Abstract: A turbine wheel is encased in a closely fitting cylindrical housing filled with water. The circumference of the wheel is fitted with a plurality of chambers defined by axially extending vanes, each of which may have a radially flat portion tending to propel water tangentially following the direction of rotation of the wheel. Each chamber communicates to a respective radial conduit, and through the conduit to a central manifold. Gas is supplied at the manifold, so rather than being injected from outside the wheel, the gas is injected into the chambers from a point radially inward of the chamber volume. Water displaced downwardly out of the bottom chambers is diverted into a bypass conduit running outside the closely fitting housing and travels upwardly to be reintroduced into the chambers as they near the top dead center position. The water is preferably introduced over a fraction of the chambers' axial dimension so that the air may be quickly displaced to the side (axially).

Abstract: A turbine wheel having a central hollow cylindrical water tight shell is encased in a closely fitting cylindrical housing filled with water. The circumference of the wheel carries a plurality of chambers defined by vanes, each vane having a radial flat portion for propelling water tangentially in the direction of rotation of the wheel. Gas is injected near the bottom of the wheel. The buoyant force of trapped gas in the chambers imparts rotation to the wheel, and water displaced by the injected gas circulates in the region between the ends of the vanes and the housing. An external conduit may facilitate efficient replacement by receiving some of the displaced water near the bottom and reintroducing it near the top of the housing.