Abstract: A regenerative blower-compressor includes an impeller mounted to a drive shaft within a housing including a channel extending from an inlet adjacent to a low fluid-pressure region of the channel to an outlet adjacent to a high fluid-pressure region of the channel, the impeller extends radially outward through an annular volume within the housing from the drive shaft to blades in the channel and is configured to rotate for rotating the blades through the channel for forcing fluid through the channel from the inlet to the outlet in response to rotation of the drive shaft, the drive shaft extends from the impeller within the annular volume to into a shaft chamber within the housing configured to receive fluid from the high fluid-pressure region of the channel, and a port configured to vent fluid directly from the shaft chamber to into the low fluid-pressure region of the channel.

Abstract: A regenerative blower-compressor includes an impeller mounted to a drive shaft within a housing including a channel extending from an inlet adjacent to a low fluid-pressure region of the channel to an outlet adjacent to a high fluid-pressure region of the channel, the impeller extends radially outward through an annular volume within the housing from the drive shaft to blades in the channel and is configured to rotate for rotating the blades through the channel for forcing fluid through the channel from the inlet to the outlet in response to rotation of the drive shaft, the drive shaft extends from the impeller within the annular volume to into a shaft chamber within the housing configured to receive fluid from the high fluid-pressure region of the channel, and a port configured to vent fluid directly from the shaft chamber to into the low fluid-pressure region of the channel.

Abstract: A regenerative blower includes an annular housing assembly that surrounds a rotating impeller and defines a toroidal flow channel, an inlet to admit fluid to the toroidal flow channel, an outlet to discharge fluid from the toroidal flow channel, a low fluid-pressure region of the toroidal flow channel proximate to the inlet, and a high fluid-pressure region of the toroidal flow channel proximate to the outlet. A non-contact interaction between concentric surface contours of the impeller and the housing assembly form opposed concentric fluid pathways between the impeller and the housing assembly from the high to low fluid-pressure regions of the toroidal flow channel. The opposed concentric fluid pathways are so convoluted as to restrict fluid from flowing therethrough from the high fluid-pressure region of the toroidal flow channel to the low fluid-pressure region of the toroidal flow channel.

Abstract: A regenerative blower includes an annular housing assembly that surrounds a rotating impeller and defines a toroidal flow channel, an inlet to admit fluid to the toroidal flow channel, an outlet to discharge fluid from the toroidal flow channel, a low fluid-pressure region of the toroidal flow channel proximate to the inlet, and a high fluid-pressure region of the toroidal flow channel proximate to the outlet. A non-contact interaction between concentric surface contours of the impeller and the housing assembly form opposed concentric fluid pathways between the impeller and the housing assembly from the high to low fluid-pressure regions of the toroidal flow channel. The opposed concentric fluid pathways are so convoluted as to restrict fluid from flowing therethrough from the high fluid-pressure region of the toroidal flow channel to the low fluid-pressure region of the toroidal flow channel.