Supersonic compressor
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDouglas Carl Hofer, Zachary William Nagel, David Graham Holmes
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Abstract
A novel supersonic compressor is provided by the present invention. In one embodiment, the novel supersonic compressor comprises a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and at least two counter rotary supersonic compressor rotors, said supersonic compressor rotors being configured in series such that an output from a first supersonic compressor rotor having a first direction of rotation is directed to a second supersonic compressor rotor configured to counter-rotate with respect to the first supersonic compressor rotor.
Claims20
A supersonic compressor comprising:
- (a) a fluid inlet;
- (b) a fluid outlet;
- and
- (c) at least two counter rotary supersonic compressor rotors, said supersonic compressor rotors being configured in series such that an output from a first supersonic compressor rotor having a first direction of rotation is directed to a second supersonic compressor rotor configured to counter-rotate with respect to the first supersonic compressor rotor;
- wherein at least one of the supersonic compressor rotors comprises a rim-mounted compression ramp configured to compress a fluid between a rotor rim surface and an inner surface of a compressor housing.
A supersonic compressor comprising:
- (a) a fluid inlet;
- (b) a fluid outlet;
- and
- (c) a first supersonic compressor rotor and a second counter-rotary supersonic compressor rotor, said supersonic compressor rotors being configured in series such that an output from the first supersonic compressor rotor is directed to the second counter-rotary supersonic compressor rotor, said supersonic compressor rotors sharing a common axis of rotation;
- wherein at least one of the supersonic compressor rotors comprises a rim-mounted compression ramp configured to compress a fluid between a rotor rim surface and an inner surface of a compressor housing.
A supersonic compressor comprising:
- (a) a gas conduit comprising (i) a low pressure gas inlet, and (ii) a high pressure gas outlet;
- (b) a first supersonic compressor rotor disposed within said gas conduit;
- and
- (c) a second counter-rotary supersonic compressor rotor disposed within said gas conduit;
- said supersonic compressor rotors being configured in series such that an output from the first supersonic compressor rotor is directed to the second counter-rotary supersonic compressor rotor, said supersonic compressor rotors defining a low pressure conduit segment upstream of said first supersonic compressor rotor, an intermediate pressure conduit segment disposed between said first supersonic compressor rotor and said second counter-rotary supersonic compressor rotor, and a high pressure conduit segment downstream of said second counter-rotary supersonic compressor rotor, said supersonic compressor rotors sharing a common axis of rotation;
- wherein at least one of the supersonic compressor rotors comprises a rim-mounted compression ramp configured to compress a fluid between a rotor rim surface and an inner surface of a compressor housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.