Patent ID: 7765790
Filing Date: 2010-08-03
Classification: F01D,F02C,F02K,F05D,Y02E,Y02T

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for interacting with air or gas, which is capable of operating as a compressor or as an expander, comprising: a housing; a shaft for transmitting torque extending through the housing, said shaft capable of rotating about an axis, and operably connected to a rotor; a rotor capable of being rotated at a sustained rotational rim speed of from about 2000 feet/second to about 5400 feet/second and operably configured so that air or gas is capable of flowing in a direction radially outward from within the shaft toward a rim of the rotor or radially inward from the rotor rim into the shaft and so that air or gas in the rotor is caused to approximately match rotational speed of the rotor at any radius; an annular region around the rotor and within the housing for providing a passageway for flow; wherein the housing further includes a flow vent configured to provide a passageway for high energy air or gas to flow outward from or inward to the annular region; wherein the shaft comprises high specific compressive or high specific tensile strength material, with some portion of the shaft wound by high specific tensile strength fiber tow windings stretched to around half of their ultimate tensile strength, and comprises flow passageways configured to allow flow of air or gas to or from the rotor; wherein the rotor surrounds a portion of the shaft inside the housing, comprises air or gas flow passageways configured to allow flow in radial directions and configured to block axial flow from the rotor, and comprises: high specific tensile strength material; and structural material of high specific compressive strength material under compression by high specific tensile strength fiber tow windings stretched to around half of their ultimate tensile strength, wherein the high specific compressive strength material is operably connected to the shaft by compression or by one or more of the fiber tow windings.