Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04F—PUMPING OF FLUID BY DIRECT CONTACT OF ANOTHER FLUID OR BY USING INERTIA OF FLUID TO BE PUMPED; SIPHONS
  • F04F5/00—Jet pumps, i.e. devices in which flow is induced by pressure drop caused by velocity of another fluid flow
  • F04F5/02—Jet pumps, i.e. devices in which flow is induced by pressure drop caused by velocity of another fluid flow the inducing fluid being liquid
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
  • B63H11/00—Marine propulsion by water jets
  • B63H11/02—Marine propulsion by water jets the propulsive medium being ambient water
  • B63H11/04—Marine propulsion by water jets the propulsive medium being ambient water by means of pumps
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
  • A63B69/12—Arrangements in swimming pools for teaching swimming or for training
  • A63B69/125—Devices for generating a current of water in swimming pools
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04F—PUMPING OF FLUID BY DIRECT CONTACT OF ANOTHER FLUID OR BY USING INERTIA OF FLUID TO BE PUMPED; SIPHONS
  • F04F5/00—Jet pumps, i.e. devices in which flow is induced by pressure drop caused by velocity of another fluid flow
  • F04F5/02—Jet pumps, i.e. devices in which flow is induced by pressure drop caused by velocity of another fluid flow the inducing fluid being liquid
  • F04F5/10—Jet pumps, i.e. devices in which flow is induced by pressure drop caused by velocity of another fluid flow the inducing fluid being liquid displacing liquids, e.g. containing solids, or liquids and elastic fluids
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
  • B63H11/00—Marine propulsion by water jets
  • B63H2011/002—Marine propulsion by water jets using Coanda effect, i.e. the tendency of fluid jets to be attracted to nearby surfaces
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
  • Y02T70/00—Maritime or waterways transport
  • Y02T70/10—Measures concerning design or construction of watercraft hulls

Definitions

• FIG. 1 is a cross-section of one embodiment of the present invention depicting only the upper half of an ejector and shows profiles of velocity and temperature within the internal flow;
• FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional portion of an ejector according to an embodiment
• FIG. 3 illustrates a side perspective view of an ejector according to an embodiment
• FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of a boat hull that does not employ an embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of a boat hull that does employ an embodiment of the ejector
• FIG. 6 illustrates a swimmer swimming in a recirculating swimming pool that includes one or more ejectors according to an embodiment
• FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 6.
• Water pumped to higher pressures is injected at high speeds, and with the propulsion system immersed into the water at an offset from the ship’s hull in a manner that maximizes the entrainment of the water surrounding the hull, produces a relatively unidirectional stream while producing thrust and moving the vessel in the direction opposite to the water flow.
• the system can be employed as integral to the ship’s hull and only deployed when needed, as for example, for a sailboat
• the entire system can replace an outboard motor that drives a propeller.
• the water pump can be driven electrically using a battery, a generator or a hybrid turboshaft, or a simple ICE or gas turbine.
• such motors and devices are used in a swimming pool of limited size, creating a very steady, equal velocity profile current that allows a swimmer to swim against it.
• the large amount of water entrained produces a very uniform stream without the variations in speeds created usually when using a propeller and flow straightener.
• This method of propulsion is very efficient at high speeds required by the application (exceeding 30 knots), eliminates noise made by the propeller when chopping the water and can be also used to steer the boat by vectoring the jets, or reverse by using moveable surfaces to deflect the flow backwards. Such an approach can also eliminate the cavitation effect that typically limits the operation and performance of a ty pical propeller.
• the amount of energy spent on board of a boat to produce a unit of thrust and move the boat forward is a measure of efficiency of the propulsion system onboard.
• the metric of “propulsive efficiency” is used in aviation, and it is related to the difference between the speed of the aircraft and the speed of the fluid (e.g., jet) leaving the aircraft. When they are close to each other in value, the efficiency is high, but the thrust is diminished; conversely, when the jet speed is high and the aircraft velocity is much smaller, the efficiency is low - in effect too much kinetic energy' is not being used efficiently for propulsive reasons.
• the streamlining of the flow around its hull is optimized and the system may also incur savings from the avoidance of dead water spots and stagnation of w ater in the wake. Integration of the hull with the water propulsion system according to one or more embodiments will lower its drag and streamline the flow around the hull.
• a water pump pulls water from outside the hull of the vessel and filters the water of any debris or vegetation and directs the said water stream to an impeller or other known means of water pumping, raising the pressure to a value and flow rate needed for the propulsion device.
• the device multiplies the amount of water supplied to it and ejects a mixture that, thanks to the shapes and architecture, multiplies the force produced by the primary jet of water were it to be deployed as a simple waterjet, without using an embodiment of the present invention.
• a water pump draws water from a large pool and pressurizes the stream to a main flow that supplies a similar device, this time stationary and placed inside the pool at one end.
• the profile of the velocity coming out of the device is more even or uniform than the use of the typical bladed rotors that generate a stream which is then spread out by use of a flow straightener, as in some of the products offered for swimming training.
• the device can be also scaled up or down by size or numbers, offering a much larger set of options for the swimmer (larger and smaller combinations of thrusters can be shut off or on with primary water flow being supplied via a system of multiple conduits).
• FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-section of only the upper half of an ejector 200 according to an embodiment.
• Plenum 220 may be supplied with hotter-than-ambient fluid.
• Pressurized motive fluid stream 600 communicates via conduits with primary nozzles 203 to the inner side of the ejector.
• the primary nozzles accelerate the motive fluid 600 to the speed required by the ejector performance, per design of the primary nozzles 203.
• the primary (motive) fluid 600 emerges at high speed over the Coanda surface 215 as a wall jet, entraining ambient fluid 1 which may be at rest or approaching the ejector at non-zero speed from the left of the figure.
• the mix of the stream 600 and the ambient fluid 1 are moving purely axially at the throat section 225 of the ejector.
• the mixing and smoothing out process continues so the profiles of temperature (750) and velocity in the axial direction (700) have no longer high and low values as they do at the throat section 225 but become more uniform at the exit of the ejector.
• the temperature and velocity profiles are almost uniform.
• FIG. 2 illustrates in cross-section, and FIG. 3 illustrates in side perspective view, the ej ector 200 according to an embodiment and illustrated in FIG. 1.
• Ej ector 200 includes a diffusing structure 210 and a conduit portion, such as primary fluid area plenum 220.
• Plenum 220 supplies primary fluid
• an intake structure 230 provides secondary fluid, such as ambient fluid, to the diffusing structure 210 for mixing of the primary and secondary fluids therein.
• the diffusing structure 210 comprises a terminal end configured to provide egress from the ejector 200 for the mixed primary and secondary fluids.
• plenum 220 introduces the primary 7 fluid to a convex Coanda surface 215.
• the primary fluid may consist of, for non-limiting example, pressurized water delivered to plenum 220 via a primary-fluid source, such as a duct 250.
• Ejector 200 further includes a flow controller 240.
• FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of a boat hull 400 that does not employ an embodiment of the ejector 200.
• Hull 400 is moving in water and flow streamlines 410 resulting from such movement are shown as forming dead-water spots and stagnation of water in the wake area 420 aft of the hull thereby increasing drag forces acting on the hull.
• FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of a boat hull 500 that does employ an embodiment of the ej ector 200.
• Hull 500 is moving in water and flow streamlines 510 resulting from such movement are shown as being streamlined by ejector being positioned in the wake area 520 aft of the hull thereby decreasing drag forces acting on the hull.
• Ejector 200 may be coupled to hull 500 by a strut 530 or other appropriate coupling device.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)
• Jet Pumps And Other Pumps (AREA)
• Other Liquid Machine Or Engine Such As Wave Power Use (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=90013853

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2023
  • 2023-08-21 JP JP2025511366A patent/JP2025528372A/ja active Pending
  • 2023-08-21 KR KR1020257006019A patent/KR20250051677A/ko active Pending
  • 2023-08-21 CN CN202380060896.XA patent/CN119731078A/zh active Pending
  • 2023-08-21 EP EP23857959.3A patent/EP4573005A1/de active Pending
  • 2023-08-21 IL IL319090A patent/IL319090A/en unknown
  • 2023-08-21 CA CA3262161A patent/CA3262161A1/en active Pending
  • 2023-08-21 AU AU2023330901A patent/AU2023330901A1/en active Pending
  • 2023-08-21 WO PCT/US2023/030731 patent/WO2024044142A1/en not_active Ceased

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