Turbo-alternator-compressor design for supercritical high density working fluids
First Claim
1. A thermodynamic system for generating power from a supercritical working fluid, comprising:
- a housing;
a turbine positioned in a turbine cavity of the housing;
a compressor positioned in a compressor cavity of the housing, the compressor having a high-pressure face facing an inlet of the compressor cavity and a low-pressure face on an opposite side thereof; and
an alternator positioned in a rotor cavity between the turbine and compressor cavities, the alternator having a rotor shaft operatively connected to the turbine and compressor, the alternator supported in the housing by bearings;
wherein the compressor has a plurality of ridges extending from the low-pressure face thereof for pumping the supercritical working fluid as it passes over the compressor whereby a pressure differential between the high-pressure face and the low-pressure face is reduced such that thrust is balanced across the compressor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques for generating power are provided. Such techniques involve a thermodynamic system including a housing, a turbine positioned in a turbine cavity of the housing, a compressor positioned in a compressor cavity of the housing, and an alternator positioned in a rotor cavity between the turbine and compressor cavities. The compressor has a high-pressure face facing an inlet of the compressor cavity and a low-pressure face on an opposite side thereof. The alternator has a rotor shaft operatively connected to the turbine and compressor, and is supported in the housing by bearings. Ridges extending from the low-pressure face of the compressor may be provided for balancing thrust across the compressor. Seals may be positioned about the alternator for selectively leaking fluid into the rotor cavity to reduce the temperature therein.
37 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A thermodynamic system for generating power from a supercritical working fluid, comprising:
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a housing; a turbine positioned in a turbine cavity of the housing; a compressor positioned in a compressor cavity of the housing, the compressor having a high-pressure face facing an inlet of the compressor cavity and a low-pressure face on an opposite side thereof; and an alternator positioned in a rotor cavity between the turbine and compressor cavities, the alternator having a rotor shaft operatively connected to the turbine and compressor, the alternator supported in the housing by bearings; wherein the compressor has a plurality of ridges extending from the low-pressure face thereof for pumping the supercritical working fluid as it passes over the compressor whereby a pressure differential between the high-pressure face and the low-pressure face is reduced such that thrust is balanced across the compressor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A thermodynamic system for generating power from a supercritical working fluid, comprising:
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a housing; a turbine positioned in a turbine cavity of the housing; a compressor positioned in a compressor cavity of the housing; an alternator positioned in a rotor cavity between the turbine and compressor, the alternator having a rotor shaft operatively connected to the turbine and compressor, the alternator supported in the housing by bearings; and a plurality of seals positioned about the alternator for selectively isolating the rotor cavity from the turbine and compressor cavities whereby the supercritical working fluid is selectively leaked into the rotor cavity to reduce the temperature therein. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of generating power from a supercritical working fluid, comprising:
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providing a thermodynamic system, the system comprising a housing; a turbine positioned in a turbine cavity of the housing; a compressor positioned in a compressor cavity of the housing, the compressor having a high-pressure face facing an inlet of the compressor cavity and a low-pressure face on an opposite side thereof, the low-pressure face having a plurality of ridges; and an alternator positioned in a rotor cavity between the turbine and compressor cavities, the alternator having a rotor shaft operatively connected to the turbine and compressor, the alternator supported in the housing by bearings; compressing a supercritical working fluid by passing the working fluid across the compressor; generating a power output by passing the compressed supercritical working fluid across the turbine; and balancing thrust across the compressor by pumping the supercritical working fluid with the plurality of ridges as the supercritical working fluid passes over the compressor. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification