Alstom Renewable Technologies

Gerard Vuillerod

Farid Mazzouji

Jean-Francois Bertea

Yoann Bomchil

This fin is intended to be installed in a protruding manner inside a discharge pipe of a hydraulic machine. The fin includes a first face which has holes and a second face which is solid. The fin defines by itself, between the first face and the second face, a cavity connecting the outside of the discharge pipe to the holes in the first face.

Fin and installation for converting hydraulic-energy comprising such a fin

This hydraulic machine comprises a wheel supported by a shaft (), the wheel and the shaft being able to rotate about a vertical axis (X) while a radial hydrostatic or hydrodynamic bearing () is formed between, on the one hand, a radial peripheral surface () of the shaft and, on the other hand, an internal radial surface () of a member () that is fixed relative to the vertical axis. The bearing () extends between two edges () which, in normal operation, constitute regions for the removal of a film of water formed in the bearing. At least one cavity () is created in the fixed member () and opens onto its internal radial surface () near a first edge () of the bearing. The machine comprises means () for placing the cavity () in fluidic communication with a volume (V) situated outside the bearing near the second edge () of the bearing (). That allows some (E) of the film of water from the bearing () to be removed towards the second edge () if the bearing becomes obstructed near the first edge ().

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Grenoble, France

Gerard Vuillerod