Patent ID: 7988428
Filing Date: 2011-08-02
Classification: B01D,F04B,Y02A

Abstract:
1. An energy-boosted pump comprising: a pump portion, driven by an external motor, made and arranged to receive as input a primary liquid flow at a designated supply pressure and to provide, as output to a destination, the liquid flow at a designated primary flow rate and at a designated increased pressure; a pressure exchanger portion made and arranged to recover energy from a secondary liquid flow having a designated secondary flow rate and pressure, and to deliver the recovered energy to the primary liquid flow in a manner to contribute a predetermined portion of a total amount of motivating energy required by said pump portion, thus reducing cost of external energy for operating the motor; a shaft, defining a central axis, common to said pump portion and said pressure exchanger portion, driven rotationally by the motor; a primary cylinder assembly, in said pump portion, attached to said shaft and configured concentrically therewith for rotation as part of a rotor assembly, providing a plurality of cylinder bores arranged axially about the central axis; a plurality of cylindrical primary pistons, each fitted slidingly in a corresponding one of the cylinder bores of said primary cylinder assembly; piston-driving means for converting rotation of said shaft into reciprocating movement of said primary pistons back and forth over a predetermined stroke length such that a working end of each piston, facing a working end of the associated cylinder bore, is constrained to travel limits within the cylinder bore, the piston-driving means comprising: primary reversing valve means made and arranged to utilize the reciprocating movement of said primary pistons and the rotation of said primary cylinder assembly to perform a pumping action so as to pressurize the primary liquid flow; a secondary cylinder assembly, in said pressure exchanger portion, attached to said shaft, providing a plurality of cylinder bores arranged axially about the central axis; a plurality of cylindrical secondary pistons, each fitted slidingly in a corresponding one of the cylinder bores of said secondary cylinder assembly; a plurality of interconnectors, each attached at a primary end to at least one of said primary pistons and attached at a secondary and opposite end to at least one of said secondary pistons, thus forming a plurality of interconnected piston assemblies that can each be reciprocated as a single independent mass; and secondary reversing valve means made and arranged to utilize rotation of the secondary cylinder assembly to commutate liquid communication of pressurized liquid of the secondary liquid flow sequentially into said secondary cylinders in a manner to cause said interconnected piston assemblies to perform as a pressure exchanger applying recovered energy to the primary liquid flow via said primary pistons, thus reducing motor-loading and cost of external energy; a swash-plate forming a central partition attached to said outer shell and disposed between said primary and secondary cylinder assemblies, having a flat surface facing said primary cylinder assembly and inclined at a predetermined swash-plate angle relative to said shaft and having an elliptical peripheral shape, configured with a central clearance opening traversed by said shaft and by said interconnectors; a set of sliders, each associated with a corresponding one of the interconnected piston assemblies and attached in a swivel manner thereto, each slider configured with a flat smooth surface interfacing and sliding on the flat surface of said swash-plate so as to reciprocate each interconnected piston assembly independently in repeating sequential cycles in response to rotation of said shaft; a generally tubular outer shell; a primary end block disposed in a primary end region of said outer shell and attached thereto, configured with a central shaft opening concentric with the central axis; a secondary end block disposed at a secondary end of said outer shell and attached thereto, configured with a central shaft opening concentric with the central axis; said shaft traversing the openings and extending outwardly from at least one of said end blocks and receiving rotational drive from the motor, said shaft attached to and rotatably supporting said primary cylinder assembly at a primary end region of said outer shell, with the working ends of the cylinders thereof interfacing fiat inwardly-facing surface of said primary end block, and supporting said secondary cylinder assembly at a secondary and opposite end region of said outer shell, with the working ends of the cylinders thereof interfacing fiat inwardly-facing surface of said secondary end block; whereby total energy required to reciprocate said interconnected piston assemblies at a rate to produce a designated primary output liquid pressure and flow rate by pump action, is reduced to a net external input energy requirement by an amount of energy recovered by said pressure exchanger portion from pressure and flow rate of the secondary liquid source and delivered to the primary liquid flow via the interconnected piston assemblies, thus reducing motor source energy cost.