Rotor assembly for disc turbine
OwnerGuy Louis Letourneauinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A disc turbine rotor assembly comprised of spaced-apart discs includes means of spacing apart disc members of said rotor assembly, which allow for local variation and radial expansion under various local operating temperatures, without allowing axial deflection, deformation, or excessive warping of the disc material. Spacing means and positioning are provided which maintain desired gaps between planar disc surfaces, and may also establish tangential waves in the disc membranes in order to enhance boundary layer effects. Disc and spacer spokes combine to form a vane-axial type exhaust.
Claims14
A rotor assembly for a disc turbine, said rotor assembly comprising:
- a shaft;
- a plurality of discs mounted to said shaft for rotation therewith about an axis of rotation, each said disc comprising a disc membrane radially spaced from said axis of rotation and at least every other of said plurality of discs being a spacer disc provided with spacer means for maintaining a predetermined axial distance between the membranes of said discs, the membrane of said spacer discs defining a plurality of spacer receiving apertures,
- wherein said spacer means do not rigidly join any two adjacent discs and are axially aligned to form a spacer column extending the axial length of said rotor assembly, each said spacer means having a length and a lateral dimension perpendicular to said length, said spacer means passing through said aperture and fixed to said spacer disc such that said lateral dimension is disposed between said spacer disc membrane and the membranes of axially adjacent discs.
A rotor assembly for a disc turbine, said rotor assembly comprising:
- a shaft;
- a plurality of discs mounted to said shaft for rotation therewith about an axis of rotation, each said disc comprising a disc membrane radially spaced from said axis of rotation, said plurality of discs comprising end discs at the axial end of said rotor assembly, each of said plurality of discs except for said end discs being a spacer disc provided with a plurality of spacer means for maintaining a predetermined axial distance between the membranes of said discs, said spacer means comprising:
- a plurality of spacer receiving apertures through each said spacer disc membrane;
- and
- a plurality of spacers each comprising a shank integrally extending from an underside of a head having a thickness measured between the underside and a contact face, said head having a diameter greater than a diameter of said shank,
- wherein a spacer is retained in each said aperture by said shank with the head disposed between the membrane of the spacer disc and the membrane of an axially adjacent disc and said spacer means are axially aligned to form a spacer column extending the axial length of said rotor assembly.
A rotor assembly for a disc turbine, said rotor assembly comprising:
- a shaft;
- a plurality of discs mounted to said shaft for rotation therewith about an axis of rotation, each said disc comprising a disc membrane radially spaced from said axis of rotation and the membrane of at least every other of said plurality of discs being cut and twisted in at least one location of said disc membrane so as to provide opposed cantilevers as a column of material bilaterally projecting from the membrane and extending an opposed pair of axially spaced tips extending oppositely,
- wherein each of said oppositely extending tips define an axial spacing between a disc provided with said cantilevers and an adjacent disc membrane.
A rotor assembly for a disc turbine, said rotor assembly comprising:
- a shaft;
- a plurality of discs, each disc comprising a radially outer membrane and a plurality of vent openings radially inward of said membrane and defining a plurality of spokes,
- wherein said discs are mounted to said shaft for rotation therewith, each said disc mounted with an angular offset relative to a previous disc such that said vent openings form a helix as they progress in the axial direction.
A rotor assembly for a disc turbine, said rotor assembly comprising:
- a plurality of spaced apart discs mounted to a shaft for rotation therewith, said plurality of discs comprising:
- a first series of substantially planar discs interspersed with a second series of discs, each having a pattern of axial protrusions, adjacent discs in said second series being angularly offset from each other;
- and
- means for applying and maintaining an axially compressive force on said rotor assembly whereby discs in said first series are deflected into an undulating form by the offset axial protrusions of adjacent discs in said second series.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.