first amount of the first portion of the refrigerant from an economizer system and the second auxiliary compressor is configured to receive a second amount of the first portion of the refrigerant from the economizer system.