Unitary pump and turbine energy exchanger
AssigneeAmorphic Tech Ltd
InventorAndrew Schevets
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A positive-displacement unitary pump and turbine is operable as a fluid energy exchanger using a charging fluid as motive force and acting upon a separate feed fluid that exits the turbine at an elevated energy state. The rotor casing defines a rotor chamber having a contoured wall that forms a plurality of lobes, typically in an even number. Each lobe has an inlet port and an outlet port defined by the contoured wall, and the rotor has a plurality of vanes that follow the contoured wall as the rotor spins. The rotor is driven by the charging fluid entering first and second lobes, located generally opposite one another, and exiting the lobes at a lower energy state. The driven rotor is operable to elevate the energy level of a feed fluid in third and fourth lobes, located generally opposite one another.
Claims20
A positive-displacement unitary pump and turbine comprising:
- a rotor casing defining a rotor chamber having a contoured wall forming a plurality of lobes of said chamber, said lobes comprising at least a first lobe, a second lobe, a third lobe and a fourth lobe;
- an inlet port and an outlet port defined in said contoured wall at each of said lobes;
- a rotor positioned in said rotor chamber, said rotor having an outer rotor surface spaced inwardly from said contoured wall at said at least four lobes;
- and
- a plurality of vanes mounted at said rotor and spaced circumferentially around said outer rotor surface, said vanes having distal end portions configured to slidably engage said contoured wall;
- wherein said rotor is rotatably drivable by a charging fluid at a higher energy state entering said first and second lobes at respective ones of said inlet ports and the charging fluid exiting said first and second lobes at a lower energy state via respective ones of said outlet ports;
- and
- wherein said rotor is operable to convert a feed fluid at a lower energy state entering said third and fourth lobes via respective ones of said inlet ports into a higher energy state upon exiting said third and fourth lobes via respective ones of said outlet ports.
A positive-displacement unitary pump and turbine energy exchanger comprising:
- a rotor casing defining a rotor chamber having a contoured wall forming at least four lobes of said chamber, wherein a first of said lobes is located across from a second of said lobes and a third of said lobes is located across from a fourth of said lobes;
- an inlet port and an outlet port defined in said contoured wall at each of said lobes;
- a rotor positioned in said rotor chamber, said rotor having an outer rotor surface spaced inwardly from said contoured wall at said at least four lobes;
- a plurality of sliding vanes mounted at said rotor and spaced circumferentially around said outer rotor surface, said sliding vanes having proximal end portions received in said rotor and distal end portions configured to engage said contoured wall;
- a high energy charging fluid conduit having a first conduit portion in communication with said inlet port of said first lobe and a second conduit portion in communication with said inlet port of said second lobe;
- a low energy charging fluid conduit having a first conduit portion in communication with said outlet port of said first lobe and a second conduit portion in communication with said outlet port of said second lobe;
- a low energy feed fluid conduit having a first conduit portion in communication with said inlet port of said third lobe and a second conduit portion in communication with said inlet port of said fourth lobe;
- and
- a high energy feed fluid conduit having a first conduit portion in communication with said outlet port of said third lobe and a second conduit portion in communication with said outlet port of said fourth lobe;
- wherein said rotor is rotatably drivable by a charging fluid entering said first and second lobes at a higher energy state via said high energy charging fluid conduit and the charging fluid exiting said first and second lobes at a lower energy state via said low energy charging fluid conduit;
- and
- wherein said rotor is operable to convert a feed fluid entering said third and fourth lobes at a lower energy state via said low energy feed fluid conduit into a higher energy state upon exiting said third and fourth lobes via said high energy feed fluid conduit.
A method of operating a positive-displacement unitary pump and turbine, said method comprising:
- rotatably driving a pump or turbine rotor by:
- introducing a charging fluid at a higher energy state into first and second lobes of a rotor chamber, the first and second lobes located opposite one another and defined between a contoured wall of a rotor casing and the rotor, and the rotor having a plurality of vanes mounted at an outer surface of the rotor;
- and
- discharging the charging fluid at a lower energy state out of the first and second lobes;
- and
- energizing a feed fluid with the rotor by:
- introducing the feed fluid at a lower energy state into third and fourth lobes of the rotor chamber, the third and fourth lobes located opposite one another and defined between the contoured wall and the rotor;
- and
- discharging the feed fluid at a higher energy state out of the third and fourth lobes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.