Turbomachine type chemical reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11273423-B2
Application number	US-202117395096-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2021
Priority date	Sep 20, 2018
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

A turbomachine type chemical reactor for processing a process fluid is presented. The turbomachine type chemical reactor includes at least one impeller section and a stationary diffuser section arranged downstream. The impeller section accelerates the process fluid to a supersonic flow. A shock wave is generated in the stationary diffuser section that instantaneously increases static temperature of the process fluid downstream the shock wave for processing the process fluid. which allows thermally cracking a chemical compound, such as hydrocarbon, in the process fluid. Static pressure of the process fluid is simultaneously increased across the shock wave. The turbomachine type chemical reactor significantly reduces residence time of the process fluid in the chemical reactor and improves efficiency of the chemical reactor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A chemical reactor to process a process fluid, the chemical reactor comprising:
an outer casing comprising a flow inlet for intaking the process fluid and a flow outlet for exiting the process fluid, wherein a flow path is defined within the outer casing extending axially along an inner shroud of the outer casing between the flow inlet and the flow outlet;
a rotary shaft extending into the outer casing and coupled to a rotor disk, wherein the rotary shaft is driven by a power supply;
a first impeller section and a second impeller section arranged downstream of the first impeller section, each impeller section comprising a respective plurality of rotating impeller blades positioned on the rotor disk, wherein the plurality of rotating impeller blades extends radially outwardly from the rotor disk into the flow path;
a stationary bucket section arranged between the first impeller section and the second impeller section, the stationary bucket section configured to align a flow direction of process fluid flow discharged from trailing edges of rotating impeller blades in the first impeller section with the leading edges of rotating impeller blades in the second impeller section;
a stationary diffuser section arranged downstream of the second impeller section, wherein the stationary diffuser section comprises a plurality of divergent diffuser flow passages;
an exhaust section arranged downstream of the stationary diffuser section, wherein the exhaust section comprises a plurality of convergent exhaust flow passages
wherein the respective plurality of rotating impeller blades is configured to accelerate the process fluid to a supersonic flow,
wherein the plurality of convergent exhaust flow passages is configured to provide a back pressure such that a shock wave is generated in the stationary diffuser section, wherein the shock wave generated in the stationary diffuser section increases a static temperature of the process fluid downstream of the shock wave to generate sufficient heat to process the process fluid,
wherein the plurality of diffuser flow passages is configured to provide a flow property of the process fluid across the shock wave for processing the process fluid.

2. The chemical reactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flow property of the process fluid comprises a ratio of static temperature of the process fluid across the shock wave, wherein the ratio of the static temperature of the process fluid across the shock wave is increased by at least ten percent.

3. The chemical reactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flow property of the process fluid comprises a ratio of static pressure of the process fluid across the shock wave, wherein the ratio of static pressure of the process fluid across the shock wave comprises an increase of as much as two or three times.

4. The chemical reactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stationary diffuser section comprises a plurality of stationary diffuser vanes positioned on a stationary diffuser hub, wherein the plurality of stationary diffuser vanes are circumferentially spaced apart from each other and extends radially outwardly from the stationary diffuser hub into the flow path, and wherein each diffuser flow passage is defined circumferentially between adjacent stationary diffuser vanes and radially between the stationary diffuser hub and the inner shroud.

5. The chemical reactor as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a divergent rate of each diffuser flow passage is adjusted to provide the flow property of the process fluid across the shock wave.

6. The chemical reactor as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the stationary diffuser section comprises at least one aperture arranged on the stationary diffuser hub downstream of the shock wave, and wherein the aperture is configured to extract low molecule weight components from the process fluid.

7. The chemical reactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exhaust section comprises a plurality of stationary exhaust vanes positioned on a stationary exhaust hub, wherein the plurality of stationary exhaust vanes are circumferentially spaced apart from each other and extend radially outward from the stationary exhaust hub into the flow path, and wherein each exhaust flow passage is defined circumferentially between adjacent stationary exhaust vanes and radially between the stationary exhaust hub and the inner shroud.

8. The chemical reactor as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a convergent rate of each exhaust flow passage is adjusted to provide the flow property of the process fluid across the shock wave.

9. The chemical reactor as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a quenching zone arranged downstream of the second impeller section, wherein the quenching zone comprises at least one nozzle for introducing coolant flow into the process fluid.

10. A method for processing a process fluid comprising:
providing a chemical reactor comprising:
an outer casing comprising a flow inlet for intaking the process fluid and a flow outlet for exiting the process fluid, wherein a flow path is defined within the outer casing extending axially along an inner shroud of the outer casing between the flow inlet and the flow outlet;
a rotary shaft extending into the outer casing and coupled to a rotor disk, wherein the rotary shaft is driven by a power supply;
a first impeller section and a second impeller section arranged downstream of the first impeller section, each impeller section comprising a respective plurality of rotating impeller blades positioned on the rotor disk, wherein the plurality of rotating impeller blades extends radially outwardly from the rotor disk into the flow path;
a stationary bucket section arranged between the first impeller section and the second impeller section, the stationary bucket section configured to align a flow direction of process fluid flow discharged from trailing edges of rotating impeller blades in the first impeller section with the leading edges of rotating impeller blades in the second impeller section;
a stationary diffuser section arranged downstream of the second impeller section, wherein the stationary diffuser section comprises a plurality of divergent diffuser flow passages;
a stationary diffuser section arranged downstream of the impeller section, wherein the stationary diffuser section comprises a plurality of divergent diffuser flow passages;
an exhaust section arranged downstream of the stationary diffuser section,
wherein the exhaust section comprises a plurality of convergent exhaust flow passages,
rotating the respective plurality of rotating impeller blades by the rotary shaft for accelerating the process fluid to a supersonic flow;
generating a shock wave in the stationary diffuser section by providing a back pressure, wherein the shock wave generated in the stationary diffuser section increases a static temperature of the process fluid downstream of the shock wave to generate sufficient heat to process the process fluid; and
processing the process fluid using a flow property of the process fluid across the shock wave.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the flow property of the process fluid comprises a ratio of static temperature of the process fluid across the shock wave, wherein the ratio of the static temperature of the process fluid across the shock wave is increased by at least ten percent.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the flow property of the process fluid comprises a ratio of static temperature of the process fluid across the shock wave, wherein the ratio of the static temperature of the process fluid across the shock wave is increased by at least ten percent.

13.

Assignees

• Dresser Rand Co

Inventors

• Saretto Silvano R
• Lupkes Kirk Ryan

Classifications

• B01J19/006

  Baffles · CPC title

• B01J19/20

  in the form of helices, e.g. screw reactors · CPC title

• B01J3/08 Primary

  Application of shock waves for chemical reactions or for modifying the crystal structure of substances · CPC title

• B01J19/1806

  resulting in a turbulent flow of the reactants, such as in centrifugal-type reactors, or having a high Reynolds-number · CPC title