In-pipe turbine
First Claim
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1. An in-pipe hydraulic turbine system comprising:
- a pipeline for fluid transport, said pipeline comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a pressure-reducing valve; and
a turbine disposed within said pipeline between said inlet and said outlet and upstream of said pressure-reducing valve, the turbine comprising;
an output shaft; and
a runner fixedly attached to the output shaft,the output shaft being substantially aligned with the direction of fluid flow through the system;
a fixed, non-rotatable nozzle disposed within said pipeline between said inlet and said turbine, the nozzle configured to accelerate the flow of a fluid moving through said pipeline and to convert said fluid flow to a substantially tangential flow,wherein said turbine is actuated by a fluid moving through said pipeline, and further wherein said turbine leaves a fluid pressure downstream of said turbine that exceeds a set control pressure of the pressure-reducing valve.
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Abstract
An in-pipe hydraulic turbine system includes a pipeline for fluid transport, the pipeline having an inlet and an outlet, and a turbine disposed within the pipeline, between the inlet and the outlet. The turbine is actuated by fluid moving through the pipeline and leaves usable fluid pressure downstream of the turbine.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An in-pipe hydraulic turbine system comprising:
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a pipeline for fluid transport, said pipeline comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a pressure-reducing valve; and a turbine disposed within said pipeline between said inlet and said outlet and upstream of said pressure-reducing valve, the turbine comprising; an output shaft; and a runner fixedly attached to the output shaft, the output shaft being substantially aligned with the direction of fluid flow through the system; a fixed, non-rotatable nozzle disposed within said pipeline between said inlet and said turbine, the nozzle configured to accelerate the flow of a fluid moving through said pipeline and to convert said fluid flow to a substantially tangential flow, wherein said turbine is actuated by a fluid moving through said pipeline, and further wherein said turbine leaves a fluid pressure downstream of said turbine that exceeds a set control pressure of the pressure-reducing valve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. In a fluid pipeline having a first pipeline portion upstream of a pressure-reducing valve and a second pipeline portion downstream of the pressure-reducing valve, fluid in the first pipeline portion having a first pressure and fluid in the second pipeline portion having a second pressure, the pressure reducing valve having a set control pressure, the improvement comprising:
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a turbine disposed within the first pipeline portion, the turbine comprising an output shaft and a runner fixedly attached to the output shaft; an electrical generator coupled to said output shaft and driven thereby; and an inverter in electrical communication with said electrical generator, wherein the turbine is actuated by fluid moving through said pipeline and configured such that the fluid pressure remaining in the first pipeline portion downstream of said turbine is greater than the set control pressure of the pressure-reducing valve.
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15. A method of generating electricity from usable pressure within a fluid pipeline having a pressure-reducing valve, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) disposing within said fluid pipeline, upstream of the pressure-reducing valve, a turbine comprising an output shaft and a runner, the output shaft coupled with an electrical generator driven by the output shaft and in electrical communication with an inverter; b) allowing said turbine to be actuated by fluid flow within said pipeline so long as the fluid pressure within said pipeline downstream of the turbine is greater than the set control pressure of the pressure-reducing valve; and c) disallowing the actuation of said turbine when the fluid pressure within said pipeline downstream of the turbine is not greater than the set control pressure of the pressure-reducing valve.
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Specification