Water-driven elongated-conveyor turbine and method of using a water-driven elongated-conveyor turbine

#This invention relates generally to converting mechanical energy to electrical energy and more particularly concerns harnessing the power generated by the movement of large masses of water such as ocean tides and the flow of rivers and streams.

#The two most common types of hydrokinetic turbine are axial flow turbines and cross-flow turbines. Axial flow turbines are Ferris-wheel-like devices. Peripheral blades rotate about a center axis. Each blade is perpendicular to the driving water flow only at the nadir of the wheel. Cross-flow turbines are propeller-like devices. Radial blades on a center shaft rotate in transverse relationship to the driving water flow.

#Low head turbines such as water wheels have extremely low efficiency. Therefore, sections of rivers with little or no head are not economical resources for axial water flow power generation. More traditional turbines such as those of Francis, Pelton and Kaplan require high heads of water to generate the pressure and velocity necessary for operation. Therefore, sections of rivers with little or no head are not at all economical resources for cross water flow power generation.

#Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 is a rear left top perspective view of a preferred conveyor and power take-off assembly of a water-driven turbine in accordance with the invention;

#FIG. 2 is a right elevation view of the left side of the preferred conveyor and power take-off assembly of FIG. 1;

#While the invention will be described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments or to the details of the construction or arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

#Turning first to FIGS. 1 and 2, various embodiments of a water-driven turbine in accordance with the invention have in common an elongated endless conveyor 10 including a down-streaming straightaway 11 and an up-streaming straightaway 13 connected at their ends by downstream and upstream travel-reversing turns 15 and 17. As used herein, “downstream” and “upstream” and “down-streaming” and “up streaming” are in reference to the direction of flow of water F. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred conveyor 10 consists of two lengthwise chains 20 and two widthwise, preferably identical, sprocket assemblies 30 forming a generally orthogonal conveyor 10.

#Each conveyor chain 20 consists of a series of links 21 in which paddle-attachment links 23 are correspondingly interspersed. Each sprocket assembly 30 has two sprockets 31, one mounted on each end of a widthwise shaft 33, for rotation in unison. Each lengthwise conveyor chain 20 is engaged on corresponding sprockets 31 of the two sprocket assemblies 30. The shafts 33 and sprockets 31 rotate and the chains 20 travel in unison in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction. In a deployment mode, an external source of energy (not shown) drives the conveyor 10. In a power-generating mode, the flow of water F drives the conveyor 10.