Bladeless Disk Turbine Layout for High Torque at Low Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional turbine systems face inefficiencies and mechanical complexity, particularly at small scales, and existing bladeless turbines suffer from low torque and mechanical failure issues.
Innovation Solution
A turbine design featuring stacked disks with thin foils arranged in a radial pattern, utilizing viscous drag and lift to convert kinetic energy from fluids into high-torque, high-speed rotational motion, with a tangential inlet and axial outlet configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional turbine systems with radial blades are used, then mechanical strength and structural stability are improved, but device complexity and mechanical wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional radial blade structure from the turbine system, extracting only the essential function of energy conversion. The blades are completely eliminated, replaced by a bladeless disk design that uses fluid viscosity and pressure differentials instead of mechanical blade-fluid interaction, thereby reducing mechanical wear and structural complexity while maintaining energy conversion capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical blade-based energy conversion system with a fluid-dynamics-based system. Instead of relying on mechanical contact between blades and fluid, the invention uses viscous drag and pressure differentials created by the fluid flow through stacked disks with axial flow passages, substituting mechanical interaction with fluid dynamic effects
2Device complexity
If bladeless turbines are used to reduce complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but torque and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the turbine into multiple stacked disks with axial flow passages, creating segmented flow paths that guide the fluid through each disk. This segmentation allows the fluid to interact with multiple surfaces in sequence, generating cumulative torque while maintaining a simple bladeless structure, thereby improving reliability without increasing mechanical complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional radial blade arrangement to axial flow passages through stacked disks, adding a dimensional aspect to the fluid flow path. The fluid flows axially through the disks rather than radially across blades, creating a three-dimensional flow pattern that generates torque through viscous drag on the disk surfaces, improving reliability through distributed stress distribution
3Force
If conventional radial blade turbines are used, then torque generation is improved, but mechanical wear and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the radial blades that are the primary source of mechanical wear in conventional turbines. By removing these mechanical components that directly contact the fluid, the system eliminates the wear mechanism entirely, allowing for extended service life without sacrificing torque generation capability through the alternative viscous drag mechanism
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves high efficiency and practicality with reduced mechanical wear, enabling operation with light fluids or low flows, and is scalable without the limitations of Betz's law, offering cost-effective solutions for various energy conversion applications.
Implementation Method 1
A turbine design featuring stacked disks with thin foils arranged in a radial pattern, utilizing viscous drag and lift to convert kinetic energy from fluids into high-torque, high-speed rotational motion
Implementation Method 2
A turbine design featuring stacked disks with thin foils arranged in a radial pattern, utilizing viscous drag and lift to convert kinetic energy from fluids into high-torque, high-speed rotational motion
Data Source
AI summary
A turbine system includes a housing with a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and a rotational mount, and a turbine mounted on the rotational mount. The turbine comprises a first disk with a through-hole, a plurality of first foils arranged radially, and a last disk with a smaller through-hole and. The first foils define a fluid path from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet. The design allows for efficient fluid flow and rotation of the turbine about the axis, providing an effective and reliable turbine system for various applications.