WO2022074597A1

WO2022074597A1 - Solid-state ionic gas compressor system and method employed thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2022074597A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/059197
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sridhar Reddy Palla; Sarala Palla
Original assignee: Sridhar Reddy Palla; Sarala Palla
Priority date: 2020-10-09
Filing date: 2021-10-07
Publication date: 2022-04-14

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure directed towards solid-state ion gas compressor system and its operation predominantly depends on three things, a Electrohydro phenomenon called Ionic wind, a thermodynamic device called diffuser (typically subsonic) and "Paschen's law of Dielectric breakdown voltage of gases". Proposed system comprising inlet area configured to allow incoming gas to flow towards ionization grid, ionization grid configured to ionize the incoming gas flow by means of high voltage DC power supply unit. A diffuser chamber configured to pressurize incoming gas by reducing velocity of incoming gas and this diffuser chamber is placed between an ionization grid and an ion neutralizing grid thus ionized gas inside the diffuser chamber experiences electric force. This electric force compensates for the reduction in velocity of gas due to the diffuser. The neutralizing grid is surrounded by pressurized gas. Dielectric breakdown voltage of gases increases with pressure as per "Paschen's law of Dielectric breakdown voltages". Thus a very high voltage can be applied to the electric grids which increases the power density of the proposed system.

Description

“SOLID-STATE IONIC GAS COMPRESSOR SYSTEM AND METHOD EMPLOYED THEREOF”

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] The disclosed subject matter relates generally to a gas compressor. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a solid state ionic gas compressor system (without any moving parts) which can be used for pressurizing any compressible fluid.

BACKGROUND

[002] Gas compressors are used in a wide variety of applications. For example, HVAC systems, refrigerators and industrial machines. It is desirable to develop an improved gas compressor design that is both light weight, cheap and low maintenance costs. Traditional gas compressors either involve some kind of pistons or rotating components which are complex to design and costly. Over the period of time, maintenance and repairs become inevitable especially for components which involve high RPMs. By the adoption of the improved gas compressor that would increase operating efficiency along with lower maintenance as compared to currently utilized compressor designs. There are upper and lower limits on the scalability of traditional compressors feasibility because of the materials available. Thus, it can be appreciated that it would be advantageous to provide a new, scalable, reliable, light weight, flexible and cheaper gas compressor design which eliminates moving parts. Thus the operational costs of gas compressors are substantially improved in many applications.

[003] In the light of aforementioned discussion, there exists a need for a system and method that better and would overcome or ameliorate the above-mentioned limitations.

SUMMARY

[004] The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding to the reader. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and it does not identify key /critical elements of the invention or delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[005] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a solid-state ionic gas compressor system which can be used for pressurizing any kind of gases.

[006] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards usage of ionic wind. [007] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards eliminating the moving parts by means of the subsonic diffuser chamber.

[008] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards converting kinetic energy of incoming gas into pressure energy.

[009] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards usage of Paschens’ law of Breakdown Voltages in various gases.

[0010] An objective of the present disclosure is directed towards decreasing the effect of ion clouds at an ion neutralizing grid.

[0011] According to an exemplary aspect, a solid-state ion gas compressor system comprising an inlet area configured to allow an incoming gas to flow towards an ionization grid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In the following, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough description of various embodiments. Certain embodiments may be practiced without these specific details or with some variations in detail. In some instances, certain features are described in less detail so as not to obscure other aspects. The level of detail associated with each of the elements or features should not be construed to qualify the novelty or importance of one feature over the others.

[0013] FIG. 1 is an example diagram depicting a solid-state ion gas compressor system, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an example diagram depicting an ionic wind generation, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0015] FIG. 3 is an example diagram depicting a subsonic diffuser chamber, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. [0016] FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting an exemplary method for pressurizing any compressible fluid, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0017] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0018] The use of “including”, “comprising” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. Further, the use of terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The use of the term “gas” herein doesn’t limit to just gases but to any compressible fluid.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 1 is an example diagram 100a depicting a solid-state ion gas compressor system, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. The diagram 100a depicts a DC high voltage power supply unit 102, a diffuser chamber 104a, an inlet area 106a, an outlet area 106b, an ionization grid 108, an ion neutralization grid 110, an incoming gas inflow 112a, and a compressed gas outflow 112b. The DC power supply unit 102 may be configured to generate ionic wind (airflow) by applying an electric field across the two conducting electrodes. The two conducting electrodes may also be known as the ionization grid 108 and the ion neutralization grid 110. The ionization grid 108 may be configured to ionize the incoming gas flow 112a flowing towards the inlet area 106a. Once ionized gas enters into the diffuser chamber 104a, the diffuser chamber 104a experiences the electric force between the ionization grid 108 and the ion neutralizing grid 110. The electric force may accelerate the ionized gas towards the ion neutralizing grid 110 to obtain the compressed gas flow from the outlet area 106b. [0020] The velocity of gas decreases and the pressure increases as the cross-sectional area of the diffuser chamber 104a increases. The diffuser chamber 104a may be positioned between two opposing electrodes and the diffuser chamber 104a may be made of an electrical insulator material. The diffuser chamber 104a may also be known as subsonic diffuser chamber. The pressure of gas increases when gas is compressed along with its temperature. [0021] The ionic wind may also be known as ion wind, electric wind and corona wind. The subsonic diffuser chamber 104a is an aerodynamic device without any moving parts and it converts kinetic energy of the incoming fluid into their pressure energy.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 2 is an example diagram 200 depicting the ionic wind generation, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. The diagram 200 includes the DC power supply unit 102, and Ion wind 202. Ionic wind is an electro-hydrodynamic phenomenon, in which ionic wind (airflow) is generated by an applied electric field across two conducting electrodes. At typical room temperature and pressure, gases are insulators as long as the electric field between electrodes is in few hundreds of Volts per meter or N/coloumb. But as the electric field is increased, electrodes start ionizing neutral gas molecules. On these ionized gas molecules, an electric field exerts force. But mean free path distance of gas molecules at normal pressures and temperatures are in order of nanometers. This means if an ionized gas moves by a meter, it collides with other molecules about a billion times. In this process of collision, an ionized gas molecule transfers its momentum to other neutral molecules, thereby increasing the entire gas bulk velocity in the direction of the electric field.

[0023] The generation of ionic wind may happen until the electric field is below dielectric breakdown voltage. For air at standard pressure and temperatures, dielectric breakdown voltage is 3 xlO⁶V/m or 3 kV/mm. Beyond this dielectric breakdown electric field, air becomes conductive. This phenomenon is called corona discharge. As long as, applied electric field is less than the dielectric breakdown electric field, the flow of ionic fluid accelerates.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 3 is an example diagram 300 depicting a subsonic diffuser chamber, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. The diagram 300 depicts the subsonic diffuser chamber 104. Typical diffuser slows down incoming compressible fluids and raises their pressure. But in this configuration, the subsonic diffuser lies between electrodes which tries to accelerate the fluid. So two contradictory phenomena act on the velocity of gases inside this diffuser chamber. Electrostatic forces try to increase velocity of the fluid but the diffuser geometric or aerodynamic configuration tries to decrease velocity of fluid. So electrostatic forces supply kinetic energy to the fluids and this kinetic energy is continuously converted into their pressure energy. In summary, energy required to compress the fluid is supplied by the electrodes.

[0025] Typically ionic wind generators are of low power density devices because of upper limitation of Dielectric Breakdown of fluids. Applied voltage should be less than the Dielectric breakdown voltage of the fluid for ionic wind to take place. But according to Paschen's law of gases Dielectric Breakdown, dielectric breakdown voltage increases with pressure of the gases except for very low pressure and very small distances between electrodes. So with proper selection of pressure and distance between electrodes, higher electric field strength can be applied and which increases power density of the device.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 depicting an exemplary method for reducing the velocity of gas inflow and increasing the pressure of gas outflow, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. As an option, the method 400 is carried out in the context of the details of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIGG. However, the method 400 is carried out in any desired environment. Further, the aforementioned definitions are equally applied to the description below.

[0027] The exemplary method 400 commences at step 402, allowing an incoming gas flow to flow towards the ionization grid. Thereafter at step 404, ionizing the incoming gas flow by the ionization grid by means of the DC power supply unit. Thereafter at step 406, generating ionic wind by applying the electric field between the ionization grid and the ion neutralizing grid. Thereafter at step 408, allowing the ionized gas into the diffuser chamber. Thereafter at step 410, experiencing the electric force between the ionization grid and the ion neutralizing grid. Thereafter at step 412, accelerating the ionized gas towards the ion neutralizing grid by means of ionic wind. Thereafter at step 414, decelerating the incoming gas to pressurize the outgoing gas flow by means of the diffuser. Thereafter at step 416, obtaining a compressed gas flow from the outlet area by converting kinetic energy into pressure energy.

[0028] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0029] Although the present disclosure has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments and illustrations thereof, other embodiments and modifications to preferred embodiments may be possible that are within the principles of the invention. The above descriptions and figures are therefore to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0030] Thus the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and includes both combinations and sub-combinations of the various features described hereinabove as well as variations and modifications thereof, which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description.

Claims

7

CLAIMS A solid-state ion gas compressor system, comprising: an inlet area configured to allow an incoming gas to flow towards an ionization grid, wherein the ionization grid configured to ionize the incoming gas flow by means of a high voltage DC power supply unit. These ions are accelerated by applied electric field and collide with neutral atoms thus creating ionic wind; a diffuser chamber is placed between the ionization grid and neutralization grid and configured to allow an ionized gas through it and increase its pressure by reducing velocity of the incoming gas. This reduction in velocity is compensated by the applied electric field. Thus energy required to pressurize/compress incoming gas is supplied by the applied electric field. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subsonic diffuser chamber is configured to convert kinetic energy of the incoming gas into pressure energy. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subsonic diffuser chamber is positioned between the ionization grid and the ion neutralizing grid. Neutralizing grid is placed after the diffuser and is surrounded by high pressurized gas. Dielectric breakdown voltage increases with increase in pressure of the gas. So a very high electric field can be applied without Corona discharge, thus a very strong electric field can be applied which creates stronger ionic wind resulting in a high power density device. A method to obtain compressed gas flow, comprising: allowing gas inflow to flow towards an ionization grid; ionizing the incoming gas flow by the ionization grid by means of a DC power supply unit; 8 accelerating ionized gas by applying an electric field between the ionization grid and ion neutralizing grid; allowing the ionic wind into a diffuser chamber and decelerating the ionized gas to pressurize the outgoing gas flow by means of a diffuser; obtaining a compressed gas flow at the end of the diffuser and neutralize ions in the gas by neutralizing grid;