Propulsive thrust ring system

An apparatus for moving fluid through an opening in an enclosure bounded by a wall to which the apparatus is mounted, comprising:

• a motor;
• a propeller mounted in the opening with the wall being within the. axial span of the propeller, the propeller being coupled to the motor for rotation thereby about an axis to move fluid downstream through the opening;
• a propulsion ring being so mounted with respect to the wall so that the ring and the wall surround the propeller within Its axial span, said ring being so sized and so spaced from the wall and from the propeller as to form a flow augmentation aperture therewith with which an upstream fluid flow is converted by the propeller to useful fluid flow;
• whereby a fluid seal effect is obtained between the propeller and the wall for a reduction of seepage of the upstream fluid flow through the opening.

A fan for moving air through an opening in a housing having a wall to which the fan is mounted, comprising:

• a motor;
• a propeller mounted in the opening and coupled to the motor for rotation thereby about an axis to move air downstream through the opening in the wall into the housing;
• a multiple ring cage structure formed of a plurality of rings and placed to surround the propeller within its axial span, said rings being so sized and so spaced from each other and from the propeller as to enable gas tip vortices from the propeller to be converted to useful gas flow;
• selected rings being mounted outside of the housing wall and at least one of said rings being mounted inside the housing wall around the opening and being so spaced from the wall so as to redirect upstream gas flow, arising inside the housing, into useful gas flow that is recirculated into the housing, whereby a gas seal effect is obtained between the propeller and the wall against seepage of air from inside the housing through the opening.

A fan for moving air through a first opening in a wall of an enclosure, comprising:

• means for forming an air pressure chamber with a second opening in communication with outside air external to the air pressure chamber in desired alignment with the first opening in the wall;
• a first fan having a first propeller mounted in the first opening to move air between the air pressure chamber and the enclosure in a downstream direction;
• a first multiple ring cage structure formed of a plurality of rings and placed to surround the first propeller within its axial span, said rings being so sized and so spaced from each other and from the first propeller as to enable tip vortices from the propeller to be converted to useful flow in the downstream direction, selected rings being mounted within the air pressure chamber and at least one of said rings being mounted inside the enclosure and spaced from the wall;
• a second fan having a second propeller mounted in the second opening to move air between outside air and said air chamber in said downstream direction;
• a second multiple ring cage structure formed of a plurality of second rings and placed to surround the second propeller within its axial span, said rings of said second multiple ring structure being so sized and so spaced from each other and from the second propeller as to enable tip vortices from the second propeller to be converted to useful flow in said downstream direction, selected rings being mounted within the outside air external to the air pressure chamber with at least one of said rings of the second ring cage structure being inside the pressure chamber in spaced relationship from a wall thereof.