Turbine and like rotary machines
AssigneeThe English Electric Company Limited
InventorAlan S. Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turbine or like rotary machine of the kind in which a fluid, either a liquid or gas, is arranged to act on a plurality of generally radially extending rotor blades, has each rotor blade fixed in position relative to the rotor hub and is substantially symmetrical about a plane perpendicular to the rotor axis, the blades having surfaces which are of generally aerofoil shape and being mounted with their leading edges facing in the same circumferential direction. The rotor of such a turbine can be driven by a generally axial flow of fluid, the direction of rotation being unchanged when the direction of flow of the fluid is reversed, so that it can be used to advantage in an oscillating or periodically reversing fluid flow. Such a flow may be provided or produced for example, by naturally occurring movement of air or water.
Claims15
A water turbine comprising a rotor for mounting below the surface of an expanse of water, and incorporating a plurality of generally radially extending rotor blades fixed in position relative to the rotor wherein each rotor blade is substantially symmetrical about a plane perpendicular to the rotor axis, and wherein the blades have surfaces which are of generally aerofoil shape and are mounted with their leading edges facing in the same circumferential direction, such that a flow of water past the blades generally parallel to the rotor axis produces a movement of the blades in a direction parallel to said plane of symmetry, and hence a rotation of the rotor in said circumferential direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.