Modular thermal molecular adhesion turbine

Abstract

A novel molecular adhesion turbine includes improved disc array, flywheel, housing and nozzle structural designs each adapted to exhibit molecularly repulsive and/or molecularly adhesive properties depending upon the particular working fluid used with the turbine. Backflow turbulence and drag forces are reduced, and turbine operating efficiencies are improved as a result. The invention includes an insulating enclosure, which provides added noise cancellation and heat capture benefits. The new molecular adhesion turbine is modular and thus capable of sealable applications, including connecting the turbine to a bladed steam turbine of the type typically used in power plants for heretofore unrealized downstream energy efficiencies.

What is claimed is:: 
     
         1 . A turbine comprising:
 a hollow housing with walls adapted for supporting a rotatable shaft inside the housing, said walls having an inlet port and an outlet port formed therein so that flowable fluid can pass in and out of the housing;   a disc array mounted on the shaft for capturing energy from the fluid to rotate the shaft; and   a pair of flywheels each mounted on the shaft in book end fashion with respect to the disc array to form a barrier between an interior wall of the housing and the disc array to prevent frictional interaction of the flowable fluid between the flywheel and the interior wall.   
     
     
         2 . A turbine according to  claim 1 , wherein each flywheel includes, with respect to the flowable fluid, an internal molecularly adhesive surface and an external molecularly repulsive surface. 
     
     
         3 . A turbine according to  claim 1 , wherein the disc array comprises a plurality of equally spaced discs each having opposite sides that converge to define a parabolic tip. 
     
     
         4 . A turbine according to  claim 3 , wherein at least two of said turbines are operatively connected together by a common shaft to form a modular turbine system. 
     
     
         5 . A turbine according to  claim 3 , wherein each side of each disc has, with respect to the pressurized fluid, an outer molecularly adhesive area and an inner molecularly repulsive area, the parabolic tip is molecularly repulsive with respect to the fluid. 
     
     
         6 . A turbine according to  claim 1 , further comprising a tunable outlet port device connected to the outlet port for adjusting the rate the fluid flows out of the housing. 
     
     
         7 . A turbine according to  claim 6 , wherein at least two of said turbines are operatively connected together by a common shaft to form a modular turbine system, and the tunable outlet port device is adapted to be capable of adjusting the rate the fluid flows out of at least one housing of said system. 
     
     
         8 . A turbine according to  claim 1 , further comprising a nozzle connected to the inlet port, the nozzle has an interior passage with a convergent portion and a divergent portion. 
     
     
         9 . A turbine according to  claim 8 , wherein the divergent portion of the interior passage of the nozzle and a long axis of said passage define at least two angles for canceling acoustic resonance frequency peaks of a flowable fluid. 
     
     
         10 . A turbine according to  claim 8 , wherein the interior passage of the nozzle has a wall that is adapted to be molecularly repulsive with respect to the flowable fluid. 
     
     
         11 . A turbine according to  claim 1 , wherein at least two of said turbines are operatively connected together by a common shaft to form a modular turbine system. 
     
     
         12 . A turbine according to  claim 1 , further comprising an insulated enclosure, which includes an interior assembly that covers the turbine for noise cancellation and an exterior assembly that covers the interior assembly for heat capture. 
     
     
         13 . A turbine according to  claim 1 , wherein at least two of said turbines are operatively connected together by a common shaft to form a modular turbine, and a working flowable fluid source is operatively connected to an inlet port upstream of said modular turbine. 
     
     
         14 . A turbine according to  claim 13 , further comprising an exhaust capture means operatively connected to the outlet port downstream of said modular turbine. 
     
     
         15 . A turbine comprising:
 a hollow housing with walls adapted for supporting a rotatable shaft inside the housing, said walls having an inlet port and an outlet port formed therein so that flowable fluid can pass in and out of the housing;   a nozzle connected to the inlet port having an interior passage with a convergent portion and a divergent portion;   discs mounted on the shaft for capturing energy from the fluid to rotate the shaft, each of the discs has opposite sides that converge to define a parabolic tip, and a central opening formed in each disc for the passage of flowable fluid exiting said housing, spokes intersect each of the openings and converge at a hub which receives the shaft, each of said spokes has a tapered spoke edge for cutting through and directing the flowable fluid passing through the openings;   a pair of flywheels each mounted on the shaft in book end fashion with respect to the disc array, the discs and the flywheels are adapted for receiving connection elements so as to rotate as a single unit on the shaft; and   a tunable outlet port device connected to the outlet port for adjusting the rate the fluid flows out of the housing.   
     
     
         16 . A turbine according to  claim 15 , wherein each flywheel includes, with respect to the flowable fluid, an internal molecularly adhesive surface and an external molecularly repulsive surface, the tapered spoke edge of each spoke is molecularly repulsive with respect to the fluid. 
     
     
         17 . A turbine according to  claim 15 , wherein at least two of said turbines are operatively connected together by a common shaft to form a modular turbine system. 
     
     
         18 . A turbine according to  claim 15 , wherein each side of each disc has, with respect to the pressurized fluid, an outer molecularly adhesive area and an inner molecularly repulsive area, the parabolic tip is molecularly repulsive with respect to the fluid. 
     
     
         19 . A turbine according to  claim 15 , Wherein the divergent portion of the interior passage of the nozzle and a long axis of said passage define at least two angles for canceling acoustic resonance frequency peaks of a flowable fluid. 
     
     
         20 . A turbine according to  claim 18 , wherein at least two of said turbines are operatively connected together by a common shaft to form a modular turbine system, and the tunable outlet port device is adapted to be capable of adjusting the rate the fluid flows out of at least one housing of said system. 
     
     
         21 . A turbine according to  claim 15 , further comprising an insulative enclosure, which includes an interior assembly that covers the turbine for noise cancellation and an exterior assembly that covers the interior assembly for heat capture. 
     
     
         22 . A turbine according to  claim 15 , wherein at least two of said turbines are operatively connected together by a common shaft to form a modular turbine, and a working flowable fluid source is operatively connected to the inlet port upstream of said modular turbine. 
     
     
         23 . A turbine according to  claim 22 , further comprising an exhaust capture means operatively connected to the outlet port downstream of said modular turbine. 
     
     
         24 . A turbine according to  claim 23 , further comprising vacuum means in fluid communication with the modular turbine for creating at least a partial vacuum in a housing of the modular turbine.