Cyclorotors
AssigneeGE Energy Power Conversion Technology Limited
InventorsLionel Julliand, Jorgen Jorde, Theo Grall
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Abstract
An arrangement is described includes a pressurised gas system and a cyclorotor located within an annular structure. The cyclorotor can be a propulsor for a marine vessel and includes a rotary housing spaced apart from the structure by an annular volume, and a plurality of blades extending from a surface of the rotary housing, each blade having a respective blade axis about which it can be pivoted relative to the rotary housing. The pressurised gas system includes a pressurised gas supply, one or more gas outlets in fluid communication with the annular volume, and a gas supply unit with a controller adapted to control the delivery of pressurised gas from the pressurised gas supply into the annular volume through the one or more gas outlets.
Claims24
An arrangement comprising a cyclorotor located within an annular structure and a pressurized gas system, the cyclorotor comprising a rotary housing spaced apart from the annular structure by an annular volume, and a plurality of blades (i) being mounted in a respective blade module of a plurality of blade modules extending radially outwardly from a main body of the rotary housing and (ii) extending from a bottom surface of the rotary housing, each blade having a respective blade axis about which it can be pivoted relative to the rotary housing;
- wherein, the annular volume comprises one or more recessed areas being defined between adjacent blade modules of the plurality of blade modules;
- wherein, the pressurized gas system comprises:
- a pressurized gas supply;
- and
- one or more gas outlets in fluid communication with each recessed area of the plurality of recessed areas of the annular volume;
- and
- wherein, in operation, the pressurized gas system facilitates a delivery of pressurized gas from the pressurized gas supply into the annular volume through the one or more gas outlets, thereby displacing water from the recessed areas.
A method of operating a cyclorotor located within an annular structure, the cyclorotor comprising:
- a rotary housing spaced apart from the annular structure by an annular volume;
- and
- a plurality of blades (i) being mounted in a respective blade module of a plurality of blade modules extending radially outwardly from a main body of the rotary housing and (ii) extending from a bottom surface the rotary housing, each blade having a respective blade axis about which it can be pivoted relative to the rotary housing;
- wherein, the annular volume comprises one or more recessed areas being defined between adjacent blade modules of the plurality of blade modules,
- the method comprising delivering pressurized gas into the annular volume through one or more gas outlets that are in fluid communication with the annular volume, thereby displacing water from the recessed areas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.