Fluid energy converter
AssigneeViryd Technologies Inc.
InventorDonald C. Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments include apparatus and methods of fluid energy conversion. One embodiment relates to a tube for a fluid energy converter. The tube may include a generally cylindrical and hollow body having an interior surface, an exterior surface, and a longitudinal axis. Another embodiment includes a fluid energy converter having a longitudinal axis and a rotatable tube coaxial about the longitudinal axis. In some embodiments, the rotatable tube converts kinetic energy in a fluid into rotating mechanical energy, or converts rotating mechanical energy into kinetic energy in a fluid.
Claims20
A fluid energy converter having a longitudinal axis comprising:
- a rotor coaxial about the longitudinal axis;
- a shaft coincident with the longitudinal axis and operationally coupled to the rotor;
- and
- a nacelle position coaxially about the longitudinal axis, wherein the nacelle is positioned inside the rotor.
A nacelle for a fluid energy converter, the nacelle comprising:
- a hollow body having an interior and an exterior;
- and
- a plurality of helical vanes coupled to the exterior.
A method of operating a fluid energy converter, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a rotor;
- mounting a nacelle on the interior of the rotor, the nacelle having a hollow body with an interior and an exterior surface;
- mounting the rotor such that a longitudinal axis of the rotor is substantially parallel to a fluid stream;
- and
- pitching and/or yawing the rotor relative to the flow direction of the fluid stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.