Device and method for conversion of continuous medium flow energy

Abstract

The invention provides an efficient method for conversion of an energy of medium flows including the steps of generating a vortex flow along a fluid guiding structure with a lower and an upper opening, the vortex flow having a main flow direction directed from one of the openings to the other, generating at least one vortex in an inlet chamber arranged on top of the fluid generating structure, and converting flow energy from the vortex flow inside. The invention further provides a device for carrying out the method including a fluid guiding structure having a lower and an upper opening, a turbine arranged inside the fluid guiding structure and a device for generating a vortex flow inside and along the fluid guiding structure, wherein a flow inlet chamber is arranged on the upper opening of the fluid guiding structure.

1 . A device for conversion of an energy of medium flows, comprising: 
 a fluid guiding structure having a lower opening and an upper opening;    a turbine arranged inside said fluid guiding structure;    a vortex device for generating a vortex flow inside and along said fluid guiding structure; and    a flow inlet chamber arranged on the upper opening,    wherein the fluid guiding structure is at least partly embedded into a hill or a mountain near or at a ridge of said hill or said mountain.    
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said vortex device comprises at least one vortex generating surface arranged inside said flow inlet chamber.  
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said flow inlet chamber converges towards a center of said upper opening.  
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the vortex device comprises a system of channels, and wherein said flow inlet chamber and said system of channels generates vortices.  
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the device for generating the vortex flow comprises at least one fixed component to impart the vortex flow to a continuous medium flow.  
     
     
         6 . A method for conversion of an energy of medium flows, comprising: 
 generating a vortex flow along a fluid guiding structure with a lower opening and an upper opening, the vortex flow having a main flow direction directed from one of the lower opening or the upper opening to another of the lower opening or the upper opening;    generating at least one vortex in an inlet chamber arranged on top of a fluid generating structure; and    converting flow energy from the vortex flow inside said fluid guiding structure to form a converted flow.    
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein generating the vortex flow comprises generating the vortex flow in a continuous medium flow by at least one fixed component.  
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising influencing the continuous medium flow by a field of forces at least in a wall region of a vortex device within a range of distances normal to the vortex device, 
 wherein the continuous medium flow has a plurality of velocity vectors caused by said field of forces,    wherein said velocity vectors have a range of angles α that alternate towards and away from the wall region,    wherein said velocity vectors have a range of angles β that alternate to a left and to a right relative to the wall region,    wherein said range of distances is from about 0.005 to about 0.3 times a characteristic selected from a group consisting essentially of a boundary layer thickness δ, an equivalent hydraulic diameter of a pressure channel, and a characteristic hydraulic dimension of the near-wall flow,    wherein said angle α is between about 0.02 radian to about 0.5 radian,    wherein said angle β is between about 0.02 radian to about 0.3 radian,    wherein said field of forces has a strength such that a minimum curvature radius of a continuous medium flow trajectory of the continuous medium flow is from about 2 average distances to about 30 average distances normal to the wall region,    and wherein said field of forces has a spatial repetition that is λ∥=(3 to 30) along a direction of the continuous medium flow in the wall region and λ⊥=(1 to 10) perpendicular to the direction of the continuous medium flow in the wall region and/or    a time repetition T is from 3 to 30 times the range of distances divided by an average velocity v in the continuous medium flow in the wall region.    
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising directing the converted flow into an internal axissymmetric volume along a first system of trajectories and a second system of trajectories, 
 wherein the first system of trajectories and the second system of trajectories converge towards an axis of symmetry of the internal axissymmetric volume,    wherein the first system of trajectories forms a vortex flow in front of a zone of conversion of a rotational moment and a mechanical energy to concentrate mechanical energy and the rotational moment in the axissymmetric internal volume and convert the mechanical energy and rotational moment in a same volume,    wherein the second system of trajectories forms a flow with a reduced pressure,    wherein the reduced pressure evacuates the continuous medium flow out of the zone of conversion,    wherein the first system of trajectories forms a first plurality of helical lines between two surfaces of revolution    wherein the continuous medium flow is swirled up in the second system of trajectories, wherein the first plurality of helical lines have a first shape in accordance with dependencies                          Z   1     ⁡     (   r   )       =       C   1     ⁡     [         r   -     R   0           NR   0     -     R   0         -       1     2   ⁢   π       ⁢   sin   ⁢       2   ⁢     π   ⁡     (     r   -     R   0       )             NR   0     -     R   0             ]         ,                     Z   2     ⁡     (   r   )       =         C   2     /     r   2       +       C   3     ⁡     [         r   -   R         NR   0     -   R       -       1     2   ⁢   π       ⁢   sin   ⁢       2   ⁢     π   ⁡     (     r   -   R     )             NR   0     -     R   0             ]           ,           ⁢                             C   1     ≈     -       C   2       2   ⁢     R   2             ,       C   3     ≈       C   2       R   2         ,     ⁢                   wherein the first plurality of helical lines have a second shape in accordance with dependencies                        Z     1   ⁢   i       ⁡     (   r   )       =         C     4   ⁢   i       /     r   2       +       C     5   ⁢   i       ⁡     [         r   -   R         NR   0     -   R       -       1     2   ⁢   π       ⁢   sin   ⁢       2   ⁢     π   ⁡     (     r   -   R     )             NR   0     -     R   0             ]           ,                     φ     1   ⁢   i       ⁡     (   r   )       =       φ     10   ⁢   i       +           v   φ1     ⁡     (   R   )         2   ⁢       v   r1     ⁡     (   R   )           ⁢         R   2       R   0   2       ⁡     [         R   0   2       r   2       -   1   +         (     r   -   R     )     2       2   ⁢       R   0     ⁡     (       R   0     -   R     )           -     1   2     +     R     2   ⁢     R   0           ]             ,               R≦r≦R 0 ,  0<C 4i <C 2 ,    C   5i   =C   3   C   4i   /C   2 ,    wherein the second system of trajectories is formed as a result of an interaction between the converted flow and a concave surface of revolution of the internal axissymmetric volume, wherein the second system of trajectories has a plurality of trajectories which adjoin the concave surface of revolution and have a third shape according to dependencies                  Z   3     ⁡     (   r   )       =         C   6     /     r   2       +       C   7     ⁡     [         r   -   R         N   ⁢           ⁢     R   0       -   R       -       1     2   ⁢   π       ⁢   sin   ⁢       2   ⁢     π   ⁡     (     r   -   R     )             N   ⁢           ⁢     R   0       -   R           ]           ,         R 0 ≦r≦NR 0    C 6 ≧C 2 ,  C 7 ≧C 3 ,    wherein the plurality of trajectories of the second system of trajectories are shaped as a plurality of second helices in accordance with dependencies                        Z     2   ⁢   i       ⁡     (   r   )       =         C     8   ⁢   i       /     r   2       +       C     9   ⁢   i       ⁡     [         r   -   R         NR   0     -   R       -       1     2   ⁢   π       ⁢   sin   ⁢       2   ⁢     π   ⁡     (     r   -   R     )             NR   0     -     R   0             ]           ,                     φ     2   ⁢   i       ⁡     (   r   )       =       φ     20   ⁢   i       +           v   φ2     ⁡     (   R   )         2   ⁢       v   r2     ⁡     (   R   )           ⁢         R   2       R   0   2       ⁡     [         R   0   2       r   2       -   1   +         (     r   -   R     )     2       2   ⁢       R   0     ⁡     (       R   0     -   R     )           -     1   2     +     R     2   ⁢     R   0           ]             ,               R≦r≦R 0 ,  C 8i >C 8 ,  C 9i >C 7 ,    wherein the r, the φ, and the Z are cylindrical coordinates in which an axis Z coincides with the axis of symmetry of the axissymmetric internal volume in which the vortex flow is generated,    wherein the R 0  is a distance from the axis of symmetry of the axissymmetric internal volume to a beginning of the plurality of first helices and the plurality of second helices;    wherein the              R   =       1   5     ⁢   R       ,           wherein R is a radius of the axissymmetric internal volume in a zone, where the vortex flow runs out of the axissymmetric internal volume,    wherein the NR 0  is a distance from the axis of symmetry of the axissymmetric volume to a beginning of a converging surface of revolution, wherein the N is greater than or equal to 2;    wherein the N 2  is a constant value connected with a height Z and the radius R of the axissymmetric internal volume,    wherein the C 2  and the C 3  are constants, expressed through constants C 2 ,    wherein the C 4i  and the C 5i  are constants,    wherein the φ 10i  and φ 20i  are values of an angle φ at a beginning of an i-th helical trajectory of the first system of trajectories and the second system of trajectories,    wherein the                  V   φ1     ⁡     (   R   )           V   r1     ⁡     (   R   )         ,         V   φ2     ⁡     (   R   )           V   r2     ⁡     (   R   )                 are relations of a rotational velocity component and a radial velocity component at the radius R for the first system of trajectories and the second system of trajectories accordingly;    wherein the C 6  and the C 7  are constants,    wherein the C 8i  is a constant which does not exceed a product of the height Z of the axissymmetric internal volume in which the vortex flow is generated by a square of its the radius R    and wherein the C 9i  is a constant which is less than or of the same order with the height Z of the axissymmetric internal volume in which the vortex flow is generated.    
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising enhancing a continuous medium flow velocity by arranging the inlet chamber on top of a ground near or at a ridge of a hill or a mountain.