Pressure exchanger and performance adjustment method of pressure exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9328743-B2
Application number	US-201213979250-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2012
Priority date	Jan 12, 2011
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A pressure exchanger includes a rotator disposed with pressure transmission sections around a rotation axis. Each pressure transmission section is formed such that a first flow path and a second flow path are communicated with each other. A first lateral member is formed with: first fluid inflow paths guiding the first fluid to the first flow paths; second fluid outflow paths guiding, from the second flow paths, second fluid obtained after pressure exchange with the first fluid; second fluid inflow paths guiding the second fluid to the second flow paths; and first fluid outflow paths guiding, from the first flow paths, first fluid obtained after pressure exchange with the second fluid in the thickness direction. A second lateral member is rotatably sandwiching the rotator between the second lateral member and the first lateral member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pressure exchanger for exchanging pressures between a first fluid and a second fluid, the pressure exchanger comprising:
a rotator having, around a rotation axis, a pressure transmission section provided such that a first flow path into or out of which the first fluid flows from a first end of the rotator is communicated with a second flow path into or out of which the second fluid flows from a first end of the rotator;
a first lateral member provided, in a thickness direction along the rotation axis, with a first fluid inflow path for guiding the first fluid to the first flow path, a second fluid outflow path for guiding the second fluid after the exchanging of pressures from the second flow path, a second fluid inflow path for guiding the second fluid to the second flow path, and a first fluid outflow path for guiding the first fluid after the exchanging of pressures from the first flow path; and
a second lateral member, wherein the rotator is rotatably sandwiched between the first lateral member and the second lateral member, with a retentive member being interposed therebetween,
wherein the rotator is accommodated in a space defined by the first and second lateral members, and the retentive member is sandwiched between the lateral members, the first flow path and the second flow path pass through the rotator, and gaps into which the first fluid and the second fluid flow are provided between the rotator and the first and second lateral members, respectively, and
wherein the first and second lateral members are provided outside the rotator with press spaces pressing the lateral members toward the rotator, and the first and second lateral members are provided with continuous holes for guiding at least one of the first fluid and the second fluid supplied to the first flow path or the second flow path into the press spaces.

2. The pressure exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein a press mechanism presses against at least one of the lateral members on a side opposite of the rotator to adjust a distance between the first and second lateral members.

3. The pressure exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the rotator is provided with a plurality of pressure transmission sections radially around the rotation axis.

4. The pressure exchanger according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of pressure transmission sections are adjacent and communicated simultaneously with at least each one of the first fluid inflow path and the second fluid outflow path, or each one of the second fluid inflow path and the first fluid outflow path, as the rotator rotates.

5. The pressure exchanger according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the plurality of pressure transmission sections is not communicated with the first fluid inflow path and the second fluid outflow path, and with the first fluid outflow path and the second fluid inflow path, as the rotator rotates.

6. The pressure exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first lateral member is provided with the first fluid inflow path comprising a plurality of sets of first fluid inflow paths and the second fluid outflow path comprising a plurality of second fluid outflow paths symmetrically arranged around the rotation axis.

7. The pressure exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first flow path and the second flow path have equal cross-sectional areas in a plane perpendicular to a direction of a flow for the first or second fluid therein.

8. The pressure exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the rotator is coupled with a drive shaft for rotating the rotator with use of external power.

9. The pressure exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first fluid supplied to the first fluid inflow path corresponds to a high pressure concentrated fluid discharged from a reverse osmosis membrane device, and the second fluid supplied to the second fluid inflow path corresponds to a concentration target fluid supplied to the reverse osmosis membrane device.

10. A pressure exchanger for exchanging pressures between a first fluid and a second fluid, the pressure exchanger comprising:
a rotator having, around a rotation axis, a pressure transmission section provided such that a first flow path into or out of which the first fluid flows from a first end of the rotator is communicated with a second flow path into or out of which the second fluid flows from a first end of the rotator;
a first lateral member provided, in a thickness direction along the rotation axis, with a first fluid inflow path for guiding the first fluid to the first flow path, a second fluid outflow path for guiding the second fluid after the exchanging of pressures from the second flow path, a second fluid inflow path for guiding the second fluid to the second flow path, and a first fluid outflow path for guiding the first fluid after the exchanging of pressures from the first flow path;
a second lateral member, wherein the rotator is rotatably sandwiched between the first lateral member and the second lateral member, with a retentive member being interposed therebetween; and
a torque application mechanism provided at the first lateral member, for applying a torque to the rotator with use of energy of the first fluid flowing into the first flow path or flowing out of the first flow path, or energy of the second fluid flowing into the second flow path or flowing out of the second flow path.

11. The pressure exchanger according to claim 10 , wherein the torque application mechanism includes:
a first inclined section provided on a surface of the first fluid inflow path opposite to the rotator, so as to be circumferentially expanded and communicated with a plurality of first flow paths along a circumferential direction of the rotator; and
a second inclined section provided on a surface of the second fluid outflow path opposite to the rotator, so as to be circumferentially expanded and communicated with a plurality of second flow paths along the circumferential direction of the rotator; and
the first inclined section and the second inclined section are inclined inversely to each other.

12. A performance adjustment method of the pressure exchanger according to claim 10 , the method comprising the steps of:
preparing a plurality of other torque application mechanisms for applying torques each having a different value; and
adjusting a rotation speed of the rotator to adjust a treated flow rate by replacing the torque application mechanism with one of the plurality of other torque application mechanisms.

Assignees

• Hirosawa Yoshifumi
• Teramoto Norihiro
• Shouzaki Akira
• Kubota Kk

Inventors

• Hirosawa Yoshifumi
• Teramoto Norihiro
• Shouzaki Akira

Classifications

• B01D61/06

  Energy recovery · CPC title

• F04F13/00 Primary

  Pressure exchangers · CPC title

• B01D2313/246

  Energy recovery means · CPC title