Fluid flow conduit with flow-shaping element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11566643-B2
Application number	US-201816650109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2018
Priority date	Sep 25, 2017
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

A fluid flow conduit according to one embodiment comprises: a body comprising a channel-defining surface which defines a principal flow channel extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein the body defines an interior flow region comprising the principal flow channel; an inlet for introducing fluid into the interior flow region, the inlet shaped so that an average velocity of fluid entering the interior flow region from the inlet is oriented in an inlet flow direction non-parallel to the longitudinal direction; and an outlet for conveying fluid out of the principal flow channel, the outlet spaced apart from the inlet in the longitudinal direction such that fluid that passes from the inlet to the outlet passes through at least a portion of the principal flow channel; wherein the fluid flow conduit defines a recess in the interior flow region and facing the inlet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid flow conduit comprising:
a body comprising a channel-defining surface which defines a principal flow channel extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein the body defines an interior flow region comprising the principal flow channel;
an inlet for introducing fluid into the interior flow region, the inlet located on a side of the fluid flow conduit, the inlet shaped so that an average velocity of fluid entering the interior flow region from the inlet is oriented in an inlet flow direction non-parallel to the longitudinal direction; and
an outlet for conveying fluid out of the principal flow channel, the outlet located on the side of the fluid flow conduit, the outlet spaced apart from the inlet in the longitudinal direction such that fluid that passes from the inlet to the outlet passes through at least a portion of the principal flow channel, the outlet shaped so that an average velocity of fluid entering the outlet from the interior flow region is oriented in an outlet flow direction non-parallel to the longitudinal direction;
wherein the fluid flow conduit defines a recess in the interior flow region and facing the inlet; and
wherein at least a portion of the recess communicates with the principal flow channel at a position along the longitudinal direction between the inlet and the outlet.

2. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 1 wherein the recess is positioned generally along the inlet flow direction from the inlet.

3. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 1 wherein the recess is recessed relative to the channel-defining surface.

4. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 1 wherein the inlet flow direction is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

5. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 1 wherein the principal flow channel has a notional channel axis which extends longitudinally through a centroid of a flow-channel cross-section of the principal flow channel.

6. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 5 wherein the recess extends to a distance that is farther from the notional channel axis than a distance between the notional channel axis and the channel-defining surface.

7. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 5 further comprising a flow-shaping element comprising a flow-shaping surface which defines a flow-shaping region in the interior flow region for conveying fluid from the inlet to the principal flow channel, wherein the flow-shaping surface defines at least a portion of the recess, and wherein a flow-shaping cross-section of the flow-shaping region satisfies a flow-shaping condition.

8. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 7 wherein the flow-shaping condition comprises that a flow-shaping distance, extending in a flow-shaping direction extending between the intersection of the channel axis with the flow-shaping cross-section and the flow-shaping surface, is greater than a principal-channel distance extending in the flow-shaping direction between the intersection of the channel axis with the flow-channel cross-section and the channel-defining surface.

9. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 7 wherein the flow-shaping condition comprises that a flow-shaping distance, extending in a flow-shaping direction extending between the intersection of the channel axis with the flow-shaping cross-section and the flow-shaping surface, is greater than a reference distance extending opposite to the flow-shaping direction and between the intersection of the channel axis with the flow-shaping cross-section and the flow-shaping surface.

10. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 8 wherein the flow-channel cross-section is located at an edge of the principal flow channel closest to the flow-shaping element.

11. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 8 wherein the flow-shaping direction is an inlet-projection direction that coincides with a projection of the inlet flow direction onto the flow-shaping cross-section.

12. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 8 wherein the flow-shaping direction extends between the intersection of the channel axis with the flow-shaping cross-section and a location on the flow-shaping surface where a projection of the inlet flow direction onto the flow-shaping cross-section intersects the flow-shaping surface.

13. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 8 wherein the flow-shaping condition comprises that, for the flow-shaping cross-section of the flow-shaping region, a flow-shaping dimension in any transverse direction that:
is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction;
extends between the intersection of the channel axis with the flow-shaping cross-section and the flow-shaping surface; and
is angularly spaced apart from the flow-shaping direction;
is less than the flow-shaping distance.

14. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 8 wherein the flow-shaping condition comprises that, for the flow-shaping cross-section of the flow-shaping region, a flow-shaping dimension in any transverse direction that:
is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction;
extends between the intersection of the channel axis with the flow-shaping cross-section and the flow-shaping surface; and
is angularly spaced apart from the flow-shaping direction by less than or equal to 90°;
is equal to the flow-shaping distance.

15. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 8 wherein the flow-shaping cross-section extending +/−90° from the flow-shaping direction comprises a portion of a circle, an ellipse, a pie, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a trapezoid, or a hexagon.

16. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 8 wherein the flow-shaping condition comprises that, for the flow-shaping cross-section of the flow-shaping region, a flow-shaping dimension in any transverse direction that:
is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction;
extends between the intersection of the channel axis with the flow-shaping cross-section and the flow-shaping surface; and
is angularly spaced apart from the flow-shaping direction by less than or equal to a threshold angle;
is greater than the flow-shaping distance.

17. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 8 wherein the flow-shaping distance is relatively large for at least some cross-sections longitudinally spaced apart from the principal flow channel and relatively small for at least some cross-sections located relatively closer to the principal flow channel in the longitudinal direction.

18. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 6 further comprising a flow-shaping surface which defines a flow-shaping region in the interior flow region for conveying fluid from the inlet to the principal flow channel, wherein at least a portion of the flow-shaping surface extends between the inlet and the notional channel axis.

19. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 18 wherein the flow-shaping surface and the flow-shaping region surround the notional channel axis.

20. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 18 wherein the recess surrounds the notional channel axis.

21. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 1 wherein the inlet extends along an inlet axis and comprises at least one inlet flow modifying element that causes the inlet flow direction to be non-parallel to the inlet axis.

22. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 1 wherein the fluid flow conduit is part of a chemical or biochemical reactor.

23. A fluid flow conduit according to claim 1 wherein the fluid flow conduit is part of a photo-reactor.

24. A fluid flow

Assignees

• Univ British Columbia

Inventors

• Taghipour Fariborz

Classifications

• F15D1/001 Primary

  Flow of fluid from conduits such as pipes, sleeves, tubes, with equal distribution of fluid flow over the evacuation surface · CPC title

• B01J19/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside (B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence; with stationary particles B01J8/02) · CPC title

• B01J2219/1203

  Incoherent waves · CPC title

• B01J2219/0877

  Liquid · CPC title

• B01J19/123

  Ultraviolet light · CPC title