US 2026/0309119 A1 · INFRASTRUCTURE-INTEGRATED FLUID TURBINE SYSTEM

Abstract

A sealed cylindrical turbine apparatus generates electricity from tidal currents, river flow, wind, pipe pressure, and vehicle or aircraft airflow when mounted to existing infrastructure without new construction or seabed drilling. Only the blade tube and its blade ring rotate; all other concentrically arranged layers are fixed. Blades on the inner cylindrical face extract kinetic energy from fluid flowing through an annular channel, driving a permanent magnet motor to generate electrical current transmitted through an external inverter to a grid or storage device. In tidal and river deployments the housing mounts around a pre-existing piling or structural member. In the tidal embodiment, bidirectional scroll chambers accelerate and pre-rotate incoming fluid before blade contact; paired flow gate assemblies maintain unidirectional blade rotation through flood and ebb phases and seal both inlets during storm surge. A dedicated thermal management and control layer provides storm detection, icing protection, and inter-unit mesh coordination.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A turbine apparatus for generating electrical energy from a fluid flow, comprising:

a sealed cylindrical housing having a longitudinal axis, the sealed cylindrical housing comprising a plurality of concentrically arranged layers including at least a rotating blade tube carrying a blade ring on an inner cylindrical face thereof, the blade ring having a plurality of blades extending radially inward toward the longitudinal axis, and a motor layer comprising a rotor incorporating high-strength permanent magnets and a stator configured to convert rotational energy into electrical energy, the motor layer operatively coupled to the blade tube, the blade tube being the sole rotating layer of the sealed cylindrical housing;
and a mounting interface configured to attach the sealed cylindrical housing to a pre-existing support structure without modification of the pre-existing support structure.

An infrastructure-integrated turbine apparatus comprising:

a sealed tubular turbine unit having a longitudinal bore axis and comprising a plurality of concentrically arranged sealed layers, a blade assembly comprising a blade ring carrying a plurality of blades on an inner cylindrical face thereof and defining an annular flow channel between the inner cylindrical face and a central bore of the sealed tubular turbine unit, the blade ring configured to rotate about the longitudinal bore axis when fluid flows through the annular flow channel, the plurality of blades extending radially inward from the inner cylindrical face toward the longitudinal bore axis, and an electromagnetic generator assembly comprising a permanent magnet array mounted to the blade ring and a stator winding mounted to a fixed layer of the plurality of concentrically arranged sealed layers;
and a clamping mounting interface configured to attach the sealed tubular turbine unit to a pre-existing structural member forming part of existing infrastructure, wherein the clamping mounting interface does not require drilling, anchoring to a seabed or riverbed, or any other modification of the pre-existing structural member.

A method of generating electrical current from fluid flow, comprising:

attaching a sealed cylindrical turbine housing to a pre-existing infrastructure structure using a clamping mounting interface that does not modify the pre-existing infrastructure structure;
directing fluid flow through an annular flow channel of the sealed cylindrical turbine housing to drive a rotating blade tube carrying a blade ring on an inner cylindrical face thereof, the blade ring having a plurality of blades extending radially inward toward a longitudinal axis of the sealed cylindrical turbine housing;
rotating a permanent magnet array mounted to the blade ring relative to a stationary stator winding to generate the electrical current;
and transmitting the electrical current through an inverter to an electrical grid or energy storage device.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Infrastructure-integrated fluid turbine system

Life of this patent

Infrastructure-integrated fluid turbine system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20