Underwater Compressor Arrangement And Underwater Process Fluid Conveying Arrangement Equipped Therewith

Abstract

Underwater compressor arrangement and underwater process fluid conveying arrangement outfitted therewith. The underwater compressor arrangement has a housing, a turbocompressor with a compressor rotor, and a rotary drive unit with a drive rotor. The turbocompressor and rotary drive unit are arranged in the housing, and the compressor rotor is in rotationally driving connection with the drive rotor. The housing is hermetically sealed with the exception of operating connections for the turbocompressor and rotary drive unit, The compressor rotor is rotatably supported in the housing by a rolling element bearing arrangement.

1 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . An underwater compressor arrangement for compressing a process fluid, comprising:
 a hermetically sealed housing;   a rotary drive unit with a drive rotor arranged in the housing;   a turbocompressor with a compressor rotor arranged in the housing in rotational driving connection with the drive rotor; and   a rolling element bearing arrangement arranged in the housing configured to rotatably support the compressor rotor.   
     
     
         21 . The underwater compressor arrangement according to  claim 20 , wherein the rolling element bearing comprises at least one of ball bearings, roller bearings, and needle bearings. 
     
     
         22 . The underwater compressor arrangement according to  claim 20 , wherein the rotary drive unit is arranged such that a maximum rotational speed determined for a fatigue strength of the rolling element bearing arrangement is not exceeded during rotational driving of the compressor rotor. 
     
     
         23 . The underwater compressor arrangement according to  claim 20 , further comprising a shared rotor shaft by which the compressor rotor and the drive rotor are in direct rotationally driving connection with one another. 
     
     
         24 . The underwater compressor arrangement according to  claim 20 , further comprising:
 a maintenance device configured to ensure at least one of a lubrication and a cooling of the rolling element bearing arrangement,   wherein at least one of a liquid and a gas is provided as an operating medium for the one of the lubricating and the cooling of the rolling element bearing arrangement.   
     
     
         25 . The underwater compressor arrangement according to  claim 24 , wherein the medium for the at least one of the lubricating and the cooling of the rolling element bearing arrangement is a methanol-ethanol-glycol mixture. 
     
     
         26 . The underwater compressor arrangement according to  claim 25 , wherein the maintenance device is arranged to supply the operating medium for the at least one of the lubricating and the cooling of the rolling element bearing arrangement to the rolling element bearing arrangement via the process fluid to be compressed. 
     
     
         27 . The underwater compressor arrangement according to  claim 26 , wherein the turbocompressor is configured to process natural gas as process fluid to be compressed. 
     
     
         28 . The underwater compressor arrangement according to  claim 20 , further comprising a vibration monitoring unit configured to monitor vibrations in the rolling element bearing arrangement with respect to at least one of amplitude and frequency of the vibrations. 
     
     
         29 . The underwater compressor arrangement according to  claim 28 , wherein the vibration monitoring unit is configured to transmit monitoring data reproducing the one of the amplitude and the frequency of the vibrations to an above-water position remote from the underwater compressor arrangement. 
     
     
         30 . An underwater process fluid conveying arrangement comprising:
 an underwater compressor arrangement having:   a hermetically sealed housing;   a rotary drive unit with a drive rotor arranged in the housing;   a turbocompressor with a compressor rotor arranged in the housing in rotational driving connection with the drive rotor; and   a rolling element bearing arrangement arranged in the housing configured to rotatably support the compressor rotor;   a feed line by which a process fluid source is fluidically connected to a process fluid inlet of the turbocompressor of the underwater compressor arrangement to supply the process fluid to the turbocompressor from the process fluid source; and   a discharge line by which a process fluid receiver is fluidically connected to a process fluid outlet of the turbocompressor of the underwater compressor arrangement so that compressed process fluid is supplied to the process fluid receiver from the turbocompressor,   wherein at least the process fluid source and the underwater compressor arrangement are arranged below a water surface of a body of water.   
     
     
         31 . The underwater process fluid conveying arrangement according to  claim 30 , wherein the process fluid receiver has a storage space configured to receive compressed process fluid. 
     
     
         32 . The underwater process fluid conveying arrangement according to  claim 31 , wherein the process fluid receiver is arranged below the water surface of the body of water. 
     
     
         33 . The underwater process fluid conveying arrangement according to  claim 32 , wherein the process fluid receiver is a cavern. 
     
     
         34 . The underwater process fluid conveying arrangement according to  claim 31 , wherein the process fluid receiver is arranged above the water surface of the body of water. 
     
     
         35 . The underwater process fluid conveying arrangement according to  claim 34 , wherein the process fluid receiver is one of a ship and a production platform. 
     
     
         36 . The underwater process fluid conveying arrangement according to  claim 35 , wherein the process fluid source is a borehole in the underwater ground. 
     
     
         37 . The underwater process fluid conveying arrangement according to  claim 30 , wherein the process fluid is natural gas. 
     
     
         38 . The underwater process fluid conveying arrangement according to  claim 30 , wherein the operating medium for at least one of lubricating and cooling of the rolling element bearing arrangement of the turbocompressor of the underwater compressor arrangement is a methanol-ethanol-glycol mixture injected into the process fluid at the process fluid source.