Energy converter

• US 4,558,228 A
• Filed: 06/06/1983
• Issued: 12/10/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OY High Speed Tech Limited
• Original Assignee: Jaakko Larjola
• Inventors: Larjola, Jaakko
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ip, Shik Luen Paul
• Application Number:
  US06/509,442
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 290/2, 290/43, 290/52, 290/54, 60/715, 60/652, 60/655, 60/659, 60/657, 60/646, 60/669, 308/DIG. 1, 384/107, 384/121
• US Class Current: 290/52
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/10 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/22 using working-fluid or other gaseous fluid as lubricant
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 17/42 Asynchronous induction generators H02K17/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 21/14 with magnets rotating within the armatures
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/083 radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor H02K7/086, H02K7/09 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 Combined heat and power generation [CHP]

Abstract

The invention concerns an energy converter, comprising a boiler, a turbine (11), a condenser, a feed pump (16) and a generator (17) and, if required, a recuperator and a pre-feeding pump. The thermal energy to be supplied to the boiler has been arranged to maintain a Rankine process driving the generator (17) and thus to produce electricity. The turbine (11), the generator (17) and the feed pump (16) have a joint rotor shaft (36). The rotor (36) is rotatably carried with gas-dynamic bearings (24) utilizing the circulating fluid'"'"'s vapor. The lower surface of the rotor (21) of the turbine (11) has been disposed to serve as one abutment surface of a gas-static thrust bearing (22). The gas-dynamic bearings (24) are bearings of tilting pad type.

Claims

1. In an energy converter, comprising a feed pump having a pump rotor, a generator having a generator rotor, and a gas turbine having a turbine rotor driven by vapor of a circulating fluid, the feed pump rotor, generator rotor, and turbine rotor being mounted on a joint rotatable shaft, the improvement comprising

said joint shaft being rotatably mounted in gas-dynamic bearings utilizing the vapor of the circulating fluid,

said turbine rotor having a lower surface, a portion of which constitutes an abutment surface of a gas-static thrust bearing in which said joint shaft is mounted,

said shaft being disposed to extend substantially vertically, and

the feed pump, generator, and turbine being mounted on the joint shaft in that order, from bottom to top.

2. Energy converter according to claim 1, wherein the gas-dynamic bearings are bearings of tilting pad type.

3. Energy converter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the generator is a brushless asynchronous machine, the squirrel-cage winding of its rotor formed by making longitudinal grooves in a steel cylinder and by mounting on the ends of the cylinder, rings of good conductivity, and an electric circuit is disposed to supply to the stator of the generator the requisite magnetizing current.

4. Energy converter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the generator is an asynchronous machine provided with a permanent magnetic rotor in which pieces of permanent magnet material are embedded in a sleeve of non-magnetic material, the sleeve being mounted on a steel cylinder constituting the rotor to extend just into contact with the steel cylinder and to cause magnetic poles to be established on the rotor, and the sleeve being surrounded by a band of an exceedingly strong, non-magnetic material.

5. Energy converter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both the turbine and the feed pump are single-stage radial machines and the generator is a brushless synchronous or asynchronous machine.

6. Energy converter according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a boiler and a condenser positioned so that when circulation of the circulating fluid is interrupted, enough circulating liquid flows through a check valve into the boiler to be evaporated and then drive the joint rotatable shaft up to operating speed, thus starting up the energy converter under thermal power alone.

7. The energy converter according to claim 6, additionally comprising a recuperator.