Title of Invention

MULTI-STAGE HIGH-PRESSURE COMPRESSION INSTALLATION

Abstract The invention concerns an installation for high pressure compression with several stages, normally used for producing PET bottles. The inventive installation comprises a main pipe (2) emerging in a baffle plate (3), wherein at least two compressors (4,5) are mounted in series each having its own drive member (9,10). The installation is equipped with means (7) for determining the pressure at the output of the main pipe (2), said installation being connected to a control box (8). Typically, the control box (8) is connected to at least two of the drive members (9, 10) of the compressors (4,5) and ensures monitoring of said compressors such that the latter rotate jointly whether charged or uncharged . Thus the compressors (4,5) are jointly charged based on the pressure prevailing in the baffle plate (3), such that the charging of the compressor representing the overpressure stage, the compressor(s) of the lower compression stages are automatically and jointly charged.
Full Text 1
Multi-stage high-pressure compression installation.
The present invention concerns a multi-stage high-pressure
compression installation formed of at least two compressors
connected in series by means of at least one pipe.
This type of high-pressure installation is used for example
in the production of PET bottles, whereby the use of
compressed gas with a pressure of more than 2000 kPa is
required.
It is known, in order to use gas pressures of 2000 kPa or
more, to mount two volumetric compressors in series and to
provide a first gas tank at the output of the first
compressor, whereby the output of the tank is connected to
the inlet of the second compressor which is part of what is
called the excess pressure compressor.
At the output of the aforesaid excess pressure compressor
is in this case preferably provided a second tank which
serves as a buffer for a user network.
In a known multi-stage compressor of this type, the drive
of the first compressor is controlled as a function of the
pressure prevailing in the above-mentioned first tank,
whereas the drive of the excess pressure compressor is
controlled as a function of the pressure prevailing in the
second tank.

2
The above-mentioned control implies that a compressor
concerned runs under load and, consequently, only
compresses gas when the pressure prevailing in the
corresponding tank is lower than a preset pressure.
A disadvantage of a high-pressure compressor installation
of the known type is that this installation reacts
relatively slowly to major fluctuations in the compressed
gas consumption.
Indeed, in case of a sudden increase in the compressed gas
consumption, the pressure prevailing in the second Lank
will at first drop until a value is reached which is lower
than the preset level for switching the excess pressure
compressor into a loaded regime.
As soon as the excess pressure compressor is running under
load, it will draw in compressed gases from the first tank,
such that, subsequently, the gas pressure prevailing in
this first tank will drop until it reaches a value below
the preset level, such that the first compressor is loaded
accordingly as well.
Due to the drop of the pressure prevailing in the first
tank before the first compressor is turned on, the gas
pressure prevailing at the output of the excess pressure
compressor will not be constant at first, and this will be
so until the first compressor runs at full load and
consequently produces a quantity of compressed qas which is
equal to the quantity of gas drawn in by the excess
pressure compressor for the subsequent compression of said

gas .
Another disadvantage of a known multi-stage compression
installation is that the first tank between the two
compressors must be relatively large in order to prevent,
all the gas in the first tank from being consumed, at the
time the excess pressure compressor is being loaded, before
the first compressor has been loaded.
It is clear that a large tank of this type, provided
between the compressors, increases the space requirement of
said compression installation which, as a consequence, will
also be more expensive.
The present invention aims to remedy one or several of the
above-mentioned and other disadvantages.
To this end, the present invention concerns a multi-stage
high-pressure compression installation which is mainly
formed of a main gas pipe which opens in a buffer and in
which at least two compressors are mounted in series, each
with their own drive, whereby the installation is equipped
with means to determine the pressure prevailing at the
output of the main pipe, whereby said installation is
connected to a control panel, characterized in that this
control panel is connected to at least two of the aforesaid
compressor drives and in that it controls the compressors
in such a way that they will either both run under load or
both run idle and compress the same quantity of air per
time unit.

4
The present invention is advantageous in that the different
compressors are simultaneously turned on as a function of
the pressure prevailing in the above-mentioned buffer tank,
such that when the compressor which represents the first
excess pressure stage is turned on, the compressors
situated at the lower compression stages will be
automatically turned on as well.
As the different compressors are turned on together, it
becomes possible to keep the pressure prevailing between
each of the different compressors constant or practically
constant, such that the fluctuations of the gas pressure at
the output of a multi-stage compressor according to the
invention are more or less minimal.
An additional advantage of a multi-stage compression
installation according to the invention, in which the
different compressors are controlled such that they are
driven simultaneously, is that the quantity of gas to bo
provided between the two compressors is comparatively
minimal, since the consumption of compressed gas by one
compressor can always be compensated for by supplying the
compressed gas via the compressor of the preceding stage.
This reduced quantity of gas to be provided between the
different compressors of a multi-stage compressor according
to the invention, compared to that of a known multi-stage
compressor, is advantageous in that the first tank can bo
made less voluminous and can even be omitted, which results
in smaller and less expensive multi-stage compression
installations.

5
Another advantage of a multi-stage compression installation
according to the invention is that a single pressure sensor
is sufficient for its control, whereas the known multi-
stage compressors are equipped with a pressure sensor per
compression stage.
In order to better explain the characteristics of the
present invention, the following example of a high-pressure
multi-stage compression installation according to the
invention is represented as an example only without being
limitative in any way, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:
figure 1 schematically represents a multi-stage
compression installation according to the present.
invention;
figure 2 represents a variant according to figure 1.
As represented in figure 1, a high-pressure multi-stage
compression installation 1 according to the invention is
mainly formed of a main gas pipe 2 which opens in a buffer
3 and in which, in this case, two volumetric compressors A
and 5 are mounted in series.
The first compressor 4 is for example a screw-type
compressor which serves as a low-pressure compression
stage, whereas the second compressor 5, also called the
excess pressure compressor, is for example a piston
compressor which serves as high-pressure compression stage.

6
The above-mentioned buffer 3 can be made in the shape of a
tank or the like, connected to a user network 6 and in
which are preferably provided means 7 which make it
possible to regulate the gas pressure prevailing in the
tank, and which are connected to a control panel 8, for
example an electronic panel.
Naturally, the above-mentioned means 7 which are designed
to regulate the pressure can also be mounted, if desired,
at the output of the main pipe 2 or in the user network 6.
As is known, the above-mentioned means 7 can be made in
different forms, for example as a direct pressure measuring
by means of a pressure gauge or by means of an algorithm
which makes it possible to regulate the gas pressure in the
buffer as a function of for example a temperature
measurement.
The above-mentioned compressors 4 and 5 are each
respectively provided with a drive, 9 and 10 respectively,
which are each connected to the above-mentioned control
panel 8 and which are formed for example of electric motors
or any other type of motors.
Said compressors 4 and 5 are of the type which is driven at
a fixed speed in this case, and they are preferably
dimensioned such that, when they are each driven at their
fixed driving speed, they wil1 both compress the same
quantity of gas per time unit.
Thus, the control panel 8 in this case functions as an

7
electronic transmission shaft so to say, linking the two
compressors 4 and 5.
The working of the multi-stage compressor according to the
invention as described above is simple and as follows.
The above-mentioned control panel 8 is provided with a
control, such that when the gas pressure prevailing in the
above-mentioned buffer 3 drops below a preset minimum
value, the compressors 4 and 5 will be turned on, such that.
they start compressing gas and such that the gas pressure
prevailing in the buffer 3 can be restored again.
As soon as the gas pressure prevailing in the buffer 3 has
risen again and has acquired a maximum value which had been
preset as well, the above-mentioned compressors 4 and 5 are
put into idling again.
Figure 2 represents a variant of a multi-stage compression
installation 1 according to the invention in which the
compressors 4 and 5 can be driven at a variable speed and
in which the drives of the compressors 4 and 5 are coupled
to one another by means of an electric cable 11 which in
the case represented here goes through the control panel 8.
In this case, the control provided in the controJ panel is
such that the compressor 5 which forms the final excess
pressure stage is driven at a speed which depends on the
gas pressure prevailing in the buffer 3, whereas one or
several other compressors 4 in the main pipe 2 are driven
as a function of the driving speed of the above-mentioned

8
compressor 5.
In this case, the control is preferably of the type whereby
the two compressors 4 and 5 compress the same quantity of
gas per time unit, such that the quantity of gas which is
available in the main pipe 2 remains constant or
practically constant between the two compressors 4 and 5 in
case of a normal operation of the multi-stage compressor.
Naturally, it is also possible to mount more than two
compressors 4 in series in the above-mentioned main pipe 2,
whereby each of said compressors 4 is provided with a drive
which is connected to the control panel 8.
It is clear that each of the compressors 4 and 5 can be
realized as a single or as several compression elements
connected in parallel or in series and being driven by one
and the same drive.
It goes without saying that the low-pressure stage and the
high-pressure stage can be realized as two separate
compressor groups which are electronically connected via a
common control panel 8 or by means of a simple electronic
cable which connects the control panels of each group.
The present invention is by no means limited to the
embodiments described above and represented in the
accompanying drawings; a multi-stage high-pressure
compression installation according to the invention can be
made according to several variants while still remaining
within the scope of the invention.

9
Claims.
1. Multi-stage high-pressure compression installation which
is mainly formed of a main pipe (2) which opens in a buffer
(3) and in which at least two compressors (4,5) are mounted
in series, each with their own drive (9,10), whereby the
installation is equipped with means (7) to determine the
pressure prevailing at the output of the main pipe (2),
whereby said installation is connected to a control panel
(8), characterized in that this control panel (8) is
connected to at least two of the aforesaid drives (9,10) of
the compressors (4,5) and in that it controls the
compressors (4,5) in such a way that they will either both
run under load or both run idle and compress the same
quantity of air per time unit.
2. Compression installation according to claim 1,
characterized in that the compressors (4, 5) are controlled
such that they compress the same quantity of gas per time
unit.
3. Compression installation according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized in that said drives (9, 10) of the
compressors (4, 5) are variable speed drives.
4. Compression installation according to claim 2 or 3,
characterized in that the control panel (8) is such that
the different compressors (4, 5) are driven as a [unction
of the driving speed of the compressor (5) forming the
final high-pressure stage.

10
5. Compression installation according to claim 2 or 3,
characterized in that it comprises only one gas tank.
6. Compression installation according to any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that each drive (9, 10)
of the compressors (4, 5) has its own control board and in
that these control boards are part of the control panel (8)
of the compression installation.
7. Compression installation according to any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that each compressor may
be composed of a single or of several compression elements
that are driven by the drive of the compressor in question.
8. Compression installation according to any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the
compressors (4, 5) is a piston compressor.
9. Compression installation according to any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of: the
compressors (4, 5) is a screw-type compressor.
10. Compression installation according to any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that it is of the type
which can compress gas up to a pressure of at least; 2000
kPa.

The invention concerns an installation for high
pressure compression with several stages, normally
used for producing PET bottles. The inventive
installation comprises a main pipe (2) emerging in a
baffle plate (3), wherein at least two compressors
(4,5) are mounted in series each having its own
drive member (9,10). The installation is equipped
with means (7) for determining the pressure at the
output of the main pipe (2), said installation being
connected to a control box (8). Typically, the
control box (8) is connected to at least two of the
drive members (9, 10) of the compressors (4,5) and
ensures monitoring of said compressors such that
the latter rotate jointly whether charged or
uncharged .
Thus the compressors (4,5) are jointly charged based
on the pressure prevailing in the baffle plate (3),
such that the charging of the compressor representing
the overpressure stage, the compressor(s) of the
lower compression stages are automatically and
jointly charged.

Documents:

01256-kolnp-2008-abstract.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-claims.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-correspondence others.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-description complete.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-drawings.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-form 1.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-form 2.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-form 3.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-form 5.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-international exm report.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-international publication.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-international search report.pdf

01256-kolnp-2008-pct request form.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(06-11-2012)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-ABSTRACT.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-CLAIMS.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE).pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-DRAWINGS.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-FORM-1.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-FORM-2.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-FORM-3.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-OTHERS.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-(31-10-2014)-PETITION UNDER RULE -137.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-CORRESPONDENCE 1.2.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-CORRESPONDENCE 1.3.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 1.1.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-CORRESPONDENCE-1.2.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-CORRESPONDENCE-1.3.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-FORM 26-1.1.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-FORM 26.pdf

1256-kolnp-2008-form-18.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-OTHERS.pdf

1256-KOLNP-2008-PRIORITY DOCUMENT.pdf

abstract-01256-kolnp-2008.jpg


Patent Number 264566
Indian Patent Application Number 1256/KOLNP/2008
PG Journal Number 02/2015
Publication Date 09-Jan-2015
Grant Date 06-Jan-2015
Date of Filing 27-Mar-2008
Name of Patentee ATLAS COPCO CREPELLE S.A.S.
Applicant Address PLACE DE DAMPIERRE 2-BP 29 F-59008 LILLE CEDEX
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 LELONG PATRICK MARCEL AUGUSTIN RUE DE CHASSES MAREES 22 F-59260 LEZENNES
2 MAGITS HANS THEO OORDEGEMSTRAAT 87, B-9520 SINT-LIEVENS-HOUTEM
PCT International Classification Number F04B 49/02
PCT International Application Number PCT/BE2006/000094
PCT International Filing date 2006-09-01
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 0509022 2005-09-02 France