Concepts Nrec, LLC

Concepts Eti, Inc.

David Japikse

Alexander Gofer

Kevin Fairman

Tsuguji Nakano

Douglas M DeBenedictis

Frederick L Zink

Derek J Cooper

Frederick E Becker

Alexander Plomp

Daniel V Hinch

Francis A Di Bella

David M Karon

Daniel O Baun

Flow control devices and structures for turbomachines. In some examples, the flow control devices and structures include various arrangements of flow guiding channels, partial height vanes, and other treatments located on one or both of a shroud and hub side of a turbomachine to redirect, guide, or otherwise influence portions of a turbomachine flow field to thereby improve the performance of the machine.

Flow control structures for enhanced performance and turbomachines incorporating the same

Turbomachines having one or more flow guiding features designed to increase the performance of the turbomachine. In some examples, flow guiding features are designed and configured to bias a circumferential pressure distribution at a diffuser inlet toward circumferential uniformity, otherwise account for such low-frequency spatial pressure variations, increase the controllability of spatial flow field variations, or modifying flow field variations, etc. In some examples, a diffuser having a row of vanes that include a plurality of first vanes and at least one second vane having a different characteristic than the first vanes are disclosed. In some examples, diffusers having an aperiodic section including one or more biased passages for biasing a flow field are disclosed. And in some examples, turbomachines having flowwise elongate recesses in one or both of a hub and shroud surface are disclosed.

Biased passages for turbomachinery

Turbomachines having one or more flow guiding features designed to increase the performance of the turbomachine. In some examples, flow guiding features are designed and configured to bias a circumferential pressure distribution at a diffuser inlet toward circumferential uniformity, otherwise account for such low-frequency spatial pressure variations, increase the controllability of spatial flow field variations, or modifying flow field variations, etc. In some examples, a diffuser having a row of vanes that include a plurality of first vanes and at least one second vane having a different characteristic than the first vanes are disclosed. In some examples, diffusers have an aperiodic section including one or more biased passages for biasing a flow field. And in some examples, turbomachines have flowwise elongate recesses in one or both of a hub and shroud surface.

A turbine and a turbine-generator device for use in electricity generation. The turbine has a universal design and so may be relatively easily modified for use in connection with generators having a rated power output in the range of 50 KW to 5 MW. Such modifications are achieved, in part, through use of a modular turbine cartridge built up of discrete rotor and stator plates sized for the desired application with turbine brush seals chosen to accommodate radial rotor movements from the supported generator. The cartridge may be installed and removed from the turbine relatively easily for maintenance or rebuilding. The rotor housing is designed to be relatively easily machined to dimensions that meet desired operating parameters.

ORC turbine and generator, and method of making a turbine

Flow control devices and structures designed and configured to improve the performance of a turbomachine. Exemplary flow control devices may include various flow guiding channels, ribs, diffuser passage-width reductions, and other treatments and may be located on one or both of a shroud and hub side of a machine to redirect, guide, or otherwise influence portions of a turbomachine flow field to thereby improve the performance of the machine.

Flow control structures for turbomachines and methods of designing the same

Turbomachines having one or more flow guiding features designed to increase the performance of the turbomachine (). In some examples, flow guiding features are designed and configured to bias a circumferential pressure distribution at a diffuser inlet () toward circumferential uniformity, otherwise account for such low-frequency spatial pressure variations, increase the controllability of spatial flow field variations, or modifying flow field variations, etc. In some examples, a diffuser () having a row () of vanes () that include a plurality of first vanes () and at least one second vane (A,B,A,B,) having a different characteristic than the first vanes () are disclosed. In some examples, diffusers () having an aperiodic section () including one or more biased passages (A,A,B,A,A,) for biasing a flow field are disclosed. And in some examples, turbomachines having flowwise elongate recesses () in one or both of a hub () and shroud () surface are disclosed.

Turbomachines having close-coupling flow guides (CCFGs) that are designed and configured to closely-couple flow fields of adjacent bladed elements. In some embodiments, the CCFGs may be located in regions extending between the adjacent bladed elements, described herein as coupling avoidance zones, where conventional turbomachine design would suggest no structure should be added. In yet other embodiments, CCFGs are located upstream and/or downstream of rows of blades coupled to the bladed elements, including overlapping one of more of the rows of blades, to improve flow coupling and machine performance. Methods of designing turbomachines to incorporate CCFGs are also provided.

Structures and methods for forcing coupling of flow fields of adjacent bladed elements of turbomachines, and turbomachines incorporating the same

A turbine-generator device for use in electricity generation using heat from industrial processes, renewable energy sources and other sources. The generator may be cooled by introducing into the gap between the rotor and stator liquid that is vaporized or atomized prior to introduction, which liquid is condensed from gases exhausted from the turbine. The turbine has a universal design and so may be relatively easily modified for use in connection with generators having a rated power output in the range of 50 KW to 5 MW. Such modifications are achieved, in part, through use of a modular turbine cartridge built up of discrete rotor and stator plates sized for the desired application with turbine brush seals chosen to accommodate radial rotor movements from the supported generator. The cartridge may be installed and removed from the turbine relatively easily for maintenance or rebuilding. The rotor housing is designed to be relatively easily machined to dimensions that meet desired operating parameters.

Methods, systems, and devices for designing and manufacturing flank millable components. In one embodiment, devices, systems, and methods for designing a flank millable component are provided, in which a user is notified when a component geometry option is selected that will result in the component not being flank millable. In another embodiment, the user is prevented from selecting a geometry option that would result in the component not being flank millable. In yet another embodiment, devices, systems, and methods are provided for manufacturing a component with a flank milling process, in which optimized machine instructions are determined that minimize milling machine motion.

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Woolwich, ME, United States of America

David Japikse