Apparatus employing shear forces to transmit energy having flow altering structures configured to increase heat rejection from a working fluid and related method

摘要

A device that employs shear forces to transmit energy includes an outer housing assembly, a disk, and a reservoir with a working fluid. The disk is received in and rotatable relative to the outer housing assembly. A working cavity is formed between a rotor portion of the disk and the outer housing assembly into which the working fluid is received to create shear forces. A plurality of flow altering structures are disposed on the outer housing assembly and are configured to reduce a thickness of a boundary layer of the working fluid in the working cavity in areas that are local to the flow altering structures.

主权项

1. An apparatus that employs shear forces to transmit energy, the apparatus comprising:
an outer housing assembly having a working cavity that is bounded by a first annular wall, a second annular wall and a circumferentially extending wall that is disposed between and connects the first and second annular walls, the first annular wall having a plurality of first concentric fluid grooves; a disk that is rotatably received in the outer housing assembly, the disk having a rotor portion that is received in the working cavity, the rotor portion having a first side, a second side and an outer circumferential surface, the first side having a plurality of first concentric ribs, each of the first concentric ribs being received in an associated one of the plurality of first concentric fluid grooves; a reservoir having a working fluid therein, the reservoir being coupled in fluid communication with the working cavity, wherein a working fluid flow path extends between the reservoir and the working cavity and includes a first gap, which is disposed axially between the first annular wall of the outer housing assembly and a first side of the rotor portion, a second gap, which is disposed axially between the second annular wall of the outer housing assembly and a second side of the rotor portion, and a third gap, which is disposed radially between a radially inner surface of the circumferentially extending wall of the outer housing assembly and the outer circumferential surface of the rotor portion; wherein at least one of the first annular wall and the circumferentially extending wall comprises a plurality of flow altering structures that are configured to reduce a thickness of a boundary layer of the working fluid adjacent the at least one of the first annular wall and the circumferentially extending wall at locations that are local to the flow altering structures when the disk is rotated relative to the outer housing assembly and a portion of the working fluid is in the working fluid flow path, the reduction in the thickness of the boundary layer of the working fluid being relative to a configuration of the at least one of the first annular wall and the circumferentially extending wall that does not comprise the plurality of flow altering structures.