Supersonic compressor with structural arrangement to increase pressure energy in a discharge process fluid received from a centrifugal impeller

A supersonic compression system comprising:

• a driver comprising a drive shaft, the driver configured to provide the drive shaft with rotational energy;
• a supersonic compressor operatively coupled to the driver via a rotary shaft integral with or coupled with the drive shaft, the supersonic compressor having:
• an axial inlet defining an inlet passageway configured to flow a process fluid therethrough having a first velocity and first pressure energy;
• a centrifugal impeller mounted about the rotary shaft and fluidly coupled to the axial inlet, the centrifugal impeller having a periphery and configured to increase the first velocity and first pressure energy of the process fluid received via the axial inlet and discharge the process fluid, as discharged process fluid, from the periphery in at least a partially radial direction having a second velocity and second pressure energy, the second velocity being a supersonic velocity and thus forming a flow of supersonic process fluid;
• a static diffuser circumferentially disposed about the periphery of the centrifugal impeller and configured to receive and reduce the second velocity of the discharged process fluid to a third velocity and increase the pressure energy of the second pressure energy to a third pressure energy, the third velocity being a subsonic velocity and the static diffuser having a plurality of curved diffuser vanes, each diffuser vane respectively defining curved, opposing pressure and suction sides, a leading edge proximate the periphery of the centrifugal impeller and conjoining the suction side, such that an adjacent diffuser vanes of the plurality of diffuser vanes defines a diffuser passageway configured to receive and flow therethrough the flow of supersonic process fluid;
• each of the diffuser vanes of the plurality of diffuser vanes having an structural arrangement including a supersonic compression ramp formed along its leading edge, the supersonic compression ramp diverging from the suction side and conjoining with the pressure side, a surface of the supersonic compression ramp arranged at the leading edge of the supersonic compression ramp to generate at the leading edge of the supersonic compression ramp in response to contact with the flow of supersonic process fluid an oblique shock wave, which is reflected by the adjacent diffuser vane of the plurality of diffuser vanes to form a reflective shock wave,
• a diffuser passageway arrangement downstream of the supersonic compression ramp where an area of the diffuser passageway increases in a direction of the flow of supersonic process fluid flow, and a normal shock wave is formed in the diffuser passageway upstream of a subsonic diffusion zone in the diffuser passageway in response to flow of supersonic process fluid in the diffuser passageway arrangement, the normal shock wave normal to the flow direction of the process fluid flow, the subsonic diffusion zone disposed between a diffuser passageway inlet and a diffuser passageway outlet,
• wherein the structural arrangement including the supersonic compression ramp in each of the diffuser vanes of the plurality of diffuser vanes is effective to increase the pressure energy of the discharge process fluid, and the diffuser passageway arrangement downstream of the supersonic compression ramp is effective to reduce the velocity of the discharge process fluid exiting the static diffuser;
• and
• a discharge volute fluidly coupled to the static diffuser and configured to receive the process fluid flowing therefrom with the increase the pressure energy and the reduced velocity.

A method for compressing a process fluid, comprising:

• providing a supersonic compressor, including:
• an axial inlet defining an inlet passageway configured to receive and flow a process fluid therethrough;
• a rotary shaft configured to be driven by a driver;
• a centrifugal impeller mounted about the rotary shaft and fluidly coupled to the axial inlet, the centrifugal impeller having a periphery and configured to impart energy to the process fluid received via the axial inlet and discharge the process fluid, as discharged process fluid, from the periphery in at least a partially radial direction;
• and
• a static diffuser circumferentially disposed about the periphery of the centrifugal impeller and configured to receive the discharged process fluid from the centrifugal impeller and convert the energy imparted, the static diffuser having a plurality of curved diffuser vanes, each diffuser vane respectively defining curved, opposing pressure and suction sides, a leading edge proximate the periphery of the centrifugal impeller and conjoining the suction side, such that an adjacent diffuser vane of the plurality of diffuser vanes defines a diffuser passageway configured to receive and flow therethrough the discharged process fluid with a velocity of at least Mach 1 and thus forming a flow of supersonic process fluid;
• each of the diffuser vanes of the plurality of diffuser vanes having a structural arrangement including a supersonic compression ramp formed along its leading edge, the supersonic compression ramp diverging from the suction side and conjoining with the pressure side;
• driving the rotary shaft via a drive shaft driven by the driver;
• providing the process fluid at a low pressure environment via the axial inlet of the supersonic compressor;
• rotating the centrifugal impeller mounted about the rotary shaft, such that the process fluid provided via the axial inlet is drawn into the centrifugal impeller and discharged at the periphery of the centrifugal impeller, as discharged process fluid, at supersonic velocity;
• flowing the discharged process fluid, discharged at supersonic velocity and thus forming a flow of supersonic process fluid across the supersonic compression ramp formed at the leading edge of each of the diffuser vanes of the plurality of diffuser vanes;
• arranging a surface of the supersonic compression ramp at the leading edge of the supersonic compression ramp to generate in response to contact with the flow of supersonic process fluid an oblique shock wave, which is reflected by the adjacent diffuser vane of the plurality of diffuser vanes to form a reflective shock wave;
• and
• arranging the diffuser passageway downstream of the supersonic compression ramp so that an area of the diffuser passageway increases in a direction of the flow of supersonic process fluid flow, and a normal shock wave is formed in the diffuser passageway upstream of a subsonic diffusion zone in the diffuser passageway in response to flow of supersonic process fluid in the diffuser passageway downstream of the supersonic compression ramp, the normal shock wave normal to the flow direction of the process fluid flow, the subsonic diffusion zone disposed between a diffuser passageway inlet and a diffuser passageway outlet, the structural arrangement including the supersonic compression ramp in each of the diffuser vanes of the plurality of diffuser vanes effective to increase the pressure energy of the discharge process fluid, and the arranging of the diffuser passageway downstream of the supersonic compression ramp effective to reduce the velocity of the discharge process fluid exiting the static diffuser.