Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps – Motor runner motivated by reaction type jet discharge nozzle...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-21
2003-03-18
Look, Edward K. (Department: 3745)
Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps
Motor runner motivated by reaction type jet discharge nozzle...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06533539
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is in the field of turbine engines and in particular in the field of pressurized gas driven turbine engines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The conventional design for the turbines used in turbine engines incorporates small fins on the turbine. In order for the turbine engine to be efficient, there must be extremely close tolerances are required between the expansion chamber and the turbine fins. Also, the expansion chamber and the turbine, including the fins, must be able to withstand high temperatures. These restraints on conventional turbines makes them very expensive to manufacture. This has greatly limited the use of turbine engines in many applications.
Essentially all automobiles, trucks, buses, boats, ships, trains and smaller aircraft are powered by internal combustion engines. These engines are either spark plug ignited gasoline engines or compression heat ignited diesel engines. The efficiency of these engines, in the conversion of chemical energy to mechanical energy, is only in the rage of 20 to 25 percent. The remaining 75 to 80 percent is lost as heat in the exhaust or in the liquid cooling system through a radiator.
By comparison, the conversion of chemical energy to mechanical energy in an efficient turbine engine is approximately 45 percent. Despite the substantially higher efficiency of a turbine engine, turbine engines have not found wide application, primarily due to initial cost.
Many attempts have been made to devise an apparatus to reduce the large amount of heat which is wasted by internal combustion engines. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,127 to Dunn utilizes steam generated by injecting water onto an exhaust manifold to generate steam for powering a separate steam cylinder. Similarly, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,548 to Hallstrom utilizes steam generated by injecting water onto an exhaust manifold to provide supplemental energy to each of the cylinders.
An exhaust gas steam turbine for providing supplemental power to an automobile is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,766 to Striebich. For this drive unit, waste heat in the exhaust gases is utilized to produce steam for powering a supplemental turbine. A similar drive unit is disclosed in another U.S. Patent to Striebich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,631 and incorporates a turbine rotating element with spiral blading.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,845 to Kim discloses a device for utilizing waste heat from an internal combustion engine to generate steam and drive a turbine which is used for a generation of power for auxiliary use in the automobile and for heating and cooling of the passenger compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,003 to Wicks discloses an apparatus which utilizes waste heat from an internal combustion engine to power a turbine. The inventor claims that this device has the ability to increase the overall efficiency of the engine from 25 percent to approximately 40 percent.
A hybrid internal combustion/turbine engine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,000 to Dauksis. For this device, an internal combustion engine is utilized to generate heat for the production of steam which is used to power a turbine. The turbine is then utilized to drive an electric generator to charge batteries which are used as a complimentary or alternate source of propulsion for a ground vehicle.
The apparent lack of commercial success for any of the foregoing inventions is probably attributable primarily to cost. The additional cost cannot be amortized, over the lifetime of the vehicle by the fuel cost savings. The result of the foregoing is that, as consumers, we have elected to live with the low efficiency and environmental problems associated with internal combustion engines. However, the extent of the effort made to attempt to deal with the efficiency and environmental problems, as manifest by the foregoing prior art, demonstrates the extent of the need for a high efficiency engine for these applications.
The high cost of turbine engines is primarily the consequence of the close tolerance required for the construction of the turbine and the turbine body and the very high cost of materials required for heat tolerance and durability required for the traditional turbines. Particularly, the turbine fins and the turbine seat in the turbine body must be machined to very close tolerance of highly durable material. Otherwise, high efficiency will not be achieved and wear and loss of efficiency will be excessive.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,404 to Sherman provides for the passage of fluids through a turbine for use in cooling the turbine.
The present invention utilizes steam or other pressurized gas which is directed from the center of the turbine to nozzles at the perimeter of the turbine. The nozzles have a gas discharge which is oblique to the direction of rotation of the turbine.
The present invention may also be utilized with a geothermal well, with the heated water being passed directly to the nozzles where the water is flashed to steam as the water is passed through the nozzles. Conventional geothermal generator facilities require the flashing of hot water extracted from the geothermal well to steam, and the steam is then passed to the turbine. This results in a substantial loss of energy from the water in converting it to steam. The direct flashing of the hot water in the nozzles of the present invention increases the efficiency substantially. This advantage of the present invention can be used for other applications as well, to increase efficiency and decrease complexity.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a turbine for a high efficiency engine which is economical enough for automobile and other small engine applications.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a high efficiency turbine engine which is economical enough for automobile and other small engine applications.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a high efficiency turbine engine for which the need for close tolerance machining and the need for high cost parts and materials are greatly reduced.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a turbine engine which can utilize fuel types other than gasoline or diesel.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a turbine engine which does not require the burning of fossil fuel at high pressure, thereby lessening the amount of oxide type air pollutants.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a turbine engine that can be used with electric motor driven or partially electric motor driven vehicles which utilize battery storage of energy.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a turbine engine that provides for the direct flashing of heated water to steam gas nozzles which power the turbine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the turbine engine of the present invention comprise a turbine, a turbine shaft, a turbine body and turbine shaft bearings. For these embodiments the turbine has at least two gas nozzles which are hydraulically connected by nozzle gas ways to internal shaft gas ways in the turbine shaft. For these embodiments, the turbine shaft is hollow or tubular with one or more internal shaft gas ways.
The turbine is contained within the turbine chamber of the turbine body. The turbine seat is dimensioned to be proximal to the perimeter of the turbine, thereby inducing a ground effect for gas exiting the nozzles. The close tolerance between the gas exits and the turbine seat peripheral surface is the only aspect of the turbine body that requires accurate machining. Unlike a conventional turbine, the front face of the turbine does not need to closely fit the front wall of the turbine chamber. The turbine nozzles, the turbine seat peripheral surface, the shaft gas ways and the nozzle gas ways are the only components of the turbine engine that experience very high temperatures.
For preferred embodiments, to provide for inertial balance of the turbine, if there is only one gas shaft way, the internal gas shaft
International Automated Systems, Inc.
Look Edward K.
McCoy Kimya N
Nelson J. David
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