# US 10,502,178 B2 · In-bank veritcal axis hydropower system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,178 B2 - Document ID: US10502178B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/914,183 - Filed: 2018-03-07 - Published: 2018-09-13 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-10 - Assignees: Regents of the University of Minnesota - Applicants: Regents of the University of Minnesota - Inventors: Michele Guala; Jeffrey Marr; Lian Shen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502178B2 ## CPC - F03B 7/00: Water wheels {(of swinging flap type F03B17/06)} - F03B 13/00: Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus (if the apparatus aspects are predominant, see the relevant subclasses for such apparatus, e.g. H02K7/18); Power stations or aggregates (incorporating only machines or engines of positive-displacement type F03C; hydraulic engineering aspects E02B; {combinations with wind energy converters F03D9/008}) - F03B 17/063: {the flow engaging parts having no movement relative to the rotor during its rotation} - F05B 2240/24: for turbines - F05B 2240/30: Characteristics of rotor blades, i.e. of any element transforming dynamic fluid energy to or from rotational energy and being attached to a rotor - F05B 2240/91: on a stationary structure - Y02E 10/20: Hydro energy - Y02E 10/30: Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient - F03B: MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS (positive-displacement engines for liquid F03C; machines for liquids and gases F01; positive-displacement machines for liquids F04, rotary fluid gearing of the hydrokinetic type F16H41/00) - F05B: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A hydropower system for generating electrical energy from water flowing along a bank includes a shaft configured to rotate about a vertical axis, an electrical generator configured to generate electrical energy in response to rotation of the shaft, and a first hydrokinetic device including a plurality of blades attached to the shaft and angularly displaced from each other around the axis. A portion of the first hydrokinetic device is submerged in the water within a cavity formed in the bank, and a portion of the first hydrokinetic device extends outside the cavity and is submerged within the flowing water. The flowing water pushes on the blades located outside the cavity, which drives rotation of the first hydrokinetic device and the shaft about the axis. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A hydropower system for generating electrical energy from water flowing along a bank comprising: a shaft configured to rotate about a vertical axis; an electrical generator configured to generate electrical energy in response to rotation of the shaft; and a first hydrokinetic device including a plurality of blades attached to the shaft and angularly displaced from each other around the axis; wherein: a portion of the first hydrokinetic device is submerged in the water within a cavity formed in the bank, and a portion of the first hydrokinetic device extends outside the cavity and is submerged within the flowing water; and the flowing water pushes on the blades located outside the cavity, which drives rotation of the first hydrokinetic device and the shaft about the axis. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first hydrokinetic device includes one or more support members attached to the shaft, the one or more support members radially displacing the plurality of blades from the shaft. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein a horizontal plane extending perpendicularly to the axis extends through each of the plurality of blades and the one or more support members. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of blades extends along a vertical plane that is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane and substantially parallel to the axis. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein each of the blades includes a high drag trailing side and a low drag leading side relative to a direction of rotation of the first hydrokinetic device and the shaft in response to the flowing water. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein each of the high drag trailing sides includes a concave surface, and each of the low drag leading sides includes a convex surface. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the cavity shields the blades of the first hydrokinetic device within the cavity from the flowing water. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: the system comprises a second hydrokinetic device attached to the shaft a location that is displaced along the axis from the first hydrokinetic device, the second hydrokinetic device including a plurality of blades attached to the shaft; a portion of the second hydrokinetic device is submerged in the water within the cavity, and a portion of the second hydrokinetic device extends outside the cavity and is submerged within the flowing water; and the flowing water pushes on the blades of the portion of the second hydrokinetic device located outside the cavity, which drives rotation of the second hydrokinetic device and the shaft about the axis. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more bearings supporting the shaft for rotation about the axis. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising shielding extending from the bank and into the flowing water, the shielding configured to protect the blades extending outside the cavity from debris within the flowing water. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the shielding is configured to block debris in the flowing water from entering the cavity. ### Claim 12 A method of generating electrical energy from water flowing along a bank comprising: supporting a first hydrokinetic device having a plurality of blades within the water along the bank, wherein a portion of the first hydrokinetic device is submerged in the water within a cavity formed in the bank, and a portion of the first hydrokinetic device extends outside the cavity and is submerged within the flowing water; driving rotation of the first hydrokinetic device about a vertical axis in response to the flowing water pushing on the blades of the portion of the first hydrokinetic device located outside the cavity; rotating a shaft attached to the first hydrokinetic device in response to driving rotation of the first hydrokinetic device; and generating electrical energy using an electrical generator in response to the rotation of the shaft. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising radially displacing the blades of the first hydrokinetic device from the shaft using one or more support members attached to the shaft. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising shielding the blades of the portion of the first hydrokinetic device within the cavity from the flowing water using the cavity. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein: a horizontal plane extending perpendicularly to the axis extends through each of the plurality of blades and the one or more support members; and each of the plurality of blades extends along a vertical plane that is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane and substantially parallel to the axis. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein: each of the blades includes a high drag trailing side comprising a concave surface and a low drag leading side comprising a convex surface relative to a direction of rotation of the first hydrokinetic device and the shaft; and driving rotation of the first hydrokinetic device comprises capturing kinetic energy of the flowing water using the high drag trailing side of the blades. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising reducing erosive forces along the bank comprising reducing a velocity of the water flowing along the bank in response to driving rotation of the first hydrokinetic device about the vertical axis. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising driving rotation of the shaft using a second hydrokinetic device attached to the shaft a location that is displaced along the axis from the first hydrokinetic device using the flowing water, the second hydrokinetic device including a plurality of blades attached to the shaft. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein: a portion of the second hydrokinetic device is submerged in the water within the cavity, and a portion of the second hydrokinetic device extends outside the cavity and is submerged within the flowing water; and driving rotation of the shaft using the second hydrokinetic device comprises pushing the blades of the portion of the second hydrokinetic device located outside the cavity using the flowing water. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising protecting the blades of the portion of the first hydrokinetic device extending outside the cavity using shielding extending from the bank.