A pump includes a housing, a process stream input, a process stream output, a power stream inlet, and a rotor. The rotor comprises an impeller, a shroud, and a turbine. The impeller comprises fluid motive elements positioned about a central axis of the rotor and extending outward to the shroud. The turbine comprises runners formed on an outwardly facing surface of the shroud of the rotor. The shroud extends radially about the fluid motive elements of the impeller. The rotor is rotatably supported within the housing. The runners cause the rotor to rotate when the power stream flows through a fluid path impinging the runners thereby transferring energy from the flow of the power stream received through a power stream inlet into rotational energy of the fluid motive elements of the impeller to propel the process stream from a process stream input out a process stream output.

A pump includes a housing, a process stream input, a process stream output, a power stream inlet, and a rotor. The rotor comprises an impeller, a shroud, and a turbine. The impeller comprises fluid motive elements positioned about a central axis of the rotor and extending outward to the shroud. The turbine comprises runners formed on an outwardly facing surface of the shroud of the rotor. The shroud extends radially about the fluid motive elements of the impeller. The rotor is rotatably supported within the housing. The runners cause the rotor to rotate when the power stream flows through a fluid path impinging the runners thereby transferring energy from the flow of the power stream received through a power stream inlet into rotational energy of the fluid motive elements of the impeller to propel the process stream from a process stream input out a process stream output.

A hydrocarbon reclamator consists of a closed chamber having an exhaust inlet port, a hydrogen inlet port, and a hydrocarbon outlet port. A magnetic flux is generated at the base of the closed chamber and a rotor is suspended by the magnetic flux within the closed chamber. The rotor is formed as a Tesla turbine having axially spaced discs concentrically mounted on a central shaft, a catalyst is formed on surfaces of the discs, and flow holes are formed through the discs. Venturi forces direct gas to release kinetic energy against the discs, so that hydrogen entering the chamber combines with carbon entering the chamber to form a hydrocarbon that exits the chamber via the hydrocarbon outlet port.

A boundary layer turbomachine can include a housing (10) defining an interior space and having an inlet opening and an outlet opening to facilitate movement of a fluid through the housing (10). The boundary layer turbomachine can also include a rotor assembly (20) disposed in the rotor chamber and configured to rotate about an axis of rotation (1). The rotor assembly (20) can have a plurality of disks (21) spaced apart along the axis of rotation (1) to provide gaps (54) between the disks (21). The plurality of disks (21) can also define an interior opening (26) along the axis of rotation (1). The rotor assembly (20) can have a disk carrier (46) disposed at least partially in the interior opening (26) in support of the plurality of disks (21). The disk carrier (46) can have a fluid passageway (47) exposed to two or more of the gaps (54) between the disks (21). The fluid can pass through gaps (54) between the disks (21) and the interior opening (26) as the fluid moves through the housing (10).

A boundary layer turbomachine can include a housing (10) defining an interior space and having an inlet opening and an outlet opening to facilitate movement of a fluid through the housing (10). The boundary layer turbomachine can also include a rotor assembly (20) disposed in the rotor chamber and configured to rotate about an axis of rotation (1). The rotor assembly (20) can have a plurality of disks (21) spaced apart along the axis of rotation (1) to provide gaps (54) between the disks (21). The plurality of disks (21) can also define an interior opening (26) along the axis of rotation (1). The rotor assembly (20) can have a disk carrier (46) disposed at least partially in the interior opening (26) in support of the plurality of disks (21). The disk carrier (46) can have a fluid passageway (47) exposed to two or more of the gaps (54) between the disks (21). The fluid can pass through gaps (54) between the disks (21) and the interior opening (26) as the fluid moves through the housing (10).

An integrated flow source is a limiting factor in numerous microfluidic applications. In addition to precise gradients and controlling molecular transports, a built-in source of stable and accurate flow can enable novel shear stress modulations for long-term cell culturing studies. The Tesla turbine, when used as a pump on the microfluidic regime, produces stable and accurate fluid gradients by utilizing laminar flow between its rotating discs Utilizing a stereolithography based 3D printer, a tesla pump (Ø10 cm) and associated housing capable of driving a microfluidic gradient is provided having a printed rotor surface topology of the pump in order to enhance pumping of biological fluids like blood at elevated viscosities. The surface topology is tuned via 3D pixilation, and this modulation completely recovered the pressure loss between pumping water at 1 cP versus glycerol solution at 3 cP. As a result, increased fluid viscosities, and even Non-Newtonian viscosities, can be used.

A vacuum pump generally comprises a low pressure portion and a high pressure portion separated by a gas impermeable partition. Gas molecules exit the low pressure portion through an opening in the partition and passively impinge on a featureless rotatable surface in the high pressure portion. A drive rotates the rotatable surface with tangential velocity in the supersonic range at multiple times the most probable velocity of the impinging gas molecules. Impinging gas molecules are ejected outwardly from the periphery of the rotatable surface generating a substantial net outward flow of gas and reducing the pressure in the low pressure portion. The vacuum pump is effective to reduce the pressure in the low pressure portion to a target minimum pressure without using seals to prevent gas molecules from leaking back to the low pressure portion and without using blades or vanes to actively impact the gas molecules.

A vacuum pump generally comprises a low pressure portion and a high pressure portion separated by a gas impermeable partition. Gas molecules exit the low pressure portion through an opening in the partition and passively impinge on a featureless rotatable surface in the high pressure portion. A drive rotates the rotatable surface with tangential velocity in the supersonic range at multiple times the most probable velocity of the impinging gas molecules. Impinging gas molecules are ejected outwardly from the periphery of the rotatable surface generating a substantial net outward flow of gas and reducing the pressure in the low pressure portion. The vacuum pump is effective to reduce the pressure in the low pressure portion to a target minimum pressure without using seals to prevent gas molecules from leaking back to the low pressure portion and without using blades or vanes to actively impact the gas molecules.

A machine for generating energy by exploiting the flow of a fluid. The machine includes a first fixed or static component part or stator which defines a first cylindrical inner surface and a second outer surface. The machine further includes a second component part or rotor configured to be rotated and accommodated in the inner space confined by the first cylindrical inner surface. The first fixed or static component part or stator is configured to introduce a fluid into the inner space confined by the first inner surface through the second outer surface and first inner surface of the stator, such that the interaction between the flow of fluid introduced into the inner space and the second component part or rotor results in the second component part or rotor being rotated.

A machine for generating energy by exploiting the flow of a fluid. The machine includes a first fixed or static component part or stator which defines a first cylindrical inner surface and a second outer surface. The machine further includes a second component part or rotor configured to be rotated and accommodated in the inner space confined by the first cylindrical inner surface. The first fixed or static component part or stator is configured to introduce a fluid into the inner space confined by the first inner surface through the second outer surface and first inner surface of the stator, such that the interaction between the flow of fluid introduced into the inner space and the second component part or rotor results in the second component part or rotor being rotated.