Modular balanced foil apparatus and method
AssigneeResHydro LLC
InventorColin Kerr
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various embodiments of an apparatus and method for extracting useful work from a fluid stream are disclosed. Some embodiments comprise balanced hydrofoils comprising upper and lower semifoils joined by a member. Some embodiments comprise an array of removable hydrofoil modules wherein each module is adapted to provide an independent power contribution to an overall system, depending on speed of the fluid stream in the vicinity of the module, and each module is further adapted to provide its power contribution at a substantially consistent pressure to an array-wide high pressure fluid circuit. These and other embodiments are further disclosed herein.
Claims21
An apparatus for converting kinetic energy of a fluid stream into useful work, the apparatus comprising a plurality of hydrofoil modules, each hydrofoil module comprising:
- a plurality of balanced foils, a balanced foil comprising top and bottom semifoils joined by a member;
- and
- at least one translational transducer adapted to, in response to translational forces from the plurality of balanced foils, provide fluid pressure conveyable by a fluid conduit;
- wherein:
- a member joining a top semi-foil to a bottom semi-foil is mechanically linked to the at least one translational transducer for conveying translational force to the translational transducer;
- and
- the plurality of balanced foils and the at least one translational transducer are mounted within a module frame such that vertical axes of adjacent balanced foils are maintained parallel to each other and are limited to translational and rotational oscillatory movement within a translational range of motion and within a rotational range of motion.
An apparatus for converting kinetic energy of a fluid stream into useful work, the apparatus comprising a plurality of hydrofoil modules, each hydrofoil module comprising:
- a plurality of hydrofoils;
- and
- at least one translational transducer adapted to, in response to translational forces from the plurality of hydrofoils, provide fluid pressure conveyable by a fluid conduit;
- wherein:
- a hydrofoil of the plurality of hydrofoils is mechanically linked to the at least one translational transducer for conveying translational force to the translational transducer;
- the plurality of hydrofoils and the at least one translational transducer are mounted within a module frame such that vertical axes of adjacent balanced foils are maintained parallel to each other and are limited to translational and rotational oscillatory movement within a translational range of motion and within a rotational range of motion;
- and
- each module frame is adapted for mounting within a cell of an array frame, such that a plurality of modules so mounted provide an array of hydrofoil modules.
16-20. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.