Supersonic Compressor Adiabatic Heating for Gas Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for generating gas products, such as syngas, ammonia, and propylene, require costly and energy-intensive furnaces and high-pressure operations, leading to significant investment and operational costs, as well as a large footprint.
Innovation Solution
The method employs a supersonic compressor to simultaneously increase pressure and temperature of a gas feed stream, eliminating the need for additional furnaces by using a gas turbine to drive the compressor and facilitate heat exchange, thereby reducing costs and footprint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a furnace is used to heat the feed stream for gas product generation, then the desired temperature is achieved, but investment costs and operational costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heating function and compression function into a single supersonic compressor unit. The compression process itself generates the required temperature increase through adiabatic compression, eliminating the need for a separate furnace. This merging of functions directly resolves the contradiction by achieving the desired temperature without adding furnace complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal system (furnace) with a mechanical system (supersonic compressor). Instead of using external heat sources to raise the temperature, the system uses mechanical compression to achieve the same temperature increase through adiabatic heating. This substitution eliminates the furnace while achieving the required temperature, resolving the technical contradiction.
2Temperature
If a furnace is used for heating, then the reaction temperature is achieved, but the footprint of the arrangement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the heater and compressor into a single integrated unit. The supersonic compressor performs both compression and heating in one device, eliminating the need for a separate furnace and its associated space requirements. This directly reduces the footprint of the arrangement while maintaining the required reaction temperature.
3Stress or pressure
If high pressure operation is used for gas product generation, then the desired gas product is produced, but investment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines compression and heating functions in a single supersonic compressor unit. The device achieves both the required high pressure and high temperature simultaneously through the supersonic compression process, eliminating the need for separate high-pressure equipment and reducing overall investment costs.
4Reliability
If separate heating and compression operations are used, then the process parameters are controlled, but the footprint and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates heating and compression operations into a single supersonic compressor unit. The device maintains reliable control over process parameters (pressure and temperature) while achieving both functions simultaneously in one unit, thereby reducing the footprint without sacrificing process control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The supersonic compressor serves multiple functions: it compresses the feed stream to high pressure, heats it to the required temperature through adiabatic compression, and prepares it for the reaction. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain precise process control while reducing the number of separate equipment pieces and overall footprint.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces investment and operational costs while enhancing thermal efficiency, allowing for efficient gas product generation with a smaller footprint by integrating compression and heating within the reactor process.
Implementation Method 1
a first part of a feed stream for a reaction is heated by compressing by a supersonic compressor
Implementation Method 2
driving said supersonic compressor with a gas turbine generating exhaust gas
Implementation Method 3
said exhaust gas is used to heat said first part and/or second part of said feed stream
Data Source
AI summary
A method for generating a gas-product includes: a) providing a first part of a feed stream; b) providing a second part of a feed stream; c) combining the first part of the feed stream with the second part of the feed stream into the feed stream; d) heating at least one of: the first part of the feed stream, the second part of the feed stream before step c, the feed stream after step c; e) conducting the feed stream into a reactor; f) reacting the feed stream into the gas-product. To reduce investment and in particular the footprint of the machine step d) is at least partly performed by compressing the respective stream by a supersonic compressor such that the respective stream is heated.