US1706359A - Hydraulic machine - Google Patents

Description

March 19, 1929. w. H. LIEBER HYDRAULI C MACHI NE Original Filed April 10. 1922 energy convertingapparatus such Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

UNITED sit/:fritsg PA'rnNToFFICE.

WILLIAM I-I. LIEBER, OF `VKLAITIT-A'1OSA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO ALLIS-CHALMERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F MILW'AUKEE, WISCONSIN,v A CORPORATION DELAWARE.

HYDRAULIC MACHINE.

original application filed Aprii io, 1922, serial No. 551,087. inviata mia this application ined December Y 10, 1924. Serial N0. 754,915." 'y

. This invention relates generally to 'iinprovements in hydraulic machines, and relates more specifically to improvements l-in the construction and operation offhy'draulic draulic turbines and pumps. y i

.A general object of the invention is to provide a hydraulic machine which is simple in construction and efficient inl operation.

Some of the more specific objects and advantages of the. present improvement are as follows: i i f `To provide au exceedingly simple, compact type.

To provide a hydraulic machine of rela- Y tively great capacity which is compact in construction, and in which undesirable obstructions to flow of loperating fluid are avoided. Y n p Y y I To provide a vertical hydraulic installa-y tion in which the thrust induced bythe fluid n flowing' through the rotor is utilized to counlterbalance the Weight of the rotatingparts, thereby costly thrust bearings. -A M f v l,

To provide an improved turbineoperable under relatively *plow heads and at relatively high specific speeds, inl which-the costs Aof installation vand operation areY minimized'. I

To provide a hydraulic energy converting machine lcomprising a minimum `number of elementsor parts allof which are convenient- Aly accessible for inspection or removal, and

which' may be mantled. y y y A p Tor provideV a khydraulic turbine unit in which retardation of the flow due to the action of centrifugal forces, is substantially eliminated, and in which such action is utilized to the fullest'extent in order to augment the' lflow through the unit.

. To provide improvedrotor structurefor hydraulic machines especially Voperable at high'specific orcharacteristic speeds.'

Tov providev other improvements in the 1' construction'and operation of the'hydraulic' A machines such as rotarypumpsand'turbines.

plicationfSerial Number 551,087, :liledfApril f 10,1922, and any'novelfeatures of hydraulic machine construction ydisclosedbut notspe- Vand efficient hydraulic machine of the rotary'y eliminating'necessity of providingk quickly assembledv andV disj The present application'is a division of ape A clear conception of severalembodiments.

of the invention and ofthe operation of machines constructed inaccoidaiice therewith,

vmay be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a central vvertical section through a hydraulicturbine unit embodying a. rotor l of the purely radial flow type, in which the actuating fluid enters in the form ofa vo-rtrated in Fig.l 1, the section being taken through theturbine rotor and the discharge passage thereof.

Fig. 3 is a ycentral vertical section through a hydraulic turbine unit embodying a rotor of the mixed flow type, in which the compo-` nents of fiow of' the fluid througlitherotor areboth radial and axial: 'f i Y Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a radial outward flow rotor formed to produce relatively high specific or characteristic speed.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the radial out- .wardflow rotor disclosed in Fig. 4.

.Fig 'is a side elevation of a mixed flow A frotorformed to producerelatively high char,-

acteristi'c'or specific speed, ,3.

Fig. is al bottom `View of the rotor disclosed in Fig. 6. i

Each of the hydraulic y trated innFigs. 1, 2 and Scomprisesgenerally a lowercasing 12'forming avanefi'ee spiral inlet'chamber 5, a vanefrce transition space A6, and an axially upwardly' directed vane free conduitportion 7 communicating with thechainber 5, an upper casing portion 15 coopeiating'with substructureto provide an annularvane free diffuser orl iiow decelerating passage'; aturbine rotorSO, 2O located lbet'ween the communicating conduits 5, 8;

a vertical main shaft 43 having its lower end rigidly-attached to the turbine rotor;v and a mixed flo'w turbine units illusy dynamo electricrmachine orgenerator 4- hav- ,y

upper 'end ofthe main 'shaft-'8.2 The spiral a rotary clement 'direct connected to thev Y eratingfluid from. asourceofsupply through a vertically-.disposed inlet pipe 10 .having controlling means such as a butterfly valve therein, and cominunicating with the inlet chamber 5 in a generally tangential direction as shown in FigQ. The spiral inlet chain- Vber 5 communicates inwardly with thesyinmetrica-l annular passage or transition space 6 having a central symmetrical conical core 137 23 therein and providing a vane free guiding and conducting passage foi' gradually changing the flow of the fluid from inward to axial. The upper easing portion may be spaced and supported from the lower turbine structure by means of annular series of struts 16 located beyond the working passages and formed as guide vanes in order to pro` duce least obstruction to the flow vof the fluid `delivered from the chamber 8.' The upper casing 15 is also formed to provide a guiding surface adjacent to the turbine rotor and the central portion 17 of the casing 15 provides a bearing for the main shaft 3 closely adjacent to the turbine rotor.' The periphery of the diffusing chamber 8 communicates with a conducting casing 18 forming a discharge chamber 9 which communicates with a tail-V race in the usual manner. One side of the chambei` 8 may be provided with a splitter 19 for dividing'the flow of the decelerated fluid discharged from the chamber 8 into the chamber 9. By removing the upper casing 15 the turbine rotor 80, 2O is freely vertically removable and all interior port-ions Vof Y the several casings are readily accessible.

Referring specifically to the improvedrform of rotor disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5, the rotor v3()l is 4ofthe purely radial outward flow type and comprises an annular series of axially extending parallel vanes 31 secured to a disk-like hub 32, the varies lillustrated having free lower extremities as shown. The vanes 31 may be sospaced that the adjacent edges of Vsuccessive vanes do not overlap when the rotor is viewed ina direction transversely ofits axis. The angularity of the vanes is such that the working surfaces are disposed transversely. of the direction of ad" diffusing chamber 8. thus augmenting to a f maximum Athe vquantity of fluid passing through the machine.

:Referring specifically to the turbine rotor i. disclosed in Figs. 6 and 7, the rotor 20is of the mixed jI'lowft-ype and comprises an annular series ofdovefta-il shaped vanes 21 secured Y' to a conoidal hub 22and extending laterally and outwardly away from the hub, the vanes;

21 having free outer ends as shown. The

`varies 21 are so spaced that the adjacent edges of successive vanes do not overlap when such vanes are projected upon a. plane perpendicular to the rotor axis. The angularity of theY vanes 21 is such that the working surfaces are disposed transversely of the direction of advancement of the individual stream lines of the vortex of operating fluid produced by the chamber 5. rllie rotor 20 is adapted to deliver its VdischargeV in the adjoining diffusing chamber 8 at an angle of approximately 45 relatively to the turbine axis. By thus delivering thefluid, centrifugal force induced in the whirling mass of liquid, assists in the delivery thereof to the' diffusing chamber 8' thus augmenting the quantity offluid passing` through the machine.:

During normal operation of a hydraulicV turbine constructed in' accordance with the present invention, operating fluid under pressureis admitted through the pipe 10 to the chamber 5, transition space 6, and axially extending conduit 7, and from thence outwardly through the rotor to the diffusing and-decelerating chamber 8. The quantity of fluid thus admitted through the pipe 10 is controllable either automatically bymeans of a speed governor, vor .manually by manipulation of the butterfly valve 1,1, and the flow -of fluid may be out off entirely by closing the valve 11. In passing through the spiral inlet chamber 5 the entering fluid is caused torwhirl due to, the Aspiral formation of the lower casing 12, the direction of whirl being the same as the direction of rotation ofthe rotor. The

fluid is delivered inwardly-from the chamber 5 toward the rotor axis and intothe transition space 6 wherein the direction'of flow of the through the conduit 7 to the rotor wherein the velocity energy of they fluid is transformed into torque inthe rotating'shaft-B and produces rotation at relativelyhigh specific'or characteristic speed. The fluid` is delivered ,from the rotor with considerable residual whirl, directly into thel outwardly extending diffusing chamber 8. vIn, the chamber 8 the4 'y remaining velocity and whirl energy is' substantiallv converted into pressure energy and the fluid iseventually discharged tothe chamber 9 with practically no whirll energy left therein and with only sufficient velocity energy to produce a flow to the tail-race.

While passing throughthe rotorf20, 30 the` centrifugal force induced in the whirling mass of fluid, assists in delivery thereof from jthe rotor. By vproviding rotors 20,' 80 having vnonfoverlapping properly shaped vanes,

friction and other energy losses are reduced to a minimum. v.lll/'bile the inventionhas been illustrated hereinl as applied to'vertical'hydraulic turbine installations"only,l it will bel obvious that the features thereof are more vzgenerally applicable tof hydraulicr machines of various types regardless of their disposition.

It should be understood that it is not desiredto limit the invention to the exact details of construction and operation herein shown-and described, -i'or Various modiiications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled'in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent 1. A high speed hydraulic rotor comprisingga hub, and an annular series of Vanes eX- tending away from said hub and along` and spirally with respect to the hub axis, theinlet and discharge edges of' thesuccessive Vanes of said series being spaced apart circumferentially and said'vanes being formed for out-V ward delivery 'of liquid through said spaces allel to and spirally with respect to the hub` axis, the inlet and discharge edges of the successive Vanes of said series being substantially parallel to each other and being spaced apart cireuinferentially with respect to said axis, said Vanes being formed for outward delivery of liquid through said spaces when the rotor is operating as a turbine.v

In testimony whereof, the signature of the inventor is aflixed hereto.

WILLIAM II. LIEBER..

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