Hydraulic device of reversible type for the conversion of energy

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hydraulic device of reversible type adapted to be used both as a water turbine and a hydraulic pump. Said device has characteristics of simplicity of construction and use. In the case of use as a water turbine it does not require distributors of a particular shape and does not require drops of great heights being adapted to take advantage of the pressure of the fluid and not only of the speed thereof.

Claims

1. A hydraulic device of reversible type comprising: an impeller in turn comprising a plurality of elements provided with axial symmetry, accommodated in specific seats having the same shape as said elements and arranged at the periphery of said impeller, said elements being hinged at two points corresponding to two ends of the diameter or of the spin axis of said elements, so as to be able to rotate about said spin axis; a distribution conduit adapted to conduct a fluid, associated with said impeller and comprising a radius bending substantially equal to the radius of said impeller, said distribution conduit comprising an inner diameter greater than the diameter or than the larger size of said elements and a longitudinal slit having width greater than the thickness of said impeller adapted to house the peripheral part of said impeller; means adapted to modify the position of said elements with respect to said impeller, according to their position with respect to said distribution conduit, so as to tilt said elements with respect to the plane of said impeller when said elements are within said distribution conduit.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said distribution conduit, at said longitudinal slit, comprises suitable reinforcing means adapted to keep the width of said longitudinal cut approximately constant.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said longitudinal slit adapted to house the peripheral part of said impeller comprises a suitable gasket along the edges thereof.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means adapted to modify the position of said elements with respect to said impeller according to the position thereof with respect to said distribution conduit, comprise: a plurality of pairs of shafts, each of which is rigidly connected to each of said elements, external thereto and free to rotate about the diameter of said elements, said shafts being orthogonal to each other and each adapted to rotate by 90 so as to move between two boundary positions: the first coplanar and the second orthogonal to the plane of said impeller, said pairs of shafts being arranged in such a position to always remain on the outside of said distribution conduit; a guide having circular shape associated with said impeller and comprising a first portion comprising an arc of circle arranged on one side of said impeller in position close to the bending of said distribution conduit and having such an extension to substantially correspond to the extension of the bending of said distribution conduit and adapted to be engaged with one of said shafts so as to force the gradual rotation thereof in position parallel to the plane of said impeller, hence thus forcing said elements to lie in oblique position with respect to the plane of said impeller; a second portion comprising an arc of circle complementary to the one of said first portion arranged on the opposite side to said impeller and adapted to be engaged with the other of said shafts so as to force the movement thereof in position parallel to the plane of said impeller, hence thus forcing said elements to lie in coplanar position to the plane of said impeller.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein said guide comprises suitable support means external to said impeller.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein said first portion of said guide comprises an initial part having an oblique profile capable of being engaged with said shafts so as to promote the gradual rotation thereof.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means adapted to modify the position of said elements with respect to said impeller according to the position thereof with respect to said distribution conduit, comprise: one single shaft integral with each of said elements, said shaft being equipped with elastic means adapted to cause it to take on a balanced position wherein said shaft is orthogonal to the plane of said impeller and said element associated therewith is coplanar to the plane of said impeller; a guide comprising an arc of circle arranged on one side of said impeller in position close to the bending of said distribution conduit and having such an extension as to substantially correspond to the extension of the bending of said distribution conduit and adapted to be engaged with said shaft so as to force the gradual rotation thereof in position parallel to the plane of said impeller, hence thus forcing the corresponding element to lie in oblique position with respect to the plane of said impeller.

8. The water turbine comprising the device according to claim 1.

9. The hydraulic pump comprising the device according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 shows the impeller of the hydraulic device according to the present invention and the relative distribution conduit 14.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a detail of a preferred embodiment of the means adapted to modify the position of the discs 11 with respect to impeller 10, according to their position with respect to distribution conduit 14.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a further detail of the means adapted to modify the position of the discs 11 with respect to impeller 10, according to their position with respect to distribution conduit 14 and the relative discs 11.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

(4) The present invention relates to a hydraulic device of reversible type adapted to be used as both a water turbine and a hydraulic pump. Said device has characteristics of simplicity of construction and use. In the case of use as a water turbine it does not require distributors of a particular shape and does not require drops of great heights being adapted to take advantage of the pressure of the fluid and not only of the speed thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) With reference to accompanying FIGS. 1-3, the device object of the present invention comprises an impeller, preferably disc-shaped 10, made of material provided with the necessary characteristics of resistance and durability, such as steel, comprising a plurality of circular discs or polygons provided with axial symmetry 11, hereafter indicated simply as discs, of smaller dimensions and arranged at the periphery of said impeller 10. Said discs 11 are accommodated in specific seats having the same shape and are hinged at two points 12, 13, corresponding to two ends of the diameter thereof or of the spin axis thereof, lying on the diameter of said impeller 10, so as to be able to rotate thereabout.

(6) Said impeller 10 is adapted to be integrally connected to a motor shaft suitably accommodated at the centre of said impeller 10 and is further adapted to be associated with a distribution conduit 14, preferably comprising a radius bending which is substantially equal to the radius of said impeller 10. Said distribution conduit 14 has an inner diameter greater than the diameter or than the larger dimension of said discs 11 and comprises a longitudinal slit of a width barely greater than the thickness of said impeller 10. In this way, said impeller 10 is free to rotate about the shaft passing through the geometrical axis thereof, having a part of the periphery thereof inserted within said distribution conduit 14 through said longitudinal slit so that said discs 11 are completely contained within said distribution conduit 14 and free to rotate about their own diameter.

(7) Advantageously, said longitudinal slit adapted to accommodate the peripheral part of said impeller 10 can be provided with a suitable gasket 19 along the edges thereof in order to limit the loss of fluid in the case in which the device according to the present invention is arranged within a water distribution pipeline. Furthermore, said distribution conduit 14, at said longitudinal slit, may comprise suitable reinforcing means adapted to keep the width of said longitudinal cut approximately constant.

(8) Said discs 11 further comprise means adapted to modify their position with respect to said impeller 10, according to their position with respect to said distribution conduit 14, so as to tilt said discs 11 with respect to the plane of said impeller 10 when said discs are within said distribution conduit 14.

(9) In greater detail, during the operation of the device according to the present invention, said discs 11 are coplanar to said impeller 10, when they are outside of said distribution conduit 14, while they are tilted with respect to the plane of said impeller 10 when they are within said distribution conduit 14.

(10) In this way, during the operation of the device according to the present invention, the fluid which flows within said distribution conduit 14, in a direction which is tangential with respect to the surface of said impeller 10, will be such to exert a bias on the effective surfaces of said discs 11 which are inclined with respect to the flow direction of the fluid within said distribution conduit 14.

(11) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, to be considered as a non-limiting example of the device according to the present invention, said means adapted to modify the position of said discs 11 with respect to said impeller 10 according to their position with respect to said distribution conduit 14, comprise:

(12) a plurality of pairs of shafts 15, 16, each of which is rigidly connected to each of said discs 11, external thereto and free to rotate about the diameter of said discs 11, said shafts 15, 16 being orthogonal to each other and each adapted to rotate by 90 so as to move between two boundary positions: the first coplanar and the second orthogonal to the plane of said impeller 10. Said pairs of shafts 15, 16 are furthermore arranged in such a position to always remain on the outside of said distribution conduit 14;

(13) a guide of circular shapeequipped with suitable support means external to said impeller 10associated with said impeller 10 and comprising two portions, a first portion 17a comprising an arc of circle arranged on one side of said impeller 10 in position close to the bending of said distribution conduit 14 and having such an extension so as to substantially correspond to the extension of the bending of said distribution conduit 14 and adapted to be engaged with one of said shafts 15,16 so as to force the gradual rotation thereof in position parallel to the plane of said primary disc 10, hence thus forcing said discs 11 to lie in orthogonal position with respect to the plane of said impeller 10; a second portion 17b comprising an arc of circle comprising an arc of circle complementary to the one of said first portion arranged on the opposite side to said impeller 10 and adapted to be engaged with the other of said shafts 15, 16 so as to force the rotation thereof in position parallel to the plane of said impeller 10, hence thus forcing said discs 11 to lie in coplanar position to the plane of said impeller 10.

(14) Operation is such that, if we consider the use of the device according to the present invention as a turbinei.e. so as to transform the kinetic energy of the fluid within said distribution conduit 14, in a torque applied to the motor shaft integral with said impeller 10during the rotation of said impeller 10, due to the interaction between said pair of shafts 15, 16 and said guides 17a, 17b we have that discs 11 in position distant from the bending of said distribution conduit 14, are normally coplanar thereto, while the discs 11 in position internal to the bending of said distribution conduit 14, are forced to take on a position which is no longer coplanar but tilted with respect to said impeller 10. In this way, the discs 11 which are tilted with respect to said impeller will be subjected to an effective bias by the fluid which flows in said distribution conduit 14 which resolves in an engine torque applied to the shaft connected to said impeller 10.

(15) The transition of said discs 11, due to portion 17a, of said guide, from the position coplanar to said impeller 10 to the position orthogonal to said impeller 10 will take place in a gradual way in order to avoid the possible water hammer of the fluid which flows in said distribution conduit 14. With reference to accompanying FIG. 3, to promote said gradual transition of the discs 11, portion 17a of said guide comprises an initial part 17c having an oblique profile 18 capable of being engaged with said shafts 15 and promote the gradual rotation thereof. The gradualness of the transition may be adjusted by varying the slope of said oblique profile 18. Upon termination of the course of said shafts 15 on profile 18, disc 11 takes on the position orthogonal with respect to impeller 10 and maintains it until the outlet from the conduit 14.

(16) In a second preferred embodiment of the device according to the present invention there will only be one single shaft integral with each of said discs 11, said shaft being equipped with elastic means adapted to cause it to take on a balanced position wherein said shaft is orthogonal to the plane of said impeller 10 and disc 11 associated therewith is coplanar to the plane of said impeller 10. In this second preferred embodiment of the device according to the present invention, said guide will only comprise said first portion 17a.

(17) In the dual case of the use of the present invention as a pump, operation will obviously be the opposite with the driving power transferred from the motor shaft to the fluid contained in the distribution conduit 14.