Cross flow machine

Claim 1

A MULTI-STAGE FLOW MACHINE COMPRISING A HOUSING DEFINING A INLET ADJACENT ONE END AND AN OUTLET ADJACENT THE OTHER, A ROTOR ASSEMBLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CONSTITUENT ROTORS, ONE FOR EACH STAGE AND EACH HAVING LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED BLADES ARRANGED IN A RING ABOUT THE AXIS TO DEFINE AN INTERIOR SPACE, WALL MEANS DIVIDING THE HOUSING INTO A PLURALITY OF COMPARTMETS ONE FOR EACH CONSTITUENT ROTOR, GUIDE MEANS DEFINING WITH THE ROTOR IN EACH COMPARTMENT AN ENTRY AND A DISCHARGE REGION, THE GUIDE MEANS IN EACH COMPARTMENT CO-OPERATING WITH THE ROTOR THEREIN ON ROTATION OF THE LATTER IN SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION TO SET UP A VORTEX OF RANKINE CHARACTER HAVING A CORE REGION ECCENTRIC OF THE ROTOR AXIS AND ADJACENT THE GUIDE BODY AND A FIELD REGION WHEREIN FLUID IS GUIDED FORM THE ENTRY REGION THROUGH THE PATH OF THE ROTATING BLADES OF THE ROTOR TO THE INTERIOR SPACE WITHIN THE ROTOR AND THENCE AGAIN THROUGH THE PATH OF THE ROTATING BLADES OF THE ROTOR TO THE DISCHARGE REGION FLOW TAKING PLACE THROUGH THE ROTOR IN PLANES TRANSVERSE TO THE ROTOR AXIS AND AS SEEN IN SUCH PLANES BEING STRONGLY CURVED ABOUT THE VORTEX CORE, SAID GUIDE MEANS ALSO DEFINING A DIFFUSER BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT COMPARTMENTS SAID DIFFUSER HAVING A CENTRE LINE WHICH IS CONTINUOUSLY CURVED IN THE SAME SENSE AS FLOW THROUGH THE ROTOR AND LEADING FLOW FROM THE ROTOR NEARER THE INLET TO THE ENTRY REGION OF THE ROTOR NEARER THE OUTLET THE ROTOR NEAREST THE INLET HAVING ITS ENTRY REGION COMMUNICATING THEREWITH AND THE ROTOR NEAREST THE OUTLET DISCHARGING THERETHROUGH.