Patent ID: 7661932

Claim:
A pressure exchange apparatus for exchanging hydraulic pressure from a fluid stream at relatively high pressure to a fluid stream at relatively low pressure, said apparatus comprising: a main section having two axially aligned ends and defining two internal longitudinal chambers, a piston disposed within each of said chambers in sealing engagement therewith and adapted to move longitudinally within said chamber, a pair of fluid distributors co-axially aligned with said main section with one of said fluid distributors fixed to each of said two axially aligned ends of said main section, and, each of said fluid distributors including an inlet port and an outlet port for directing a fluid stream into and out of one of said longitudinal chambers while sealingly separated from an adjacent chamber, a pair of dual disk controllers disposed co-axially with said fluid distributors and said main section with one of said pair of dual disk controllers between each of said fluid distributors and said main section, each of said dual disk controllers including a fixed disk and a disk holder having circumferentially arrayed openings aligned with an inlet and outlet port of the respective fluid distributor and a moveable disk having circumferentially arrayed openings sealingly sliding against and between said fixed disk and disk holder and adapted to rotate about its axis to bring one of its circumferentially arrayed openings into registration with one pair of matching said openings in said fixed disk and said disk holder to connect one of said ports with one of said longitudinal chambers to thereby move one of said pistons in one of said chambers to transfer pressure from a fluid stream at a relatively high pressure to a fluid stream at a relatively low pressure; and in which each of said fluid distributors is bolted to said disk holder and said disk holder is bolted to said main section.