US Patent 11460051 Pressure exchanger wear prevention

Apparatus and methods for pressurizing well operations fluids via a pressure exchanger. The pressure exchanger has a housing, a rotor within the housing, a first cap covering the rotor at a first end of the housing, and a second cap covering the rotor at a second end of the housing. The rotor includes chambers distributed around a central axis of the rotor and a first fluid passage. Each of the chambers and the first fluid passage extend through the rotor between a first face of the rotor and a second face of the rotor. The first cap includes a first fluid inlet, a first fluid outlet, and a second fluid passage, and the second cap includes a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet. The second fluid passage fluidly connects the first fluid passage with the first fluid outlet.