Miniature hydro-power generation system

• US 7,768,147 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Access Business Group International LLC (Alticor Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Access Business Group International LLC (Alticor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Baarman, David W., Marshall, Mark, Becker, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; T C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohandesi; Iraj A
• Application Number:
  US12/506,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20090278355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 290/43, 290/52, 290/54
• US Class Current: 290/54
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/283 using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/32 with ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/009 Apparatus with independent power supply, e.g. solar cells, windpower or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 1/00 Engines of impulse type, i.e. turbines with jets of high-velocity liquid impinging on blades or like rotors, e.g. Pelton wheels; Parts or details peculiar thereto
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 13/00 Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus if the apparatus aspects are predominant, see the relevant subclasses for such apparatus, e.g. H02K7/18; Power stations or aggregates incorporating only machines or engines of positive-displacement type F03C; hydraulic engineering aspects E02B; combinations with wind energy converters F03D9/008
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 13/10 Submerged units incorporating electric generators or motors
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 3/04 with substantially axial flow throughout rotors, e.g. propeller turbines rotors per se F03B3/126
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 3/186 Spiral or volute casings
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/20 within closed fluid conduits, e.g. pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/602 with energy recovery turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/604 for domestic central heating or production of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/133 with a convergent-divergent guiding structure, e.g. a Venturi conduit
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/2411 Pelton type
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2250/82 Micromachines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/212 Solar-powered wastewater sewage treatment, e.g. spray evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/50 Hydropower in dwellings
• 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 miniature hydro-power generation system includes an outer housing and an inner housing. The outer housing may receive a flow of liquid flowing in a first direction at a predetermined range of pressure. The flow of liquid may be decreased by a predetermined amount of pressure and increased by a predetermined amount of velocity and channeled to a hydro-generator included in the inner housing with an inlet nozzle. The flow of liquid may be channeled with the inlet nozzle to flow in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. Upon transfer of kinetic energy in the flow of liquid to the hydro-generator, the inner housing may rotate in the second direction. The flow of liquid may then be channeled back to the first direction and out of the housing with an outlet nozzle. The outlet nozzle configured to increase the pressure and decrease the velocity of the flow of liquid to minimized non-laminar flow characteristics.

Claims

1. A miniature hydro-power generation system comprising:

an enclosure that defines an interior chamber;

a generator disposed in the interior chamber, the generator comprising a plurality of vanes, a rotor that includes a permanent magnet, and a stator that includes a coil, the generator configured to rotate to induce an electrical current in the coil with a magnetic field of the permanent magnet;

an inlet nozzle coupled with the enclosure, the inlet nozzle configured to receive a flow of liquid flowing in a first direction and channel the flow of liquid to strike the plurality of vanes and flow in a second direction that is always substantially perpendicular to the first direction, the generator configured to rotate in the second direction with the flow of liquid; and

an outlet nozzle coupled with the enclosure so that the plurality of vanes are disposed between the inlet nozzle and the outlet nozzle, the outlet nozzle configured to receive the flow of liquid flowing in the second direction and direct the flow of liquid to again flow substantially in the first direction.

2. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 1, wherein the vanes are disposed in a central channel formed by the inlet nozzle and the outlet nozzle, and the inlet nozzle comprises an inlet slot exit that directs the flow of liquid to enter the central channel at a predetermined angle with respect to the plurality of vanes, and the outlet channel comprises an outlet slot entrance configured to receive the flow of liquid from the channel, wherein the flow of liquid that exits the inlet slot exit flows a predetermined distance around the generator before the flow of liquid enters the outlet slot entrance.

3. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 1, wherein the inlet nozzle and the outlet nozzle form a central channel there between with the plurality of vanes disposed therein and configured to receive the flow of liquid between the inlet nozzle and the outlet nozzle, the central channel formed to circumferentially surround at least a portion of the enclosure in a plane perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 1, wherein the inlet nozzle comprises an inner wall and an outer wall, each formed with an arc of a predetermined radius of curvature, wherein the predetermined radius of curvature of the arc of the inner wall is smaller than the predetermined radius of curvature of the arc of the outer wall.

5. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 1, wherein the inlet nozzle comprises an inner wall and an outer wall, wherein the inner wall comprises a first arc with a first predetermined radius of curvature and a second arc with a second predetermined radius of curvature that is different than the first predetermined radius of curvature of the first arc.

6. A miniature hydro-power generation system comprising:

an enclosure that defines an interior chamber;

an inlet nozzle positioned in the interior chamber to receive a flow of liquid flowing in a first direction and channel the flow of liquid to flow in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction;

a plurality of vanes disposed in the interior chamber downstream of the inlet nozzle, the plurality of vanes rotatable in the interior chamber by the liquid flowing in the second direction, the plurality of vanes coupled with one of a rotor and a stator, the rotor and the stator positioned to form a generator operable to produce electric power; and

an outlet nozzle positioned in the interior chamber downstream of the inlet nozzle and the plurality of vanes, the outlet nozzle configured to receive the flow of liquid flowing in the second direction and channel the flow of liquid to again flow substantially in the first direction.

7. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein the generator is configured to rotate in the second direction with the flow of liquid.

8. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein one of the rotor and the stator is positioned within the interior chamber coupled with the plurality of vanes, and an other of the rotor and the stator is position external to the enclosure.

9. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein one of the rotor and the stator comprises a permanent magnet, and an other of the rotor and the stator comprises a coil, and one of the rotor and the stator is operable to rotate with the plurality of vanes to induce an electrical current in the coil with a magnetic field of the permanent magnet.

10. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein the rotor and the stator are positioned within the interior chamber, and one of the rotor and the stator is coupled with the vanes, and rotates therewith.

11. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein the inlet nozzle and the outlet nozzle each include a channel wall formed in a predetermined arc to change the direction of the flow of liquid.

12. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein the inlet nozzle and the outlet nozzle are formed with a slot to receive and channel the flow of liquid, the slot formed with the inlet nozzle tapered to be wider at an inlet of the inlet nozzle than at an outlet of the inlet nozzle, and the slot formed with the outlet nozzle tapered to be wider at an outlet of the outlet nozzle than at an inlet of the outlet nozzle.

13. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein the inlet nozzle is formed to receive the flow of liquid at a first velocity and a first pressure, and increase the flow of liquid to a second velocity and decrease the first pressure to a second pressure;

and the outlet nozzle is formed to channel the flow of liquid so that the second velocity is returned to substantially the first velocity and the second pressure is increased to a third pressure that is greater than the second pressure and less than the first pressure.

14. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of the vanes are rotatable in the interior chamber in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the flow of liquid in the first direction.

15. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein the generator rotates at substantially the same velocity as the flow of liquid flowing in the second direction.

16. The miniature hydro-power generation system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of vanes, the inlet nozzle and the outlet nozzle cooperatively operate to form an inner enclosure within which at least one of the rotor and the stator is disposed.