High efficiency turbine impeller
AssigneesUniversita della Calabria, Officine Meccaniche Zema
InventorsGiancarlo Alfonsi, Agostino Lauria
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Abstract
A high performance hybrid turbine is provided which has an impeller towards which a fluid flow of water, air, or other fluid is conveyed for rotation of the impeller around an axis of rotation. The impeller exploits the thrusts that the fluid flow exerts on the elements constituting the impeller and the thrusts generated by a certain number of airfoils provided inside the elements of the impeller. The high performance hybrid turbine, if used as a wind turbine, can operate at much higher wind speeds than conventional wind turbines.
Claims11
A turbine impeller configured to be driven by a fluid flow, having:
- an axis of rotation, and
- a plurality of constituent elements arranged around said axis of rotation,
- wherein each constituent element of said plurality of constituent elements comprises:
- an internal portion comprising a first opening and a second opening placed at two different heights with respect to said axis of rotation and connected by a chamber configured to be run through by the fluid flow, said chamber having an extension development in axial direction and converging towards said axis of rotation;
- a first middle portion fluidically connected to said first opening, and a second middle portion fluidically connected to said second opening, said first and said second middle portions being configured to deflect the fluid flow from a radial direction to a direction at an angle (a) from said radial direction on a plane perpendicular to said axis of rotation;
- and
- a first external portion fluidically connected to said first middle portion, and a second external portion fluidically connected to said second middle portion, said first and second external portions being convergent respectively towards said first and second middle portions;
- and wherein only said first and said second middle portions include each one or more internal airfoils configured to deflect the fluid flow from said radial direction to said direction at the angle (α) and to increase a rotational force generated by the interaction between the fluid flow and the plurality of constituent elements of the turbine impeller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.