Conical fluid turbine runner

Abstract

A turbine includes a cone and a plurality of curvilinear blades extending substantially along the length of the cone, from at or near the apex of the cone to at or near the base of the cone. In one embodiment, each of the curvilinear blades includes two walls, a first wall oriented substantially upstream with respect to the direction of fluid flow and a second wall oriented substantially downstream with respect to the direction of fluid flow. The first and second walls come together to form the edges of the curvilinear blades.

1 . A turbine comprising:
 a cone; and   a plurality of curvilinear blades extending substantially along a length of the cone, from about an apex thereof to about a base thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The turbine according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of curvilinear blades comprises:
 a first wall extending from the cone and defining a surface and oriented substantially upstream in a direction of flow of a fluid impacting the turbine when the turbine is in operable position; and   a second wall extending from the cone and defining a shape substantially similar to a shape of the first wall, the second wall and first wall coming together to form an edge of said curvilinear blade.   
     
     
         3 . The turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein each of said plurality of curvilinear blades is hollow. 
     
     
         4 . The turbine according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an adjustor having a first end and a second end, the first end of the adjustor being fixedly attached to the cone and the second end of the adjustor being fixedly attached to one of said plurality of curvilinear blades, the adjustor adapted for adjusting a pitch of the curvilinear blade.   
     
     
         5 . The turbine according to  claim 4 , wherein the adjustor is an automatic adjustor adapted to adjust the pitch of the curvilinear blade in response to a change in flow rate of a fluid impacting the turbine when the turbine is in operable position. 
     
     
         6 . The turbine according to  claim 5 , wherein the automatic adjustor comprises a sensor for determining the flow rate of the fluid, and further wherein the adjustor is in electronic communication with an electronic data storage device containing information relating to the proper blade pitch based on the flow rate determined by the sensor. 
     
     
         7 . A turbine runner comprising:
 a shaft;   a cone having a first opening at an apex thereof and a second opening at a base thereof the shaft extending through the first opening and the second opening; and   a plurality of curvilinear blades extending substantially along a length of the cone, from about an apex thereof to about a base thereof.   
     
     
         8 . The turbine runner according to  claim 7 , wherein the shaft has a first end and a second end, and the cone engages the shaft substantially at the first end and a device to be driven by the shaft engages the shaft substantially at the second end. 
     
     
         9 . The turbine runner according to  claim 8 , wherein the device to be driven by the shaft is selected from the group consisting of an electrical generator, a hydraulic motor, and a pump. 
     
     
         10 . The turbine runner according to  claim 9 , wherein the device to be driven by the shaft is a hydraulic motor, the hydraulic motor utilizing a biodegradable hydraulic fluid that is not substantially toxic to aquatic life. 
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 8  wherein the turbine runner is in a body of water when in use and the device to be driven by the shaft is not in the body of water. 
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein the cone is a first cone and the plurality of blades is a first plurality of blades, the device further comprising:
 a second cone having a first opening at an apex thereof and a second opening at a base thereof the shaft extending through the first opening and the second opening, the second cone positioned behind the first cone along a length of the shaft; and   a second plurality of curvilinear blades extending substantially along a length of the second cone, from about an apex thereof to about a base thereof.   
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 12 , wherein the shaft has a first end and a second end, and the first cone engages the shaft substantially at the first end, a device to be driven by the shaft engages the shaft substantially at the second end, and the second cone engages the shaft between the first cone and the device to be driven by the shaft. 
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 7  wherein the shaft is in mechanical communication with a device to be driven by the shaft, and further wherein the shaft does not directly physically engage the device to be driven by the shaft.