Wet Compression Apparatus with Multi-Stage Vaporizable Fluid Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power systems experience reduced compressor capacity and net power output due to ambient temperature increases, with existing cooling methods like fogging, overspray, and intercooling facing limitations such as surge, choke, and blade erosion, and failing to achieve full evaporation of water before reaching compressor airfoils, leading to inefficient cooling and reduced system efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A compression system with a gaseous fluid inlet and multiple compression stages featuring a curvilinear streamwise flow path, where a vaporizable liquid is injected through orifices distributed across the compressor duct, with a nonlinear transverse distribution to enhance evaporation and cooling, achieving at least 50% saturation of the gaseous fluid and reducing compression noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If water spray is used to cool the gaseous fluid, then cooling effect is improved, but blade erosion and operational instability (surge, choke, stall) worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by distributing water injection at multiple discrete locations along the compression path rather than uniform spray. Each injection point targets specific high-temperature zones, providing localized cooling while minimizing overall water content that could cause erosion and instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling process is segmented into multiple discrete injection stages along the compression path. Water is injected at specific intervals rather than as a single overspray, allowing progressive cooling that avoids the harmful effects of excessive water content while maintaining operational stability.
2Temperature
If water spray is applied to cool the gaseous fluid, then cooling effect is improved, but water evaporation completeness worsens
Solution Approach 1:
Water is injected preliminarily at upstream locations before the main compression heating occurs. This allows the water to evaporate progressively as the gas is compressed and heated, ensuring complete evaporation before the gas reaches downstream stages, thereby eliminating unevaporated water that would reduce system efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling action is made continuous through multiple injection points distributed along the compression path. Water is continuously added and evaporated in a controlled manner throughout the compression process, ensuring complete evaporation and maintaining continuous cooling effectiveness without leaving residual liquid water.
3Productivity
If compression capacity is maintained at high ambient temperature, then productivity is improved, but system efficiency worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the gaseous fluid during compression by injecting water at controlled locations. This modifies the compression process itself, reducing the temperature rise and associated work requirements while maintaining compression capacity, thereby improving efficiency without sacrificing productivity.
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
The system effectively reduces the specific work of compressing gaseous fluids, increases net power output, improves control over fluid composition, and reduces noise generation, while enhancing compressor durability and efficiency by ensuring thorough evaporation and cooling of the fluid flow.
Implementation Method 1
a vaporizable liquid is injected through orifices distributed across the compressor duct, with a nonlinear transverse distribution to enhance evaporation and cooling
Implementation Method 2
vaporizable liquid is injected... to enhance evaporation and cooling, achieving at least 50% saturation of the gaseous fluid
Data Source
AI summary
This wet compression invention with a vaporizable fluid mist demonstrates major performance improvements over the relevant art in achieving a high degree of saturation, providing sensible cooling, strongly reducing the temperature increase due to compression work, reducing excess diluent air flow for downstream combustion, reducing compression noise, and increasing the achievable compressor pressure ratio. These improvements are obtained by one or more of: high mist or overspray from a) progressive axial injection of vaporizable fluid along the streamwise compression flow path, and b) transverse vaporizable fluid delivery from stators, rotors, perforated tubes, and/or duct walls, matching the gaseous fluid flow distribution across the compressor stream; c) reducing the compressor cross-sectional flow area of downstream compressor stages relative to up-stream stages, and d) increasing the rate of downstream vaporizable fluid injection relative to the rate of upstream injection, as a function of each compressor stage pressure ratio.