[labcomputer]

> this is basically a trompe

Is it though? They don't really explain how it works or show any diagrams, and they said it was "inspired by" the trompe. So I'm a bit confused on that point.

It really looks more like a mashup of a centrifugal compressor and a diffusion pump. One where water instead of oil is used as the working fluid.

[LorenPechtel]

As I see it, the trompe has the problem of needing a lot of distance for gravity to operate it. This basically uses a centrifuge to increase the "gravity" and thus reduce the size.

[labcomputer]

Ah yup. I was misremembering what a tromp was--I was thinking one of those cyclic pumps that uses water hammer (but to compress air rather than pump water).