Compressor and Method for Compressing Gaseous Fuel

Abstract

A method for compressing gaseous fuel is disclosed. The method includes, ingesting gaseous fuel into a chamber, ingesting air into the chamber and mixing the gaseous fuel with the air, igniting and partially combusting the resulting mixture of gaseous fuel and air in a confined space such that a predominant fraction of the gaseous fuel is not combusted, causing an increased temperature and therefore an increased pressure of the fraction of the gaseous fuel which is not combusted, and discharging the resulting compressed gaseous fuel. Moreover, a compressor is provided including a casing, a rotor with at least three vanes, an inlet for gaseous fuel, an outlet for gaseous fuel, an air inlet and an igniter. The rotor is placed in the casing such that at least three variable-volume chambers part-bounded by the vanes are formed during a rotor revolution.

1 .- 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . A method for compressing gaseous fuel, comprising:
 injecting gaseous fuel into a chamber;   injecting air into the chamber and mixing the gaseous fuel with the air;   igniting and partially combusting the resulting mixture of gaseous fuel and air in a confined space such that a predominant fraction of the gaseous fuel is not combusted, causing an increased temperature and therefore an increased pressure of the fraction of the gaseous fuel which is not combusted; and   discharging the resulting compressed gaseous fuel.   
     
     
         29 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein for the injecting air, the air has a higher first pressure than a second pressure of the gaseous fuel that is injected into the chamber. 
     
     
         30 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein a volume of the chamber is decreased for discharging the compressed gaseous fuel. 
     
     
         31 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the method is repeated after the discharging. 
     
     
         32 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein at least one of a plurality of steps of the method is performed at least twice before a next step is performed. 
     
     
         33 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the gaseous fuel is introduced into a first chamber with an increasing volume. 
     
     
         34 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the gaseous fuel is compressed to a second pressure with a pressure ratio between the compressed gaseous fuel and the uncompressed gaseous fuel of between 1.1:1 and 5:1. 
     
     
         35 . The method as claimed in  claim 34 , wherein the gaseous fuel is compressed to a second pressure with a pressure ratio between the compressed gaseous fuel and the uncompressed gaseous fuel of 2:1. 
     
     
         36 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the air is induced such that the air is given a swirling or vortex character. 
     
     
         37 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the mixture of gaseous fuel and air is continuously ignited. 
     
     
         38 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the mixture of gaseous fuel and air is ignited and partially combusted in a second chamber with a constant volume. 
     
     
         39 . The method as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the compressed gaseous fuel is cooled at constant pressure. 
     
     
         40 . A compressor, comprising:
 a casing;   a rotor with at least three vanes;   an inlet for gaseous fuel;   an outlet for gaseous fuel;   an air inlet; and   an igniter,   wherein the rotor is placed in the casing such that at least three variable-volume chambers part-bounded by the at least three vanes are formed during a rotor revolution,   wherein the inlet for gaseous fuel is placed in the casing such that the inlet for gaseous fuel is connected to a first location where a first chamber includes an increasing volume during a revolution of the rotor,   wherein the air inlet and the igniter are placed in the casing in a second location where a second chamber includes an increasing, decreasing or constant volume during a revolution of the rotor, and   wherein the outlet for gaseous fuel is placed in the casing in a third location where a third chamber has a decreasing volume during a revolution of the rotor.   
     
     
         41 . The compressor as claimed in  claim 40 , wherein a rotation axis of the rotor is eccentrically placed relative to a centreline of the casing. 
     
     
         42 . The compressor as claimed in  claim 40 , wherein the casing and/or the rotor include a circular cross section, an elliptical cross section or a curved cross section with curvature discontinuities or inflexions. 
     
     
         43 . The compressor as claimed in  claim 40 , wherein the igniter is a plasma igniter or a spark plug. 
     
     
         44 . The compressor as claimed in  claim 40 , wherein the igniter is placed at the air inlet. 
     
     
         45 . The compressor as claimed in  claim 40 , wherein a seal is placed between the casing and the rotor to provide the seal between the third location where the third chamber with a decreasing volume is fowled and the first location where the first chamber with an increasing volume is formed. 
     
     
         46 . The compressor as claimed in  claim 40 , further comprising an additional set of three chambers in parallel or in series. 
     
     
         47 . The compressor as claimed in  claim 40 , further comprising a cooling device for cooling compressed gaseous fuel at constant pressure.