Patent ID: 6974305

Claim:
An apparatus for facilitating cavitation in fluids, the apparatus comprising: a housing having a generally hollow interior, the housing defining a first opening for receiving a shaft and defining a fluid ingress opening and a fluid egress opening; a rotor disposed within the hollow interior of the housing, the rotor adapted to couple with a shaft, the rotor having an exterior surface, the rotor defining a first opening disposed on the exterior surface and a second opening with a fluid passage extending therebetween, wherein the fluid passage facilitates cavitation in a fluid, the rotor including a front face and an opposed rear face with a longitudinal exterior surface extending therebetween, wherein the front face defines a void extending rearward toward the rear face, the rotor defining a fluid passage extending generally outward from the void to the longitudinal exterior surface, wherein responsive to rotation of the rotor and fluid flowing through fluid passage in the rotor, cavitation occurs in the fluid, wherein a given opening selected from a set of openings consisting of the fluid ingress opening and the fluid egress opening is generally aligned with the void; and a fluid seal abutting the rotor, the fluid seal generally aligned with the void and the given opening, wherein the fluid seal substantially communicates direct fluid flow between the given opening and the void.