Abstract: A refrigerant or coolant compressor of the radial type with an impeller hng a plurality of vane elements can be used for compressing water vapor as a refrigerant or coolant under vacuum conditions. The impeller of the compressor is constructed to produce a high volume flow rate at the required compression ratio, in view of the low density of water vapor as the preferred flow medium. The impeller has sufficient strength to operate at the required high circumferential velocities. The impeller includes vane elements, disk elements, vane support elements and a hub. The vane elements are individually connected to the hub by the support elements. The support elements may be either ring-shaped elements connecting a rear surface of the disk elements to the hub, or may be pin-shaped insert members connecting the root of each vane element to the hub. The components of the impeller are made of a polymer composite material reinforced preferably with carbon fibers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for cooling dustlike or fine-grained reaction residue emanating from a reactor is disclosed. According to the method reaction residue emanating from a reactor passes downwardly into a cooling shaft where it is maintained in the form of a pile of bulk material under a gas pressure of 20 to 200 bars while cooling gas passes upwardly through said cooling shaft in counter-current and is removed at the top of said cooling shaft into the reactor. The apparatus comprises means for effecting cooling of such reactor residue.