US 6,079,214 AGranted

Standing wave pump

AssigneeFace International Corporation

InventorRichard Patten Bishop

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Abstract

A standing wave pump in which a standing compression wave is produced by a pair of diametrically opposing transducers. The vibrating surfaces of the transducers are oscillated at a frequency sufficient to generate a substantially cylindrical compression wave having substantially planar wave fronts between the transducer pair. The length of pump housing is made to be equal to an integer times half the wavelength of the compression wave and the pump housing acts as a resonant cavity having a standing wave pattern set up in it. Waves are simultaneously produced and reflected by the oscillating surface and are superimposed upon one another and travel to the opposing oscillating surface where this process is repeated, substantially multiplying the intensity of the standing compression wave, which provides a stored-energy effect. The high-intensity standing compression wave has pressure nodes and antinodes, whose pressure differential is used to pump a medium through inlets and outlets advantageously located at the nodes and antinodes.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A standing wave pump comprising:

a pump housing for holding a fluid to be pumped;
said pump housing having a first end and a second end;
said pump housing having an outlet and an inlet;
wave generating means for establishing standing planar compression waves in said fluid in said pump housing;
said wave generating means comprising a first reflective emitter and a second reflective emitter;
said first reflective emitter being located at said first end of said pump housing;
said second reflective emitter being located at said second end of said pump housing in opposing relationship with said first reflective emitter;
wherein said first reflective emitter generates a first planar pressure wave of a first wavelength and a first energy amplitude in said fluid,
said first energy amplitude being sufficient to reach and be reflected by said second reflective emitter;
and wherein said second reflective emitter generates a second planar compression wave of a second wavelength and a second energy amplitude in said fluid;
said second energy amplitude being sufficient to reach and be reflected by said first reflective emitter;
and wherein said second reflective emitter is separated from first reflective emitter by a distance equal to an integer multiple of half said first wavelength or an integer multiple of half said second wavelength;
whereby said first and second planar compression waves are generated and reflected simultaneously, thereby generating a standing compression wave with a third energy amplitude;
said third energy amplitude being greater than either said first energy amplitude or said second energy amplitude;
said standing compression wave having one or more pressure nodes therein;
and
said standing compression wave having one or more pressure antinodes therein.

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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.