Abstract: A turbine wheel on a horizontal axis is coaxially mounted within a primary nozzle, for support in a fluid current below a platform carrying electrical power generation equipment. The turbine wheel and primary nozzle are submerged and oriented to enable flow of a portion of fluid current through the nozzle and past the turbine wheel.The turbine wheel comprises a shroud-ring rim, a set of blades extending inwardly toward the axis, the blades being mounted at their outer ends on the inside of the rim, and at their inner ends on the outside of an axial hub. Each blade has its longitudinal tensile elements shaped in the form of part of a relaxed catenary, extending from rim to hub, with sufficient bow in the direction of force of fluid current on the blade to provide a practical wheel of reasonable cost. Struts and strut vanes supporting hub elements within the nozzle may also be of relaxed catenary configuration.

Abstract: A heat exchanger is equipped with a cross flow fan. The rotor of the cross flow fan is composed of annularly arranged air-blowing blades and annular passage members intersecting said air-blowing blades and arranged at suitable intervals in the axial direction. A working fluid is distributed to flow through said annular passages for thereby exchanging heat with another working fluid which is caused to flow by the rotor.

Abstract: A waterwheel assembly has entry and outlet flow directing channel portions and a flow directing member below the waterwheel. The waterwheel has a plurality of radially disposed paddles mounted on a rotatable shaft and arranged with spaces between the paddles in open fluid communication in the center portion of the waterwheel. The upper portion of the waterwheel is enclosed in a pressurized air cavity so water is kept in the lower portion of the waterwheel. A method of controlling the water flow in a watershed includes directing water flow through small channels which connect with larger channels with flow controlling waterwheels in the channels at selected location so that releasing water through the waterwheels controls water flow and thus regulates runoff in the watershed area.

Abstract: A winnowing blower for discharging a stream of air over the sieve of a combine harvester-thresher has an axially elongated housing formed at each of its axial ends with an inlet opening provided with an axial-flow fan. A shaft passing axially through the housing carries these two fans and two deflector disks spaced inwardly from the fans and each of a diameter substantially less than the respective fan. The housing is provided with a radially extending plenum chamber so that air drawn axially into the ends of the housing is partially deflected by these plates and ejected outwardly through the plenum chamber over the sieve of the combine.

Abstract: A homogenization stirrer is disclosed comprising a rotor and a stator between which a rubbing gap is provided. The stator includes passages through which the homogenized medium is thrust out by the action of the running rotor. The stator comprises two interengaging parts defining gaps between them which form said passages, one of these stator parts being axially adjustable in relation to the other for adjusting the width of the passage gaps and thus the flow rate of the medium, or its dwell time in the stirrer.

Abstract: A turbine wheel on a horizontal shaft is coaxially mounted within a primary nozzle, for support in a river current below a platform carrying electrical power generation equipment. The turbine shaft and primary nozzle are submerged and oriented to enable flow of a portion of river current through the nozzle and past the turbine wheel.The external surface of the nozzle is shaped and has structure to accelerate and/or direct the flow of the adjacent surrounding maintstream river current in a manner to generate a sheath which aids the efflux of that portion of the river current which has passed through the turbine. Part of the said structure is a secondary nozzle surrounding the primary nozzle; the secondary nozzle is arranged to accentuate the control of the surrounding mainstream river current. Bearing means, support means, power take-off means, speed control means and blade shapes are disclosed.

Abstract: A diffuser for use with a centrifugal compressor utilizes a symmetric arrangement of vanes which direct the gas flow along a plurality of passageways that are substantially tangential to the outer periphery of the impeller. Each vane making up the array is pivotally mounted near its opposite ends. Controls are provided so that rotation of the vane assembly about the innermost set of pivot points will vary the cross-sectional area of the ducts formed between adjacent vane members. This allows efficiency of the diffuser-compressor combination to be maximized for a multiplicity of speed and load conditions.