A method to dispose at least one air guiding tube between a penstock and a water turbine installed on a dam to form negative pressure at an outlet of the air guiding device by the water kinetic energy produced from high speed of water flow to take in external air for pressurizing, so as to produce a plurality of pressured air bubbles mixed into the water. The water with pressured air bubbles would be decompressed when flowing to an exit of the penstock and has their volumes increased, so as to enhance the water kinetic energy for driving the water turbine more efficiently; meanwhile the method can prevent from production of cavities and further avoid damages of the components of the water turbine from cavitation.

This invention relates to a submersible hydroelectric generator apparatus (1) and a method of evacuating water from such an apparatus. The method of evacuating water from a submersible hydroelectric generator apparatus (1) comprising the steps of pressurizing a fluid supply in the submersible hydroelectric generator apparatus using the water flowing into the apparatus and thereafter using the thus-pressurized fluid supply to evacuate the water from the apparatus. Additional pressurized fluid can be supplied to provide a pressurized fluid supply with sufficient pressure to expel the water from the apparatus. The apparatus (1) can be used in a grid connected electricity generating system or indeed in a smaller scale implementation such as in a single building or group of buildings to provide electricity to those buildings. The invention overcomes problems with prior art devices by evacuating water from the apparatus in an efficient manner.

A facility for generating electricity, including a water source and a plurality of penstocks adapted for selective flow communication with the water source for delivering water from the water source to a turbine electricity generator. An electricity distribution system is provided having a first component adapted to deliver electricity generated by the turbine electricity generator to an electric grid and an alternative second component adapted to use the electricity to power an air compressor. A compressed air storage reservoir is provided for storing air compressed by the air compressor, including an outlet for selectively delivering the compressed air to the plurality of penstocks according to a predetermined sequence for providing energy to the water contained in the penstock to propel the water from the penstock to the turbine.

A facility for generating electricity, including a water source and a plurality of penstocks adapted for selective flow communication with the water source for delivering water from the water source to a turbine electricity generator. An electricity distribution system is provided having a first component adapted to deliver electricity generated by the turbine electricity generator to an electric grid and an alternative second component adapted to use the electricity to power an air compressor. A compressed air storage reservoir is provided for storing air compressed by the air compressor, including an outlet for selectively delivering the compressed air to the plurality of penstocks according to a predetermined sequence for providing energy to the water contained in the penstock to propel the water from the penstock to the turbine.

A control valve (1) comprising a valve body (2) having an inlet opening (3) and an outlet opening (4) for a fluid; a obturator (6) placed within the valve body (2) between the inlet and outlet openings (3, 4); recovery means (5) configured to transfer kinetic energy and/or potential energy extracted from the fluid out of the valve body (2), the recovery means (5) comprising a rotating element (7) placed within the valve body (2) downstream of the obturator (6) and configured to be put in rotation by the fluid.

Disclosed herein are linear hydraulic turbines in which the linear machine converts the majority of available energy in the flowing water into useful torque directly in the runner, leaving the outflow with very little velocity.

A control valve (1) comprising a valve body (2) having an inlet opening (3) and an outlet opening (4) for a fluid; a obturator (6) placed within the valve body (2) between the inlet and outlet openings (3, 4); recovery means (5) configured to transfer kinetic energy and/or potential energy extracted from the fluid out of the valve body (2), the recovery means (5) comprising a rotating element (7) placed within the valve body (2) downstream of the obturator (6) and configured to be put in rotation by the fluid.

A method and apparatus using atmospheric pressure and vacuum force to generate electricity performs coordinated operations of normally open (NO) valves and normally closed (NC) valves to repeatedly push water through an upward pipeline to a first vacuum chamber and let the water flow down by gravity to strike the water wheel of a hydraulic power generator installed in a second vacuum chamber to generate electricity. The method and the apparatus is not affected by local climates or geographical locations and may be installed and applied almost anywhere.

A system for extracting energy for landing gear retraction may comprise a wheel pump rotationally coupled to a wheel via a pinion gear. A landing gear control valve assembly may be fluidly coupled to an output of the wheel pump. A secondary pump may be fluidly coupled to the landing gear control valve assembly, and an electric motor may be operationally coupled to the secondary pump.

Systems and methods related to linear turbine systems are presented. Each embodiment described herein may be designed as a single-stage, linear, impulse turbine system. In an embodiment, a linear turbine includes a first shaft extending along a first axis; a second shaft extending along a second axis, the second axis being separated from and substantially parallel to the first axis; a first plurality of buckets to travel a first continuous path around the first shaft and the second shaft along a first plane, the first path including a first substantially linear path segment between the first axis and the second axis; and a nozzle configured to direct a first fluid jet to contact the first plurality of buckets in the first linear path segment.