Device for transferring energy between two fluids

Abstract

Device for transferring energy between a driving fluid and a driven fluid without contacting or mixing with each other is provided. The device comprises: an elongate central body ( 44 ) with a profiled cavity ( 37, 38 ) on either side having a respective fluid passage ( 45,46 ); a pair of composite outer bodies having a respective fluid in/out passage ( 35, 36 ) for fluid communication via a flow diverter valve assembly ( 15 ); a pair of assembly of moveable chambers fixed on either side of said central body, disposed inside the composite outer bodies; guiding and connecting means ( 25, 26 ) passing through inner annular end plates ( 47, 48 ) of composite outer bodies for reciprocating said moveable chambers; wherein said flow diverter valve assembly ( 15 ) alternatively diverts the direction of the movement of said moveable chambers by diverting the flow direction of said fluids by actuation or pulses received on reaching respective end position on either side of said central body; and flow directing valves for alternatively directing the flow direction of the other fluid to/from respective moveable chambers via said fluid passages.

1 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A device for transferring energy between a driving fluid and a driven fluid without contacting or mixing with each other, said device comprises, an elongate central body ( 44 ) with a profiled cavity ( 37 ,  38 ) on either side having a respective fluid passage ( 45 , 46 ); a pair of composite outer bodies having a respective fluid IN/OUT passage ( 35 ,  36 ) for fluid communication with IN line ( 2 ) and OUT line ( 14 ) of one of the fluids via a flow diverter valve assembly ( 15 ); a pair of assembly of moveable chambers, each fixed on either side of said central body and disposed inside respective composite body; a plurality of guiding and connecting means ( 25 ,  26 ) passing through a respective inner annular end plate ( 47 ,  48 ) of said composite outer body for connecting and reciprocating said pair of assembly of moveable chambers in a friction minimizing manner and disposed on either side of said central body; in which said flow diverter valve assembly ( 15 ) comprising: a pilot operated ball-type 4-way large orifice valve ( 27   b ), and a pulse operated flow diverter assembly, wherein, the pilot pressure is controlled by said pulse operated flow diverter assembly by means of actuation or pulses received on reaching the respective end position of said reciprocating movement of said pair of assembly of moveable chambers, alternatively diverts the direction of reciprocating motion of said pair of assembly of moveable chambers by diverting the flow direction of one of said fluids by means of actuation or pulses received on reaching the respective end positions on either side of said central body; and flow directing valves for alternatively switching the flow direction of the other fluid from its IN line to respective moveable chamber and from respective moveable chamber to an OUT line via said fluid passages of said central body. 
     
     
         13 . The device as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein each of said composite outer body comprises a cylindrical outer body ( 40   a,    40   b ) with flanges extending outwardly at each end and having fasteners ( 62   a,    62   b ), and at least partially conical outer end plate ( 60   a,    60   b ) connected via said respective fluid passage ( 35 ,  36 ) at either outer end to said IN line ( 2 ) or OUT line ( 14 ) and having a flange at respective inner end, which is fastened on a respective flange of said cylindrical outer body for fixing a partition to form a respective moveable chamber on either side of said central body; an inner annular end plate ( 47 ,  48 ) closing the operative inner end of the respective composite body and fixed with its inner circumference on the outer surface of said elongate central body ( 44 ), said inner annular plate having a plurality of apertures for fixing a plurality of bearing means ( 17 ) for the passage of said guiding and connecting means ( 25 ,  26 ) through the same, and wherein said respective composite outer body surrounds a cylindrical inner body ( 41   a,    42   a ) having flanges extending outwardly at either end, and an outer pot-like rigid body ( 41 ,  42 ) having a flat closed outer end and an annular flange extending outwardly at inner end; a respective inner annular diaphragm ( 10   a,    10   b ) being fixed at its outer circumference between an outer flange of said cylindrical shell and inner annular flange of said pot-like body by fasteners ( 22   a,    22   b ), said inner annular diaphragm being fixed at its inner circumference under a respective annular plate ( 24   a,    24   b ) on said central elongate body ( 44 ) by fasteners ( 23   a,    23   b ) to form a respective inner moveable chamber; a circular diaphragm ( 9   a,    9   b ) being fixed at its outer circumference as said partition between an outer flange of respective cylindrical body and said flange of respective partially conical outer end plate ( 60   a,    60   b ); said circular diaphragm being centrally supported and fixed under fixing plates ( 20   a,    20   b ) by fasteners ( 21   a,    21   b ) outside the base of said outer pot-like body ( 41 ,  42 ) to form a respective outer moveable chamber. 
     
     
         14 . The device as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein said moveable chambers being a pair of assembly of outer bellows ( 52   a,    52   b ) and inner bellows ( 54   a,    54   b ), each of said bellows having a flat closed end and an open end, said flat closed ends abutting on either side of a flat circular partition ( 63   a,    63   b ); said pair of assembly of bellows enclosed within said composite outer body disposed on either sides and moveable in a friction minimizing manner; said open ends of outer bellows having an annular portion extending outwardly and fixed as said partition between said flange of respective conical outer end plate ( 60   a,    60   b ) and outer flange of respective cylindrical outer body, to form a respective outer chamber; said inner bellows having a respective cylindrical open end ( 70   a,    70   b ) extending parallel to the axis of said assembly and fastened on the external circumference of said central body ( 44 ) by fasteners ( 21   g,    21   h ) to form a respective inner chamber; said bellows being provided with disc-like reinforcing means ( 56 ,  57 ) at regular intervals, having anti friction means ( 58 ) on outer circumference abutting the inner circumference of respective cylindrical inner body ( 41   a,    42   a ) at one end and supporting said bellows at inner circumference; said guiding and connecting means ( 25 ,  26 ) being supported on said flat circular partition and passing through a plurality of apertures ( 67 ) provided in said disc-like reinforcing means ( 57 ) of inner bellows ( 54   a,    54   b ). 
     
     
         15 . The device as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein a rigid inner cylindrical shell ( 41   c,    41   d ) being disposed and moveable inside respective outer composite body, by abutting its extended base having anti friction sealing means ( 31 ) on its outer circumference at one end and forming a respective outer moveable chamber with said conical outer end plate ( 60   a,    60   b ); the other annular end of said cylindrical shell being supported and moveable on said central body ( 44 ) in a friction minimizing and sealing manner and forming a respective inner moveable chamber. 
     
     
         16 . A device for transferring energy between a driving fluid and a driven fluid without contacting or mixing with each other, said device comprising: a central body ( 44   c ) with profiled inner cavities ( 37   c,    37   d ) on either side, being connected by a respective fluid passage ( 45   a,    45   b ) to an IN line  2  via driving fluid IN line ( 51   c ) and an OUT line ( 14   c ); a respective cylindrical outer body ( 40   c,    40   d ) disposed on either side of said central body, said cylindrical outer body having flanges at both ends and closed at outer end by a respective outer annular plate ( 44   d,    44   e ) fitted with cylindrical bodies ( 44   a,    44   b ) having a profiled conical cavity ( 35   e,    36   e ), closed at inner ends by a respective inner annular plate ( 48   a,    48   b ), said inner annular plate being also fixed at its inner circumference on said central body; a pair of composite inner bodies disposed on either side of said central body, each composite inner body respectively having an inner pot-like rigid body ( 42   d,    42   f ) and an outer cylindrical shell ( 35   c,    35   d ), said pot-like body having a flanged end open towards said cylindrical shell and its base towards said central body; said outer cylindrical shell having flanges on either side, the inner flange abutting the flange of said pot-like body for fixing an outer annular diaphragm ( 9   c,    9   d ) by fasteners ( 21   j,    21   k ) to form a respective outer moveable chamber with a profiled conical cavity of respective cylindrical bodies ( 44   a,    44   b ), and having an outwardly extending outer flange; a pair of bracket like bellow supporting cylinders ( 41   e,    41   f ), each fixed on respective inner annular end plate by plurality of fasteners ( 24   c,    24   d ) for fixing and supporting an inner circular diaphragm ( 10   c,    10   d ) at its circumference, the middle portion of said diaphragm being supported and fixed by fasteners ( 21   c,    21   d ) under fixing plates ( 20   c,    20   d ) outside the base of said pot-like rigid body to form a respective inner moveable chamber; guiding and connecting means ( 25   c,    26   c ) passing through said inner annular end plates and supported on bearing means ( 17 ) for imparting friction-minimized reciprocating movement to said pair of assembly of moveable chambers; wherein, the driving fluid is directly supplied via a flow diverter valve assembly ( 15 ) into one of the inner moveable chambers, in order to reciprocate the moveable assembly in one of the longitudinal direction of said assembly, said flow diverter valve assembly diverting said flow to the other inner moveable chamber, on receiving actuation or pulses from the said pair of assembly of movable chambers on reaching a respective end position of said reciprocating movement of said assembly; a directing valve ( 80   c,    81   c,    82   c,    83   c ) alternatively directing the flow direction of the other fluid from its IN line ( 1 ) via driven fluid IN line ( 50   c ) to respective chamber and chamber to an OUT line ( 13   c ) from said profiled outer conical cavity, in order to facilitate said reciprocating movement of said pair of assembly of chambers in a reversed direction. 
     
     
         17 . The device as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein said flow diverter valve assembly ( 15 ) comprises: a pilot operated ball-type 4-way large orifice valve ( 27   b ), and a pulse operated flow diverter assembly, wherein, the pilot pressure is controlled by said pulse operated flow diverter assembly by means of actuation or pulses received on reaching the respective end position of said reciprocating movement of said pair of assembly of moveable chambers. 
     
     
         18 . The device as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein said pilot operated ball type 4-way large orifice valve ( 27   b ) comprises: an IN port (D); an exhaust port (C); an IN-OUT port (A, B) disposed on either side; pilot ports ( 56   a,    56   b ); said ball type 4-way large orifice having IN chambers ( 58   a,    58   c ); Exhaust chambers ( 58   b,    58   d ); a pair of ball assemblies, each ball assembly having a pair of balls ( 66   a,    66   b;    66   c,    66   d ), each pair of balls fixed on respective freely movable and centrally guided rods ( 54   c,    54   d ) which are centrally supported by a respective spring ( 64   a,    64   b ), and passing through either end of a lever ( 61 ) and fixed on a respective diaphragm ( 57   a,    57   b ) at one of the ends which is fixed at the other end of said rods, sandwiching between two rigid fixing plates ( 65 ); ball seats ( 67   a,    67   b;    67   c,    67   d ); and said lever being pivoted about a pivot ( 61   b ). 
     
     
         19 . The device as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein said pulse operated diverter assembly comprises: a pair of 3-way valves ( 25   a,    25   b ); a 4-port floating piston valve ( 27   a ); and a pair of non-return valves ( 43   c,    43   d ), said 3-way valves ( 25   a,    25   b ) being disposed on either of said 4-port floating piston valve, wherein each of said 3-way valves having an intermediate chamber ( 18   a,    18   b ) connected to an IN port ( 33   a,    33   b ) of said 4-way floating piston valve via an OUT port ( 19   a,    19   b ), a respective outer chamber ( 27   c,    27   d ) axially disposed on either side of said intermediate chamber and connected via an exhaust port ( 20   e,    20   f ) to a common exhaust port ( 24 ), a respective inner chamber ( 35   a,    35   b ) axially connected to each other and to a common IN line ( 23 ) via an IN port ( 36   a,    36   b ); and an axially moveable plunger with a profiled portion ( 37   a,    37   b ) having a plunger tail ( 21   e,    21   f ), a middle body supported at one end by a spring ( 15   a,    15   b ) fixed on it by a fixing disc ( 14   a,    14   b ) and having a flange ( 12   a,    12   b ) at its other end, and sealing means ( 38   a,    38   b ) surrounding said profiled portion, further wherein said 4-port floating piston valve ( 27   a ) comprises a flat floating piston ( 28 ) having axial cylindrical projections with sealing means, said piston reciprocating within a 4-port cylindrical chamber ( 28   c ) having two axial IN ports ( 33   a,    33   b ) and two radial OUT ports ( 9   e,    9   f ); said IN ports ( 33   a,    33   b ) alternatively connecting a common IN line ( 23 ) via said respective 3-way valve ( 25   a,    25   b ) to a pilot port ( 56   a,    56   b ) of said pilot operated ball type 4-way valve ( 27   b ) via one of said OUT ports ( 9   c,    9   f ) by positioning of said floating piston on either side of said 4-port cylindrical chamber at respective ends thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The device as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein said non-return valves ( 43   c,    43   d ) comprises: three chambers formed by two partitions, a pilot port ( 45   c ), an IN port ( 47   c ) and an OUT port ( 46   c ), a poppet valve ( 48   c ) having a stem ( 49   c ) with a poppet fixed at one end and a diaphragm ( 44   f ) attached in the middle and fixed at the other end, both fixed by fasteners, said diaphragm ( 44   f ) biased by means of a spring ( 49   d ) for directing fluid flow in one direction to connect said pilot port ( 45   c ) to said IN port ( 47   c ). 
     
     
         21 . The device as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein said flow diverter valve assembly ( 15 ) comprises: a pilot operated ball-type 4-way valve ( 27   b ), and a pulse operated flow diverter assembly having a pair of 3-way valves ( 25   a,    25   b ) and a 5-port floating piston valve ( 27   aj ); said 3-way valves being disposed on two opposite sides of said 5-port floating piston valve, which comprises a floating piston ( 28   a ) with a circumferential groove in the middle, reciprocating within a 5-port cylindrical chamber ( 28   d ) having two axial IN ports ( 33   a,    33   b ) and two radial OUT ports ( 9   e,    9   f ) and an exhaust port ( 24   e ) and said exhaust port alternatively in fluid communication with one of the OUT port ( 9   e,    9   f ).