Method for Producing Mechanical Energy, Single-Flow Turbine and Double-Flow Turbine, and Turbo-Jet Apparatus Therefor

Abstract

The invention relates to mechanical engineering, in particular to air-driven, gas-driven and steam-driven turbines having increased power generation efficiency and reduced weight and dimensions. The invention can be used in electrical power generators, propulsion systems, refrigeration compressors, heat pumps, turbo-jet apparatuses and the like. A jet turbine according to the invention comprises a centrifugal wheel having blades and rotatably mounted on a shaft, for compressing a working medium, which is further directed via centrifugal passages having outlet openings into a toroid collector having a circular opening extending along its inner circumference and being sealingly attached to the centrifugal wheel, so that the outlet openings of the centrifugal passages in the wheel are in fluid connection with the inner chamber of the toroid collector, wherein the collector further has exhaust openings with jet nozzles mounted therein, arranged substantially along the outer circumference of the toroid collector.

1 . A method for producing mechanical energy in a jet turbine, the method comprising:
 supplying a working medium into a centrifugal impulse wheel of the jet turbine;   compressing the working medium inside the centrifugal passages of the wheel to increase temperature, pressure, and speed of the working medium;   outputting the flow of the working medium into a collector having nozzles;   further compressing the flow of the working medium inside the collector to decrease the flow speed and increase the pressure so as to cause the working medium to be accelerated in the nozzles; and   expelling the working medium out of the nozzles into surrounding space, thus forming a propelling force pulse providing rotation of the centrifugal impulse wheel of the jet turbine.   
     
     
         2 . A single-flow jet turbine comprising:
 a single-flow centrifugal impulse wheel having blades and rotatably mounted on a shaft, the wheel being adapted to compress a working medium entering the wheel, and covered with a cowl along upper side edges of the blades to form centrifugal passages having outlet openings, and   a hollow toroid-shape collector having an opening extending along the inner circumference of the collector,   wherein the collector is rigidly fixed and sealingly attached to the single-flow centrifugal impulse wheel in such manner that the outlet openings of the centrifugal passages are in fluid connection with an inner chamber of the toroid-shape collector,   wherein the collector further has exhaust openings with jet nozzles mounted therein, the exhaust openings being arranged substantially along the outer circumference of the toroid-shape collector.   
     
     
         3 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the centrifugal impulse wheel is an impulse wheel of a single-flow centrifugal compressor. 
     
     
         4 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the blades of the double-flow centrifugal impulse wheel are radial. 
     
     
         5 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the blades of the single-flow centrifugal impulse wheel have a deflection angle at the outlet directed against the direction of rotation. 
     
     
         6 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the toroid-shape collector is formed integral with inlet portions of the jet nozzles. 
     
     
         7 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the opening extending along the inner circumference of the toroid-shape collector is continuous, or multiple openings are formed by dividers installed in the collector. 
     
     
         8 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the width of the opening extending along the inner circumference of the toroid-shape collector is generally does not exceed the blade height in outlet cross-section of centrifugal passages of the single-flow centrifugal impulse wheel. 
     
     
         9 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the jet nozzles are substantially supersonic. 
     
     
         10 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the jet nozzles are mounted into the toroid-shape collector tangentially, and are uniformly directed in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the single-flow centrifugal impulse wheel. 
     
     
         11 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the jet nozzles are mounted into the toroid-shape collector of the jet turbine tangentially,
 wherein some of the jet nozzles are mounted in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the single-flow centrifugal impulse wheel, and some other jet nozzles are mounted at an angle to the plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the single-flow centrifugal impulse wheel.   
     
     
         12 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the jet nozzles are provided with an elongated inlet section. 
     
     
         13 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 11 , wherein a side cut is made in the elongated inlet section in order to supply the working medium through said cut. 
     
     
         14 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the jet nozzles are provided with a fixedly secured bottom on the side of inlet section end, wherein the dimensions of said bottom correspond to cross-sectional dimensions of the toroid-shape collector. 
     
     
         15 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the toroid-shape collector is provided with dividers closing the collector in cross-section plane, wherein said dividers are fixedly secured generally in the vicinity of the inlet section end of each of the jet nozzles. 
     
     
         16 . The single-flow jet turbine according to  claim 2 , wherein the number of the jet nozzles is generally less than the number of the centrifugal passages in the impulse wheel. 
     
     
         17 . A double-flow jet turbine, comprising:
 a double-flow centrifugal impulse wheel having blades and rotatably mounted on a shaft, the wheel being adapted to compress a working medium entering the wheel, and comprised of   two single-flow centrifugal impulse wheels rigidly fixed and sealingly connected to each other in a coaxial manner or formed as a single integral element,   wherein one impulse wheel is formed with blade shape mirroring the blade shape of the other of said wheels and   said wheels are covered with cowls along upper side edges of the blades to form centrifugal passages having outlet openings,   
       wherein the turbine further comprises:
 at least one hollow toroid-shape collector having an opening extending along the inner circumference of the collector, 
 wherein the collector is securely and sealingly attached to the double-flow centrifugal impulse wheel in such manner that the outlet openings of the centrifugal passages open into an inner chamber of the toroid-shape collector, 
 wherein the collector further has exhaust openings with jet nozzles mounted therein, the exhaust openings being arranged substantially along the outer circumference of the toroid-shape collector. 
 
     
     
         18 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the single-flow centrifugal impulse wheels forming the double-flow impulse wheel are each implemented as an impulse wheel of a single-flow centrifugal compressor. 
     
     
         19 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the blades of the centrifugal impulse wheel are radial. 
     
     
         20 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the blades of the centrifugal impulse wheel have a shaped deflection angle at the outlet directed against the direction of rotation. 
     
     
         21 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the toroid-shaped collector is formed integral with inlet portions of the jet nozzles. 
     
     
         22 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the opening extending along the inner circumference of the toroid-shaped collector is continuous or provided with dividers. 
     
     
         23 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the width of the opening extending along the inner circumference of the toroid-shaped collector is generally at least equal to the total blade height in outlet cross-section of centrifugal passages of the double-flow centrifugal impulse wheel. 
     
     
         24 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the jet nozzles are substantially supersonic. 
     
     
         25 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the jet nozzles are mounted into the toroid-shape collector of the jet turbine tangentially, in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the double-flow centrifugal impulse wheel. 
     
     
         26 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the jet nozzles are mounted into the toroid-shape collector tangentially,
 wherein some of the jet nozzles are mounted in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the double-flow centrifugal impulse wheel, and some of the other jet nozzles are mounted at an angle to the plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the double-flow centrifugal impulse wheel.   
     
     
         27 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the jet nozzles are provided with an elongated inlet section. 
     
     
         28 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 27 , wherein a side cut is made in the elongated inlet section in order to supply the working medium through said cut. 
     
     
         29 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the jet nozzles are provided with a fixedly secured bottom on the side of inlet section end, wherein the dimensions of said bottom correspond to cross-sectional dimensions of the toroid-shape collector. 
     
     
         30 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the toroid-shaped collector is provided with dividers extending across the collector in cross-section plane, wherein said dividers are fixedly secured generally in the vicinity of the inlet section end of each of the jet nozzles. 
     
     
         31 . The double-flow jet turbine according to  claim 17 , wherein the number of the jet nozzles does not generally exceed half of the number of the centrifugal passages in the double-flow centrifugal impulse wheel when utilizing one toroid-shape collector, and is preferably equal to the number of passages when utilizing two toroid-shape collectors. 
     
     
         32 . A turbo-jet apparatus, comprising:
 a shaft with bearing supports,   at least two single-flow jet turbines according to  claim 2  mounted on the shaft in a spaced manner and adapted to rotate in one direction,   inlet collectors for supplying a working medium, the collectors being fixedly mounted around the shaft and connected to inlet openings of the impulse wheels by means of tube assemblies, wherein   the tube assemblies are arranged coaxially around the shaft, the tube assemblies being fixedly connected to the collectors, and moveably connected to the inlet openings of the impulse wheels of the turbines in a sealed manner.   
     
     
         33 . The turbo-jet apparatus according to  claim 32 , wherein the single-flow jet turbines comprise impulse wheels arranged such that shape of the blades in one of said wheels is mirror-like to shape of the blades in the other of said wheels, wherein the jet nozzles are directed in opposite directions. 
     
     
         34 . A turbo-jet apparatus, comprising:
 a shaft with bearing supports,   at least two double-flow jet turbines jet turbines according to  claim 17  mounted on the shaft in a spaced manner and adapted to rotate in one direction,   inlet collectors for supplying a working medium, the collectors being fixedly mounted around the shaft and connected to inlet openings of the impulse wheels by means of tube assemblies, wherein   the tube assemblies are arranged coaxially around the shaft, the tube assemblies being fixedly connected to the collectors, and moveably connected to the inlet openings of the impulse wheels of the turbines in a sealed manner.