EP2098685A1 - Compressor and method for compressing gaseous fuel - Google Patents
Compressor and method for compressing gaseous fuel Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2098685A1 EP2098685A1 EP08004162A EP08004162A EP2098685A1 EP 2098685 A1 EP2098685 A1 EP 2098685A1 EP 08004162 A EP08004162 A EP 08004162A EP 08004162 A EP08004162 A EP 08004162A EP 2098685 A1 EP2098685 A1 EP 2098685A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- gaseous fuel
- compressor
- chamber
- rotor
- air
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 139
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 19
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 15
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 claims description 19
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims description 11
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 18
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 description 10
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 9
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 9
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 6
- 230000037406 food intake Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011161 development Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000018109 developmental process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003546 flue gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002737 fuel gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012432 intermediate storage Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002918 waste heat Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01C—ROTARY-PISTON OR OSCILLATING-PISTON MACHINES OR ENGINES
- F01C11/00—Combinations of two or more machines or engines, each being of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type
- F01C11/006—Combinations of two or more machines or engines, each being of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type of dissimilar working principle
- F01C11/008—Combinations of two or more machines or engines, each being of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type of dissimilar working principle and of complementary function, e.g. internal combustion engine with supercharger
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01C—ROTARY-PISTON OR OSCILLATING-PISTON MACHINES OR ENGINES
- F01C1/00—Rotary-piston machines or engines
- F01C1/30—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members
- F01C1/34—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members
- F01C1/344—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member
- F01C1/3441—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member the inner and outer member being in contact along one line or continuous surface substantially parallel to the axis of rotation
- F01C1/3442—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member the inner and outer member being in contact along one line or continuous surface substantially parallel to the axis of rotation the surfaces of the inner and outer member, forming the working space, being surfaces of revolution
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C18/00—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids
- F04C18/30—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members
- F04C18/34—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F04C18/08 or F04C18/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members
- F04C18/344—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F04C18/08 or F04C18/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member
- F04C18/3441—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F04C18/08 or F04C18/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member the inner and outer member being in contact along one line or continuous surface substantially parallel to the axis of rotation
- F04C18/3442—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F04C18/08 or F04C18/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member the inner and outer member being in contact along one line or continuous surface substantially parallel to the axis of rotation the surfaces of the inner and outer member, forming the inlet and outlet opening
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C25/00—Adaptations of pumps for special use of pumps for elastic fluids
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a method for compressing gaseous fuel, to a compressor and to a gas turbine.
- the first objective is solved by a method for compressing gaseous fuel as claimed in claim 1.
- the second objective is solved by a compressor as claimed in claim 13 and the third objective is solved by a gas turbine as claimed in claim 27.
- the depending claims define further developments of the invention.
- the inventive method for compressing gaseous fuel comprises the steps: a) ingesting gaseous fuel into a chamber; b) ingesting air into the chamber and mixing the gaseous fuel with the air; c) igniting and partially combusting the resulting mixture of gaseous fuel and air in a confined space such that a predominant fraction of the gaseous fuel is not combusted, causing an increased temperature and therefore an increased pressure of the fraction of the gaseous fuel which is not combusted; and d) discharging the resulting compressed gaseous fuel.
- the partial combustion the mixture of gaseous fuel and air such that a predominant fraction of the gaseous fuel is not combusted causes an increased temperature of the combusted fraction which raises the pressure of all the combusted and uncombusted fuel present in the substantially fixed volume chamber.
- air with a higher pressure than the pressure of the gaseous fuel may be injected into the chamber.
- the volume of the chamber can be decreased for discharging the compressed gaseous fuel.
- the steps a) to d) can be repeated after finishing step d). At least one of the steps a) to d) may be performed at least twice before the next step is performed.
- the gaseous fuel may be, for example, introduced into a chamber with an increasing volume.
- the basic principle of the invention is that fuel and air at the same time or afterwards are sucked in, the air is mixed with all or part of the fuel, the mixture is burned or explodes in a confined space and the part-burned fuel at higher pressure is pushed out.
- the gaseous fuel may be compressed to a pressure with a pressure ratio between the compressed gaseous fuel and the uncompressed gaseous fuel of between 1.1:1 and 5:1.
- the pressure ratio reaches a value of 2:1.
- the air may be induced such that it is given a swirling or vortex character. This provides a controlled mixture between the induced air and the gaseous fuel. Furthermore, the mixture of gaseous fuel and air can be continuously ignited. Advantageously the mixture of gaseous fuel and air is ignited and partially combusted in a chamber with a constant volume. Moreover, the compressed gaseous fuel may be cooled at constant pressure.
- the inventive compressor comprises a casing, a rotor with at least three vanes, at least one inlet for gaseous fuel, at least one outlet for gaseous fuel, at least one air inlet, and at least one igniter.
- the rotor is placed in the casing such that at least three variable-volume chambers part-bounded by the vanes are formed during a rotor revolution.
- the inlet for gaseous fuel is placed in the casing such that the inlet for gaseous fuel is connected to a first location where a chamber has an increasing volume during a revolution of the rotor.
- the air inlet and the igniter are placed in the casing in a second location, where a chamber has an increasing, decreasing or constant volume during a revolution of the rotor.
- the outlet for gaseous fuel is placed in the casing in a third location, where a chamber has a decreasing volume during a revolution of the rotor.
- the air inlet and the igniter can be connected to a second location, where a chamber has a constant or at least nearly constant volume during a revolution of the rotor.
- the rotation axis of the rotor may be eccentrically placed relative to the centreline of the casing.
- the casing and/or the rotor may have a circular cross section, an elliptical cross section, or a curved cross section with curvature discontinuities or inflexions.
- the igniter may, for example, be a plasma igniter or a spark plug.
- the igniter is placed at the air inlet.
- the igniter can be placed where the mixture between air and fuel has taken place, for example near the air inlet.
- a seal can be placed between the casing and the rotor to provide a seal between a location where a chamber with a decreasing volume is formed and a location where a chamber with an increasing volume is formed. This can minimise leakage and maximise the evacuation of the third chamber through the outlet.
- the compressor may comprise one or more additional sets of three chambers in parallel or series.
- the sets can be disposed about the rotor periphery so that they at least partly balance out radial and axial forces acting on the rotor. Furthermore, such disposition may be designed to allow some of the pressure produced to be sacrificed as a driving force for the rotor.
- the different sets of three chambers can be positioned side by side on the same rotor, but with sequences rotated relative to each other.
- the compressor may comprise six or twelve chambers. In these cases the compression can be performed twice or four times during one rotor revolution.
- An additional advantage of these arrangements is that the radial and axial forces acting on the rotor and the casing are in balance resulting in low bearing reaction forces and hence losses. This arrangement also has a positive impact on vibrations and unbalances generated by the compressor during operation.
- the compressor can comprise a cooling device for cooling the compressed gaseous fuel at constant pressure.
- a cooling device for cooling the compressed gaseous fuel at constant pressure.
- Such a cooling device can, for example, be fitted in the exhaust from the compressor where the volume is no longer confined. The benefit of this cooling is for controlling fuels which are sensitive to pre-ignition when mixed with air in the combustor.
- the compressor may further comprise a gaseous fuel supply with an adjustable valve and/or a delivery line with an adjustable valve, the delivery line being connected to the outlet for gaseous fuel.
- the compressor can comprise an air supply with a non-return valve and/or a gaseous fuel supply with a non-return valve and/or a second gaseous fuel supply with a non return valve, the second gaseous fuel supply being connected to the outlet for gaseous fuel to lead an overrun of compressed gaseous fuel into the chamber with an increasing volume.
- the rotor may comprise a rotor body with slots and at least a portion of each vane is adapted to move in and out of a slot such that the vane is in sliding contact with an inner surface of the casing.
- the in and out movement provides a simple means for forming the variable-volume chambers during a rotor revolution.
- each vane may comprise a tip with a seal to provide a seal between the inner surface of the casing and the vane.
- seals can be used additionally or alternatively to the previously mentioned seal (stator seal).
- abradable material may be placed between the inner surface of the casing and the vane tip and/or between the stator seal and the vane tip.
- the rotor can be connected to an engine.
- the engine may comprise a motor or a turbine, for example.
- the inventive gas turbine comprises a compressor as previously described.
- a typical gas turbine comprises a compressor to compress air, a combustor and a turbine.
- a mixture of air and gaseous fuel can be combusted.
- the inventive compressor can be used to compress at least part of the gaseous fuel, which may then be combusted in the combustor of the gas turbine.
- the invention has the following advantages: If the fuel conduit from the compressor to the gas turbine is insulated, the heat loss will be low and the fuel energy spent on compression can be recuperated in the turbine during the expansion and in the waste heat recovery unit if one is fitted, for example, in a combined cycle unit. On the other hand if the fuel is cooled down after compression, which is an option with intermediate storage, an energy loss like for conventional gas compression occurs. Due to the highly concentrated heat release provided by the combustion the through-flow capacity of the compressor is much higher for a given geometrical size compared to cycles based on heat exchange across a wall and using an external heat source such as flue gases.
- Fig. 1 schematically shows an inventive compressor in a sectional view.
- FIG. 2 schematically shows an inventive compressor, as it is shown in figure 1 , with a cooling device and a pressure compensation pipe.
- Fig. 3 schematically shows an alternative inventive compressor with six chambers in a sectional view.
- Fig. 4 schematically shows an inventive compressor with twelve chambers in a sectional view.
- Fig. 5 schematically shows an alternative inventive compressor with twelve chambers in a sectional view.
- Fig. 6 schematically shows another alternative inventive compressor with twelve chambers in a sectional view.
- Fig. 7 schematically shows two inventive compressors piped in series.
- Fig. 8 schematically shows two inventive compressors piped in parallel.
- FIG. 1 schematically shows an inventive compressor 1 in a sectional view.
- Figure 2 schematically shows an inventive compressor, as it is shown in figure 1 , with a cooling device and a pressure compensation pipe.
- the compressor 1 in figure 1 and 2 comprises a casing 2 and a rotor 3.
- the rotor comprises a rotor body 4, three slots 5 and three vanes 6.
- the angle between two neighbouring vanes 6 has a value of 120°.
- the rotor body 4 has a circular cross section.
- the rotor body 4 and/or the inner surface 27 of the casing 2 can have an oval, elliptic, circular or another appropriate cross section.
- the rotor 3 is eccentrically placed inside the casing 2.
- Each vane 6 is at least partially located inside a slot 5 and protrudes radially outwards from the rotor body 4.
- Each vane 6 comprises a portion 28, which is adapted to move in and out of the slot 5 such that the vane 6 is in sliding contact with the inner surface 27 of the casing 2.
- each vane 6 may comprise a seal at the tip of the vane 6 to provide a seal between the vane 6 and the inner surface 27 of the casing 2.
- variable-volume chambers 15, 16, 17 part-bounded by the vanes 6 are formed.
- a chamber assumes an increasing volume 15, an approximately constant volume 16, and a decreasing volume 17.
- the casing 2 comprises an inlet 7 for gaseous fuel, an air inlet 9, an igniter 14, and an outlet 11 for gaseous fuel.
- the inlet 7 for gaseous fuel is located at a position where a chamber assumes increasing volume 15.
- the igniter 14 is located at the air inlet 9, such that it can ignite a mixture between air and fuel. Both are located at a position where a chamber assumes approximately constant volume 16.
- the outlet 11 for gaseous fuel is located in the casing 2 at a position where a chamber assumes decreasing volume 17.
- a seal 18 may be placed at a position where the radial distance between the inner surface 27 of the casing 2 and the rotor body 4 is minimal. This means that the seal provides a seal between the chamber 17 with decreasing volume and the chamber 15 with increasing volume.
- the seal 18 can, for instance, be a brush seal. The seal if used must be so formed that the moving vanes can smoothly travel over it.
- the inventive compressor 1 uses three chambers 15, 16, 17. Gaseous fuel is ingested into the chamber 15 with increasing volume through the inlet 7. The direction of the gaseous fuel flow is indicated by an arrow 8. During the rotation of the rotor 3 in direction 13 the chamber with gaseous fuel ingested reaches the location 16 where its volume stays constant. Air is induced into the gaseous fuel in the chamber 16 with approximately constant volume through the air inlet 9, as indicated by the arrow 10. The pressure of the induced air is higher than the pressure of the gaseous fuel in the chamber 16. This is achieved principally by the incoming air pressure.
- the inlet 7 is placed such that the chamber 16 is completely filled before the chamber 16 reaches its maximum volume and before it reaches the igniter 14. Additionally or alternatively a throttle can be placed at the gas inlet 7 which can be used when necessary, for instance at part load or when low overall pressure boost is required. If no boost is required, it is also possible to throttle the air or to switch off the ignition.
- the induced air is mixed with the gaseous fuel.
- the air is induced such that it is given a swirling or vortex character.
- the mixture of gaseous fuel and air is ignited and partially combusted in chamber 16, while it is still in the location where it has a constant or at least a nearly constant volume.
- the igniter 14 may be a plasma igniter or a spark plug.
- the pressure of the gaseous fuel which leaves the compressor 1 through the outlet 11, must be higher than the air pressure to be able to drive the gas turbine combustor, for instance.
- the pressure rise of the gaseous fuel is achieved by a temperature rise from combusting a small fraction of the gaseous fuel in the chamber 16 with a, at least nearly, constant volume.
- the part-burned gaseous fuel at higher pressure is pushed out of the chamber 17, which has a decreasing volume and comprises the outlet 11.
- the direction of the compressed gaseous fuel flow is indicated by an arrow 12.
- the inlet for gaseous fuel can be placed at a position which is indicated in figure 1 by reference numeral 7a, the air inlet can be placed at a position which is indicated by reference numeral 9a and the igniter can be placed at a position which is indicated by reference numeral 14a.
- the seal 18 near,the outlet 11 is used to minimise leakage and maximise the evacuation of the chamber 17.
- a stratified charge approach which means that lean burn pressurises the remaining gas, might reduce the pressure ratio significantly but would entail a compromise on the NO x -emission.
- cavities can be built into the rotor 3, but more preferably into the casing 2, to minimise displacement losses during the discharge phase.
- a stratified charge approach maintains burning with less air but at the expense of achievable pressure rise.
- FIG. 2 schematically shows the inventive compressor 1, as it is described with reference to figure 1 , but additionally equipped with a cooling device 21 and a pressure compensation pipe 26.
- the casing 2 in figure 2 comprises two inlets 7 for gaseous fuel, which are placed at a position where the chamber 15 with increasing volume is located.
- One inlet 7 for gaseous fuel is connected to a common gaseous fuel supply.
- This inlet 7 is further equipped with an adjustable valve 19 and with a non-return valve 22.
- the adjustable valve 19 can act as an accelerator when throttled. It can, for instance, be fully closed during start-up and low loads.
- the adjustable valve 19, which is the gaseous fuel supply valve may be ordered by an adjustable governing valve 20, which is placed at the outlet 11 for compressed gaseous fuel.
- a pressure compensation pipe 26 is mounted, which leads to the second inlet 7b into the chamber with increasing volume 15.
- a non-return valve 24 is mounted at the inlet 7b of the pressure compensation pipe 26 in chamber 15. This non-return valve 24 prevents a backflow from chamber 15 into the pressure compensation pipe 26.
- transients such as load shedding the fuel pressure and the fuel flow, which is delivered by the compressor, might be higher than needed.
- the adjustable governing valve 20 at the outlet 11 is restricting the flow and the overrun of compressed gaseous fuel is routed back to chamber 15 through the pressure compensation pipe 26. In this case only overrun of gaseous fuel cycles the system, while no ignition and combustion is performed, until the pressure is below the demand of the adjustable governing valve 20.
- the direction of the compressed gaseous fuel flow in the pressure compensation pipe 26 is indicated by arrows 25.
- the air inlet 9 of the compressor 1 in figure 2 comprises a non-return valve 23, which prevents a backflow.
- a non-return valve 23 which prevents a backflow.
- the compressor 1, which is shown in figure 2 further comprises a cooling device 21, which cools the compressed gaseous fuel at constant pressure.
- the direction of the compressed gaseous fuel flow is indicated by the arrows 12.
- Figure 3 schematically shows an alternative inventive compressor 101 with six chambers 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B, 17A, 17B in a sectional view.
- the compressor 101 in figure 3 comprises a casing 2, which has an inner surface 27 with an elliptical cross section.
- the rotor body 4 of the rotor 3 has a circular cross section, as in the first embodiment.
- the rotor 3 is concentrically placed inside the casing 2.
- the rotor 4 further comprises six vanes 6, which are located in slots 5, as described in the first embodiment.
- the compressor 101 in figure 3 comprises six variable-volume chambers 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B, 17A, 17B part-bounded by the vanes 6.
- the vanes 6 are arranged in the rotor 3 such that the angle between two neighbouring vanes 6 has a value of 60°.
- the chambers 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B, 17A, 17B are formed such that in rotation direction 13 a chamber assumes increasing volume 15A followed by an at least nearly constant volume 16A, followed by a decreasing volume 17A, followed by an increasing volume 15B and so forth. This means that the two chambers with increasing volume 15A and 15B are situated opposite to each other regarding the centre of the rotor body 4.
- the chambers with constant volume 16A and 16B as well as the chambers with decreasing volume 17A and 17B are also situated opposite to each other.
- the compressor 101 comprises two seals 18. Each seal 18 is mounted between a chamber with decreasing volume 17A or 17B and a chamber with increasing volume 15B or 15A.
- the seals 18 are formed such that the moving vanes can smoothly travel over it.
- the casing 2 of the compressor 101 comprises two inlets 7 for gaseous fuel, which are located opposite to each other at positions where chambers with increasing volume 15A and 15B are located.
- the casing 2 further comprises two outlets 11 for compressed gaseous fuel, which are located opposite to each other at positions where chambers with decreasing volume 17A and 17B are formed.
- the casing 2 comprises two air inlets 9 and two igniters 14, which are located at positions where chambers with constant volume 16A and 16B are formed. This means that the igniters 14, as well as the air inlets 9 are situated opposite to each other regarding the rotation axis of the rotor 3.
- Figure 4 shows an alternative inventive compressor 201 with twelve chambers in a sectional view.
- the casing 2 and the rotor body 4 of the compressor 201 in figure 4 have the same shape as in the compressor 101, which is described in the second embodiment.
- the rotor 3 in the figures 4 to 6 comprises twelve vanes 6 which form twelve chambers 29A, 29B, 30A, 30B, 31A, 31B, 32A, 32B, 33A, 33B, 34A, 34B.
- the angle between two adjacent vanes 6 has a value of 30°.
- chamber 29A, 29B, 30A, 30B, 31A, 31B, 32A, 32B, 33A, 33B, 34A, 34B are located opposite to each other relating to the rotation axis of the rotor 3.
- chamber 29A is followed by chamber 30A, which is followed by chambers 31A, 32A, 33A, and 34A.
- Chamber 34A is then again followed by the second chamber 29B and so forth.
- the chambers 29A, 29B, 30A, 30B, 31A and 31B are in a state of rotation where they have an increasing volume.
- the chambers 32A, 32B, 33A, 33B, 34A and 34B are in a state where they have a decreasing volume.
- At the location of the chambers 30A and 30B inlets 7 for gaseous fuel are provided.
- the chambers 31A, 31B, 32A and 32B comprise an air inlet 9 and an igniter 14, which have the characteristics as described in the previous embodiments.
- the chambers 33A, 33B, 34A and 34B have a decreasing volume.
- the chambers 34A and 34B comprise an outlet 11 for gaseous fuel.
- the temperature rise and the pressure rise is divided into two stages. Thus the control of the combustion can more accurately lead to an improved combustion performance with lower emissions.
- Figure 5 schematically shows a compressor 301, which is a variation of the compressor 201, which is shown in figure 4 .
- the compressor 301 in figure 5 comprises two inlets 7 and two outlets 11 for gaseous fuel per each half revolution of the rotor 3, this means per compression cycle.
- the compressor 301 comprises an inlet 7 for gaseous fuel and at the location of the chambers 33A and 33B and the chambers 34A and 34B the compressor 301 comprises an outlet 11 for compressed gaseous fuel.
- the advantage is that the chambers 29A, 29B, 30A, 30B, 33A, 33B, 34A and 34B can be gradually filled and gradually emptied.
- this has the advantage that the mechanical compression work due to volume change is reduced.
- the ingestion, which takes place in the chambers 29A, 29B, 30A and 30B, as well as the discharge, which takes place in the chambers 33A, 33B, 34A and 34B, does not have to be arranged in discrete locations as shown in figure 4 . It can also be arranged as slots between the two chambers 29A and 30A as well as between the two chambers 29B and 30B and/or between the chambers 33A and 34A and/or between the chambers 33B and 34B. Thereby a more continuous ingestion and discharge can be achieved.
- FIG. 6 Another alternative compressor 401 is schematically shown in figure 6 .
- the compressor 401 comprises an outlet 11 for gaseous fuel at the location of the chambers 32A and 32B.
- the compressor 401 comprises an air inlet 9 and an igniter 14. This means that a combustion zone is located between two discharge sectors, which are defined in this variation by the locations of the chambers 32A, 32B, 34A and 34B.
- This may, for example, be used if a gas turbine has two combustion chambers operating in series with an intermediate turbine stage, thus having two air pressure levels.
- the same arrangement can also be used if two different pressure levels are required in one combustor, for example a higher pressure for a pilot burner compared to a main burner.
- the difference in fuel composition for the two discharges can also be used to operate the pilot burner and the main burner in advantageous ways for emission control.
- the compressed gaseous fuel which leaves the compressor 401 at the locations of the chambers 34A and 34B and has been ignited twice, can be used as pilot fuel.
- FIG. 7 schematically shows two inventive compressors 501, 601 piped in series.
- the outlet for gaseous fuel 11 of the compressor 601 is connected to the inlet for gaseous fuel 7 of the compressor 501.
- Figure 8 schematically shows two inventive compressors 701, 801 piped in parallel.
- the compressors 1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801 as described in the embodiments can be actuated by means of an engine, for example by means of a motor or a turbine. Because the rotor is only moving gas around the drive requires far less energy than mechanical compression.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Rotary Pumps (AREA)
- Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a method for compressing gaseous fuel, to a compressor and to a gas turbine.
- Modern gas turbines are evolving towards higher peak cycle pressures in order to increase fuel efficiency. Since the fuel, which is induced at a peak pressure, must be supplied with sufficient overpressure to account for valve losses, ingestion speeds and other flow issues, the fuel supply pressure must also rise. However, gas supply networks and pipelines have been designed for a fixed pressure and the huge infrastructure costs mean that these pressures will stay fixed for a considerable period.
- It is observed that at extreme operating conditions the pipeline may not have sufficient fuel pressure to supply the gas turbine. This difficulty may be increasingly encountered in the further evolution of gas turbine technology. Up to now at off-design conditions either the power output of the engine can be limited, which may cause customer dissatisfaction, or a motor-driven fuel gas compressor can be used, which may add costs and erode efficiency because of the power drain.
- It is an objective of the present invention to provide an advantageous method for compressing gaseous fuel. It is another objective of the present invention to provide an advantageous compressor. A last objective is to provide an advantageous gas turbine. The first objective is solved by a method for compressing gaseous fuel as claimed in
claim 1. The second objective is solved by a compressor as claimed inclaim 13 and the third objective is solved by a gas turbine as claimed inclaim 27. The depending claims define further developments of the invention. - The inventive method for compressing gaseous fuel comprises the steps: a) ingesting gaseous fuel into a chamber; b) ingesting air into the chamber and mixing the gaseous fuel with the air; c) igniting and partially combusting the resulting mixture of gaseous fuel and air in a confined space such that a predominant fraction of the gaseous fuel is not combusted, causing an increased temperature and therefore an increased pressure of the fraction of the gaseous fuel which is not combusted; and d) discharging the resulting compressed gaseous fuel. This means, that part of the energy of the fuel is used to perform the compression by means of partial combustion.
- The partial combustion the mixture of gaseous fuel and air such that a predominant fraction of the gaseous fuel is not combusted, causes an increased temperature of the combusted fraction which raises the pressure of all the combusted and uncombusted fuel present in the substantially fixed volume chamber.
- For ingesting air, air with a higher pressure than the pressure of the gaseous fuel may be injected into the chamber. Moreover, the volume of the chamber can be decreased for discharging the compressed gaseous fuel.
- Advantageously the steps a) to d) can be repeated after finishing step d). At least one of the steps a) to d) may be performed at least twice before the next step is performed. Moreover, the gaseous fuel may be, for example, introduced into a chamber with an increasing volume.
- The basic principle of the invention is that fuel and air at the same time or afterwards are sucked in, the air is mixed with all or part of the fuel, the mixture is burned or explodes in a confined space and the part-burned fuel at higher pressure is pushed out.
- The gaseous fuel may be compressed to a pressure with a pressure ratio between the compressed gaseous fuel and the uncompressed gaseous fuel of between 1.1:1 and 5:1. Preferably the pressure ratio reaches a value of 2:1.
- The air may be induced such that it is given a swirling or vortex character. This provides a controlled mixture between the induced air and the gaseous fuel. Furthermore, the mixture of gaseous fuel and air can be continuously ignited. Advantageously the mixture of gaseous fuel and air is ignited and partially combusted in a chamber with a constant volume. Moreover, the compressed gaseous fuel may be cooled at constant pressure.
- The inventive compressor comprises a casing, a rotor with at least three vanes, at least one inlet for gaseous fuel, at least one outlet for gaseous fuel, at least one air inlet, and at least one igniter. The rotor is placed in the casing such that at least three variable-volume chambers part-bounded by the vanes are formed during a rotor revolution. The inlet for gaseous fuel is placed in the casing such that the inlet for gaseous fuel is connected to a first location where a chamber has an increasing volume during a revolution of the rotor. The air inlet and the igniter are placed in the casing in a second location, where a chamber has an increasing, decreasing or constant volume during a revolution of the rotor. The outlet for gaseous fuel is placed in the casing in a third location, where a chamber has a decreasing volume during a revolution of the rotor. Advantageously the air inlet and the igniter can be connected to a second location, where a chamber has a constant or at least nearly constant volume during a revolution of the rotor.
- The rotation axis of the rotor may be eccentrically placed relative to the centreline of the casing. The casing and/or the rotor may have a circular cross section, an elliptical cross section, or a curved cross section with curvature discontinuities or inflexions. The igniter may, for example, be a plasma igniter or a spark plug. Advantageously, the igniter is placed at the air inlet. Generally the igniter can be placed where the mixture between air and fuel has taken place, for example near the air inlet.
- Furthermore, a seal can be placed between the casing and the rotor to provide a seal between a location where a chamber with a decreasing volume is formed and a location where a chamber with an increasing volume is formed. This can minimise leakage and maximise the evacuation of the third chamber through the outlet.
- The compressor may comprise one or more additional sets of three chambers in parallel or series. The sets can be disposed about the rotor periphery so that they at least partly balance out radial and axial forces acting on the rotor. Furthermore, such disposition may be designed to allow some of the pressure produced to be sacrificed as a driving force for the rotor. For example, the different sets of three chambers can be positioned side by side on the same rotor, but with sequences rotated relative to each other.
- The compressor may comprise six or twelve chambers. In these cases the compression can be performed twice or four times during one rotor revolution. An additional advantage of these arrangements is that the radial and axial forces acting on the rotor and the casing are in balance resulting in low bearing reaction forces and hence losses. This arrangement also has a positive impact on vibrations and unbalances generated by the compressor during operation.
- The compressor can comprise a cooling device for cooling the compressed gaseous fuel at constant pressure. Such a cooling device can, for example, be fitted in the exhaust from the compressor where the volume is no longer confined. The benefit of this cooling is for controlling fuels which are sensitive to pre-ignition when mixed with air in the combustor.
- The compressor may further comprise a gaseous fuel supply with an adjustable valve and/or a delivery line with an adjustable valve, the delivery line being connected to the outlet for gaseous fuel. Furthermore, the compressor can comprise an air supply with a non-return valve and/or a gaseous fuel supply with a non-return valve and/or a second gaseous fuel supply with a non return valve, the second gaseous fuel supply being connected to the outlet for gaseous fuel to lead an overrun of compressed gaseous fuel into the chamber with an increasing volume.
- The rotor may comprise a rotor body with slots and at least a portion of each vane is adapted to move in and out of a slot such that the vane is in sliding contact with an inner surface of the casing. The in and out movement provides a simple means for forming the variable-volume chambers during a rotor revolution.
- Generally each vane may comprise a tip with a seal to provide a seal between the inner surface of the casing and the vane. These seals can be used additionally or alternatively to the previously mentioned seal (stator seal). Moreover, abradable material may be placed between the inner surface of the casing and the vane tip and/or between the stator seal and the vane tip.
- The rotor can be connected to an engine. The engine may comprise a motor or a turbine, for example.
- The inventive gas turbine comprises a compressor as previously described. A typical gas turbine comprises a compressor to compress air, a combustor and a turbine. In the combustor a mixture of air and gaseous fuel can be combusted. The inventive compressor can be used to compress at least part of the gaseous fuel, which may then be combusted in the combustor of the gas turbine.
- Generally the invention has the following advantages: If the fuel conduit from the compressor to the gas turbine is insulated, the heat loss will be low and the fuel energy spent on compression can be recuperated in the turbine during the expansion and in the waste heat recovery unit if one is fitted, for example, in a combined cycle unit. On the other hand if the fuel is cooled down after compression, which is an option with intermediate storage, an energy loss like for conventional gas compression occurs. Due to the highly concentrated heat release provided by the combustion the through-flow capacity of the compressor is much higher for a given geometrical size compared to cycles based on heat exchange across a wall and using an external heat source such as flue gases.
- Moreover, because the rotor is only moving gas around the drive requires far less energy than mechanical compression.
- Further features, properties and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
-
Fig. 1 schematically shows an inventive compressor in a sectional view. -
Fig. 2 schematically shows an inventive compressor, as it is shown infigure 1 , with a cooling device and a pressure compensation pipe. -
Fig. 3 schematically shows an alternative inventive compressor with six chambers in a sectional view. -
Fig. 4 schematically shows an inventive compressor with twelve chambers in a sectional view. -
Fig. 5 schematically shows an alternative inventive compressor with twelve chambers in a sectional view. -
Fig. 6 schematically shows another alternative inventive compressor with twelve chambers in a sectional view. -
Fig. 7 schematically shows two inventive compressors piped in series. -
Fig. 8 schematically shows two inventive compressors piped in parallel. - A first embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to
figure 1 and2 .Figure 1 schematically shows aninventive compressor 1 in a sectional view.Figure 2 schematically shows an inventive compressor, as it is shown infigure 1 , with a cooling device and a pressure compensation pipe. Thecompressor 1 infigure 1 and2 comprises acasing 2 and arotor 3. The rotor comprises arotor body 4, threeslots 5 and threevanes 6. The angle between twoneighbouring vanes 6 has a value of 120°. Therotor body 4 has a circular cross section. Generally, therotor body 4 and/or theinner surface 27 of thecasing 2 can have an oval, elliptic, circular or another appropriate cross section. - The
rotor 3 is eccentrically placed inside thecasing 2. Eachvane 6 is at least partially located inside aslot 5 and protrudes radially outwards from therotor body 4. Eachvane 6 comprises aportion 28, which is adapted to move in and out of theslot 5 such that thevane 6 is in sliding contact with theinner surface 27 of thecasing 2. Additionally, eachvane 6 may comprise a seal at the tip of thevane 6 to provide a seal between thevane 6 and theinner surface 27 of thecasing 2. - Between the
inner surface 27 of thecasing 2 and therotor 3 three variable-volume chambers vanes 6 are formed. During a revolution of therotor 3 in the direction, which is indicated by anarrow 13, a chamber assumes an increasingvolume 15, an approximatelyconstant volume 16, and a decreasingvolume 17. - The
casing 2 comprises aninlet 7 for gaseous fuel, anair inlet 9, anigniter 14, and anoutlet 11 for gaseous fuel. Theinlet 7 for gaseous fuel is located at a position where a chamber assumes increasingvolume 15. Theigniter 14 is located at theair inlet 9, such that it can ignite a mixture between air and fuel. Both are located at a position where a chamber assumes approximatelyconstant volume 16. Theoutlet 11 for gaseous fuel is located in thecasing 2 at a position where a chamber assumes decreasingvolume 17. - Between the
inner surface 27 of thecasing 2 and the rotor body 4 aseal 18 may be placed at a position where the radial distance between theinner surface 27 of thecasing 2 and therotor body 4 is minimal. This means that the seal provides a seal between thechamber 17 with decreasing volume and thechamber 15 with increasing volume. Theseal 18 can, for instance, be a brush seal. The seal if used must be so formed that the moving vanes can smoothly travel over it. - The
inventive compressor 1, as it is shown infigure 1 and2 , uses threechambers chamber 15 with increasing volume through theinlet 7. The direction of the gaseous fuel flow is indicated by anarrow 8. During the rotation of therotor 3 indirection 13 the chamber with gaseous fuel ingested reaches thelocation 16 where its volume stays constant. Air is induced into the gaseous fuel in thechamber 16 with approximately constant volume through theair inlet 9, as indicated by thearrow 10. The pressure of the induced air is higher than the pressure of the gaseous fuel in thechamber 16. This is achieved principally by the incoming air pressure. Theinlet 7 is placed such that thechamber 16 is completely filled before thechamber 16 reaches its maximum volume and before it reaches theigniter 14. Additionally or alternatively a throttle can be placed at thegas inlet 7 which can be used when necessary, for instance at part load or when low overall pressure boost is required. If no boost is required, it is also possible to throttle the air or to switch off the ignition. - The induced air is mixed with the gaseous fuel. Advantageously the air is induced such that it is given a swirling or vortex character. The mixture of gaseous fuel and air is ignited and partially combusted in
chamber 16, while it is still in the location where it has a constant or at least a nearly constant volume. Theigniter 14 may be a plasma igniter or a spark plug. - The pressure of the gaseous fuel, which leaves the
compressor 1 through theoutlet 11, must be higher than the air pressure to be able to drive the gas turbine combustor, for instance. The pressure rise of the gaseous fuel is achieved by a temperature rise from combusting a small fraction of the gaseous fuel in thechamber 16 with a, at least nearly, constant volume. The part-burned gaseous fuel at higher pressure is pushed out of thechamber 17, which has a decreasing volume and comprises theoutlet 11. The direction of the compressed gaseous fuel flow is indicated by anarrow 12. - After the combustion when the chamber is in the
location 16 the uncombusted predominant fraction of the gaseous fuel is further compressed inchamber 17 because of the decreasing volume ofchamber 17. - Alternatively, the inlet for gaseous fuel can be placed at a position which is indicated in
figure 1 byreference numeral 7a, the air inlet can be placed at a position which is indicated byreference numeral 9a and the igniter can be placed at a position which is indicated byreference numeral 14a. - The
seal 18 near,theoutlet 11 is used to minimise leakage and maximise the evacuation of thechamber 17. - A stratified charge approach, which means that lean burn pressurises the remaining gas, might reduce the pressure ratio significantly but would entail a compromise on the NOx-emission. With a stratified charge approach cavities can be built into the
rotor 3, but more preferably into thecasing 2, to minimise displacement losses during the discharge phase. A stratified charge approach maintains burning with less air but at the expense of achievable pressure rise. -
Figure 2 schematically shows theinventive compressor 1, as it is described with reference tofigure 1 , but additionally equipped with acooling device 21 and apressure compensation pipe 26. Thecasing 2 infigure 2 comprises twoinlets 7 for gaseous fuel, which are placed at a position where thechamber 15 with increasing volume is located. Oneinlet 7 for gaseous fuel is connected to a common gaseous fuel supply. Thisinlet 7 is further equipped with anadjustable valve 19 and with anon-return valve 22. In theflow direction 8 the gaseous fuel passes at first theadjustable valve 19 and then thenon-return valve 22. Theadjustable valve 19 can act as an accelerator when throttled. It can, for instance, be fully closed during start-up and low loads. Theadjustable valve 19, which is the gaseous fuel supply valve, may be ordered by anadjustable governing valve 20, which is placed at theoutlet 11 for compressed gaseous fuel. - Between the
outlet 11 and the adjustable governing valve 20 apressure compensation pipe 26 is mounted, which leads to thesecond inlet 7b into the chamber with increasingvolume 15. Anon-return valve 24 is mounted at theinlet 7b of thepressure compensation pipe 26 inchamber 15. Thisnon-return valve 24 prevents a backflow fromchamber 15 into thepressure compensation pipe 26. During transients such as load shedding the fuel pressure and the fuel flow, which is delivered by the compressor, might be higher than needed. In this case the adjustable governingvalve 20 at theoutlet 11 is restricting the flow and the overrun of compressed gaseous fuel is routed back tochamber 15 through thepressure compensation pipe 26. In this case only overrun of gaseous fuel cycles the system, while no ignition and combustion is performed, until the pressure is below the demand of the adjustable governingvalve 20. The direction of the compressed gaseous fuel flow in thepressure compensation pipe 26 is indicated byarrows 25. - The
air inlet 9 of thecompressor 1 infigure 2 comprises anon-return valve 23, which prevents a backflow. When the combustion commences the pressure might rise above the air supply pressure and in this case a backflow must be prevented. - The
compressor 1, which is shown infigure 2 , further comprises acooling device 21, which cools the compressed gaseous fuel at constant pressure. The direction of the compressed gaseous fuel flow is indicated by thearrows 12. - Now a second embodiment will be described with reference to
figure 3 . Elements corresponding to elements of the first embodiment will be designated with the same reference numerals and will not be described again.Figure 3 schematically shows an alternativeinventive compressor 101 with sixchambers - Differing from
figure 1 and2 thecompressor 101 infigure 3 comprises acasing 2, which has aninner surface 27 with an elliptical cross section. Therotor body 4 of therotor 3 has a circular cross section, as in the first embodiment. Therotor 3 is concentrically placed inside thecasing 2. Therotor 4 further comprises sixvanes 6, which are located inslots 5, as described in the first embodiment. - The
compressor 101 infigure 3 comprises six variable-volume chambers vanes 6. Thevanes 6 are arranged in therotor 3 such that the angle between twoneighbouring vanes 6 has a value of 60°. Thechambers volume 15A followed by an at least nearlyconstant volume 16A, followed by a decreasingvolume 17A, followed by an increasingvolume 15B and so forth. This means that the two chambers with increasingvolume rotor body 4. The chambers withconstant volume volume - The
compressor 101 comprises twoseals 18. Eachseal 18 is mounted between a chamber with decreasingvolume volume seals 18 are formed such that the moving vanes can smoothly travel over it. Thecasing 2 of thecompressor 101 comprises twoinlets 7 for gaseous fuel, which are located opposite to each other at positions where chambers with increasingvolume casing 2 further comprises twooutlets 11 for compressed gaseous fuel, which are located opposite to each other at positions where chambers with decreasingvolume casing 2 comprises twoair inlets 9 and twoigniters 14, which are located at positions where chambers withconstant volume igniters 14, as well as theair inlets 9 are situated opposite to each other regarding the rotation axis of therotor 3. - In the
compressor 101 offigure 3 the compressing process is performed twice during one revolution of therotor 3. - Now a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
figures 4 to 6 . Elements corresponding to elements of the previous embodiments will be designated with the same reference numerals and will not be described again. -
Figure 4 shows an alternativeinventive compressor 201 with twelve chambers in a sectional view. Thecasing 2 and therotor body 4 of thecompressor 201 infigure 4 have the same shape as in thecompressor 101, which is described in the second embodiment. In contrast to the second embodiment, therotor 3 in thefigures 4 to 6 comprises twelvevanes 6 which form twelvechambers adjacent vanes 6 has a value of 30°. Twosimilar chambers rotor 3. In the direction ofrotation 13chamber 29A is followed bychamber 30A, which is followed bychambers Chamber 34A is then again followed by thesecond chamber 29B and so forth. - The
chambers chambers chambers inlets 7 for gaseous fuel are provided. Thechambers air inlet 9 and anigniter 14, which have the characteristics as described in the previous embodiments. Thechambers chambers outlet 11 for gaseous fuel. In thecompressor 201, as it is shown infigure 4 , the temperature rise and the pressure rise is divided into two stages. Thus the control of the combustion can more accurately lead to an improved combustion performance with lower emissions. -
Figure 5 schematically shows acompressor 301, which is a variation of thecompressor 201, which is shown infigure 4 . In contrast tofigure 4 , thecompressor 301 infigure 5 comprises twoinlets 7 and twooutlets 11 for gaseous fuel per each half revolution of therotor 3, this means per compression cycle. - At the location of the
chambers chambers compressor 301 comprises aninlet 7 for gaseous fuel and at the location of thechambers chambers compressor 301 comprises anoutlet 11 for compressed gaseous fuel. In this case the advantage is that thechambers chambers chambers chambers figure 4 . It can also be arranged as slots between the twochambers chambers chambers chambers - Another
alternative compressor 401 is schematically shown infigure 6 . In contrast tofigures 4 and5 thecompressor 401 comprises anoutlet 11 for gaseous fuel at the location of thechambers chambers compressor 401 comprises anair inlet 9 and anigniter 14. This means that a combustion zone is located between two discharge sectors, which are defined in this variation by the locations of thechambers chambers compressor 401 at the locations of thechambers - Obviously two or more
inventive compressors figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 schematically shows twoinventive compressors gaseous fuel 11 of thecompressor 601 is connected to the inlet forgaseous fuel 7 of thecompressor 501.Figure 8 schematically shows twoinventive compressors - Generally, the
compressors
Claims (27)
- A method for compressing gaseous fuel, comprising the steps:a) ingesting gaseous fuel into a chamber;b) ingesting air into the chamber and mixing the gaseous fuel with the air;c) igniting and partially combusting the resulting mixture of gaseous fuel and air in a confined space such that a predominant fraction of the gaseous fuel is not combusted, causing an increased temperature and therefore an increased pressure of the fraction of the gaseous fuel which is not combusted; andd) discharging the resulting compressed gaseous fuel.
- The method as claimed in claim 1,
wherein
for ingesting air, air with a higher pressure than the pressure of the gaseous fuel is injected into the chamber. - The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2,
wherein
the volume of the chamber is decreased for discharging the compressed gaseous fuel. - The method as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 3,
wherein
the steps a) to d) are repeated after finishing step d). - The method as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 4,
wherein
at least one of the steps a) to d) is performed at least twice before the next step is performed. - The method as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 5,
wherein
gaseous fuel is introduced into a chamber (15, 29, 30) with an increasing volume. - The method as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 6,
wherein
the gaseous fuel is compressed to a pressure with a pressure ratio between the compressed gaseous fuel and the uncompressed gaseous fuel of between 1.1:1 and 5:1. - The method as claimed in claim 7,
wherein
the gaseous fuel is compressed to a pressure with a pressure ratio between the compressed gaseous fuel and the uncompressed gaseous fuel of 2:1. - The method as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 8,
wherein
the air is induced such that it is given a swirling or vortex character. - The method as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 9,
wherein
the mixture of gaseous fuel and air is continuously ignited. - The method as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 10,
wherein
the mixture of gaseous fuel and air is ignited and partially combusted in a chamber (16) with a constant volume. - The method as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 11,
wherein
the compressed gaseous fuel is cooled at constant pressure. - A compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801), comprising a casing (2), a rotor (3) with at least three vanes (6), at least one inlet (7) for gaseous fuel, at least one outlet (11) for gaseous fuel, at least one air inlet (9) and at least one igniter (14),
wherein
the rotor (3) is placed in the casing (2) such that at least three variable-volume chambers (15, 16, 17, 29-34) part-bounded by the vanes (6) are formed during a rotor revolution, the inlet (7) for gaseous fuel is placed in the casing (2) such that the inlet (7) for gaseous fuel is connected to a first location where a chamber (15, 29, 30) has an increasing volume during a revolution of the rotor (3), the air inlet (9) and the igniter (14) are placed in the casing (2) in a second location where a chamber (16, 31, 32, 33) has an increasing, decreasing or constant volume during a revolution of the rotor (3), and the outlet (11) for gaseous fuel is placed in the casing in a third location where a chamber (17, 32, 33, 34) has a decreasing volume during a revolution of the rotor (3). - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in claim 13,
wherein
the rotation axis of the rotor (3) is eccentrically placed relative to the centreline of the casing (2). - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in claim 13 or 14,
wherein
the casing (2) and/or the rotor (3) have a circular cross section, an elliptical cross section or a curved cross section with curvature discontinuities or inflexions. - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 15,
wherein
the igniter (14) is a plasma igniter or a spark plug. - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 16,
wherein
the igniter (14) is placed at the air inlet (9). - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 17,
wherein
a seal (18) is placed between the casing (2) and the rotor (3) to provide a seal between a location where a chamber (17, 34) with a decreasing volume is formed and a location where a chamber (15, 29) with an increasing volume is formed. - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 18,
wherein
the compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) comprises at least one additional set of three chambers (15, 16, 17, 29-34) in parallel or in series. - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 19,
wherein
the compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) comprises six or twelve chambers (15, 16, 17, 29-34). - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 20,
wherein
the compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) comprises a cooling device (21) for cooling compressed gaseous fuel at constant pressure. - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 21,
wherein
the compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) comprises a gaseous fuel supply with an adjustable valve (19) and/or a delivery line with an adjustable valve (20), the delivery line being connected to the outlet (11) for gaseous fuel. - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 22,
wherein
the compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) comprises an air supply with a non return valve (23) and/or a gaseous fuel supply with a non return valve (22) and/or a second gaseous fuel supply with a non return valve (24), the second gaseous fuel supply being connected to the outlet (11) for gaseous fuel to lead an overrun of compressed gaseous fuel into a chamber (15, 29, 30) with an increasing volume. - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 23,
wherein
the rotor (3) comprises a rotor body (4) with slots (5) and at least a portion (28) of each vane (6) is adapted to move in and out of a slot (5) such that the vane (6) is in sliding contact with an inner surface (27) of the casing (2). - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 24,
wherein
the rotor (3) is connected to an engine. - The compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in claim 25,
wherein
the engine comprises a motor or a turbine. - A gas turbine, comprising a compressor (1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801) as claimed in any of the claims 13 to 26.
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP08004162A EP2098685A1 (en) | 2008-03-06 | 2008-03-06 | Compressor and method for compressing gaseous fuel |
US12/920,664 US20110045416A1 (en) | 2008-03-06 | 2009-01-29 | Compressor and Method for Compressing Gaseous Fuel |
PCT/EP2009/050998 WO2009109429A1 (en) | 2008-03-06 | 2009-01-29 | Compressor and method for compressing gaseous fuel |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP08004162A EP2098685A1 (en) | 2008-03-06 | 2008-03-06 | Compressor and method for compressing gaseous fuel |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2098685A1 true EP2098685A1 (en) | 2009-09-09 |
Family
ID=39758790
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP08004162A Withdrawn EP2098685A1 (en) | 2008-03-06 | 2008-03-06 | Compressor and method for compressing gaseous fuel |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20110045416A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2098685A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009109429A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8632689B2 (en) * | 2011-10-27 | 2014-01-21 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Temperature control with stacked proportioning valve |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2086479A (en) | 1979-12-04 | 1982-05-12 | Turner Michael | Rotary engines |
DE3321270A1 (en) | 1983-03-31 | 1984-10-04 | Heinz 5102 Würselen Schneider | Rotary engine |
WO1998051914A1 (en) * | 1997-05-13 | 1998-11-19 | Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation | Partial oxidation powerplant with sequential combustion |
EP0971106A2 (en) * | 1998-07-08 | 2000-01-12 | Isuzu Ceramics Research Institute Co., Ltd. | Prechamber gas-combustion engine with gaseous fuel compressor |
US6070404A (en) * | 1996-10-16 | 2000-06-06 | Capstone Turbine Corporation | Gaseous fuel compression and control method |
US20040055298A1 (en) | 2002-09-20 | 2004-03-25 | The Regents Of The University Of California | Staged combustion with piston engine and turbine engine supercharger |
Family Cites Families (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3555813A (en) * | 1969-11-21 | 1971-01-19 | Charles Bancroft | Rotary piston devices |
US4096828A (en) * | 1972-01-24 | 1978-06-27 | Toyo Kogyo Co. Ltd. | Rotary piston internal combustion engine |
JPS5920501A (en) * | 1982-07-23 | 1984-02-02 | Mitsuhiro Kanao | Seal system of rotary engine |
US5072705A (en) * | 1991-02-21 | 1991-12-17 | Kenneth Overman | Rotary engine and method |
US5381760A (en) * | 1993-07-09 | 1995-01-17 | Thermal Dynamics, Inc. | Air injection system for internal combustion engines during combustion cycle of operation |
US7117839B2 (en) * | 2003-06-20 | 2006-10-10 | Abraham H. Horstin | Multi-stage modular rotary internal combustion engine |
US20100095915A1 (en) * | 2008-10-16 | 2010-04-22 | Lincoln Evans-Beauchamp | External compression two-stroke internal combustion engine with burner manifold |
-
2008
- 2008-03-06 EP EP08004162A patent/EP2098685A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2009
- 2009-01-29 WO PCT/EP2009/050998 patent/WO2009109429A1/en active Application Filing
- 2009-01-29 US US12/920,664 patent/US20110045416A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2086479A (en) | 1979-12-04 | 1982-05-12 | Turner Michael | Rotary engines |
DE3321270A1 (en) | 1983-03-31 | 1984-10-04 | Heinz 5102 Würselen Schneider | Rotary engine |
US6070404A (en) * | 1996-10-16 | 2000-06-06 | Capstone Turbine Corporation | Gaseous fuel compression and control method |
WO1998051914A1 (en) * | 1997-05-13 | 1998-11-19 | Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation | Partial oxidation powerplant with sequential combustion |
EP0971106A2 (en) * | 1998-07-08 | 2000-01-12 | Isuzu Ceramics Research Institute Co., Ltd. | Prechamber gas-combustion engine with gaseous fuel compressor |
US20040055298A1 (en) | 2002-09-20 | 2004-03-25 | The Regents Of The University Of California | Staged combustion with piston engine and turbine engine supercharger |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20110045416A1 (en) | 2011-02-24 |
WO2009109429A1 (en) | 2009-09-11 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US11187146B2 (en) | Compound engine system with rotary engine | |
US4553513A (en) | Thermodynamic rotary engine | |
US7954470B2 (en) | Energy transfer machine | |
US20090148327A1 (en) | Rotary postive displacement combustor engine | |
CN108603441B (en) | Combustion chamber apparatus and system including the same | |
JP2006513346A (en) | Variable compression engine | |
CN1780975A (en) | Micro reaction turbine with integrated combustion chamber and rotor | |
EP2098685A1 (en) | Compressor and method for compressing gaseous fuel | |
CA2970109A1 (en) | Internal combustion engine with rotor having offset peripheral surface | |
US8448447B2 (en) | Gas turbine engine with fuel booster | |
JP2009504978A (en) | Energy transfer machine | |
US20070137609A1 (en) | True rotary internal combustion engine | |
US20200271047A1 (en) | Rotating internal combustion engine | |
GB2195400A (en) | Heat engine incorporating a rotary vane device | |
CN109356718A (en) | With combuster by the simple cycle engine of stepless transmission transmission compressor | |
JP3247478U (en) | Turbine engine | |
RU2675639C2 (en) | Rotor screw machine | |
RU2288365C1 (en) | Rotary internal combustion engine | |
KR101290528B1 (en) | Internal combustion engine with seperated combustion device | |
CN101858252A (en) | Isochoric kinetic energy engine | |
WO2015063558A1 (en) | Endothermic rotary engine | |
EP2133511A1 (en) | Internal combustion scroll engine | |
JPH0333902B2 (en) |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SI SK TR |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: AL BA MK RS |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20100104 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 20100209 |
|
AKX | Designation fees paid |
Designated state(s): DE ES FR GB IT |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
|
RAP1 | Party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred) |
Owner name: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT |
|
18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 20121002 |