16644results about "Reaction engines" patented technology

A blower for providing a supply of air at positive pressure in the range of approximately 2 cm H2O to 30 cm H2O includes a motor, at least one impeller, and a stationary component. The stationary component includes an inlet and an outlet. The motor, the impeller, the inlet and outlet are co-axial.

An impeller according to an example of the present invention comprises a hub, and at least one blade supported by the hub. The impeller has a deployed configuration in which the blade extends away from the hub, and a stored configuration in which the impeller is radially compressed, for example by folding the blade towards the hub. The impeller may comprise a plurality of blades, arranged in blade rows, to facilitate radial compression of the blades. The outer edge of a blade may have a winglet, and the base of the blade may have an associated indentation to facilitate folding of the blade.

An impeller includes a hub and at least one blade supported by the hub. The impeller has a stored configuration in which the blade is compressed so that its distal end moves towards the hub, and a deployed configuration in which the blade extends away from the hub. The impeller may be part of a pump for pumping fluids, such as pumping blood within a patient. A blood pump may include a cannula having a proximal portion with a fixed diameter, and a distal portion with an expandable diameter. The impeller may reside in the expandable portion of the cannula. The cannula may have a compressed diameter which allows it to be inserted percutaneously into a patient. Once at a desired location, the expandable portion of the cannula may be expanded and the impeller expanded to the deployed configuration. A flexible drive shaft may extend through the cannula for rotationally driving the impeller within the patient's body.

A turbofan includes a row of fan blades extending from a supporting disk inside an annular casing. Each blade includes an airfoil having opposite pressure and suction sides extending radially in span between a root and tip and axially in chord between leading and trailing edges. Adjacent airfoils define corresponding flow passages therebetween for pressurizing air. Each airfoil includes stagger increasing between the root and tip, and the flow passage has a mouth between the airfoil leading edge and the suction side of an adjacent airfoil and converges to a throat aft from the mouth. The row includes no more than twenty fan blades having low tip solidity for increasing the width of the passage throat.

A double-ended variable speed blower for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) ventilation of patients includes two impellers in the gas flow path that cooperatively pressurize gas to desired pressure and flow characteristics. Thus, the double-ended blower can provide faster pressure response and desired flow characteristics over a narrower range of motor speeds, resulting in greater reliability and less acoustic noise.

An apparatus is disclosed for a turbine for generating electrical power from water or air flow comprising at least one rotor disk having a plurality of hydrofoil blades, a guide vanes, a cylindrical housing, and a generator means. A rim generator comprising a magnet race rotor rim and fixed stator coils in the housing is used. The apparatus is fitted with a screen to stop the ingress of debris and marine life, and a skirt augmenter device to reduce the Betz effect. The apparatus is preferably for sub-sea deployment and driven by tidal currents, but may be powered by river current or wave driven air or by wind. The apparatus may be deployed on at least one telescoping pole, tethered to the sea-bed and kept buoyant by buoyant concrete in the housing, inserted in a dam, under a barge or in a tidal power array.

A composite thermal barrier coating system includes a honeycomb metallic structure filled with high thermal expansion ceramic hollow spheres in a phosphate bonded matrix. The composite thermal barrier coating system may be manufactured to thicknesses in excess of current thermal barrier coating systems, thereby imparting greater thermal protection. Superior erosion resistance and abrasion properties are also achieved. The composite thermal barrier coating is useful on combustion turbine components such as ring seal segments, vane segment shrouds, transitions and combustors.

A variable geometry inlet guide vane for a gas turbine aircraft engine includes an aerodynamic shell for turning inlet flow to a turbine or compressor and an internal spar spaced from the airfoil shell by an air gap. A number of actuation mechanisms grounded to the spar and connected to the inner surface of the aerodynamic shell adjust the shape of the shell in response to varying operating conditions of the engine, imbalanced aerodynamic loading of the shell or vibration or other transient loads on the shell.

A pump assembly and estimation and control system therefor, the pump adapted for continuous flow pumping of blood. In a particular form, the pump is a centrifugal pump wherein the impeller is entirely sealed within the pump housing and is exclusively hydrodynamically suspended therein against movement in three translational and two rotational degrees of freedom as the impeller rotates within the fluid urged by electromagnetic means external to the pump cavity. Hydrodynamic suspension is assisted by the impeller having deformities therein such as blades with surfaces tapered from the leading edges to the trailing edges of bottom and top surfaces thereof.

A wind energy conversion system includes upper and lower wind turbines having counter-rotating blade assemblies supported for rotation about a vertical rotation axis, with each blade assembly carrying a rotor for rotation past a stator to produce an electrical output. The wind turbines are supported by a tower at an elevated position above the ground. Each wind turbine produces torque, and the wind energy conversion system provides for balancing the torques to avoid a net torque on the tower. Adjustment mechanisms are provided for adjusting blade pitch and for adjusting the size of an air gap between a stator and a rotor that comes into alignment with the stator as the rotor rotates therepast. The wind energy conversion system provides a hood for supplying intake air to a wind turbine and an exhaust plenum for exhausting air from the wind turbine, with the hood and the exhaust plenum being directionally positionable.

A vertical axis tower fan apparatus having an adjustable support column. The tower fan apparatus is comprised of a support base, a telescopic support column adjustable between fixed, retracted and extended positions, a vertical axis propeller encased within a housing, and a motor. The vertical axis propeller is contained within the cylindrical housing, wherein the housing is rotatably coupled to one end of the support column. The fan is rotatably connected to the top of the support column and is adapted to rotate freely thereon, when activated. The opposing end of the column is insertable into the support base. The telescopic column is comprised of a hollow pillar and an extendable member removably inserted within the hollow pillar. The column is manually adjustable to a variety of heights to provide cooling air to different target heights via the use of an adjustable locking sleeve. The sleeve may be loosened, to allow the extendable member to be extracted from within the hollow pillar and raised until the fan reaches a desirable height. Conversely, the extendable member may be retracted until the fan reaches another target height. When the desired height is reached, the sleeve is tightened thereby preventing the member from moving within the pillar. A keypad located in the housing cover, or a remote control unit allows the user to program the fan, via the use of a microcontroller within the fan housing, to achieve a variety of speeds and wind patterns, as well as activating an oscillation mode and a timer.

The invention relates to a wind energy system with hydraulic energy transmission with non-symmetric actuation. The non-symmetric actuation is caused by valve control and mechanical means for controlling the actuation of the pistons. A cylinder unit is provided comprising a drive unit and an output unit associated with two hydraulic connections. The drive and the output unit comprise a minimum of two cylinders, in which pistons are reciprocating. Some of the cylinders can be switched off during low wind speeds. The cylinders communicate with a low pressure manifold and a high pressure manifold. These manifolds are part of the hydraulic connections. Use of the fluid-working machine as transmission in wind energy systems increases the overall economical efficiency.

A double-ended variable speed blower for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) ventilation of patients includes two impellers in the gas flow path that cooperatively pressurize gas to desired pressure and flow characteristics. Thus, the double-ended blower can provide faster pressure response and desired flow characteristics over a narrower range of motor speeds, resulting in greater reliability and less acoustic noise.

A method for detecting ice on a wind turbine having a rotor and one or more rotor blades each having blade roots includes monitoring meteorological conditions relating to icing conditions and monitoring one or more physical characteristics of the wind turbine in operation that vary in accordance with at least one of the mass of the one or more rotor blades or a mass imbalance between the rotor blades. The method also includes using the one or more monitored physical characteristics to determine whether a blade mass anomaly exists, determining whether the monitored meteorological conditions are consistent with blade icing; and signaling an icing-related blade mass anomaly when a blade mass anomaly is determined to exist and the monitored meteorological conditions are determined to be consistent with icing.

An improved hemodynamic device may be collapsed and implanted percutaneously. The device includes at least one collapsible blade member and a rotary mover for rotating the blade member to provide hemodynamic circulation. In one embodiment of the invention, the blade member rotates within a basket after implantation. The basket may be formed of shape-memory wires.

The present invention provides a blood pump capable of substantially completely preventing thrombus from attaching to the inner bottom portion of the casing without lowering the anti-hemolytic characteristic of blood. A centrifugal blood pump in accordance with the present invention comprises a pump casing, a suction inlet disposed at the central portion on the upper side of the casing, a delivery outlet disposed at the bottom peripheral portion of the casing, a main impeller (D in diameter) for forming a centrifugal flow of blood supplied from the suction inlet in the range from the central portion to the peripheral portion to feed the blood to the delivery outlet, wherein the main impeller is provided with an stirring impeller, the surface of which is provided with one or more stirring elements (L in entire length) having the shape of a fin or a groove, and the dimensions of the stirring elements are determined to satisfy inequality (1): 0.43<LD<1.30 and inequality (2) 0.03<S / A<0.21, where S is the surface area of the blood contact surfaces of the stirring elements.