Ball turbine

Abstract

A turbine method and apparatus having a stator and rotor mounted for rotation relative to the stator. The stator has at least one groove facing the rotor and the rotor has at least one groove facing the stator, the direction of each rotor groove intersecting the direction of a corresponding one of the stator grooves to form a round channel for retention of a ball driven by intermittently inserted propelling fluid as the closely fitted lands of the stator and rotor partially seal the space holding the ball as it rolls along this channel between a presssure inlet and outlet thereof. A return passage returns the ball from the channel outlet to the channel inlet in response to a portion of the propelling fluid or a mechanical moving element. The stator groove may be straight or curved and the rotor groove straight or both the stator and rotor grooves may be curved at different angles. Optionally, a torus ring having left or right hand helical grooves may be enclosed in a like grooved stator body with opposed left and right hand helical grooving. The stator is fitted to the outside of the torus ring. The cylindrical rotor has a grooved concave surface fitted to the inside of the torus ring. The rotor groove direction can be common with the rotor axis or turn around a left or right hand spiral. The grooved intersections of the rotor, the torus ring and the stator provide channels for accommodating a plurality of propelled balls driven in continuous circuits forming helical paths around the torus ring. A disc encircling and fixed to the torus ring has a plurality of apertures cooperating with a like plurality of ports in the stator to provide valving to first supply fluid pressure to propel the balls and then to exhaust the same.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.