Patent ID: 7640745

Claim:
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.