Combined pump and energy recovery turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9708924-B2
Application number	US-201313745702-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2013
Priority date	Jan 18, 2013
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

The combined pump and energy recovery turbine includes at least one fluid flow pressurizing a sliding vane pump and a sliding vane energy recovery turbine that recovers energy from a second fluid flow, such as the brine discharge from an RO seawater desalination system. A cylindrical rotor has two sliding vanes in respective slots, the rotor being concentrically disposed within an oval-shaped enclosure defining two mirror image crescent-shaped chambers, each chamber having inlet and outlet passageways. The first chamber pressurizes the first fluid flow, and the second chamber functions as a second outflow-driven energy recovery turbine, thus enabling the single rotor device to operate as a pressurizing pump on the first fluid flow, and second outflow-driven energy recovery turbine recovering energy from the pressure drop in the second fluid flow.

First claim

I claim:

1. A combined pump and energy recovery turbine, comprising:
a housing having an inner wall defining an oval-shaped opening centrically disposed therethrough, at least one inlet manifold, and at least one outlet manifold;
the at least one inlet manifold consists of a first inlet manifold and a second inlet manifold;
the at least one outlet manifold consists of a first outlet manifold and a second outlet manifold;
wherein the first inlet manifold being designed and configured to introduce a first fluid material into a first portion of the oval-shaped opening, and the first outlet manifold being designed and configured to release the first fluid material from the first portion of the oval-shaped opening;
wherein the second inlet manifold being designed and configured to introduce a second fluid material into a second portion of the oval-shaped opening, and the second outlet manifold being designed and configured to release the second fluid material from the second portion of the oval-shaped opening;
a cylindrical rotor coaxially disposed within the oval-shaped opening of the housing, the cylindrical rotor having an outer axial wall defining a periphery of the cylindrical rotor;
wherein the first and second fluid materials flow into the housing, about the cylindrical rotor, and exit the housing;
wherein the inner wall of the housing and the outer axial wall of the cylindrical rotor define a first crescent-shaped chamber and second crescent-shaped chamber within the oval-shaped opening;
whereby the first crescent-shaped chamber is the first portion of the oval-shaped opening, and the second crescent-shaped chamber is the second portion of the oval-shaped opening;
the cylindrical rotor having at least one pair of slots extending from the outer axial wall into the cylindrical rotor and terminating near an axial center of the cylindrical rotor;
the at least one pair of slots defining a first slot and a second slot diametrically opposite the axial center of the cylindrical rotor;
a plurality of vanes, each one vane of the plurality of vanes being slidably disposed in each one slot of the at least one pair of slots, respectively;
wherein each vane slidably extends beyond the outer axial wall of the cylindrical rotor to the inner wall of the housing;
a shaft coupled to and coaxially disposed with the cylindrical rotor, and the shaft extending beyond the housing;
a face plate disposed on the housing, the shaft extending through the face plate;
the face plate having a first inlet port operatively coupled to the first inlet manifold, a first outlet port operatively coupled to the first outlet manifold, a second inlet port operatively coupled to the second inlet manifold, and a second outlet port operatively coupled to the second outlet manifold; and
an end plate disposed on the housing opposite the face plate;
wherein the face plate and the end plate structurally affixed to the housing so that the first and second crescent-shaped chambers being enclosed therebetween;
wherein the first fluid material is introduced at low pressure into the first crescent-shaped chamber via the first inlet port and first inlet manifold, and is released from the first outlet port at a higher pressure by rotation of the cylindrical rotor;
wherein the second fluid material is introduced at high pressure into the second crescent-shaped chamber via the second inlet port and second inlet manifold, and is released from the second outlet port at a lower pressure by rotation of the cylindrical rotor;
whereby the flow of the first and second fluid materials is in a circumferential direction within the first and second crescent shaped chambers;
whereby a turbine drive is produced by the plurality of vanes and the cylindrical rotor, thereby recovering energy results in continued pumping of the first fluid material through the first crescent-shaped chamber; and
wherein the shaft is connected to the rotor for power transmission to and from the rotor;
wherein between each of the slots and the corresponding sliding vane, a pressure cavity is defined therein, the pressure cavity accepting lubricating fluid therein;
a plurality of lubrication openings disposed through each of the sliding vanes, the plurality of lubrication openings being in operable communication with the pressure cavity to expel the lubricating fluid from the lubrication openings during operation of the turbine.

2. The combined pump and energy recovery turbine according to claim 1 , further comprising an oval-shaped cam track formed in the end plate, an outer tip of each one of the plurality of sliding vanes engaging the oval-shaped cam track.

3. The combined pump and energy recovery turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one pair of slots of the cylindrical rotor comprises two pair of slots;
each pair of slots include a first slot, and a second slot, each first and second slot having a respective slidably vane corresponding thereto.

Assignees

• Kuwait Univ

Inventors

• Al-Hawaj Osama M

Classifications

• F04C2/3446

  the inner and outer member being in contact along more than one line or surface · CPC title

• F05B2220/62

  for desalination · CPC title

• F01D15/00 Primary

  Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of engines with devices driven thereby · CPC title

• F04C11/001

  of similar working principle · CPC title

• F03C2/304

  having both the movements defined in sub-group F03C2/08 or F03C2/22 and relative reciprocation between members · CPC title