US 2003/0210980 A1Published application

Supersonic compressor

AssigneeRamgen Power Systems, Inc.

InventorsShawn P. Lawlor, Mark A. Novaresi, Charles C. Cornelius

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A gas compressor based on the use of a driven rotor having an axially oriented compression ramp traveling at a local supersonic inlet velocity (based on the combination of inlet gas velocity and tangential speed of the ramp) which forms a supersonic shockwave axially, between adjacent strakes. In using this method to compress inlet gas, the supersonic compressor efficiently achieves high compression ratios while utilizing a compact, stabilized gasdynamic flow path. Operated at supersonic speeds, the inlet stabilizes an oblique/normal shock system in the gasdyanamic flow path formed between the gas compression ramp on a strake, the shock capture lip on the adjacent strake, and captures the resultant pressure within the stationary external housing while providing a diffuser downstream of the compression ramp.

Claims54

Dependent claims

A gas compressor, said compressor comprising:

(a) a circumferential housing, said housing having a stationary peripheral wall, said stationary peripheral wall having a inner surface portion defined by a surface of rotation;
(b) an inlet for supply of gas to be compressed;
(c) a rotor, said rotor having a central axis and adapted for rotary motion within said housing, said rotor extending radially outward from said central axis to an outer surface portion;
(d) one or more strakes, each of said one or more strakes extending outward from said outer surface portion of said rotor to a tip end, said tip end adjacent to said inner surface portion of said stationary peripheral wall, at least one of said one or more strakes further comprising (i) an upstream end having an inlet, (ii) downstream from said inlet, a supersonic compression ramp, said ramp oriented to develop an axially oriented supersonic shock during compression of an inlet gas, and (iii) a shock capture lip, said shock capture lip axially displaced from said supersonic compression ramp and positioned at a location on said outer surface of said rotor so that said shock compression ramp and said shock capture lip effectively contain a supersonic shock wave therebetween at a selected design Mach number;
(e) a outlet diffuser, said diffuser situated downstream of said supersonic compression ramp;
and
(f) wherein said one or more strakes separate said inlet gas from compressed gas downstream of each one of said supersonic gas compression ramps.

4 more elements

A gas compressor, comprising:

(a) a support structure, said support structure comprising (i) a circumferential housing with an inner side surface, and (ii) a gas inlet for receiving low pressure inlet gas;
(b) a first drive shaft, said first drive shaft rotatably secured along an axis of rotation with respect to said support structure;
(c) a first rotor, said first rotor rotatably affixed with said first output shaft for rotation with respect to said support structure, said first rotor further comprising a first circumferential portion having a first outer surface portion, said first rotor comprising one or more axially oriented gas compression ramps, each one of said gas compression ramps comprising a portion integrally provided as part of said circumferential portion of said first rotor,
(d) said gas compressor adapted to utilize at least a portion of said inner side surface of said first circumferential housing to contain compressed gas thereagainst;
(e) one or more strakes on said first rotor, wherein one of said one or more strakes on said first rotor is provided for each of said one or more gas compression ramps, and wherein each of said one or more strakes on said first rotor extends outward from at least a portion of said circumferential portion of said first rotor to a point adjacent to said inner side surface of said first circumferential housing;
and
(f) a first high pressure compressed gas outlet.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.