Apparatus, system, and method for compressing a process fluid

Abstract

A supersonic compressor including an inlet configured to receive and flow therethrough a process fluid. The supersonic compressor may further include a rotary shaft and a centrifugal impeller coupled therewith. The centrifugal impeller may be configured to impart energy to the process fluid received and to discharge the process fluid therefrom in at least a partially radial direction at an exit absolute Mach number of about one or greater. The supersonic compressor may further include a static diffuser circumferentially disposed about the centrifugal impeller and configured to receive the process fluid therefrom and convert the energy imparted. The supersonic compressor may further include a collector fluidly coupled to and configured to collect the process fluid exiting the diffuser, such that the supersonic compressor is configured to provide a compression ratio of at least about 8:1.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A supersonic compressor comprising:
 a housing;   an inlet coupled to or integral with the housing and defining an inlet passageway configured to receive and flow therethrough a process fluid;   a plurality of inlet guide vanes coupled to the housing and extending into the inlet passageway;   a rotary shaft configured to be driven by a driver;   a centrifugal impeller coupled with the rotary shaft and fluidly coupled to the inlet passageway via a plurality of flow passages formed by the centrifugal impeller, the centrifugal impeller having a tip and configured to impart energy to the process fluid received via the inlet passageway and to discharge the process fluid from the tip via the plurality of flow passages in at least a partially radial direction at an exit absolute Mach number of about one or greater;   a balance piston configured to balance an axial thrust generated by the centrifugal impeller;   a static diffuser circumferentially disposed about the tip of the centrifugal impeller and bounded in part by a shroud wall and a hub wall defining an annular diffuser passageway therebetween, the static diffuser configured to receive the process fluid from the plurality of flow passages of the centrifugal impeller and convert, within the annular diffuser passageway, the energy imparted; and   a collector fluidly coupled to the annular diffuser passageway and configured to collect the process fluid exiting the annular diffuser passageway,   wherein the supersonic compressor is configured to provide a compression ratio of at least about 8:1.   
     
     
         2 . The supersonic compressor of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of inlet guide vanes are pivotably coupled to the housing;   the balance piston is integral with the centrifugal impeller; and   the collector is a discharge volute configured to discharge the process fluid to a downstream processing component.   
     
     
         3 . The supersonic compressor of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of inlet guide vanes are configured to condition the process fluid flowing therethrough to yield one or more predetermined fluid properties selected from the group consisting of a flow pattern, a velocity, a mass flow rate, a pressure, and a temperature. 
     
     
         4 . The supersonic compressor of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the supersonic compressor is configured to provide a compression ratio of at least about 10:1;   the process fluid comprises carbon dioxide;   the centrifugal impeller is configured to discharge the process fluid from the tip via the plurality of flow passages in at least a partially radial direction at an exit absolute Mach number of about 1.3 or greater; and   the centrifugal impeller is further configured to rotate via the rotary shaft at a rotational speed of about 500 meters per second or greater.   
     
     
         5 . The supersonic compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the static diffuser is a vaneless diffuser configured to discharge the process fluid flowing therethrough at a subsonic velocity. 
     
     
         6 . The supersonic compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the centrifugal impeller comprises a hub and a plurality of blades extending therefrom and forming the plurality of flow passages, each of the plurality of blades comprising a leading edge and at least one leading edge of the plurality of blades is meridionally spaced from at least one other leading edge of the plurality of blades. 
     
     
         7 . The supersonic compressor of  claim 1 , further comprising a shroud having an abradable material disposed adjacent a plurality of blades extending from a hub of the centrifugal impeller. 
     
     
         8 . The supersonic compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the process fluid comprises carbon dioxide. 
     
     
         9 . The supersonic compressor of  claim 8 , wherein the process fluid comprises about ninety percent carbon dioxide. 
     
     
         10 . The supersonic compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the centrifugal impeller is an open-faced impeller. 
     
     
         11 . A compression system comprising:
 a driver comprising a drive shaft, the driver configured to provide the drive shaft with rotational energy;   a supersonic compressor operatively coupled to the driver via a rotary shaft integral with or coupled with the drive shaft, the supersonic compressor comprising:
 a compressor chassis; 
 an inlet defining an inlet passageway configured to flow a process fluid therethrough, the process fluid having a first velocity and a first pressure energy; 
 a plurality of inlet guide vanes pivotally coupled to the compressor chassis and extending into the inlet passageway; 
 a centrifugal impeller coupled with the rotary shaft and fluidly coupled to the inlet passageway via a plurality of flow passages formed by the centrifugal impeller, the centrifugal impeller having a tip and configured to increase the first velocity and the first pressure energy of the process fluid received via the inlet passageway and to discharge the process fluid from the tip via the plurality of flow passages in at least a partially radial direction having a second velocity and a second pressure energy, the second velocity being a supersonic velocity having an exit absolute Mach number of about one or greater; 
 a static diffuser circumferentially disposed about the tip of the centrifugal impeller and defining an annular diffuser passageway fluidly coupled to the plurality of flow passages, the annular diffuser passageway configured to receive and reduce the second velocity of the process fluid to a third velocity and increase the second pressure energy to a third pressure energy, the third velocity being a subsonic velocity; and 
 a discharge volute fluidly coupled to the annular diffuser passageway and configured to receive the process fluid flowing therefrom, 
   wherein the supersonic compressor is configured to provide a compression ratio of at least about 8:1.   
     
     
         12 . The compression system of  claim 11 , wherein the supersonic compressor further comprises:
 a shroud having an abradable material disposed adjacent a plurality of blades extending from a hub of the centrifugal impeller and forming the plurality of flow passages fluidly coupled to the annular diffuser passageway and the inlet passageway; and   a balance piston integral with the centrifugal impeller and configured to balance an axial thrust generated by the centrifugal impeller, wherein
 the supersonic compressor is configured to provide a compression ratio of at least about 10:1, 
 the process fluid comprises carbon dioxide, and 
 the second velocity has an exit absolute Mach number of about 1.3 or greater. 
   
     
     
         13 . The compression system of  claim 11 , wherein the static diffuser is a vaneless diffuser bounded in part by a shroud wall and a hub wall defining the annular diffuser passageway therebetween. 
     
     
         14 . The compression system of  claim 13 , wherein either or both the shroud wall and the hub wall are contoured, such that an axial width of the annular diffuser passageway is reduced as the shroud wall and the hub wall extend radially outward. 
     
     
         15 . The compression system of  claim 11 , wherein the static diffuser comprises a plurality of low solidity diffuser vanes extending into the annular diffuser passageway. 
     
     
         16 . The compression system of  claim 15 , wherein the static diffuser is bounded in part by a shroud wall and a hub wall defining the annular diffuser passageway therebetween, and the plurality of low solidity diffuser vanes are arranged in tandem within the annular diffuser passageway and extend into the annular diffuser passageway from the shroud wall, the hub wall, or both the shroud wall and the hub wall. 
     
     
         17 . A method for compressing a process fluid, comprising:
 driving a rotary shaft of a supersonic compressor via a driver operatively coupled with the supersonic compressor;   establishing a fluid property of the process fluid flowing through an inlet passageway defined by an inlet of the supersonic compressor via at least one moveable inlet guide vane pivotally coupled to a housing of the supersonic compressor and extending into the inlet passageway;   rotating a centrifugal impeller mounted about the rotary shaft, such that the process fluid flowing though the inlet passageway of the supersonic compressor is drawn into the centrifugal impeller and discharged from a tip of the centrifugal impeller via a plurality of flow passages, the discharged process fluid having a supersonic velocity with an exit absolute Mach number of about 1.0 or greater; and   flowing the discharged process fluid having a supersonic velocity through an annular diffuser passageway defined by a static diffuser and fluidly coupled to the plurality of flow passages such that a pressure energy of the discharged process fluid is increased, thereby compressing the discharged process fluid at a compression ratio of about 8:1 or greater.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 adjusting the at least one moveable inlet guide vane to establish the fluid property of the process fluid, wherein the fluid property is selected from the group consisting of a flow pattern, a first velocity, a mass flow rate, a pressure, and a temperature, and wherein the process fluid comprises carbon dioxide.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the static diffuser is a vaneless diffuser bounded in part by a shroud wall and a hub wall defining the annular diffuser passageway therebetween,   the shroud wall bounding the annular diffuser passageway is a straight wall, a contoured wall, or a combination thereof, and   the hub wall bounding the annular diffuser passageway is a straight wall, a contoured wall, or a combination thereof.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the static diffuser is a vaned diffuser bounded in part by a shroud wall and a hub wall defining the annular diffuser passageway therebetween, and   the static diffuser comprises a plurality of low solidity diffuser vanes extending into the annular diffuser passageway from either or both the shroud wall and the hub wall.