Boundary layer turbomachine

A boundary layer turbomachine, comprising:

• a housing defining an interior space including a rotor chamber, the housing having an inlet opening and an outlet opening to facilitate movement of a fluid through the housing;
• and
• a rotor assembly disposed in the rotor chamber and configured to rotate about an axis of rotation, the rotor assembly having
• a plurality of disks spaced apart along the axis of rotation to provide gaps between the disks, the plurality of disks defining an interior opening along the axis of rotation, and
• a disk carrier comprising a hollow shaft disposed at least partially in the interior opening in support, of the plurality of disks, the disk carrier comprising:
• a fluid passageway formed in the hollow shaft and exposed to two or more of the gaps between the disks, wherein the fluid passes through the gaps between the disks and the interior opening as the fluid moves through the housing, and
• a first extension portion and a second extension portion of the hollow shaft disposed on respective ends of the disk carrier to couple the rotor assembly to the housing and facilitate rotation of the rotor assembly about the axis of rotation, and
• a first vent port and a second vent port in fluid communication with the interior opening, the first, vent extending through the first extension portion and the second vent extending through the second extension portion of the hollow shaft;
• the boundary layer turbo machine further comprising at least one of:
• a partition circumferentially dividing the interior space into an outer chamber and the rotor chamber located radially inward of the outer chamber, the partition having partition openings such that fluid is movable through the partition between the outer chamber and the rotor chamber, wherein the outer chamber is an annular volume having a uniform radial thickness around an entire circumference of the outer chamber;
• and
• a plurality of first outer fluid passageways formed through an outer circumferential surface of the first extension portion of the hollow shaft to be in fluid communication with the first vent port and a plurality of second outer fluid passageways formed through an outer circumferential surf ace of the second extension portion of the hollow shaft to be in fluid communication with the second vent port.