Two-port hydrodynamic heater

A two-port hydrodynamic heater comprising:

• a hydrodynamic heater having a generally toroidal-shaped hydrodynamic chamber operable for heating a fluid present within the hydrodynamic chamber;
• said hydrodynamic chamber enclosed within a housing;
• said two-port hydrodynamic heater including an inlet passage having an inlet port for receiving a stream of fluid from an external source;
• and an outlet passage having an outlet port operable for discharging a stream of heated fluid from the hydrodynamic heater;
• said inlet passage fluidly connecting said hydrodynamic chamber to an external fluid source;
• said outlet passage providing a fluid outlet for outputting a stream of heated fluid generated by the two-port hydrodynamic heater;
• said hydrodynamic chamber further including a stator fixedly attached to the housing and a coaxially aligned rotor mounted on a drive shaft for concurrent rotation therewith about an axis of rotation relative to the stator and housing;
• said stator and rotor each include an annular cavity which together define the hydrodynamic chamber;
• said rotor having a plurality of rotor blades arranged circumferentially within an annular cavity of the rotor;
• said rotor blades extending generally radially outward relative to the axis of rotation and extend axially inward toward a center of the hydrodynamic chamber from an interior back wall of said rotor to a front face of the rotor located immediately adjacent said stator;
• said rotor blade having a leading edge located adjacent the stator;
• the rotor blades inclined in a direction opposite a direction of rotation of the rotor from said leading edge to the interior back wall of the rotor;
• said rotor blades and interior back wall together define a plurality of bucket-shaped rotors;
• said hydrodynamic heater inlet port in continuous fluid communication with said hydrodynamic outlet port via a bypass passage;
• said hydrodynamic chamber operable to selectively heat a fluid present within an interior region of the hydrodynamic chamber when operating the hydrodynamic heater, and
• an inlet fluid flow metering device having an inlet fluidly connected to the hydrodynamic heater inlet port and an outlet fluidly connected to the hydrodynamic chamber inlet port.