Flodesign Wind Turbine Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

Flodesign, Inc.

Ogin, Inc.

Michael J Werle

Walter M Presz, Jr

Robert W Paterson

Ercan Dumlupinar

Thomas J Kennedy, Iii

William Scott Keeley

Robert H Ealba

Bart Lipkens

Robert H Dold

Stanley J Kowalski, Iii

Jason Gawencki

Jason Dionne

Jason Barnes

John B McVey

Timothy Hickey

Fyodor Grechka

John Urbanowicz

Roy Pelmas

Iii Thomas J Kennedy

Jr Walter Presz

A fluid turbine comprises a turbine shroud and an optional ejector shroud. The turbine shroud and/or the ejector shroud are formed from a hard shell and a membrane. The hard shell forms a leading edge, a trailing edge, and an interior surface of the shroud. The membrane forms an exterior surface of the shroud. The resulting construction is lighter than previous turbine shrouds.

Fluid turbine

A shrouded fluid turbine comprises an impeller and a turbine shroud surrounding the impeller. The inlet of the turbine shroud is flared. The shroud includes alternating inward and outward curving lobe segments along a trailing edge of the turbine shroud. The inward and outward curving lobe segments have exposed lateral surfaces, or in other words do not have sidewalls joining the inward and outward curving lobe segments. This allows for both transverse mixing and radial mixing of air flow through the turbine shroud with air flow passing along the exterior of the turbine shroud.

A shrouded wind turbine comprises a shroud disposed about an impeller. The impeller surrounds a nacelle body which is shaped to enhance smooth flow of wind through the impeller. Some embodiments include an inlet and an outlet in the nacelle body, allowing airflow through an interior cavity. Other nacelle bodies may be tapered, flared, include mixing lobes around a trailing edge, or may have other shapes that enhance fluid flow. Some nacelle bodies include an annular groove that promotes flow attachment. Maintaining airflow attachment to the nacelle body within the turbine increases the energy generation capacity of the wind turbine.

Nacelle configurations for a shrouded wind turbine

A fluid turbine comprises a turbine shroud, an ejector shroud, and a means for extracting energy from a fluid stream. The means for extracting energy is located in the annulus between the turbine shroud and the ejector shroud. High-energy fluid can flow through the turbine shroud to bypass the means for extracting energy. Energy is extracted from the fluid passing through the means to form a low-energy fluid stream. The high-energy fluid and the low-energy fluid can then be mixed. The turbine shroud and/or the ejector shroud has mixing lobes to increase the mixing of the two fluid streams.

Disclosed are wind turbines comprising a turbine shroud and optionally an ejector shroud. The shrouds are segmented, or in other words have longitudinal spaces between segments. Such wind turbines have reduced drag load, particularly those loads due to off-axis wind forces.

Segmented wind turbine

Systems for protecting a wind turbine in high wind conditions are disclosed. A shrouded turbine may have an ejector shroud disposed adjacent and downstream of a turbine shroud. In one version, the ejector shroud can move to surround the turbine shroud. In another version, the turbine can be pivoted on a support tower to cover the intake end of the turbine and rotate the turbine about an axis at a right angle to the tower axis. In another version, the turbine is supported by a telescoping tower which may be retracted to lower the turbine in high winds. In another version, the tower sections may be connected by a pivotable connection and supported by guy wire(s) which may be lengthened to lower the upper tower section pivotally.

Systems and methods for protecting a wind turbine in high wind conditions

A Controlled Unaided Surge and Purge Suppressor for firearms uses the blast and plume characteristics inherent to the ballistic discharge process to develop a new two-step controlled surge and purge system centered around advanced mixer-ejector concepts. The blast surge noise is reduced by controlling the flow expansion, and the flash effects are reduced by controlling inflow and outflow gas purges. This is a C-I-P application. In the preferred C-I-P embodiment, the blast surge is mitigated via a slotted mixer nozzle; a first expansion chamber; a generally 'wagon-wheel' shaped blast baffle with a vent hole; a series of alternating baffles, with vent holes, strategically located along the suppressor's inner wall surface; a second expansion chamber; and an exit opening. This preferred C-I-P embodiment contains no 'outside' vent holes (i.e., throughbores) which extend through the suppressor's outer or longitudinal wall. Instead of ingesting ambient air through such throughbores and mixing that air with the muzzle gases, as shown in the parent application, the preferred C-I-P embodiment ingests and mixes chamber gases and contaminants with the muzzle gases while allowing fluid flow through and out the suppressor. It too though can control or eliminate the Mach disk.

Controlled-unaided surge and purge suppressors for firearm muzzles

A wind turbine has an impeller surrounded by a turbine shroud and/or an ejector shroud, wherein the turbine shroud and/or the ejector shroud include inflatable portions and/or flexible inflatable portions. In some embodiments, the turbine shroud and/or the ejector shroud include internal rib members whose shape or length can be changed to alter the characteristics of the wind turbine.

Inflatable wind turbine

Turbine systems for extracting energy from water traveling relative to the turbine system can include a rotor assembly for extracting the energy, a turbine shroud having a turbine shroud inner volume within which at least a portion of the rotor assembly is disposed, and an ejector shroud disposed adjacent to the turbine shroud. The turbine shroud and the ejector shroud can each have a terminus comprising a plurality of turbine shroud mixer elements or ejector shroud mixer elements, respectively. One or more of the mixer elements and ejector shrouds comprise a mixer/ejector pump which increases the energy extraction potential of the turbine system. One or more of the turbine shroud mixer elements, ejector shroud mixer elements, and ejector shroud and turbine shroud inlets can be asymmetric along a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the rotor assembly.

Water turbines with mixers and ejectors

A Controlled Unaided Surge and Purge (CUSPS) suppressor for firearms uses the blast and plume characteristics inherent to the ballistic discharge process to develop a new two-step controlled surge and purge system centered around advanced mixer-ejector concepts. The blast surge noise is reduced by controlling the flow expansion, and the flash effects are reduced by controlling inflow and outflow gas purges. In the preferred embodiment, suppressor vent holes are convergently contoured to better reduce the blast surge. Preferably a two-stage supersonic mixer/ejector system, in combination with adjacent vent holes in the suppressor housing and a divergent entrance nozzle, is used to control or eliminate the external Mach disk, while rapidly mixing and diluting the propellant with purged gases. A diffuser downstream of the mixer/ejector system further increases ejector performance and pumping. The pumped gases are used to self-clean and cool the CUSPS suppressor.

Growing community of inventors

West Hartford, CT, United States of America

Michael J Werle