Turbomachinery for Modified Ericsson engines and other power/refrigeration applications

A Brayton cycle gas power system comprising:

• a tip-turbine driven single stage compressor including:
• a rotor means having a rotational axis, a shroud radially spaced from said rotational axis, a plurality of compressor blades along an inner surface of said rotor shroud and a plurality of turbine blades along an outer surface of said shroud, said compressor blades adapted to receive low pressure gas flow at an inlet and discharge the flow at a mean radius not less than a means radius of said inlet, said shroud having an inlet close clearance dynamic seal and a discharge close clearance dynamic seal, and said shroud having a means for cooling said turbine blades with gases passing through at least one cooling passage passing from said inner surface of said shroud to said outer surface of said shroud;
• said turbine blades adapted to receive gas flow at a tip-turbine inlet and discharge the flow at a mean radius not greater than an inlet mean radius and having a meridional flow oriented in a contra-direction to a compressor meridional flow;
• a radial bearing means and a thrust bearing means for supporting said rotor;
• a compressor inlet housing means adapted to accept inlet compressor flow at velocities below a Mach number of 0.25 from a supply means and gradually accelerate the flow to a plurality of movable or stationary inlet guide stator vanes,
• a compressor discharge housing means with a plurality of stator vanes adapted to accept the compressor discharge flow and diffuse it to velocities below a Mach number of 0.25, said stator vanes having a stator shroud adjacent a radial periphery thereof, said stator shroud including means to supply compressor discharge gas for cooling turbine nozzle vanes through passages in said stator shroud;
• a turbine inlet housing means adapted to accept the hot gas flow at velocities below Mach number 0.25 from a supply of hot gas and gradually accelerate the flow to a plurality of turbine nozzle vanes where the flow is further accelerated prior to entering said turbine rotor blades;
• and
• a turbine exhaust housing means adapted to accept the turbine rotor discharge flow and gradually decelerate the flow to velocities below a Mach number of 0.25, and
• said compressor inlet housing means adapted to receive gas from a supply and having a discharge, said tip-turbine driven compressor including a means to raise the pressure of said gas to a value greater than at said input;
• a regenerator means having a high pressure gas inlet in fluid communication with a high pressure gas outlet, said high pressure gas inlet adapted to receive gas from said tip-turbine driven compressor discharge, said regenerator means including means to heat said gas passing into said high pressure gas inlet;
• and
• a heater means including a means for receiving said gas from said high pressure regenerator gas outlet and a heater outlet, said heater means including a means for variable heating of said gas;
• said heater outlet in fluid communication adjacent said turbine inlet housing means, said tip-turbine adapted to drive said compressor means;
• said regenerator means including means to receive gas exiting from said turbine exhaust housing means, means to transfer heat from gas exiting said turbine exhaust housing means to said gas between said high pressure gas inlet and said high pressure gas outlet, and having a low pressure outlet.

A Modified Ericsson cycle gas power system comprising in combination:

• a first stage compressor means having a first stage compressor input adapted to receive gas from a supply and a first stage compressor discharge, said first stage compressor including a means to raise a pressure of said gas to a value greater than at said first stage compressor input;
• a first stage intercooler means including means for receiving said gas from said first stage compressor discharge, and a first stage intercooler output, said first stage intercooler means including means to cool said gas;
• a second stage compressor means having a second stage compressor input adapted to receive gas from said first stage intercooler output and a second stage compressor discharge, said second stage compressor including a means to raise the pressure of said gas to a value greater than at said second stage compressor input;
• a second stage intercooler means including means form receiving said gas from said second stage compressor discharge, and a second stage intercooler output, said second stage intercooler means including means to cool said gas;
• a regenerator means having a high pressure gas inlet in fluid communication with a high pressure gas outlet, said high pressure gas inlet adapted to receive gas from said second stage intercooler output, said regenerator means including means to heat said gas passing into said high pressure gas inlet;
• a second stage heater means including a means for receiving said gas from said high pressure gas outlet of said regenerator means and a second stage heater outlet, said second stage heater means including a means for variable heating of said gas;
• a second stage turbine means including a means for receiving said gas from said second stage heater outlet and a second stage turbine exhaust, said second stage turbine means adapted to drive said second stage compressor;
• a first stage heater means including a means for receiving said gas from said second stage turbine exhaust and a first stage heater outlet, said first stage heater means including a means for variable heating of said gas;
• a first stage turbine means including a means for receiving said gas from said first stage heater outlet and having a first stage turbine low pressure exhaust, said first stage turbine means adapted to drive said first stage compressor means;
• said regenerator means including a means of receiving said gas from the first stage turbine low pressure exhaust in fluid communication with a regenerator low pressure outlet, means to transfer heat contained in said gas at said first stage turbine low pressure exhaust to said gas between said high pressure gas inlet and said high pressure gas outlet;
• a return duct means for receiving said gas from said regenerator low pressure outlet and returning said gas to said supply;
• wherein at least one of said compressor means is a centrifugal compressor having a compressor inlet housing means receiving gas to be compressed to a higher pressure therein and a compressor discharge housing means adapted to discharge gas after compression by said centrifugal compressor, said compressor inlet housing means providing a gas flow average diameter less than a gas flow average diameter of said compressor discharge housing means, said compressor including a rotor having a plurality of compressor blades extending radially outwardly from a rotational axis of said rotor means, said rotor means rotatably supported by a radial bearing means and a thrust bearing means;
• a plurality of stator vanes oriented downstream from said rotor and;
• wherein said rotor includes a shroud surrounding said rotor at a periphery of said compressor vanes distant from said rotational axis, said shroud having an inner surface adjacent said compressor blades and an outer surface on a side of said shroud opposite said inner surface, said outer surface supporting a plurality of turbine blades thereon, and
• a turbine inlet housing means supporting a plurality of turbine nozzle vanes upstream from said turbine blades.

A modified Ericsson cycle gas power system including:

• a first stage compressor including means to raise a pressure of a gas passing therethrough and having an inlet and a discharge,
• a first stage intercooler including means to cool the gas passing therethrough,
• a last stage compressor including means to raise a pressure of the gas passing therethrough and having an inlet and a discharge,
• said first stage intercooler interposed in fluid communication between said discharge of said first stage compressor and said inlet of said last stage compressor,
• a regenerator having a high pressure pathway and a low pressure pathway, said regenerator including means to exchange heat between said pathways,
• a last stage heater including means to elevate a temperature of the gas passing therethrough,
• said regenerator having said high pressure pathway interposed in fluid communication between said discharge of said last stage compressor and said last stage heater,
• a last stage turbine including means to cause said last stage compressor to rotate and including an input and an exhaust,
• a first stage heater including means to elevate a temperature of the gas passing therethrough,
• a first stage turbine including means to cause said first stage compressor to rotate and including an input and an exhaust,
• said first stage heater interposed between said exhaust of said last stage turbine and said input of said first stage turbine,
• said last stage heater interposed between said high pressure pathway of said regenerator and said last stage turbine,
• at least one of said compressors including a rotor having a rotational axis and a plurality of compressor blades extending radially away from said rotational axis, said rotor having a greater outer diameter adjacent said discharge than adjacent said inlet,
• at least one of said turbines including a plurality of turbine blades having a rotational axis co-linear with said rotational axis of one of said compressors, said turbine blades oriented closer to said rotational axis adjacent said exhaust than adjacent said input, and
• at least one of said means to cause said compressor to rotate including a shroud having an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner surface fixedly attached to a periphery of said compressor blades and said outer surface fixedly attached to said turbine blades, such that said turbine causes said compressor to rotate.

A tip-turbine driven single stage compressor comprising in combination:

• a rotor means having a rotational axis, a shroud radially spaced from said rotational axis, a plurality of compressor blades along an inner surface of said rotor shroud and a plurality of turbine blades along an outer surface of said shroud, said compressor blades including means to receive low pressure gas flow at an inlet and discharge the flow at a mean radius not less than a mean radius of said inlet, said shroud having an inlet close-clearance dynamic seal and a discharge close-clearance dynamic seal,
• said turbine blades including means to receive gas flow at a tip-turbine inlet and discharge the flow at a mean radius not greater than a mean radius of said tip-turbine inlet,
• a bearing means for supporting said rotor;
• a compressor inlet housing means adjacent said inlet close-clearance dynamic seal and including means to accept inlet compressor flow from a supply means;
• a compressor discharge housing means adjacent said discharge close-clearance dynamic seal and including means to accept the compressor discharge flow;
• a turbine inlet housing means adjacent said rotor and including means to accept gas flow from a supply of gas and direct the flow to a plurality of turbine nozzle vanes where the flow is accelerated prior to entering said turbine rotor blades;
• and
• a turbine exhaust housing means adjacent said rotor and including means to accept the turbine rotor discharge flow.