The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 07, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 17, 1997
George E Hecker, Worcester, MA (US);
Willem Jansen, Weston, MA (US);
Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., Holden, MA (US);
Northern Research & Engineering Corp, Woburn, MA (US);
Abstract
An hydraulic turbine includes a rotatable turbine runner. The turbine runner has a circumferential inlet for receiving a fluid and an axial outlet for discharging the fluid. The turbine runner also includes a conical-shaped hub rotatable about a central axis, the hub having a diameter that decreases in size from the inlet to the outlet, the conical-shaped hub including a base having a circumference adjacent the inlet and a surface sloping inwardly toward the central axis, the surface including a concave section facing the inlet when viewed in the meridional cross-section. The turbine runner also includes at least two helical turbine blades connected to the conical-shaped hub, each turbine blade having a leading edge adjacent to the inlet, a trailing edge adjacent to the outlet, a blade running length therebetween having a pitch, each turbine blade further including an outer edge, wherein each turbine blade winds at least halfway around the conical-shaped hub. The turbine runner also includes a shroud surface surrounding the rotatable hub, the shroud surface being defined by the outer edges of the turbine blades, the shroud surface and the hub defining a flow channel for the fluid between the inlet and the outlet. The circumferential inlet completely surrounds the base of the hub and is adapted for receiving a fluid flow around the circumference of the inlet that is uniform in quantity, direction and pressure, the fluid flow including a component perpendicular to the central axis when viewed in the meridional cross-section. The hub surface and the shroud surface are both non-parallel to the central axis at the inlet and parallel to the central axis at the outlet for changing the direction of the fluid passing through the turbine runner. The fluid is discharged from the turbine runner outlet in a direction that is substantially parallel to the central axis.