Turbine Including Helical Longitudinal Blades
OwnerCharles B. Culpepperinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention disclosed herein comprises a system focusing water current into a relatively smaller diameter lumen, imparting vortical movement to the current, and directing the water vortex through an even smaller diameter lumen en route to turbine blades having long curved blades rotatable along an axis parallel with the lumen. Rotation of the turbine blades turns gearing interfacing with the circumference of the turbine assembly, to rotate a drive shaft connected to a generator.
Claims17
An apparatus comprising a water collection component and a turbine for a hydro-electric generator system to generate electricity from water current, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a housing including an upstream funnel end and a downstream turbine end and defining a lumen therebetween, said funnel end defining a constricting lumen orientable in a same direction as the water current and focusing water flow into the lumen, the housing and its lumen having a longitudinal lumen axis generally aligned in the same direction as the water current;
- (b) said constricting portion of said lumen terminating at a throat portion of said housing, said throat portion including a throat-valve;
- and
- (c) said downstream turbine end comprising at least one turbine having a plurality of blades, each extending longitudinally in a same direction as the lumen axis and including a primary face diagonally opposed to the water flow and rotatable around the lumen axis.
An apparatus comprising a water collection component and a turbine for a hydro-electric generator system to generate electricity from water current, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a housing including an upstream funnel end and a downstream turbine end and defining a lumen therebetween, said funnel end defining a constricting lumen orientable in a same direction as the water current and focusing water flow into the lumen, the housing and its lumen having a longitudinal lumen axis generally aligned in the same direction as the water current;
- said constricting portion of said lumen terminating at a throat portion of said housing, said throat portion including a throat-valve;
- and
- (b) said downstream turbine end comprising at least one turbine comprising a sleeve telescopically received within the housing and having an inner surface connected to and supporting a plurality of blades, each blade having an outer peripheral edge anchored to the sleeve and having an inner axial edge separated by a short distance from the lumen axis such that an interior passageway is formed about the lumen axis by the inner axial edges of the plurality of blades, each blade having a vortically curved primary face between the peripheral edge and the axial edge;
- (c) said turbine end further comprising a means for governing blade rotation including at least one rail-ring encircling an outer circumference of said sleeve, said rail-ring comprising a base portion including a plurality of gear-teeth cutouts, and an apex upstanding from said base portion, said means for governing blade rotation further comprising a plurality of rail-riding wheels anchored to said housing and extending into the lumen in cooperating alignment with said rail-ring apex, said means for governing blade rotation further comprising at least one gearwheel having teeth meshing with said gear-teeth cutouts, said gearwheel rotating a drive shaft extending through the housing and operably engaging with an electric generator;
- (d) wherein rotation of the blades by the water flow causes sleeve rotation and consequent rail-ring rotation, thereby causing rotation each gearwheel and driveshaft thereof, thereby causing generation of electricity by any electric generator operatively engaged thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.