Impeller Blade Segmentation for Water Wheel Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water wheel impeller blade type electric power generating apparatuses face issues with high manufacturing costs, fluid resistance, and bearing load due to mud, sand, and dirt accumulation, as well as heat generation and damage from fluid energy loss.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus features a rotor with impeller blades having a longer fluid receiving part that covers the stopper part, a fluid guide plate to direct fluid flow, and a hollow hermetically sealed structure within the rotor to utilize buoyancy and reduce bearing loads, along with simple geometric components and bolt-nut assembly to prevent oxidation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the impeller blade structure is made complicated with weights and contoured surfaces, then the rotor stability and fluid receiving capability are improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller blade is divided into functionally distinct segments: a stopper part that maintains erection and a fluid receiving part that captures hydraulic pressure. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently while simplifying the overall manufacturing process by eliminating the need for complex weighted structures.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding weights to the fluid receiving part to maintain erection, the invention inverts the approach by making the stopper part structurally dominant. The stopper part's geometry and positioning inherently maintain the blade's erection without requiring additional weighting, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
2Loss of energy
If the impeller blade is thrust down on the backward motion side to reduce resistance, then the fluid resistance is reduced, but the hydraulic pressure on the forward motion side increases
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller blade employs asymmetric geometry where the stopper part and fluid receiving part are differently configured. The stopper part is designed with dimensions and positioning that create asymmetric thrust distribution, allowing the blade to be thrust down on the backward motion side to reduce resistance while the forward motion side experiences optimized hydraulic pressure distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the impeller blade are given different geometric properties: the stopper part has specific dimensions and orientation optimized for maintaining erection and reducing backward resistance, while the fluid receiving part is shaped to efficiently capture and utilize forward hydraulic pressure. This local optimization resolves the contradiction between resistance reduction and pressure management.
3Productivity
If the rotor and impeller blade have a complicated structure, then the fluid receiving capability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller blade is segmented into a stopper part and a fluid receiving part, each with specific functional requirements. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of each component while maintaining overall fluid receiving capability, as each segment can be optimized and manufactured independently using standard processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper part serves multiple functions: it maintains the erection of the fluid receiving part, reduces resistance on the backward motion side, and contributes to the overall structural integrity of the impeller blade. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining fluid receiving capability.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the fluid flows under the water wheel, then mud, sand, and dirt will not be collected, but the fluid energy loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid passage frame body is designed with localized geometric features that guide fluid flow in specific regions. The passage configuration creates controlled flow paths that prevent mud, sand, and dirt accumulation in critical areas while minimizing turbulence and energy loss. The local optimization of flow paths resolves the contradiction between preventing contamination and reducing energy loss.
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
This design reduces fluid resistance, manufacturing costs, and bearing loads, enhancing durability and power generation efficiency by minimizing fluid energy loss and preventing heat generation and damage.
Implementation Method 1
by utilizing the buoyancy force of the fluid, the load imposed on the bearings which pivotally support the rotor is reduced or practically eliminated
Implementation Method 2
when said fluid receiving part is exposed to the fluid pressure in said fluid passage
Data Source
AI summary
A water wheel impeller blade type electric power generating apparatus with which, on the forward motion side, the hydraulic pressure applied to the impeller blade is reduces, and the mud, sand, dirt, and the like will not be collected into the water wheel. The impeller blade is rotatably disposed on the rotor, and has a stopper part and a fluid receiving part extending from this stopper part and being longer than the stopper part, the fluid receiving part being provided with a length large enough that when the impeller blade is thrust down the fluid receiving part covers the stopper part of an adjacent impeller blade. To a top plate constituting a frame body of the apparatus, a fluid guide plate inclined inward being fixed for guiding the fluid to the impeller blades positioned under the rotating shaft of the rotor.