EXPANDER-GENERATOR UNIT Russian patent published in 2020 - IPC F25B11/00 

FIELD: power machine building.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to power machine building, namely to gas-reducing equipment using expander-generator technology of gas pressure reduction. Expander-generator unit (EGU) is installed mainly on bypass line in reducing unit of gas-distributing station (point) and allows to convert excess energy of natural gas pressure into electric energy. EGU is an air motor kinematically connected to an electric generator. EGU consists of interconnected housing, flange coil, base and cap. Housing is made with bottom, detachable cover, pressure and suction branch pipes, and flange coil – with through channel and with diametrically arranged on the outside coaxial inlet and outlet branch pipes. Passage channel of the flange coil has an oval shape in the cross section, the minor axis of which coincides with the axis of the said branch pipes. Cap of cylindrical shape is made with lateral outlet and blowdown branch pipes, the last of which has the shape of bent elbow. Ventilation and discharge branch pipes are interconnected. Axes of driving and driven shafts are parallel. Drive shaft is arranged in inner cavities of housing, flange coil and cap, and driven shaft – in inner cavities of housing and flange coil. Shafts installed on the bearings have the possibility of rotation, on each of the shafts there fixed is a gear wheel and a cam rotor. Gears are arranged on shafts in inner cavity of housing, and cam rotors – in inner cavity of flange coil. Gears are engaged to allow synchronous rotation of cam rotors in opposite directions. Inside the cap electric generator is installed, which drive shaft is connected by means of coupling with drive shaft. Ends of windings of electric generator are hermetically withdrawn from cap to located outside of cable box. Pressure and suction branch pipes are hydraulically interconnected by external pipeline and form closed circulation circuit filled with low-viscous working fluid. As part of external pipeline there installed are heat exchanger of "pipe-in-pipe" type, adjustable throttle and expansion tank. Heat exchanger is made in the form of a casing pipe, which is concentrically arranged on the outer surface of the outlet branch pipe.

EFFECT: providing efficient operation at low input pressure and improving reliability and operating life.

1 cl, 4 dwg