Apparatus for altering the physical properties of fluids

Abstract

A system for fluid processing is provided to control shear, point velocity and pressure in either a Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluid which includes creation of three fields, namely a dynamic microshear field, a dynamic velocity field and a dynamic pressure field, with the fields being created by the injection of energy between 1 KHz and 10 MHz into the fluid. Control is achieved by control of the angle at which mechanical energy is delivered, steering and/or focusing of the energy, control of the amplitude of the energy waveform, of the energy, and control of the frequency of the energy in one embodiment to eliminate standing waves. By controlling the three fields, the system is able to control overall fluid behavior. In one embodiment, energy is injected into a fluid at any angle to the direction of flow assuming the fluid is flowing, with the injected energy providing a predetermined controllable zone of energy in the fluid at the region of energy injection. In another embodiment, the container itself is a transducer that acts as a processor, where the energy comes from the container itself. In a further embodiment, a phased array is used for electronically steering and focusing energy to any point within the fluid volume to provide for the desired shear, velocity and pressure distributions. Note that the direction and focusing of the injection of energy is turnable by physically moving a transducer or by the use of a phased array.