WATER POWERED TURBINE AND TURBINE SYSTEMS

Abstract

Disclosed herein are turbines and turbine systems that may be used to generate power and/or electricity from flowing water or may be used in various other applications such as the pumping of water. One embodiment of the disclosed turbines includes a plurality of blades that may be connected to a turbine housing by a hinge so that the blades are movable between an active state, wherein the blade is configured to contribute to the rotational movement of the turbine, and a passive state, wherein the blade is configured to minimally resist the rotation of the turbine. Turbine blades are disclosed with specific features that more efficiently capture water flow power.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

APPENDIX MATERIAL

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates generally to turbines. More specifically the present disclosure relates to water powered turbines and water powered turbine systems.

2. The Relevant Technology

Throughout history, the power of water flow has been used to perform work. Historically, waterwheels were used take advantage of the power of flowing rivers and streams in order to grind grain or perform other labor.

Presently, water turbines are commonly used for energy generation at power plants located at rivers or other locations where the power of water flow can be converted into electricity. Water interacts with the blades of a turbine causing rotational movement of the turbine. The turbine is coupled to a generator so that the rotational movement of the turbine may be converted into electricity. Further, water turbines may be used to for other purposes besides electricity generation. Water turbines may also pump water for irrigation, for example.

Energy consumption around the world is rising. Therefore, the methods of energy generation are constantly in need of expansion and innovation. Generation of energy from water flow is one prominent method of energy generation, and the locations at which water flow may be converted to energy are diverse, including, for example, streams, rivers, tidal basins, oceans, lakes, aqua-ducts, irrigation canals, and sewers. These locations are highly varied and are comprised of various sizes, shapes, water volumes, depths, and flow characteristics. The possible applications for power generating water turbines are seemingly limitless. Thus, improvements in the art of water turbines are constantly needed.

Additionally, public concern has risen over finite energy resources such as coal and oil, which have adverse side-effects on the environment. Therefore, there is significant public interest in attempts to harness energy from infinite and renewable resources that have limited or no adverse effects upon the environment. Water flow provides an additional source of renewable energy, and the use of turbines to convert water flow to energy has few, if any, adverse effects on the environment. Therefore, improved systems and methods of harnessing energy from water flows addresses public interest in renewable and non-pollutant energy sources.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein are turbines and turbine systems that may be used to generate power and/or electricity from flowing water. Additionally, the turbines and turbine systems of the present disclosure may be used for various other applications such as the pumping of water for irrigation applications.

One embodiment of a turbine includes a housing and a shaft, with a plurality of blades each coupled to the shaft and extending outside the outer perimeter of the housing. Each of the plurality of blades may be connected to the housing by a hinge so that the blades are movable between an active state, wherein the edge of the blade opposite of the hinge is forced against a stop located on the housing, and a passive state, wherein the edge of the blade opposite of the hinge is urged away from the stop on the housing. In the active state the blade is configured to contribute to the rotational movement of the turbine, and in the passive state the blade is configured to provide minimum resistance to the rotation of the turbine.

In some embodiments, multiple turbines may be combined in stacked or gang configurations so that the rotational movement of multiple turbines may be used to generate electricity or to perform other work. In some embodiments, turbines may be stacked in a staggered configuration that improves the energy generation or work performed by the combination of turbines.

In other embodiments, the blades of a turbine may be configured with a scimitar-shaped edge, which contributes to the blades movement between an active state and a passive state. In yet other embodiments, the blades of a turbine may be curved to maximize the power obtained from flowing water.

In one embodiment, the blades of a turbine may be constructed from readily available materials such as pipes. This may reduce the manufacturing costs of turbines. Additionally, in some embodiments, the pipes that are used to manufacture the blades of a turbine may also be used for the shaft of the turbine.

In one embodiment, the switching of the blades of a turbine between an active state and a passive state drive the rotation of the turbine in a single direction, e.g., counter-clockwise. When the rotation of the blades is with the flow of water, the blades move to an active state and provide resistance to the flow of water, which contributes to the rotation of the turbine. When the rotation of the blades is against water flow, the blades move to a passive state in order to minimize resistance to the flow of water. In this way, the blades of a turbine may be configured to contribute resistance to the flow of water only when the blades are rotating with the flow of water. This configuration drives the rotation of the turbine in a single direction.

The disclosed turbines and turbine systems may be combined and configured for a variety of applications including, for example, use in streams, rivers, tidal basins, oceans, aqua-ducts, irrigation canals, dams, and/or sewers.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

These and other embodiments and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates an embodiment of a water powered turbine;

FIG. 1B shows the water powered turbine of FIG. 1 with phantom lines so that the interior of the water powered turbine may be seen;

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a water powered turbine configuration including multiple water powered turbines in a vertical stack;

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a blade of a water powered turbine;

FIG. 4A shows an embodiment of a blade of a water powered turbine in a passive state;

FIG. 4B shows the blade of a water power turbine of FIG. 4A in an active state;

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a blade of a water powered turbine;

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a blade of a water power turbine, wherein a the cuts on the blade achieve optimal pressure gain on the blade in the active state and minimal pressure on the blade in the passive state;

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of a water powered turbine configuration including multiple water powered turbines in a vertical stack; and

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a water powered turbine configuration including multiple water powered turbines in a gang configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This detailed disclosure relates to turbines, turbine systems, and methods of making and using turbines and turbine systems. Several exemplary embodiments of turbines will now be disclosed with reference to the appended figures.

FIG. 1A shows turbine 100. Turbine 100 includes an upper portion 110, lower portion 120, and a shaft 130. Turbine 100 also includes several blades 140a-f and several stops 150a-f. FIG. 1B shows turbine 100, wherein the phantom lines depict elements of turbine 100 that are hidden from view in FIG. 1A.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-B, upper portion 110 and lower portion 120 are circular in shape and are substantially the same size. However an upper portion and a lower portion of a turbine may be any size and shape. The edge of upper portion 110 is defined by an outer perimeter 112, and the edge of lower portion 120 is defined by an outer perimeter 122. The outer perimeter 112 and the outer perimeter 122 may be any size to suit a desired application for turbine 100. Further, outer perimeter 112 and outer perimeter 122 may be the same size or may be different sizes. Thus, upper portion 110 and lower portion 120 create a housing 160 for other elements of turbine 100, and one of skill in the art will recognize many variations that may be made to the size, shape, and configuration of housing 160.

FIGS. 1A-B show a shaft 130 extending between upper portion 110 and lower portion 120. As shown, shaft 130 is columnar in shape. However, shaft 130 may be any size and shape to fit a desired application of turbine 100. Also, shaft 130 may be hollow or solid depending on the application. Shaft 130 of turbine 100 is shown only as extending between upper portion 110 and lower portion 120. As will be described further with respect to other embodiments, shaft 130 may extend through upper portion 110 and/or lower portion 120 in order to couple to other turbines, to other elements of an energy generation system, or to other apparatuses in order to perform work.

Blades 140a-f of turbine 100 extend away from shaft 130 outside of outer perimeters 112, 122 of upper portion 110 and lower portion 120, respectively. In one embodiment, blades 140a-f extend away from shaft 130 such that ⅓ of the length of the blades 140a-f remain inside of, and ⅔ of the blades 140a-f remain exterior to, the outer perimeters 112, 122 of upper portion 110 and lower portion 120. However, in other embodiments any proportion of blades 140a-f may be exterior to the outer perimeters 112, 122 of upper portion 110 and lower portion 120. Indeed, in some embodiments, the entirety of blades 140a-f may remain inside the outer perimeters 112, 122 of upper portion 110 and lower portion 120.

Blades 140a-f are coupled to upper portion 110 of turbine 100. As shown in FIGS. 1A-B, blades 140a-f are hingedly coupled to upper portion 110 so that blades 140a-f may move between an active state and a passive state. Active and passive states of blades 140a-f will be further described with reference to FIGS. 4A-B. Blades 140a-f may be hingedly coupled to upper portion 110 by a hinge or by any other mechanism that allows for the pivoting movement of blades 140a-f. In addition, blades 140a-f may be hingedly coupled to upper portion 110 along any portion of the length of the blades 140a-f that are interior to the outer perimeter 112 of upper portion 110.

Stops 150a-f are coupled to the lower portion 120 of turbine 100. Stops 150a-f prevent blades 140a-f from complete hinged rotation when moving from a passive state to an active state. In another embodiment, the stops may be located on the upper portion 110 of turbine 100. The function of stops 150a-f will be described further with reference to FIGS. 4A-B.

In FIGS. 1A-B, stops 150a-f are shown as slightly bent lengths of material that extend from shaft 130 to the outer perimeter 122 of lower portion 120. However, any configuration of stops may be used with the present invention to provide the function of preventing rotation of blades past a pre-determined point. For example, in another embodiment, the stops 150a-f can be configured to provide structural support to turbine 100 by coupling a first end of each stop to lower portion 120 and a second end of each stop to upper portion 110.

In some applications, turbine 100 is placed in flowing water. The movement of the flowing water exerts a force on blades 140a-f to cause rotation of turbine 100. The rotational movement of turbine 100 may be harnessed and converted to energy by connecting turbine 100 to an electrical generator or the like, as is known in the art. Additionally, the rotational movement of turbine 100 may be used to perform other work such as to pump water as part of an irrigation system. One of skill in the art will recognize many useful and varied applications of turbine 100.

The description of an upper portion 110 and a lower portion 120 is in no way limiting and the use of the words “upper” and “lower” is for convenience only in referring to the several figures. Thus, the configuration of turbine 100 may be inverted such that upper portion 110 is below lower portion 120. Therefore, the use of directional language is solely for the convenience of the reader and in no way limits the disclosure and/or claims. One of skill in the art will readily recognize that inversions, mirror images, rotations, and or other reconfigurations may be made within the scope of this disclosure and within the scope of the appended claims.

Now, with reference to FIG. 2, another embodiment of a turbine 200 is shown. Turbine 200 may comprise three separate turbines, such as three of turbine 100, or may comprise a singular turbine. As shown, turbine 200 comprises turbine 210, turbine 220, and turbine 230. The turbines 210, 220, 230 are configured with similar elements to turbine 100 of FIGS. 1A-B. That is, turbines 210, 220, 230 each have upper and lower portions, a shaft, blades, and stops. The shaft 240 of turbine 200 may be a shaft common to turbines 210, 220, 230 or may be comprised of multiple shaft portions from each of the turbines 210, 220, 230, which have been coupled together to act as a singular shaft 240. The upper and lower portions of each of the turbines 210, 220, 230 may be upper and lower portions unique to each turbine 210, 220, 230, or, as shown in FIG. 2, may be shared between the turbines 210, 220, 230. Thus, for example, portion 260 acts both as the lower portion for turbine 210 on which the stops of turbine 210 are coupled and as the upper portion of turbine 220 on which the blades of turbine 220 are hingedly coupled.

The turbines 210, 220, 230 of turbine 200 are shown in a staggered configuration. For example, each turbine 210, 220, 230 is shown in FIG. 2 as having six blades. In one embodiment, the six blades of each of the turbines 210, 220, 230 are configured and separated at about 60° around shaft 240. Thus, in a staggered configuration the blades of turbine 210 may be staggered at 30° from the blades of turbine 220, and the blades of turbine 220 may be staggered at 30° from the blades of turbine 230. In other embodiments, the blades of turbine 210 may be staggered at 10° from those of turbine 220, and the blades of turbine 220 may be staggered at 20° from the blades of turbine 230. One of skill in the art will recognize that any staggered configuration of turbines 210, 220, 230 may be used depending upon the application of turbine 200.

Line 270 of FIG. 2 is an example of water flow when turbine 200 is in use. As illustrated, when water flows towards turbine 200 it makes contact with the blades of turbine 210 around point 272 on line 270. This contact exerts a force on the blades of turbine 210 in the direction of the water flow. In addition, after contact with the blades of turbine 210, the water flow is directed downward toward turbine 220. The water flow contacts the blades of turbine 220 exerting a force on the blades of turbine 220 in the direction of water flow. After contact with the blades of turbine 220, at about point 274, the water flow is directed downward toward turbine 230 where it may contact the blades of turbine 230. Thus, the stagger configuration of the turbines 210, 220, 230 allows turbine 200 to take advantage of water flow energy as the water flow is deflected from turbine to turbine.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of an embodiment of a blade 340 of turbine 100. Blade 340 has a leading edge 342, a trailing edge 344, and a scimitar-shaped end 346. Also, as shown, blade 340 is curved. The curved configuration of blade 340 allows blade 340 to “cup” water as water exerts a force on blade 340. This curvature allows for better capture of power from water flow.

The curvature of blade 340 is defined by an angle 348. As shown in FIG. 3, the angle defining the curvature of blade 340 is a right, or 90°, angle. However, any angle of curvature may be used. For example, angle 348 may also be an acute angle, or angle 348 may be an obtuse angle.

Further shown in FIG. 3, the scimitar-shaped end 346 of blade 340 is defined by an angle 349. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, angle 349 defining scimitar-shaped end 346 is 45°. This angle means that leading edge 342 is shorter that trailing edge 344. However, any angle may be used for angle 349 such that leading edge 342 and trailing edge 344 may be of any size and configuration. The scimitar-shaped end 346 of blade 340 will be further described with reference to FIG. 6.

FIGS. 4A-B show the active and passive states of a blade 440. FIGS. 4A-B show a turbine 400 in a similar configuration to turbine 100 of FIG. 1 except that turbine 400 is shown with only one blade 440.

FIG. 4A shows one embodiment of a passive phase of blade 440. In FIG. 4A, the direction of water flow is shown as arrow 470a. Water flow 470a is against the curvature of blade 440 and against the counter-clockwise rotation of turbine 400. Blade 440 is configured to move to a passive state when the flow of water is against the rotational movement of the turbine. In this configuration, blade 440 is coupled to upper portion 410 by a hinge 480. Hinge 480 allows blade 440 to rotate about the leading edge 442 of blade 440 so that the trailing edge 444 of blade 440 is urged upward toward the upper portion 410 of turbine 440 by the flow of water. If blade 440 were not hingedly coupled to upper portion 410 then blade 440 would resist the water flow 470a, which would hinder the counter-clockwise rotation of turbine 400. However in the passive state, blade 440 is urged upward toward upper portion 410 so as to minimize the resistance created as the blade moves in a direction counter to the direction of water flow 470a. In some applications, the resistance of a blade traveling against the flow of water is decrease by about 68% while in a passive configuration.

FIG. 4B shows the embodiment of turbine 400 of FIG. 4A when the direction of water flow 470b is with the curvature of blade 440 and with the counter-clockwise rotation of turbine 400. When the water flow 470b is with the rotation of turbine 400, blade 440 moves into an active state, which is shown in FIG. 4B. In the active state, leading edge 442 of blade 440 remains hingedly coupled to upper portion 410 by hinge 480, and trailing edge 444 is urged downward toward lower portion 420 by water flow 470b. Therefore, in the active configuration, water flow 470b forces against the curvature of blade 440 and contributes to the counter-clockwise rotation of turbine 400. Blade 440 is prevented from rotating past the active state by a stop 450. Stop 450 keeps trailing edge 444 of blade 440 from over-rotating upward back toward upper portion 410. In the active state, water flow 470b forces trailing edge 444 of blade 440 against stop 450 such that the active state of blade 440 is maintained.

As turbine 400 rotates, the water flow direction with respect to blade 440 changes so that blade 440 alternates between an active state and a passive state. In embodiments wherein multiple blades are included as part of a turbine, some blades may be in an active state, some blades may be in a passive state, and/or some blades may be in a state between an active state and a passive state.

The switching of the blades of a turbine between an active state and a passive state drive the rotation of the turbine in a single direction. When the rotation of the blades of a turbine is with the flow of water, the blades move to an active state and provide resistance to the flow of water, which contributes to the rotation of the turbine. When the rotation of the blades is against the flow of water, the blades move to a passive state in order to minimize resistance to the flow of water. In this way, the blades of a turbine may be configured to contribute resistance to the flow of water only blades are rotating with the flow of water. This configuration drives the rotation of the turbine in a single direction. For example, the embodiment of turbine 400 shown in FIGS. 4A-B is configured to drive rotation in a counter-clockwise direction. However, one of skill in the art will recognize that a turbine may be alternatively configured to drive rotation in a clockwise direction.

The transitioning of blades between active states and passive states is dictated primarily, or completely, by water flow. Thus, embodiments of turbines will not need to be reconfigured to adapt to changes in the flow characteristics of the surrounding water. For example, in an embodiment in which a turbine is used to harness energy from tidal waters, the blades on a first side a the turbine will be urged into the active state in order to harness energy from the flowing tide, while the blades on the second side will be urged to the passive state to minimally resist the flowing tide. The flow characteristics of the tidal waters change direction as the tide transitions from a flowing tide to an ebbing tide. When the tide ebbs, the blades on the first side of the turbine may be urged into a passive state to minimally resist the ebbing tide, while the blades on the second side will be urged into the active state in order to harness energy from the ebbing tide.

FIG. 5 shows a possible method of manufacturing an embodiment of a blade 540. Dotted-line 590 represents the outline of a readily available configuration of material such as a pipe. FIG. 5 shows that a blade 540 may be cut or otherwise manufactured from a pipe. For example, the blade 540 of FIG. 5 has an angle 548 that defines the curvature of blade 540. In FIG. 5, angle 548 is 90°. Thus, a blade 540 with a 90° arc may be manufactured by cutting a quarter section of a pipe. The size of a pipe from which blades may be cut may be defined by the size and application of a turbine to be used. Further, blades may be manufactured from any suitable material such as aluminum, stainless steel, copper, PVC, plastic, polymers, or any other natural or synthetic material.

Blades for the disclosed turbines do not need to be manufactured from pipes in accordance with FIG. 5. FIG. 5 illustrates only one possible method of manufacture for turbine blades.

FIG. 6 is another detailed view of an embodiment of a blade 640. Blade 640 has a leading edge 642, a trailing edge 644, and a scimitar-shaped end 646. The scimitar-shaped end 646 of blade 640 maximizes the force that a water flow 670 exerts on blade 640 when blade 640 is in an active state and minimizes the force that a water flow exerts on blade 640 when blade 640 is in a passive state.

As described with reference to FIG. 3, one embodiment of a scimitar-shaped end may be defined by an angle of 45°. This embodiment allows approximately 22% of the blade surface to be exposed to water flow pressure while the blade is in a passive state. This has the further advantage of more efficiently transitioning the blade from a passive state to an active state.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a turbine system 700. Turbine system 700 includes multiple turbine stages 710, 720, 730. Each turbine stage 710, 720, 730 also includes multiple turbines. For example, turbine stage 710 includes turbines 701, 702, 703, 704. As shown in FIG. 7, turbine system 700 is composed of turbine stages stacked in a vertical fashion. Each turbine stage 710, 720, 730 of turbine system 700 contributes its rotational movement and forces to a common shaft 740. Turbine system 700 may also include additional elements that interact with other turbine systems, turbine states, turbines, and/or other apparatuses of an energy generation system, for example a wheel 750 of a pulley system, or a gear box (not shown).

The turbines of FIG. 7 may be coupled together directly or through coupling means that will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. Vertically stacked turbines, such as those shown in FIG. 7, may be desirable in deep water applications of turbines.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a turbine system 800, wherein multiple turbines 801-809 are configured in a horizontal gang configuration. The turbines 801-809 of turbine system 800 may be coupled together using, for example, pulleys. The coupling of turbines 801-809 allows each turbine 801-809 to contribute its rotational movement and forces to a common shaft, such as, for example, the shaft of turbine 805. Gang-configured turbines, such as those shown in FIG. 8, may be desirable in shallow water applications.

In addition to the vertical stack configuration of FIG. 7 and the gang configuration of FIG. 8, the disclosed turbines may be configured in various other combinations, such as a gang configuration of vertically stacked turbines. FIGS. 7 and 8 show that the disclosed turbines are highly modular and may be configured and combined to suit any application. One of skill in the art will recognize many varied configurations of turbines based on the present disclosure.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1. A water power turbine comprising:

a housing comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the size of the housing is defined by an outer perimeter;

a shaft extending between at least the first portion and the second portion of the housing;

a plurality of blades, each of the plurality of blades comprising a first end, a second end, a leading edge, and a trailing edge; wherein the first end of each of the plurality of blades is positioned inside the outer perimeter of the housing, wherein the second end of each of the plurality of blades is positioned outside the outer perimeter of the housing, and wherein each of the plurality of blades is hingedly coupled to the housing at the leading edge of the blade;

a plurality of stops, each stop corresponding to one of the plurality of blades, wherein each stop is coupled to the housing; and

each of the plurality of blades is independently movable between an active state, wherein the trailing edge of the blade is forced against one of the plurality of stops, and a passive state, wherein the trailing edge of the blade is urged toward a position substantially co-planar with the first portion of the housing.

2. A water power turbine according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of blades is hingedly coupled to the first portion of the housing, and wherein the plurality of stops is coupled to the second portion of the housing.

3. A water power turbine according to claim 1, wherein the second end of each of the plurality of blades is scimitar-shaped.

4. A water power turbine according to claim 3, wherein the scimitar-shaped second end of each of the plurality of blades is at an angle of about 45°.

5. A water power turbine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of blades extends outside the outer perimeter of the housing such that approximately ⅓ of the at least one of the plurality of blades is positioned inside the outer perimeter of the housing, and approximately ⅔ of the at least one of the plurality of blades is positioned outside the outer perimeter of the housing.

6. A water power turbine according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of blades comprises six blades positioned at about 60° separations around the shaft.

7. A water power turbine according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of blades comprises about a 90° arc of curvature between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

8. A water power turbine system comprising:

a plurality of turbines, each turbine comprising: a housing comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the size of the housing is defined by an outer perimeter; a shaft extending between at least the first portion and the second portion of the housing; a plurality of blades, each of the plurality of blades comprising a first end, a second end, a leading edge, and a trailing edge; wherein the first end of each of the plurality of blades is positioned inside the outer perimeter of the housing, wherein the second end of each of the plurality of blades is positioned outside the outer perimeter of the housing, and wherein each of the plurality of blades is hingedly coupled to the first portion of the housing at the leading edge of the blade; a plurality of stops, each stop corresponding to one of the plurality of blades, wherein each stop is coupled to the second portion of the housing; and each of the plurality of blades is independently movable between an active state, wherein the trailing edge of the blade is forced against one of the plurality of stops, and a passive state, wherein the trailing edge of the blade is forced upward toward the first portion of the housing.

9. A water power turbine system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of turbines are coupled together in a vertical stack.

10. A water power turbine system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of turbines comprises a first turbine and a second turbine, the plurality of blades of the first turbine being spaced at a predetermined interval of separation, the plurality of blades of the second turbine being spaced at the predetermined interval of separation, wherein the first turbine and second turbine are staggeredly coupled together in a vertical stack such that the plurality of blades of the first turbine are staggered in relation to the blades of the second turbine.

11. A water power turbine system according to claim 10, wherein plurality of blades for each of the first and second turbines comprises six blades, and wherein the interval of separation is 60°.

12. A water power turbine system according to claim 11, wherein the second turbine is staggered at 30° rotation with respect to the first turbine.

13. A water power turbine system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of turbines are coupled together in gang configuration.

14. A water power turbine system according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of turbines are coupled together in a gang configuration with at least one pulley.

15. A water power turbine system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of turbines comprises multiple turbine stacks, wherein each turbine stack comprises a plurality of turbines coupled together in a vertical stack, and wherein the multiple turbine stacks are coupled together in a gang configuration.

16. A water power turbine system comprising:

A first turbine comprising: a housing comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the size of the housing is defined by an outer perimeter; a shaft extending between at least the first portion and the second portion of the housing; a plurality of blades, each of the plurality of blades comprising a first end, a scimitar-shaped second end, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, wherein each of the plurality of blades extends outside the outer perimeter of the housing such that approximately ⅓ of each of the plurality of blades is positioned inside the outer perimeter of the housing, and approximately ⅔ of each of the plurality of blades is positioned outside the outer perimeter of the housing, and wherein each of the plurality of blades is hingedly coupled to the first portion of the housing at the leading edge of the blade; the plurality of blades further comprising about a 90° arc of curvature between the leading edge and the trailing edge; a plurality of stops, each stop corresponding to one of the plurality of blades, wherein each stop is coupled to the second portion of the housing; and each of the plurality of blades is independently movable between an active state, wherein the trailing edge of the blade is forced against one of the plurality of stops, and a passive state, wherein the trailing edge of the blade is forced upward toward the first portion of the housing.

17. A water power turbine system in accordance with claim 16, further comprising a second turbine coupled to the first turbine in a vertical stack configuration.

18. A water power turbine system in accordance with claim 17, wherein the plurality of blades of the first turbine are spaced at a predetermined interval of separation, the second turbine comprising a plurality of blades spaced at the predetermined interval of separation, wherein the first turbine and second turbine are staggeredly coupled together in the vertical stack such that the plurality of blades of the first turbine are staggered in relation to the plurality of blades of the second turbine.

19. A water power turbine system according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of blades of the first turbine comprises six blades, wherein the plurality of blades of the second turbine comprises six blades, and wherein the interval of separation is 60°.

20. A water power turbine system according to claim 19, wherein the second turbine is staggered at 30° rotation with respect to the first turbine.