US3926534A

US3926534A - Turbine

Info

Publication number: US3926534A
Application number: US430150A
Authority: US
Inventors: John W Erickson
Original assignee: Kobe Inc
Current assignee: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC
Priority date: 1974-01-02
Filing date: 1974-01-02
Publication date: 1975-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-16

Abstract

A turbine comprising an outer housing, a rotary casing in the housing and having an inner peripheral surface carrying circumferentially spaced turbine blades, and a radial arm within the rotary casing terminating in a circumferentially oriented nozzle for directing a jet of power fluid under pressure at the turbine blades. The spent power fluid escapes through passages in one end wall of the rotary casing and produces a reactive effect supplementing the nozzle and turbine blade effect. Thus, the invention provides a combination impulse and reaction turbine.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 Erickson 5] Dec. 16, 1975 TURBINE 3,611,814 10/1971 Haack 74/5 Inventor: J W. on Huntington 3,758,223 9/1973 Eskell 415/80 Bea h, C l'f. c Primary Examiner-C. J. Husar [73] Ass1gnee: Kobe, Inc., Huntington Park, Calif. Assistant Examiner-L. J. Casaregola [22] Filed: Jan. 2, 1974 Attorney, Agent, or FirmChristie, Parker & Hale [21] Appl. No.: 430,150 ABSTRACT i A turbine comprising an outer housing, a rotary casing i :,gg in the housing and having an inner peripheral surface [58 d 1 81 g 500 carrying circumferentially spaced turbine blades, and 1 0 arc 1 a radial arm within the rotary casing terminating in a 1 l circumferentially oriented nozzle for directing a jet of power fluid under pressure at the turbine blades. The [56] References cued spent power fluid escapes through passages in one end UNITED STATES PATENTS wall of the rotary casing and produces a reactive ef- 305,575 9/1884 Culver 415/80 fect supplementing the nozzle and turbine blade ef- 2,060,414 11/1936 Fladeland 415/80 feet. Thus, the invention provides a combination im- 3,049,081 8/1962 Singlemann 415/89 pulse d reaction bi 3,324,023 5/1968 King 415/89 3,384,023 5/1968 Kin 415/89 7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Ufi. Patam Dec. 16,1975 SheetlofZ 3,926,534

Fzm. it,

US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,926,534

TURBINE BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The present invention relates in general to a turbine and, more particularly, to a combination impulse and reaction turbine.

Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a turbinehaving some of the characteristics of a pitot pump of the general type shown, for example, in US. Pat. No. 3,384,024, granted May 21, 1968 to William L. King.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF INVENTION The primary object of the invention is to provide a turbine which, in a general sense, comprises a pitot pump operating as a turbine, i.e., which comprises a pitot pump provided on the inner periphery of its rotary casing with circumferentially spaced turbine blades against which a jet of power fluid, liquid or gas, under pressure is directed by a nozzle means comprising essentially the pitot tube of a conventional pitot pump.

More particularly, the invention may be summarized as including, and an important object of the invention is to provide a turbine which includes: an outer housing having axially spaced ends and "having an inlet for power fluid under pressure in one of the ends thereof; a rotary casing in the housing and rotatable about the axis thereof and having axially spaced ends; the casing having an inner peripheral surface carrying circumferentially spaced turbine blades; a stationary generally radial arm within the casing and carried by the housing; the arm having a generally radial passage therein; the arm having an inlet at its inner end in communication with the inner end of the radial passage; inlet passage means connecting the inlet in the arm to the inlet in the one end of the housing; nozzle means at the outer end of the arm, and communicating with the outer end of the radial passage, for directing a jet of power fluid under pressure at the turbine blades; and discharge means for discharging spent power fluid from the eas- The invention may be further summarized as including, and another important object is to provide a turbine wherein the aforementioned discharge means includes: circumferentially spaced discharge passages in one of the ends of the casing and having outer ends in communication with the interior of the casing adjacent the inner peripheral surface thereof; an outlet in the housing; and discharge passage means connecting the inner ends of the discharge passages to the outlet in the housing. These discharge passages recover the energy of the pressure at the periphery of the rotating casing. Approximately half the energy conversion occurs in the blading and half in the turbine discharge passages.

With the foregoing construction, a combination impulse and reaction turbine results, the impulse effect being provided by the nozzle means acting on the turbine blades, and the reaction effect being provided by the spent power fluid, which is still under substantial pressure, flowing through the discharge passages in one end of the rotary casing.

The invention also has the advantage of higher efficiency due to the lower rotor drag, compared to other turbines, resulting from rotating the outer surface of the rotary casing in a reduced density fluid compared to the power fluid. In the case of liquid power fluids, the rotating casing rotates in a gas such as air. In the a case of gases or vapors, the casing rotates in a vacuum. The well-known Pelton wheel turbine rotor does rotate in a reduced density fluid, but requires an atmospheric pressure liquid discharge to obtain this condition. In certain energy recovery applications it is desirable to operate the turbine with a relatively high discharge pressure which is not possible with the Pelton turbine. In operation on water with the space around the rotor filled with air, the density difference will be 800 to 1. When operating on steam, with the space around the rotating casing filled with condensed steam, the vacuum density will be in the order of to I. As rotor friction losses vary approximately with the density of the surrounding fluid, it can be appreciated how effective this density reduction on the outside of the rotating casing will be in reducing losses and increasing efficiency.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the turbine blades are so shaped as to deflect the spent power fluid toward the outer ends of the discharge passages.

Yet another object is to provide a turbine wherein the inlet and the outlet in the housing are in the same end thereof, with the inlet located on the axis of rotation of the rotary casing, and with the outlet offset radially from the inlet. In this connection, other objects are to provide a construction wherein the inlet passage means is coaxial with the rotary casing, and wherein the discharge means includes an annular portion encircling the inlet passage means, and another portion connecting such annular portion to the outlet in the housing.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and re sults of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages, features and results thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the turbine art in the light of this disclosure, may be achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION The turbine of the invention is designated generally by the numeral 10 and includes an outer housing 12 shown as provided with a supporting base 14 and provided with axially

spaced ends

16 and 18. Within the outer housing 12, in a sealed, evacuable, rotary casing space 19, is a rotary casing 20 having axially spaced

ends

22 and 24 respectively adjacent the

housing ends

16 and 18, the casing being supported by

bearings

26 and 28.

Carried by the housing end 16, and coaxial with the housing 12 in the rotary casing 20, is a tubular shaft 30 which communicates at its outer end with an inlet port 32 for high pressure operating fluid, the tubular shaft providing an inlet passage means 34 in communication with the inlet port. Carried by the inner end of the tubular shaft 30, which is stationary, is a radial pitot arm or tube 36 having a radial passage 38 communicating at its inner, inlet end with the inlet passage means 34. The pitot arm 36 terminates at its outer end in a head 40 which is similar to a pitot head, but which acts instead as a nozzle means 42 for directing a jet 44, FlG. 2, of operating fluid under pressure tangentially of the inner periphery of the rotary casing 20.

The inner peripheral surface of the rotary casing is provided with circumferentially spaced turbine blades or vanes 46 the configuration of which will be clear from FIG. 3 of the drawings. The curvature and angulation of the blades 46 is such that the deflected jet 44 is directed toward the casing end 22 and, more specifically, toward the inlet ends 48 of radial discharge passages 50 in the casing end 22. The inner ends of the discharge passage 50 communicate with an annular discharge passage 52 which surrounds the tubular shaft 30, as best shown in FIG. 1, and which communicates with a discharge chamber 54 leading to a discharge port 56. The discharge passages 50, the annular discharge passage 52, the discharge chamber 54 and the discharge port 56 constitute a discharge means for discharging spent power fluid from the rotary casing 20, a suitable seal assembly 58 being provided to prevent leakage.

It will be apparent that the foregoing construction provides a combination impulse and reaction turbine. More particularly, the impulse effect is achieved by the jet 44 from the nozzle means 42 acting on the turbine blades 46, which deflect the jet toward the circumferentially spaced inlet ends 48 of the discharge passages 50. The partially spent operating fluid flowing inwardly through the discharge passages 50, which partially spent operating fluid is still under substantial pressure, produces a reaction effect assisting the impulse effect produced by the nozzle means 42 and turbine blades 46. In other words, both the impulse and reaction effects act in the same direction, viz., the counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

As previously indicated, the rotary casing space 19 is sealed, this being accomplished by vacuum seals 60. Rotating the casing 20 in the sealed space 19, filled with a reduced density fluid compared to the power fluid, achieves the important advantages hereinbefore discussed.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. in a turbine, the combination of:

a. an outer housing having axially spaced ends and having an inlet for power fluid under pressure in one of said ends thereof;

b. a rotary casing in said housing and rotatable about the axis thereof and having axially spaced ends;

c. said casing having an inner peripheral surface carrying circumferentially spaced turbine blades;

d. a stationary, generally radial arm within said casing and carried by said housing;

e. said arm having a generally radial passage therein;

f. said arm having an inlet at its inner end in communication with the inner end of said radial passage;

g. inlet passage means connecting said inlet in said arm to said inlet in said one end of said housing;

h. nozzle means at the outer end of said arm, and

communicating with the outer end of said radial passage, for directing a jet of power fluid under pressure at said turbine blades;

. circumferentially spaced discharge passages in one of said ends of said casing and having outer ends in communication with the interior of said casing adjacent said inner peripheral surface thereof;

j. an outlet in said housing; and

k. discharge passage means connecting the inner ends of said discharge passages to said outlet in said housing.

2. A turbine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said turbine blades are so shaped as to deflect the spent power fluid toward said outer ends of said discharge passages.

3. A turbine according to claim 1 wherein said outlet in said housing is in said one end thereof.

4. A turbine as defined in claim 3 wherein said discharge passage means includes an annular portion encircling said inlet passage means.

5. A turbine as set forth in claim 4 wherein said inlet in said housing is located on the axis of said housing and said outlet in said housing is ofiset radially from said inlet therein.

6. A turbine according to claim 5 wherein'said discharge passage means includes a portion connecting said annular portion to said outlet in said housing.

7. A turbine as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing provides a sealed, evacuable space in which said casing rotates.

Claims

1. In a turbine, the combination of: a. an outer housing having axially spaced ends and having an inlet for power fluid under pressure in one of said ends thereof; b. a rotary casing in said housing and rotatable about the axis thereof and having axially spaced ends; c. said casing having an inner peripheral surface carrying circumferentially spaced turbine blades; d. a stationary, generally radial arm within said casing and carried by said housing; e. said arm having a generally radial passage therein; f. said arm having an inlet at its inner end in communication with the inner end of said radial passage; g. inlet passage means connecting said inlet in said arm to said inlet in said one end of said housing; h. nozzle means at the outer end of said arm, and communicating with the outer end of said radial passage, for directing a jet of power fluid under pressure at said turbine blades; i. circumferentially spaced discharge passages in one of said ends of said casing and having outer ends in communication with the interior of said casing adjacent said inner peripheral surface thereof; j. an outlet in said housing; and k. discharge passage means connecting the inner ends of said discharge passages to said outlet in said housing.

5. A turbine as set forth in claim 4 wherein said inlet in said housing is located on the axis of said housing and said outlet in said housing is offset radially from said inlet therein.

6. A turbine according to claim 5 wherein said discharge passage means includes a portion connecting said annular portion to said outlet in said housing.