Orthogonal Turbine for Free Rivers and Channels

Abstract

The paper discusses the problem of using the energy of rivers without creating the dams and flooding vast areas and notes that there is a progress in the implementation and development of the ideas of patent in 1931 (the speed of the workers turbine blades is higher than flow rate). The paper gives the diagrams of the new turbines of this type, for example a balanced 6-tier single-blade turbine, turbine-spiral, a balanced twoblades turbine. Moreover, the paper deals with the features free-threaded orthogonal turbines in the streams of the limited width and depth. The most important characteristic of a turbine is the turbine's power factor that is equal to the ratio of the energy of the rotating turbine to the kinetic energy of the flow in the current tube passing through the turbine circuit. There is a possibility of a significant increase in the power of the turbine in comparison with the conditions of use unlimited streams. The increase in turbine power in a straitened flow is associated with an increase in the flow velocity in the turbine on the approach to the rear section of the blades’ track. It is set the requirements of the turbine parameters for maximum power at a given water flow and the permissible level rise in the river. These requirements relate to the certain rules for selecting the number of blades (and solidity) of the turbine, taking into account the permissible increasing in the water level (backup) in front of the turbine. The paper notes the turbines instability at low speed of rotation, describes a turbine design modification that eliminates this drawback. Modification of the high-speed orthogonal turbines is the use of accelerating blades with a cup-shaped cross-section, placed on the route within a diameter 2 times smaller than the diameter of the main (working) blades of the smoothly streamlined profile. It is concluded that all considered variants of turbines for streams with limited cross-section, the design of the blade system may be made rigid, which eliminates the single central shaft (axle), replacing it with a reference semi-shafts.