Abstract: A flow guide is provided with a flange, a guide plate, and an inside member. A ring groove which is recessed to the radially outer side from an inner circumferential surface and which extends in a circumferential direction based on the axis is formed in the flange. The inside member includes a fitted portion which enters the ring groove, and a cover portion which faces the inner circumferential surface of the flange in the radial direction. The cover portion covers at least parts of the inner circumferential surface of the flange and an inner circumferential surface of the guide plate that face a tip end of a moving blade in the radial direction. The cover portion is formed from a material having a higher erosion resistance with respect to steam and steam drain than the flange.

Abstract: Power generation systems may be achieved by a variety of system, processes, and techniques. In one implementation, a power generation system may include a tank adapted to hold a liquid and a drive section submersed in the tank. The drive section may include a continuous, collapsible pressure container and a rotatable assembly around which the pressure container is routed. The rotatable assembly may contain an axis mounted to the tank. The drive section may also include a series of panels guided around the rotatable assembly to encourage the pressure container to expand and collapse as it circulates around the rotatable assembly.

Abstract: A pneumatic bioreactor includes a vessel containing a fluid to be mixed and at least one mixing device driven by gas pressure. A first embodiment includes a floating impeller that rises and falls in the fluid as gas bubbles carry it upward to the surface where the gas is then vented, permitting the impeller to sink in the fluid. The floating impeller may be tethered to a second impeller with a flexible member and pulley. The mixing speed is controlled with electromagnets in the vessel acting upon magnetic material in the impeller or its guides. In another embodiment, floating pistons mix the fluid, pushing it through a mixing plate with one or more apertures. In a third embodiment, the mixing device is a rotating drum with bubble-catching blades and rotating mixing plates with apertures. The top of the vessel for these mixers may include a closed top and sterile filters.

Abstract: The present invention provides an all-in-one type continuous reactor for preparing a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery. The continuous reactor includes a flange unit provided at one side of a cylinder; at least one reactant inlet port provided on the flange unit; a reaction product outlet port provided at the other side of the cylinder; a plurality of extra ports provided between the reactant inlet port and the reaction product outlet port; a temperature control unit disposed between an inner circumferential surface and outer circumferential surface; a pulverizing unit provided in the reactant inlet port; a flow rate sensor provided in at least one of the reactant inlet port; and a flow rate control unit configured to control the flow rate of the reactant.

Abstract: A hydro-pneumatic cylinder for converting buoyancy energy of compressed gas into mechanical energy. The cylinder can include a pair of end plates disposed at opposite ends of the cylinder and a drive axle extending longitudinally through the cylinder and passing through the center of each end plate. The cylinder can also include a core support coupled to each end plate and centrally disposed in the cylinder and a plurality of vanes for promoting a low-drag flow. Each of the plurality of vanes is coupled to the core support and the pair of end plates. A bucket is defined by the core support, two of the plurality of vanes, and the pair of end plates. The cylinder further includes a vane support coupled to the plurality of vanes and the core support. The vane support defines a plurality of openings formed therein through which a gas can pass for equalizing pressure in the bucket.

Abstract: A steam turbine includes: a turbine rotor shaft; a plurality of blades that are provided on the turbine rotor shaft and are rotated by a steam flow; tip covers that are attached to tip ends of the respective blades and are connected to and in contact with one another; at least one water drip fin that is provided along a circumferential direction at the tip cover, and outwardly extends in a radial direction of each of the blades; and a diaphragm outer ring that is disposed at an outer circumferential side from each of the blades, and has a drain catcher opposed to a tip end portion of the water drip fin, wherein the tip cover is provided with a leading edge that is formed at a downstream side in an axial direction from a leading edge of the blade or at a position in the axial direction corresponding to the leading edge of the blade in the axial direction.

Abstract: A power turbine employs a plurality of turbine blades which allows the turbine to regulate pressure and ventilate for a greater ability to generate power without back pressure of the power source. It also relieves much of the stress on the uni-body construction. The vent ports (30) work at various times to transfer pressure naturally from one compartment to another, greatly increasing the balance of pressure throughout the process within the turbine.

Abstract: A high torque output drive system includes a fluid tank that stores a fluid, an array of weighted members disposed in series such that leading and trailing subarrays thereof are respectively placed along left and right running routes in the fluid tank, upper and lower direction reversing guide units respectively defining upper and lower guide routes each of which interconnects the left and right running routes, a fluid pump operable to move the fluid such that levels of the fluid in left and right columnar regions of the fluid tank are variable to result in generation of a buoyant force for lessening the weight of the trailing subarray so as to induce synchronized downward and upward movements of the leading and trailing subarrays, and a force-output shaft coupled to the weighted members by a gear train unit and revolvable to provide a high torque for a desired end use.

Abstract: An energy output device that harnesses the buoyant effect produced as air rises through a plurality of finned cylinder wheels submerged in a volume of water. The finned cylinder wheels are positioned along a vertical axis above the point at which air enters into the water. The finned cylinder wheels contain a set of fins that trap the rising air so that the buoyant effect created combined with fluid gravitational farce causes the finned cylinder wheels to rotate. A plurality of intermediary gear assemblies are alternately positioned with the finned cylinder wheels linking the vertically aligned components together. The simultaneous rotation is ultimately transferred to a torque output axle gear assembly located above the alternating finned cylinder wheels and intermediary gear assemblies.

Abstract: One example embodiment includes a system for extracting kinetic energy from moving fluid masses. The system includes an encapsulator, where a fluid enters the encapsulator. The system also includes decelerator, where the decelerator reduces the velocity of the encapsulated fluid to near zero velocity transferring the kinetic energy originally in the incoming fluid to the decelerator.

Abstract: A rotary pressure transfer device utilizes a multi-channel, generally cylindrical rotor (15) that revolves with its flat end faces juxtaposed with flat end surfaces of a pair of flanking end covers (19, 21) in which inlet and outlet passageways are provided. The design is such that there are only oblique ramps (65) in the passageways on the high pressure side which create directional flow of liquid to cause rotor revolution in the desired direction. Passageways (27a, 27b) on the low pressure side may be shaped so that there is essentially axial or longitudinal flow entry and discharge of liquid between the channels and the passageways, or passageways (71) may be constructed to create directional flow that slightly retards rotor revolution in such desired direction.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a rotating radial scoop used to move fluid from a larger radius to a smaller radius, comprising a blade at least partially circumscribing a central axis from an outer radius of the scoop to an capture radius of the scoop, wherein the inner surface of the blade is curved. A scoop having a blade with a curved inner surface extending from the scoop outer radius to a capture radius is disclosed. A turbine engine comprising the scoop, along with a method of providing a fluid to a bearing utilizing the scoop is also disclosed.

Abstract: A fluid flow actuated drive means 10 includes a rotatably mounted impeller 12 which defines a set of circumferentially spaced outer chambers 14 which extend inwardly from openings 16 along a peripheral edge 18 of the impeller 12 and a set of inner chambers 20 which are arranged radially inwards the outer chambers 14, each outer chamber 14 being connected to a corresponding inner chamber 20 via a passage 22 to facilitate the forming of a Venturi between corresponding inner and outer chambers 20 and 14 respectively.

Abstract: Pelton buckets generally have flat outlet edges and are only downwardly sloped in the area of the bowl base under certain circumstances. This flat shape naturally limits the optimization possibilities in order to optimize the deflection of the jet in the Pelton bucket with regard to the efficiency of the Pelton turbine. The invention thus relates to a special shape of a Pelton bucket that is accompanied by a substantial gain in efficiency.

Abstract: A buoyancy prime mover having a wheel rotating within a housing. An upper portion of the housing communicates with a lower portion of the housing through pipes and a blower. The blower pumps high pressure operating gas through a blower pipe into a lower portion of the housing. The housing contains operating liquid having a lower buoyancy than the operating gas. The wheel has a plurality of circumferentially disposed buckets. In operation, the blower pumps operating gas into the lower housing portion, where it bubbles up into the buckets. The greater buoyancy of the operating gas causes the wheel to turn. A venturi pipe connects a gas return pipe to to a venturi disposed within the lower housing portion. A venturi low pressure area pulls operating gas through the venturi pipe into the buckets, which also causes the wheel to rotate. At steady state operation, approximately half the operating gas in the buckets comes from the blower, and about half is pulled in through the venturi.

Abstract: A hydraulic displacement machine that can operate as a pump or a motor in connection with an electrorheologic or magnetorheologic fluid includes a housing, a rotary piston arranged to rotate within a chamber in the housing, at least one displacement vane provided on the rotary piston, a plurality of field generating elements such as capacitor plate segments and/or coil arrangements that are each individually electrically energizable and that are arranged on the two sidewalls of the housing chamber distributed around the circumferential direction, and an actuator connected to each field generating element so as to move the elements of each pair selectively closer together and farther apart from each other. By applying an appropriate electric or magnetic field to the electrorheologic or magnetorheologic fluid between the field generating elements, the fluid is locally solidified in the "flow mode" to form a stationary seal plug within each fluid chamber between respective consecutive vanes.

Abstract: A fluid flow device is described. A rotor of the fluid flow device has one or more bubbles such as open-ended scoop cups in a rotor disc. The rotor is located in a shroud. In the case of a compressor, the rotor is driven by power and upon rotation, scooping action of the scoop cups generate fluid flow through the rotor. In a power plant configuration, high speed fluid flow drives the rotor and the power is generated on its shaft. In another embodiment, a stator is also provided in the shroud. The stator also has one or more inlet cups and outlet cups to produce desired fluid flows through the stator. In further embodiments, multi-stage fluid flow devices are described in which one or more rotors and stators are alternately located in the shroud which is substantially axially symmetrical.

Abstract: An improved water turbine apparatus includes a rotating waterwheel having a plurality of water-receiving buckets arranged about its periphery. Water is delivered to the buckets at a first, upper location and drained from the buckets at a second, lower location. The water is retained in the buckets during rotation between the first and second locations by a curved, fixed turbine wall. A portion of the water delivered to the buckets may be pumped from a well or reservoir, the water drained from the buckets being used to replenish the reservoir. The reservoir can be used to augment a second, variable water source to maintain continuous and consistent turbine output.

Abstract: A compact turbine assembly that may be driven by a variety of compressed fluids, including superheated steam, compressed air, pressurized water, or combustion exhaust gas. The turbine assembly employs a rotor which includes a series of fluid medium-receiving cavities having rounded closed ends. The turbine assembly may include a gap section between the power housing rim and the rotor of the device, in order to maximize use of the enthalpy of the fluid medium to drive the rotor.

Abstract: A centrifugal pump for a first fluid has a housing with an inlet and includes a rotatable impeller which is adjacent to a stationary plate. The inlet communicates with a space defied between the impeller and the plate. An outlet adjacent to the periphery of the impeller also communicates with the space. The space is divided into a plurality of zig-zag pumping passages which extend from the inlet to the periphery of the impeller. Each passage has undulating sidewalls defined by complementary undulations in the facing surfaces of the plate and the impeller. Each passage also has endwalls defined by vanes mounted to the impeller. The vanes generally conform to the undulations in the impeller and are also complementary to the undulations in the plate. An injection port in the plate communicates with the space downstream of the inlet at a point where the lowest absolute pressure within the passages exists. A second fluid may be injected through the port and into the passages.

Abstract: The invention relates to a water driven turbine. The turbine has a central drum rotatable on a horizontal shaft, the drum having a series of buckets about its periphery, the outer lips of each bucket being such as to delay discharge of water from each bucket until the bucket has a almost reached bottom dead center. The turbine has an inlet with a relatively narrow upstream opening and a relatively broad downstream opening, the inlet spreading the flow of water along substantially the length of each bucket. The turbine may be coupled to a pump which pumps water from a reservoir of water that has passed through the pump. Delivery of water can be achieved to unexpectedly high levels using the turbine/pump combination.

Abstract: An automated cylinder connector is disclosed, which substantially reduces the time required to connect and disconnect a gas line from a gas cylinder. In one embodiment, a threaded connector, defining a conduit for gas flow, is designed to be attached to the valve outlet of a gas cylinder. The connector includes a threaded collar having a bevel gear which engages a similarly shaped bevel gear on an independent, motorized drive member. When the drive member is held against the threaded connector, so that the bevel gears are engaged, and when power is applied to the drive member, the collar on the connector rotates, and is threadedly engaged with the gas cylinder. In another embodiment, the threaded connector takes the form of a turbine which is rotated by a stream of compressed air. Rotation of the turbine screws the connector into the gas cylinder. In both embodiments, a plurality of threaded connectors can be grouped together, and suspended above a plurality of cylinders, by a set of springs.

Abstract: A self-propelled, rotary liquid atomizer having a feed tube and a rotor operably connected at the bottom thereof. The feed tube is hollow and is affixed to the inlet line of a pressurized liquid source. This liquid source is not only atomized but serves as the motor force for the atomizer. A plurality of slits are formed at the bottom of feed tube and they are juxtaposed a plurality of cup-like openings and holes formed in the rotor. As the liquid under pressure is passed through the feed tubes it exits from the slits at the bottom of the feed tube and impinges upon the cup-like openings within the rotor to cause the rotation thereof. This high speed rotation causes the rotor to act as a fly wheel spinning at such high speed that it increases the momentum of the liquid forcing it up and along the walls of the rotor and out through the openings therein. As the liquid reaches the openings at the top of the rotor, it is sheared into fine droplets and sprayed/atomized at 360.degree. around the rotor.

Abstract: An apparatus for the removal of water from the ground includes a rotatable outer cylinder apertured around its circumference, and a non-rotating part cylindrical member concentric with, and immediately inside the cylinder. The part cylindrical member is open in the region of ground contact. A plurality of sweeper blades are mounted inside the outer cylinder for rotation relative thereto while the outer cylinder is rotating. The blades sweep ground water received through the apertures of the outer cylinder upwardly for trapping between the blades and the part cylindrical member. At a certain height the ground water is discharged into a non-rotating tank inside the outer cylinder.

Abstract: A compressed-air vibrator with a turbine drive, which includes an unbalanced cylindrical rotor, an essentially closed housing having a cylindrical chamber in which the rotor is rotatably supported, with an inlet opening on the housing for the inlet of compressed air into the chamber, and with a discharge opening for the egress of air from the chamber. The rotor is constituted of at least two segments which possess different specific weights to provide the necessary imbalance.

Abstract: Machine tool having a jet turbine driving a rotatable spindle with a tool holder, said spindle is comprised in a spindle housing, said jet turbine consisting of a disc-shaped turbine rotor being closely enclosed by a turbine housing, said turbine rotor having peripherally arranged discrete recesses, each recess having a concave front actuation wall for the jet and one sidewardly arranged outlet opening which opens in the axial direction of the rotor, said housing having at least one inlet nozzle for the jet directed into the recesses and having at least one outlet opening for the spent jet medium. Known machine tools suffer under strong speed losses when the load increases or varies. This disadvantage results from a constant interference between spent air within the recesses and the working jet. Thus, the energy of the jet cannot be used with good efficiency.

Abstract: In a centrifugal pump, a pumping section comprising a circular conduit has an input section subtending an arc on the circle. A plurality of channels connect the input section to an input conduit subtending an arc of a circle smaller than and concentric with or parallel to and vertically displaced from the circle defined by the pumping section. An output section subtends an arc defined by a circle concentric with and larger than the pumping section or vertically displaced therefrom. An impeller comprising vanes mounted on an annular disk is mounted in the pumping section and has magnetically saturable sections angularly spaced thereon driven by coils surrounding the pumping section and angularly spaced therealong.

Abstract: A turbine power plant comprises a rotor and a stator with chambers arranged at intervals around the outer periphery of the rotor. Nozzles are provided at intervals around the stator and direct working fluid toward the periphery of the rotor. Each chamber comprises an intake opening in the outer periphery of the rotor and an inflow path which extends from the intake opening to a reaction surface. Working fluid entering a chamber passes through the inflow path to impinge upon the reaction surface. The direction of flow is such that work is produced on the rotor producing rotation. At the reaction surface, flow is subdivided into two parts extending into two outflow passages on opposite axial sides of the inflow path. The outflow paths extend to exhaust openings in the outer periphery of the rotor on opposite axial sides of the intake opening. The exiting flow of fluid passes through the outflow paths and exhaust openings toward the stator.

Abstract: A power system is provided which consists of an internal combustion engine, a compressor to compress the air used in operating the engine, a pair of heat exchangers wherein the fuel for operating the engine is preheated by exhaust gases wherein the fuel is contacted indirectly, first in a low temperature zone with exhaust gas from a high temperature zone then contacted indirectly with the exhaust gases in the high temperature zone, wherein the exhaust gases are preferably boosted in velocity between the high temperature zone and the low temperature by a screw type booster fan and wherein the exhaust gases recovered from the low temperature zone are then preferably passed through one or more turbines to further recover energy.

Abstract: A gas turbine comprising a housing having a chamber of generally cylindrical periphery, a rotor mounted for rotation in the chamber, and a stator wall at one end of the chamber. The rotor has an end face in rotary sealing relationship with the stator wall and a peripheral surface in rotary sealing relationship with the periphery of the chamber. The rotor further has a plurality of recesses around its periphery, each recess extending radially into the rotor from the peripheral surface thereof and having a passage extending to the end face thereof. The housing has an inlet directing gas under pressure into the recesses. The stator wall blocks each passage at the end face for a part of a revolution of the rotor to hold the gas in the recesses for compression and is ported for exit of gas from each recess via its passage as the rotor rotates through another part of its revolution for expansion of the gas and resultant impulsing of the rotor.

Abstract: A windshield washer having a jet nozzle adapted for ejecting a washing liquid to a windshield, a first reservoir for containing a first liquid such as water, a second reservoir for containing a second liquid such as a detergent solution, and a pump having a rotor for feeding the first or second liquid to the jet nozzle. By rotating the rotor selectively in the forward or reverse direction, the desired first or the second liquid is ejected from the jet nozzle as the washing liquid.

Abstract: The specification discloses a gas compressor incorporating a rotating wheel with cavities therein, the cavities transferring gas into a chamber of elevated pressure while simultaneously using the cavities to transfer a liquid out of that chamber.

Abstract: A lightweight fully shrouded radial flow fluid machine comprising a rotor having blades with flexible sides and a closed edge and a housing having opposed walls closely adjacent the flexible sides of the blades, the rotor blades being shaped to coact with the working fluid and adjacent walls of the housing during rotor rotation to develop a fluid dynamic bearing film that supports the blade sides in free-running close clearance with the walls thus sealing the space between the blades and the walls with a minimum of wearing contact.

Abstract: An air-powered vacuum cleaner floor tool and an air turbine therefor are provided. The floor tool comprises a housing with a rotary agitator mounted on the bottom thereof, and a wand connector means mounted on the rear thereof and aligned with the longitudinal center of the housing. The wand connector is used for connecting the floor tool to a vacuum cleaner wand. The air-powered turbine motor has a turbine chamber and a rotor mounted on the housing, with the turbine chamber having an air inlet and an air outlet. The air inlet is aligned with the longitudinal center of the rotary agitator, and the air outlet is aligned with the longitudinal center of the housing and with the wand connector. The air outlet includes an outlet opening in the turbine chamber. The angle which is formed by the center line of the air inlet of the air-powered motor, and the center line of the outlet opening of the turbine chamber, is less than 55.degree..

Abstract: Apparatus for extracting energy from water waves includes an elongate water wheel mounted rotatably so that at least a portion of the wheel is above the level of the water, and a ramp extending substantially the length of the wheel to shield the wave side of the wheel from wave impact and to direct water of the wave upwardly over the top of the wheel so as to impact the water wheel on the side thereof removed from the wave and effect rotation thereof. A holding tank is preferably provided at the top of the ramp and above the wheel to hold water from the waves and to direct it onto the wheel. Energy may be extracted from the rotating wheel by a generator or other device.

Abstract: A mechanical rotary vane vacuum pump has high and low vacuum stages for a pumped gas. Each stage includes a rotor for vanes cyclically driven about a common axis that is eccentric to a cylinder of a stator; the stator of each stage includes an inlet and outlet for the pumped gas. An oil seal between inlets and outlets for each stage is in a narrow gap between the stator and rotor. An interstage structure includes a flow path between the stages for the pumped gases and a shaft drivingly connected the rotors of the stages. An oil flow path comprises a first passage through the interstage structure leading radially to the shaft. The shaft includes diametrically opposed oil metering flats or cavities longitudinally aligned with an outlet of the first passage. A second passage through the interstage structure is longitudinally aligned with the cavities and leads tangentially from the peripheries of the shaft and a bore for the shaft.

Abstract: A fluid motor is disclosed which includes a rotor supported for rotation about a generally horizontal axis by a hollow shaft. The rotor defines a plurality of chambers circumferentially spaced apart relative to the axis. A relatively large area flow passage extends from the trailing wall portion of each chamber to a succeeding chamber to enable fluid flow between said chambers in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the rotor. A relatively dense working fluid partially occupies the rotor. Intake valving introduces a motive fluid into the rotor chambers disposed within a predetermined angular range relative to the axis so that the motive fluid displaces the working fluid from those chambers through associated respective flow passages and in so doing drives the rotor. Exhaust valving communicates with successive rotor chambers disposed in a second angular range relative to the axis for enabling motive fluid to exhaust from the chambers.

Abstract: A water collecting reservoir, desirably located at a considerable elevation, is constructed and arranged periodically to deliver water downward to an annular generator chamber which includes a fixed outer circular shell and a complementary, inner rotary shell, the latter shell being fixed on a rotary horizontal shaft which may be constantly driven by the water through pistons affixed to the inner shell. The rotary shaft is arranged periodically to open and close a valve for timing the admission of measured quantities of water to drive the generator.

Abstract: The turbine rotor has about its periphery a steam track in the form of a groove. The groove is closed at its leading end by a small face and has walls which diverge in a helical pattern. The bottom and walls of the groove terminate in an outwardly sloping area which meets the closed leading end of the groove. Alternatively there may be a succession of grooves, each with a closed leading ends and diverging walls. Additionally the housing may include a stationary steam track closed at both ends with walls diverging in the opposite direction from the diverging walls of the groove in the rotor.

Abstract: A pressure gas engine in which pressurized gas such as air is supplied to a series of arcuately arranged nozzles for exhausting into a series of arcuately arranged impulse buckets thereby causing rotation of a rotor in which the buckets are located, each nozzle having an exit adjacent the buckets and each bucket having a curved surface with an entering boundary edge and a leaving boundary edge for the gas blast leaving the bucket so that the blast sweeps across the curved surface of each bucket. The exit diameter of each nozzle is less than the radius of the curved surface of each bucket to achieve a full sweep of each bucket's curved surface from the entering edge to the leaving edge.

Abstract: This invention pertains to an air-actuated vibrator of the turbine-type in which the rotor and enclosing chamber is contoured so as to provide within the normal operating range a low noise level which is below 80 db (hertz). In association with this chamber is a novel muffler which receives the output from the chamber and reduces the noise level to about 65 db or less which is much below the tolerance level established as acceptable. The rotor is the only moving part in this vibrator and has its periphery formed with small tooth-like transverse serrations but other similar profiles may be used. The tooth profile is of such small size that the driven rotor which is peripherally driven by pressurized air within a normal supply range produces noise levels which are sufficiently low so that the operation of the vibrator in combination with the associated muffler is considered to be virtually silent.