METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ACTING UPON FLUIDS BY MEANS OF A SHOCK WAVE

摘要

A two-phase mixture of at least two fluids which is supplied with subsonic velocity through associated feed lines (4, 3) is accelerated to sound velocity by means of a nozzle (2). Upon the exit from the narrowest cross-sectional area (6) of the nozzle (2) the two-phase mixture is expanded in an expansion chamber (10) to supersonic velocity. The two-phase mixture expanded to supersonic velocity is thereafter brought to ambient pressure substantially as a one-phase mixture after flowing off through a diffuser passage (9) by means of a shock wave built up in an outlet channel (8). The outlet channel (8) has a constant cross-sectional area the hydraulic diameter of which is as great as the hydraulic diameter of the narrowest cross-sectional area (6) of the nozzle (2) or amounts to up to the three-fold of this hydraulic diameter. An outlet (11) provided with a relief valve (22) is connected to the expansion chamber (10). After termination of a starting operation a continuous operation appears with the shock wave being stably maintained in axial direction in the outlet channel. In this manner a good mixture of the fluids can be obtained because of the angular flow and the relative velocities of the fluids, by condensation during the transition in the two-phase condition as well as by boiling and vaporization in the range of the supersonic flow and following thereto in the shock wave because of its "shattering effect".