This Patent Application claims priority from EP Patent Application No. 09150926.5 filed on Jan. 20, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention refers to the field of pumps in general, and more specifically, to the field of adhesion-based pumps.
Pumps that are propelling liquid on the basis adhesion, which are sometimes referred to as “Tesla pumps”, usually comprise a housing having an inlet and an outlet. At least one adhesion-propelling disc is mounted on a rotatable shaft, which is drivable by a drive. Rotation of the at least one adhesion-propelling discs causes fluids engaging with the disc(s) to be transported from the inlet to the outlet by centrifugal force. Accordingly, the fluid inlet is centered, whereas the outlet of the fluid is located at the periphery of the pump. In the art, a variety of adhesion-based pumps have been conceived so far.
It should be noted that the term “adhesion” in association with the conveyance of fluid as used herein refers to any type of fluid-conveyance, wherein at least one fluid molecule is in adhesive contact with a surface such that movement of the surface results in the exertion of translation forces on the at least one fluid molecule. In turn, other molecules that are not in contact with the surface but directly or indirectly with the at least one molecule may be subjected to shear forces. As a consequence, movement of the surface may cause conveyance of fluid comprising of the at least one fluid molecule and the other molecules.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,06,1142 discloses a machine for propelling or imparting energy to fluids comprising in combination a plurality of spaced disks rotatably mounted and having plane surfaces, an inclosing casing, ports of inlet at the central portion of the casing through which the fluid is to be introduced to the axial portions of the disks, and ports of outlet at the peripheral portion of the casing through which the fluid, when the machine is drive by power, is to be expelled.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,416, entitled “Rotary Disc Pump”, to Gurth, discloses a rotary disc pump for pumping fluid materials. The rotary disc pump comprises a housing having a front and a back wall forming a chamber with a generally coaxial inlet in the front wall and a generally tangential outlet, an impeller is mounted co-axially within the chamber and comprises a shaft mounted in the back wall of said housing and having an outer end emanating from the housing and an inner end within the chamber, at least a first circular which is disc mounted on the inner end of the shaft, and at least a second disc which is mounted in axially spaced relation to the first disc and has an opening in the center thereof, arid a conical member which emanates co-axially of the shaft from the first disc toward the second disc.
French patent application 2 846 033 to Ribaud, discloses a Tesla pump comprising a casing, a rotor with several plane, spaced, parallel coaxial discs rotating on a shaft. The assembly is surrounded by an external spiraled volute. An internal spiraled volute is housed in a central cavity inside the disc assembly. The internal end of each internal volute communicates through an internal channel with one of the casing fluid inlet and outlet openings.
Patent application WO2004/077639, entitled “Pump or turbine, drive unit comprising such a pump or turbine and outboard motor” to Neeb et al., discloses a pump or turbine comprising a housing provided with at least one chamber, a rotor, which is rotatably mounted on a shaft in the chamber, an inlet, which communicates with the chamber at least at the location of the shaft, and an outlet channel, which communicates with the chamber at least at the periphery of the rotor. The pump or turbine moreover comprises at least one bypass channel, a first end of which opens into the outlet channel of the pump and a second end of which forms an inlet.
Features of the invention will become more clearly understood in the light of the ensuing description of a some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:
It is an object of the invention, inter alia, to provide an alternative adhesion-based rotary disc pump wherein both the inlet and the outlet are at the pump housing's periphery, and/or wherein the pump enables bidirectional transportation of the fluid.
Summary of Embodiments of the Invention
The present invention discloses an adhesion rotary disc pump that includes a housing and a cover.
In an embodiment of the invention, the housing houses at least one adhesion-propelling disc mounted on a rotatable shaft that is drivable by a drive. The at least one adhesion-propelling disc has a thickness t and two faces of area A. According to an embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the discs may be, for example, larger than the width W of the grooves between the discs. Fluids engaging with the at least one adhesion-propelling disc are transportable from at least one inlet of the cover to at least one outlet of the cover. A scraping unit features at least one scraping pane that is positionable in the housing such to be operative to interact with or engage the at least one adhesion-propelling disc such to scrape off fluid adherent on at least one face of the at least one rotatable adhesion-propelling disc. Scraped-off fluid is being channeled directly or indirectly to the at least one outlet.
In an embodiment of the invention, a plurality of adhesion-propelling discs is mounted on the rotatable shaft, wherein the plurality of adhesion-propelling discs are jointly interacting with or engaging the scraping unit.
In an embodiment of the invention, each of the plurality of adhesion-propelling discs communicates with a respective one of the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet.
In an embodiment of the invention, a first inlet of the at least one inlet communicates with a first adhesion-propelling disc and a final outlet of the at least one outlet communicates with a final adhesion-propelling disc, the scraping unit channeling the adhesively conveyed fluid received at the first inlet to the final outlet via a directly successive adhesion-propelling disc.
In an embodiment of the invention, each of the plurality of adhesion-propelling discs communicates with a respective one of the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet, wherein a first inlet of the at least one inlet communicates with a first adhesion-propelling disc and a final outlet of the at least one outlet communicates with a final adhesion-propelling disc, the scraping unit channeling the adhesively conveyed fluid received at the first inlet to the final outlet via a directly successive adhesion-propelling disc.
In an embodiment of the invention, the scraping panes terminate in respective concave surfaces that complimentary abut against the cylindrical surface of the shaft.
In an embodiment of the invention, the scraping panes have a horizontal cross-section of a parallelogram such that the scraping panes feature one or two line-like scraping-edges running from the cover towards the shaft.
In an embodiment of the invention, the scraping panes terminate in respective concave surfaces that complimentary abut against the cylindrical surface of the shaft wherein the scraping panes have a horizontal cross-section of a parallelogram such that the scraping panes feature one or two line-like scraping-edges running from the cover towards the shaft.
In an embodiment of the invention, the scraping panes have fluid-conveying faces emanating from the line-like scraping edges.
In an embodiment of the invention, the drive and thus the adhesion-propelling discs are bidirectionally drivable.
In an embodiment of the invention, the cover includes at least one funnel to funnel the fluid either to the at least one inlet or outlet.
In an embodiment of the invention, the housing has an opening that is partitioned by tapered and/or angled teeth into a plurality of fluid-conveying chambers,
In an embodiment of the invention, the angle of teeth correspond to the direction of conveyance of the fluid.
In an embodiment of the invention, the at least one disc setup of at least one first adhesion propelling disc communicates in series with at least one second adhesion propelling disc via a central fluid-conveying chamber, wherein the first at least one adhesion propelling disc communicates with the inlet, and wherein the at least one second adhesion propelling disc communicates with the outlet.
In an embodiment of the invention, the drive is a brushless motor such that the adhesion rotary disc pump is seal-less movable or rotatable, i.e., the brushless motor is free of a seal.
In an embodiment of the invention, the at least one scraping pane is mechanically coupled to the cover.
In an embodiment of the invention, the at least one scraping pane is uncoupled from the cover and thus individually placeable in the housing.
Detailed Description Of The Invention
Reference is now made to
In embodiments, first adhesion rotary disc pump 101 may include a scraping unit 110, which may be detachable from housing 120. Scraping unit 110 may be positioned relative to the at least one adhesion-propelling disc 132 in a manner such that fluid that is adhesively transported towards scraping unit 110 is scraped off by the same. More specifically, a plurality of adhesion-propelling discs 132 may be mounted on rotatable shaft 131, wherein the plurality of adhesion-propelling discs 132 are jointly engaging scraping unit 110 such that fluid adherent to rotating adhesion-propelling discs 132 may be scraped off. The fluid may be scraped off only from one side or from both sides of adhesion-propelling disc 132, both options yielding scraped-off fluid.
In an embodiment, each of the plurality of adhesion-propelling discs 132 communicates with a respective one of the at least one inlet 111 and the at least one outlet 112. For example, a first inlet and outlet pair 111a/112a communicates with a first adhesion-propelling disc 132a, a second inlet and outlet pair 111b/112b communicates with a second adhesion-propelling disc 132b and so forth. According to some alternative embodiments, a pair of spaced neighboring adhesion-propelling discs 132a and 132b; 132b and 132c etc., communicates with first inlet and outlet pair 111a and 112a, second inlet and outlet pair 111b and 112b etc., respectively. Consequently, the scraped-off fluid may be channeled directly from the at least one inlet 111 to the at least one outlet 112. For example, fluid may be adhesively transported from first inlet 111a to first outlet 112a by first adhesion-propelling disc 132a, or by first and second adhesion-propelling disc 132a and 132b.
Further reference is now made to
Additional reference is now made to
According to some embodiments of the invention, a drive 160 may be operatively coupled with rotor 130. Drive 160 may be selectably operated in either one of a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Accordingly, shaft 131, and with it together the at least one adhesion-propelling disc 132, may be bidirectionally drivable, as is schematically illustrated with arrows M1 and M2. Consequently, fluid may be transported, directly or indirectly, at one instance from the at least one inlet 111 to the at least one outlet 112, and another instance, vice versa, i.e., the at least one inlet 111 may constitute the at least one outlet 112, and the at least one outlet 112 may constitute the at least one inlet 111.
Further reference is now made to
Additionally referring now to
During rotational movement of at least one adhesion-propelling disc 332, adhesively propelled fluid is caused to engage with line-like scraping-edge 318, which in turn scrapes off the adhesive fluid away from adhesion-propelling disc(s) 332. Since the scraped-off fluid is continuously being subjected to pressure due to the rotational movement of adhesion-propelling disc(s) 332, the fluid is channeled toward outlet 312. Which one of the two line-like scraping edges 318 engages with and scrapes off the conveyed fluid, depends on the rotational direction of the at least one adhesion-propelling disc 332. Since the at least one scraping pane 313 may be tapered towards line-like scraping edge 318, the dynamic pressure exerted by line-like scraping edge 318 on the fluid minimizes the moments M1 and/or M2 required for transporting a given amount fluid from inlet 311 to outlet 312. It should be noted that adhesion-propelling disc(s) 332 may be integrally formed or fixedly coupled to shaft 331.
Further reference is now made to
According to some embodiments of the invention, scraping unit 310 may include at least one funnel, which may be respective of the number of inlets and outlets. For example, as is inter alia schematically illustrated in
Further reference is now made to
Additionally referring now to
According to some embodiments of the invention, given adhesion rotary disc pump 300 may comprise a seating 340 operative to receive bearing(s) and/or rotary seal(s) via seating openings 341 and/or 312.
Shaft 331 may be operatively coupled with a drive 360, which may in some embodiments, be embedded in housing 320 (cf.
Reference is now made to
Rotation of rotor 430 may cause fluid to be adhesively conveyed by first adhesion propelling disc(s) 432a from first collective inlet 411 to scraping edges of first scraping pane(s) 413a, which scrape and thus channel the fluid from first groove(s) 434a to central fluid-conveying chamber 422. Due to pressure that may be continuously exerted on the fluid by first adhesion propelling disc(s) 432a, the fluid may engage with second adhesion propelling disc(s) 432b, which adhesively convey the fluid towards the scraping edges of second scraping pane(s) 413b, thereby channeling and expelling the fluid through collective outlet 412 in accordance with guiding walls 460. It should be noted that in some embodiments of the invention, the number of first groove(s) 434a may differ from the number of second groove(s) 434b.
It should be noted that if a disc setup includes only one adhesion propelling disc, the groove may refer to the space between the disc and the wall of the pump's housing 420 or guiding wall 460.
Reference is now made to
It should be noted that the above-mentioned adhesion based rotary disc pumps may be equipped with at least one bearing (e.g., a roller bearing, or a bush bearing) and/or at least one seal (e.g., a rotary shaft seal) for preventing leakage of fluid along shaft 131).
Reference is now made to
Reference is now made to
It should be noted that the configuration of drives 560 and 660 obviate the requirement of employing of dynamic seals, which are operative to make a seal between moving surfaces.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the disclosed invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove.
It should be understood that an embodiment is an example or implementation of the inventions. The various appearances of “one embodiment,” “an embodiment” or “some embodiments” do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiments.
Although various features of the invention may be described in the context of a single embodiment, the features may also be provided separately or in any suitable combination. Conversely, although the invention may be described herein in the context of separate embodiments for clarity, the invention may also be implemented in a single embodiment.
Reference in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “some embodiments” or “other embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one embodiment, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the inventions.
It should be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is not to be construed as limiting and is for descriptive purpose only.
It should be understood that where the claims or specification refer to “a” or “an” element, such reference is not to be construed as there being only one of that element.
The descriptions, examples, methods and materials presented in the claims and the specification are not to be construed as limiting but rather as illustrative only.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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09150926 | Jan 2009 | EP | regional |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1061142 | Nikola Tesla | May 1913 | A |
2910223 | Schlumbohm | Oct 1959 | A |
4421412 | Hold et al. | Dec 1983 | A |
5470197 | Cafarelli | Nov 1995 | A |
7097416 | Gurth | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7632061 | Neeb et al. | Dec 2009 | B2 |
20060078436 | Neeb et al. | Apr 2006 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
452 393 | May 1913 | FR |
843 141 | Jun 1939 | FR |
2 846 033 | Apr 2004 | FR |
101 954 | Feb 1962 | NL |
WO 2004077639 | Sep 2004 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20100183459 A1 | Jul 2010 | US |