Linear resonance pump and methods for compressing fluid

A method of compressing a fluid using a pump comprising:

• providing a pump for compressing a fluid, said pump comprising:
• a pump head comprising:
• a compression chamber including a wall having a geometry defining a partial enclosure with an opening and a flexible diaphragm rigidly connected at an outer perimeter of the opening of the wall, the diaphragm having a flexible portion capable of moving with respect to the outer perimeter between a plurality of first positions and a plurality of second positions, the wall and the diaphragm in the first and second positions defining first and second volumes of the compression chamber;
• a suction port connected in communication with the compression chamber for flowing a fluid into the compression chamber;
• a discharge port connected in communication with the compression chamber for flowing the fluid out of the compression chamber;
• a fluid spring comprising the fluid within said compression chamber subject to varying pressure and flow conditions;
• a mechanical spring comprising said diaphragm;
• a motor having a moving portion being operatively connected to the diaphragm for oscillating the diaphragm at a drive frequency for compressing the fluid;
• introducing a fluid into the compression chamber at a first pressure, wherein the fluid acts as a fluid spring under varying pressure conditions;
• determining a mass-spring mechanical resonance frequency by the combined moving masses of the moving portion of the motor and the diaphragm and by the mechanical spring and the gas spring;
• operating the motor at a drive frequency that is less than the resonance frequency of the mechanical resonance to cycle the moving portion;
• oscillating the diaphragm between the plurality of first positions and second positions below the mechanical resonance;
• compressing the fluid to a desired second pressure and
• evacuating the fluid from said compression chamber at the second pressure.

A pump for compressing a fluid comprising:

• a pump head comprising,
• a compression chamber including a wall having a geometry defining a partial enclosure with an opening and a flexible diaphragm rigidly connected at an outer perimeter of the opening of the wall, the diaphragm having a flexible portion capable of moving with respect to the outer perimeter between a plurality of first positions and a plurality of second positions, the wall and the diaphragm in the first and second positions defining first and second volumes of said compression chamber;
• a suction port connected in communication with the compression chamber for flowing the fluid into the compression chamber;
• a discharge port connected in communication with the compression chamber for flowing the fluid out of the compression chamber;
• a fluid spring comprising the fluid within said compression chamber subject to varying pressure and flow conditions;
• a mechanical spring comprising said diaphragm;
• a motor comprising a moving portion having a diameter and cyclable between a plurality of first positions and second positions, the movement of the moving portion between one of the plurality of first positions and the successive of one of the plurality of second positions defining a stroke length, and the moving portion operably connected with the diaphragm for oscillating the diaphragm at a drive frequency for compressing the fluid;
• the ratio of the stroke length to the diaphragm diameter defining a stroke ratio;
• wherein a mass-spring mechanical resonance frequency is determined by the combined moving masses of said moving portion and said diaphragm and by said mechanical spring and said gas spring and wherein the drive frequency is at or less than the resonance frequency of said mechanical resonance and wherein said motor is operable with a short stroke ratio to produce a high compression ratio.

A high frequency pump for compressing a fluid comprising:

• a compression chamber;
• a fluid suction port and a fluid discharge port, each of the suction port and discharge port having a respective geometry including diameter, length and cross-section and each of the suction port and discharge port being in fluidic communication with the compression chamber for converting the cyclic fluid compressions into a flow of compressed fluid, the each of the suction port and the discharge port being tuned by selecting the port geometry to coordinate the timing of the filling and discharge of the fluid flow through the suction port and the discharge port and the pressure cycle in the compression chamber to provide a net flow in one direction of the fluid within the pump;
• and
• wherein said pump is operable at frequencies greater than 100 cycles per second.