Method and device for acting upon fluids by means of a shock wave

Abstract

A two-phase mixture of at least two fluids which is supplied with subsonic velocity through associated feed lines (4, 3) is accelerated to sound velocity by means of a nozzle (2). Upon the exit from the narrowest cross-sectional area (6) of the nozzle (2) the two-phase mixture is expanded in an expansion chamber (10) to supersonic velocity. The two-phase mixture expanded to supersonic velocity is thereafter brought to ambient pressure substantially as a one-phase mixture after flowing off through a diffuser passage (9) by means of a shock wave built up in an outlet channel (8). The outlet channel (8) has a constant cross-sectional area the hydraulic diameter of which is as great as the hydraulic diameter of the narrowest cross-sectional area (6) of the nozzle (2) or amounts to up to the three-fold of this hydraulic diameter. An outlet (11) provided with a relief valve (22) is connected to the expansion chamber (10). After termination of a starting operation a continuous operation appears with the shock wave being stably maintained in axial direction in the outlet channel. In this manner a good mixture of the fluids can be obtained because of the angular flow and the relative velocities of the fluids, by condensation during the transition in the two-phase condition as well as by boiling and vaporization in the range of the supersonic flow and following thereto in the shock wave because of its "shattering effect".

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.