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US 6,884,040 B2Granted
Multi pumping chamber magnetostrictive pump
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorKevin Allan Dooley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A positive displacement pump includes a magnetostrictive actuator. A single actuator drives multiple pumping chambers. The pump may include two pumping chambers driven in phase by the linear expansion of the actuator at both its ends. The pump may include a third pumping cavity, driven by the transverse expansion and contraction of the actuator, out of phase with either cavity driven by the lengthwise extension of the actuator. A pump assembly having multiple pumps each including a magnetostrictive element is also disclosed.
Claims10
A pump comprising:
- a piston formed of a magnetostrictive material susceptible to changes in physical dimensions in the presence of a magnetic field;
- and
- first and second pumping chambers coupled to said magnetostrictive element to vary in volume as said magnetostrictive element changes shape,
- wherein said first and second pumping chambers are driven by opposite ends of said magnetostrictive element, to change volume in phase with each other.
1 more element
A method of pumping fluid using a magnetostrictive element comprising:
- applying a magnetic field to a magnetostrictive element to cause lengthwise extension of said element at two opposing ends;
- driving a first pumping chamber through said extension of a first end of said two opposing ends;
- driving a second pumping chamber through said extension of a second of said two opposing ends, opposite said first end, wherein said first pumping chamber is driven in phase with said second pumping chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.