Patent ID: 9127595
Filing Date: 2015-09-08
Classification: F01D,F01K,F02C

Abstract:
1. An expansion device, comprising: an expander casing having an expander rotor rotatably arranged therein; a first inlet to the expander casing for receiving a first flow of a working fluid at a first temperature; a second inlet to the expander casing for receiving a second flow of the working fluid at a second temperature, the second temperature being less than the first temperature; one or more expansion stages arranged axially along the expander rotor, each expansion stage including a non-rotating stator vane followed axially by a rotating blade; a series of flow stream dividers extending axially along the one or more expansion stages to divide the one or more expansion stages into an outer expander flowpath and an inner expander flowpath, the outer expander flowpath being radially-offset from the inner expander flowpath; an outer inlet manifold fluidly coupled to both the first inlet and the outer expander flowpath such that the outer expander flowpath receives the first flow of the working fluid; and an inner inlet manifold fluidly coupled to both the second inlet and the inner expander flowpath such that the inner expander flowpath receives the second flow of the working fluid, wherein the inner inlet manifold is concentrically-disposed within the outer inlet manifold in a nested relationship, and the inner inlet manifold fluidly couples the second inlet to the inner expander flowpath via a tubing segment that extends through the outer inlet manifold.