IN-PIPE TURBINE AND HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION SYSTEM

• US 20160290310A1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kirloskar Energen Private Limited
• Original Assignee: Kirloskar Energen Private Limited
• Inventors: Bhende, Uday Yeshwant, Joshi, Sanjay Prakash, Marathe, Pranav Sham, Joshi, Ashwin Sharad, Adkar, Prashant Ramakant, Ganu, Shirish Madhav
• Granted Patent: US 9,752,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/10 Submerged units incorporating electric generators or motors
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/20 within closed fluid conduits, e.g. pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/133 with a convergent-divergent guiding structure, e.g. a Venturi conduit
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/20 Hydro energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/30 Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient

Abstract

A system (1) to generate electricity from a fluid flowing through a pipeline. The system comprises a mounting arrangement to mount the system in a pipeline. The system comprises an elongate shaft (4), a turbine rotor (6), which is operable to rotate about the elongate axis of the shaft (4) when fluid in the pipeline acts on the turbine rotor (6). The system further comprises an electrical generator arrangement with a first part incorporating at least one magnet (12) and a second part incorporating at least one winding (14). One part of the generator arrangement is mounted to the turbine rotor (6) and the other part of the generator arrangement is mounted to a stator element (13) which is positioned adjacent the turbine rotor (6). The system further comprises a housing (3) which at least partly houses the turbine rotor (6), the shaft (4) and the electrical generator arrangement. The housing (3) comprises two parts (24, 25) that are releasably attached to one another such that the two parts (24, 25) of the housing (3) can be at least partly separated from one another to permit access to the turbine rotor (6) and the electrical generator system.

Claims

1. A system to generate electricity from a fluid flowing in a pipeline, the system comprising:

a mounting arrangement to mount the system in a portion of a pipeline;

an elongate shaft;

a turbine rotor which is mounted to the shaft, the turbine rotor being operable to rotate about the elongate axis of the shaft when fluid in the pipeline acts on the turbine rotor;

an electrical generator arrangement comprising a first part incorporating at least one magnet and a second part comprising at least one winding, wherein one part of the generator system is mounted to the turbine rotor and the other part of the generator system is mounted to a stator element which is positioned adjacent the turbine rotor; and

a housing which at least partly houses the turbine rotor, the shaft and the electrical generator arrangement, wherein the housing comprises two parts that are releasably attached to one another such that the two parts of the housing can be at least partly separated from one another to permit access to the turbine rotor and the electrical generator system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the two parts of the housing are releasably attached to one another in a plane which is substantially parallel to the elongate axis of the shaft.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the two parts of the housing are releasably attached to one another in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis of the shaft.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, and wherein one or both of the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet has a cross sectional area that is less than the cross sectional area of the portion of the pipeline.

5. The system of the claim 4, wherein the system further comprises at least one inlet guide vane which is attached to the housing adjacent the fluid inlet, each inlet guide vane being held at an angle relative to the direction of the flow of the fluid in the pipeline such that each inlet guide vane changes the direction of flow of the fluid in the pipeline to be at least partly in line with a rotor vane on the turbine rotor.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each inlet guide vane is formed integrally with the housing.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the system further comprises at least one outlet stay vane which is positioned adjacent the fluid outlet, each outlet stay vane being held substantially in line with the direction of flow of the fluid in the pipeline.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each outlet stay vane is formed integrally with the housing.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the system further comprises an open ended frustoconical inlet element which has a first open end mounted to the fluid inlet of the housing and a second open end positioned upstream from the fluid inlet, wherein the second open end has a cross sectional area that is substantially equal to the cross sectional area of the pipeline.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the system further comprises an open ended frustoconical outlet element which has a first open end mounted to the fluid outlet of the housing and a second open end positioned downstream from the fluid outlet, wherein the second open end has a cross sectional area that is substantially equal to the cross sectional area of the pipeline.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the shaft is fixed relative to the housing such that the shaft is not rotatable relative to the housing.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the turbine rotor is rotatably mounted to the shaft by a bearing arrangement provided on the turbine rotor.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the shaft is rotatably mounted to the housing by at least one bearing arrangement provided on the housing.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the turbine rotor and the housing are formed from at least one of a metal, a polymer, a metal composite or a reinforced polymer composite.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second parts of the electrical generator arrangement is at least partly encapsulated in an electrically insulating material.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first part of the electrical generator arrangement comprises a plurality of permanent magnets.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the electrical generator arrangement comprises a plurality of metal portions which are not permanently magnetic, the metal portions each being provided between two of the permanent magnets, such that the permanent magnets induce a magnetic field in each metal portion.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a plurality of turbine rotors and a plurality of electrical generator arrangements, one part of each electrical generator arrangement being mounted to a respective one of the plurality of turbine rotors.

19. A power generation arrangement comprising:

a pipeline; and

at least one system according to claim 1 mounted in a portion of the pipeline.

21. The power generation arrangement of claim 19, wherein the arrangement further comprises a bypass conduit connected to the pipeline in parallel with each respective system, each bypass conduit comprising a pressure reducing valve to at least partly restrict the flow of fluid through the bypass conduit.

23. A method of installing a power generation arrangement comprising:

providing a pipeline to carry fluid from an elevated position to a lower position, and mounting at least one device according to claim 1 in one or more portions of the pipeline.

28. The system of claim 5, wherein each inlet guide vane arrangement is detachably attached to the housing.

29. The system of claim 7, wherein each outlet stay vane arrangement is detachably attached to the housing.

20. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. (canceled)