Compressor with liquid injection cooling

Abstract

A compressor includes: a casing with an inner wall defining a compression chamber, an inlet leading into the compression chamber, and an outlet leading out of the compression chamber; a rotor rotatably coupled to the casing for rotation relative to the casing; and a gate coupled to the casing for movement relative to the casing. The gate may be pivotally, or translationally coupled to the casing. A hydrostatic bearing may be disposed between the gate and casing. A plurality of compressors may be mechanically linked together such that their compression cycles are out of phase.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A compressor system comprising:
 a plurality of sub-compressors, each sub-compressor comprising:
 a wall defining a compression chamber, 
 a fluid inlet leading into the compression chamber, 
 a fluid outlet leading out of the compression chamber, 
 a rotor rotatably coupled to the wall for rotation relative to the wall, and 
 a gate coupled to the wall for movement relative to the wall, the gate comprising a sealing edge, the gate being operable to move relative to the wall to locate the sealing edge proximate to the rotor as the rotor rotates such that the gate separates an inlet volume and a compression volume in the compression chamber, the inlet and outlet being disposed on opposite sides of the sealing edge from each other; and 
   a mechanical linkage between the rotors of the plurality of sub-compressors, the mechanical linkage connecting between the rotors of the plurality of sub-compressors such that compression cycles of the plurality of sub-compressors are out of phase with each other.   
     
     
         22 . The compressor system of  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of sub-compressors comprises n sub-compressors, and wherein the mechanical linkage connects the rotors such that the compression cycle of each of the n sub-compressors is out of phase with phase-wise adjacent ones of the n sub-compressors by 360/n degrees, and wherein 2≤n≤100. 
     
     
         23 . The compressor system of  claim 21 , wherein the mechanical linkage comprises a drive shaft that extends through each of the plurality of sub-compressors and is coupled to the rotors of each of the plurality of sub-compressors for common rotation with the rotors of each of the plurality of sub-compressors relative to the walls of each of the plurality of sub-compressors. 
     
     
         33 - 36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . The compressor system of  claim 21 , wherein each of the plurality of sub-compressors comprises a respective casing that defines the wall of the respective sub-compressor. 
     
     
         38 . The compressor system of  claim 21 , further comprising a casing that defines each of the walls and compression chambers of each of the sub-compressors. 
     
     
         39 . The compressor system of  claim 38 , wherein the mechanical linkage comprises a drive shaft rotatably mounted to the casing for rotation relative to the casing, wherein the rotors of each of the plurality of sub-compressors are mounted to the drive shaft for common rotation with the drive shaft relative to the casing. 
     
     
         40 . The compressor system of  claim 21 , further comprising an inlet manifold that fluidly interconnects the inlets of each of the plurality of sub-compressors. 
     
     
         41 . The compressor system of  claim 41 , wherein each of the sub-compressors comprises a check valve disposed in the inlet of the respective sub-compressor downstream from where the inlets of the plurality of sub-compressors diverge from each other. 
     
     
         42 . The compressor system of  claim 21 , further comprising a discharge manifold that fluidly interconnects the outlets of each of the plurality of sub-compressors. 
     
     
         43 . The compressor system of  claim 42 , wherein each of the sub-compressors comprises a check valve disposed in the outlet of the respective sub-compressor upstream from where the outlets of the plurality of sub-compressors interconnect.