Modular Hydraulic or Hydroelectric Machine

• US 20070140829A1
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AZ Technolgies SAS
• Original Assignee: AZ Technolgies SAS
• Inventors: MAILLARD DE LA MORANDAIS, Jean-Christophe
• Application Number:
  US11/554,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20070140829A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 415/4.100
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 11/02 Casings spiral or volute casings F03B3/186
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 11/08 for removing foreign matter, e.g. mud
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 13/086 Plants characterised by the use of siphons; their regulation siphon weirs E02B7/18; siphons in general F04F10/00
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 13/105 Bulb groups
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 15/16 by power output
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 3/06 with adjustable blades, e.g. Kaplan turbines rotors per se F03B3/14
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 3/18 Stator blades; Guide conduits or vanes, e.g. adjustable conduits in dams or the like F03B13/08; arrangement of valves F03B11/004
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/133 with a convergent-divergent guiding structure, e.g. a Venturi conduit
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/63 Preventing clogging or obstruction of flow paths by dirt, dust, or foreign particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/20 Hydro energy

Abstract

Low-head modular hydraulic machine (10), usable for generating hydroelectric energy or for directly using the mechanical power. The machine (10) is provided with an adjusting element (50) for setting a stable operating point at constant speed and power, irrespective of the instantaneous power required by the user. The excess power can be used for charging batteries, pumping water, generating hot or cold or simply dissipated in resistances (51). The machine (10) is adaptable to different head heights simply by substituting the water runner (4) with a runner of different pitch or by adjusting manually the blades (5) of the water runner (4). A complete micro-station, constituted of a watertight Container (20) comprising the hydraulic machine (10), call be installed next to a waterfall without a dam being required.

Claims

1. Low-head modular hydraulic machine including:

at least one water runner that can be removed manually, on one axle;

at least one user device driven by said axle for transforming the energy generated by said water runner;

a control module for drawing away part of the energy generated by said water runner and for stabilizing the rotation of said water runner at a predetermined operating speed and force;

characterized in that said hydraulic machine can be adapted to different head heights by replacing or adjusting said water runner.

2. The modular hydraulic machine of claim 1, wherein said user device includes an electric generator.

3. The modular hydraulic machine of claim 2, wherein said control module acts on the electric current generated by said generator.

4. The modular hydraulic machine of claim 1, wherein the energy drawn by said control module is used for at least one of the following uses:

charging batteries, dissipation in discharge resistances, generation of hot or cold, pumping fluids, pumping drinking water.

5. The modular hydraulic machine of claim 1, wherein said user device includes a fluids'"'"' pump.

6. The hydraulic machine of claim 5, wherein said control module acts on the flow drawn from said pump.

7. The modular hydraulic machine of claim 1, wherein said user device includes a fluid compressor designed to generate cold.

8. Modular hydraulic machine according to claim 1, wherein said user device includes a hot water and steam generator.

9. The modular hydraulic machine of claim 1, wherein said control module keeps said operating speed and power constant without variation in the water flow of said water runner.

10. Hydraulic micro-station, for an installation with or without a dam, including a watertight container, divided in a first chamber and a second chamber through a partition wall;

said container including;

an inlet opening for bringing the water into said first chamber;

a filtering screen for retaining coarse solid bodies coming from the inlet conduit, and a decanting zone in said first chamber;

a filter allowing said first chamber and second chamber to communicate;

a hydraulic machine according to claim 1, lodged in said second chamber.

11. The hydraulic micro-station of claim 10, including in said first chamber, a purging gate actuated automatically by an actuator sensitive to the pressure variation between said first and second chamber, said purging gate allowing sediments to be eliminated from said decanting zone.