Supersonic compressor rotor and method of compressing a fluid

A supersonic compressor system comprising:

• a casing comprising an inner surface defining a cavity extending between a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
• a drive shaft positioned within said casing, said drive shaft rotatably coupled to a driving assembly;
• and
• a supersonic compressor rotor coupled to said drive shaft, said supersonic compressor rotor positioned between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet for channeling fluid from said fluid inlet to said fluid outlet, said supersonic compressor rotor comprising:
• a substantially cylindrical disk body comprising an upstream surface, a downstream surface, and a radially outer surface that extends generally axially between said upstream surface and said downstream surface, said disk body defining a centerline axis;
• a plurality of vanes coupled to said radially outer surface, adjacent said vanes forming a pair and oriented such that a flow channel is defined between each said pair of adjacent vanes, said flow channel extending generally axially between an inlet opening and an outlet opening;
• at least one supersonic compression ramp comprising a leading edge and a trailing edge, said supersonic compression ramp being coupled to the disk body, said supersonic compression ramp being disposed partly within the disk body and extending through at least one perforation in the radially outer surface of the disk body into the flow channel, said supersonic compression ramp being selectively positionable such that a radial distance of the trailing edge from the radially outer surface of the disk body may be varied between a first radial distance and a second radial distance without changing the position of the leading edge within the flow channel;
• and
• a control system operatively coupled to said at least one supersonic compression ramp and configured to calculate a location of a normal shockwave within said flow channel and position said supersonic compression ramp based on the calculated location of the normal shock wave.

A method of compressing a fluid, said method comprising:

• (a) introducing a fluid to be compressed into an inlet opening of a rotating supersonic compressor rotor, said supersonic compressor rotor comprising (i) a substantially cylindrical disk body comprising an upstream surface, a downstream surface, and a radially outer surface that extends generally axially between said upstream surface and said downstream surface, said disk body defining a centerline axis;
• (ii) a plurality of vanes coupled to said radially outer surface, adjacent said vanes forming a pair and oriented such that a flow channel is defined between each said pair of adjacent vanes, said flow channel extending generally axially between the inlet opening and an outlet opening;
• and (iii) at least one supersonic compression ramp positioned within said flow channel, said supersonic compression ramp being selectively positionable at a first position, at a second position, and at any position therebetween, said supersonic compression ramp comprising a leading edge and a trailing edge, said supersonic compression ramp being coupled to the disk body, said supersonic compression ramp being disposed partly within the disk body and extending through at least one perforation in the radially outer surface of the disk body into the flow channel, said supersonic compression ramp being selectively positionable such that a radial distance of the trailing edge from the radially outer surface of the disk body is varied between a first radial distance and a second radial distance without changing the position of the leading edge within the flow channel;
• (b) operating the supersonic compressor rotor with the supersonic compressor ramp positioned in the first position until a normal shock wave forms downstream of a throat region defined by a trailing edge of the supersonic compressor ramp;
• (c) positioning the supersonic compressor ramp in the second position, said second position being characterized by a minimum cross-sectional area which is smaller than a corresponding minimum cross-sectional area characteristic of the first position;
• (d) operating the supersonic compressor rotor with the supersonic compressor ramp positioned in the second position to produce a compressed fluid;
• (e) calculating the location of the normal shockwave within said flow channel;
• and
• (f) positioning the supersonic compression ramp at the first position, the second position, and any position there between based on the calculated location of the normal shock wave.