| abstract |
A supersonic compressor including a rotor having reaction blades that deliver a gas at supersonic conditions to a diffuser. The diffuser includes a plurality of aerodynamic ducts that have converging and diverging portions, for deceleration of gas to subsonic conditions and then for expansion of subsonic gas, to change kinetic energy of the gas to static pressure. The aerodynamic ducts include structures for changing the effective contraction ratio to enable starting even when the aerodynamic ducts are designed for high pressure ratios, and structures for boundary layer control. In an embodiment, aerodynamic ducts are provided having an aspect ratio of in excess of two to one, when viewed in crosssection orthogonal to flow direction at an entrance to the aerodynamic duct. In an embodiment, the number of leading edges is minimized, and may be less than half, or far less than half, compared to the number of blades in the accompanying rotor. |