High-pressure fluid compression system utilizing cascading effluent energy recovery

Claim 1

A system utilizing an input fluid, comprising: a continuous reaction reactor for converting an input material using the input fluid so as to produce an effluent having an energy content of a first energy type; and a plurality of compression stages, located in series with one another, for compressing the input fluid in a stepwise manner so as to provide a pressurized reactor input stream to said continuous reaction reactor; a cascading effluent energy recovery system mechanically communicating with each of said plurality of compression stages, said cascading effluent energy recovery system for imparting a first portion of said energy content of said effluent into each of said plurality of compression stages so as to power that one of said plurality of compression stages; and a bootstrap bypass extending from said plurality of compression stages to said cascading effluent energy recovery system so as to bypass said continuous reaction reactor and provide a compressed version of said input fluid directly to said cascading effluent energy recovery system.

Claim 2

A system utilizing an input fluid, comprising: a continuous reaction reactor for converting an input material using the input fluid so as to produce an effluent having an energy content of a first energy type; and a plurality of compression stages, located in series with one another, for compressing the input fluid in a stepwise manner so as to provide a pressurized reactor input stream to said continuous reaction reactor; a cascading effluent energy recovery system mechanically communicating with each of said plurality of compression stages, said cascading effluent energy recovery system for imparting a first portion of said energy content of said effluent into each of said plurality of compression stages so as to power that one of said plurality of compression stages; and a bootstrap bypass extending from said plurality of compression stages to said cascading effluent energy recovery system so as to bypass said continuous reaction reactor and provide a compressed version of said input fluid directly to said cascading effluent energy recovery system.

Claim 19

A system utilizing an input fluid, comprising: a reactor for converting a material using the input fluid so as to produce an effluent having an energy content of a first energy type; a first early compression stage comprising: a first early stage compressor for compressing the input fluid; a first early stage expansion turbine for recovering a first portion of said energy content of said effluent, said first early stage expansion turbine mechanically linked to said first early stage compressor for at least partially driving said first compressor; and a first motor/generator mechanically linked to each of said first early stage compressor and said first early stage expansion turbine, said first motor/generator selectively powering said first early stage compressor during periods of insufficient power from said first early stage expansion turbine and converting an excess of said energy content into electricity during periods of excess power from said first early stage expansion turbine; a latter compression stage located downstream from said first early compression stage and upstream from said reactor, said latter compression stage comprising: a latter stage compressor for further compressing the input fluid; and a latter stage expansion turbine for recovering a second portion of said energy content of said effluent, said latter stage expansion turbine mechanically linked to said latter stage compressor for driving said latter stage compressor; and a bootstrap bypass extending from a bypass tap located upstream from said latter stage compressor to said latter stage expansion turbine for providing at least a portion of the input fluid to said latter stage expansion turbine.

Claim 20

A system utilizing an input fluid, comprising: a reactor for converting a material using the input fluid so as to produce an effluent having an energy content of a first energy type; a first early compression stage comprising: a first early stage compressor for compressing the input fluid; a first early stage expansion turbine for recovering a first portion of said energy content of said effluent, said first early stage expansion turbine mechanically linked to said first early stage compressor for at least partially driving said first compressor; and a first motor/generator mechanically linked to each of said first early stage compressor and said first early stage expansion turbine, said first motor/generator selectively powering said first early stage compressor during periods of insufficient power from said first early stage expansion turbine and converting an excess of said energy content into electricity during periods of excess power from said first early stage expansion turbine; a latter compression stage located downstream from said first early compression stage and upstream from said reactor, said latter compression stage comprising: a latter stage compressor for further compressing the input fluid; and a latter stage expansion turbine for recovering a second portion of said energy content of said effluent, said latter stage expansion turbine mechanically linked to said latter stage compressor for driving said latter stage compressor; and a bootstrap bypass extending from a bypass tap located upstream from said latter stage compressor to said latter stage expansion turbine for providing at least a portion of the input fluid to said latter stage expansion turbine.

Claim 32

A method of providing a pressurized stream of an input fluid to a continuous reaction reactor so as to produce a non-pulsed effluent having an energy content, comprising: receiving an input fluid; compressing said input fluid over a plurality of compression stages so as to produce the pressurized stream; providing the pressurized stream to the continuous reaction reactor; recovering a portion of the energy content of the effluent at each of said plurality of compression stages; and using each said portion of the energy content in compressing said input fluid at a corresponding respective one of said plurality of compression stages; wherein said series of compression stages comprises a latter stage that includes a latter stage expansion turbine for driving a latter stage compressor, the method further comprising bootstrap bypassing at least a portion of said input fluid past said reactor to said latter stage expansion turbine so as to at least partially drive said latter stage compressor.

Claim 33

A method of providing a pressurized stream of an input fluid to a continuous reaction reactor so as to produce a non-pulsed effluent having an energy content, comprising: receiving an input fluid; compressing said input fluid over a plurality of compression stages so as to produce the pressurized stream; providing the pressurized stream to the continuous reaction reactor; recovering a portion of the energy content of the effluent at each of said plurality of compression stages; and using each said portion of the energy content in compressing said input fluid at a corresponding respective one of said plurality of compression stages; wherein said series of compression stages comprises a latter stage that includes a latter stage expansion turbine for driving a latter stage compressor, the method further comprising bootstrap bypassing at least a portion of said input fluid past said reactor to said latter stage expansion turbine so as to at least partially drive said latter stage compressor.

Claim 40

A method of providing a pressurized stream of an input fluid to a reactor so as to produce an effluent having an energy content, comprising: receiving an input fluid; compressing said input fluid over a plurality of compression stages so as to produce the pressurized stream; providing a first portion of the pressurized stream to a reactor; bootstrap bypassing the reactor with a second portion of the pressurized stream; recovering a portion of the energy content of the effluent at each of said plurality of compression stages; using each said portion of the energy content in compressing said input fluid at a corresponding respective one of said plurality of compression stages; and supplementing said portion of the energy content at at least one of said plurality of compression stages with additional energy to supplement the compressing of said input fluid; wherein said supplementing includes allowing the second portion of the pressurized stream in a latter-stage expansion turbine to expand so as to supplement the compressing of said input fluid in a latter-stage compressor of said plurality of compression stages that is mechanically linked to said latter-stage expansion turbine.

Claim 41

A method of providing a pressurized stream of an input fluid to a reactor so as to produce an effluent having an energy content, comprising: receiving an input fluid; compressing said input fluid over a plurality of compression stages so as to produce the pressurized stream; providing a first portion of the pressurized stream to a reactor; bootstrap bypassing the reactor with a second portion of the pressurized stream; recovering a portion of the energy content of the effluent at each of said plurality of compression stages; using each said portion of the energy content in compressing said input fluid at a corresponding respective one of said plurality of compression stages; and supplementing said portion of the energy content at at least one of said plurality of compression stages with additional energy to supplement the compressing of said input fluid; wherein said supplementing includes allowing the second portion of the pressurized stream in a latter-stage expansion turbine to expand so as to supplement the compressing of said input fluid in a latter-stage compressor of said plurality of compression stages that is mechanically linked to said latter-stage expansion turbine.