Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This inven-tion relates to a -turbine installation
comprising flow passage-defining means defining an inlet
chamber and a runner chamber and including two juxtaposed
pipelines which connect the inlet chamber c~d the ru~ner
chamber a~d are disposed on opposite sides of an axial
center plane and spaced apart in an in-termedia-te part
of their length; a turbine ru~ner rotatably mou~ted in
said run~er chamber, an electric generator disposed
outside the flow passage-defining means, and an output
mechanism extending through the space between -the two
pipelines and operatively connecti~g the runner to the
generator.
In conventional turbine installa-tions comprising
a turbine installed in a duct, the runner and the generator
constitu-te a central section, which is enclosed in a housing
that is anchored in the duct by means of radial arms and the
interior of which can be walked in for assembling and repair
work. In these structures, one of the radial arms is hollow
and serves as an access shaft. ~hereas that design has
proved quite satisfactory in large -turbine installations
comprising a turbine installed in a duct, the access to
the central section becomes increasingly difficult as the
size of the machine is decreased. ~or this reason that
design of turbine installations comprlsing a turbine
installed in a du.ct is not suitable for medium- and
small-size installa-tions.
In another design, which is known from German
Patent Specification 912,3207 only the turbine runner is
mounted in a center section housing and -the generator is
accommodated in a hollow shaft, which extends throu~h the
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duc-t and divides it into two flow passages. As the hollow
shaft itself occupies a relatively large space, the access
to the generator through the hollow shaf-t will also be
difficult if the design is -to be adopted ~or medium~size
and small turbine ins-tallations comprising a turbine
mounted in a duct. If the generator is disposed outside
the duct and operatively connected to the turbine runner
by bevel gear train~ the generator will be easily accessible
but the access to the bevel gear train accommodated in the
hollow sha*t will be difficult.
For this reason it is a~ object of the invention
-to pro~ide a turbine installation which includes a turbine
installed in a duct and which is of the 1~ind described firs-t
hereinbefore and so designed that even when it qas a medium
or low powcr capacity all parts of the s-truc-ture which may
require to be serviced will easily be accessible. Besides,
such turbine ins-tallation including a turbine installed in
a duct should be capable of utilizing also the head of water
mains for a recovery of energy.
This obJect is accomplished according to the
invention in that the interconnecting passages are defined
by two pipelines, each of which consists of a plurality of
s-traight pipe sections and has a cross-section which is
substantially the same as that part of the cross-section
of the inlet chamber at its ou-tlet which is disposed on
the same side of said center plane as the respective
pipeline, that the runner is non-rotatably connected
to a turbine shaft, which is mounted in a coaxial carrying
tube, which extends through and is sealed in both said
pipelines in end portions thereof which converge to ~orm
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y~
a junction near said runner chamber, and that said carrying
tube protrudes into the space be-tween said pipelines.
Because the driving water is fed to the runner
chamber in two spaced apart pipelines~ each of which
consists of a plurality o~ straight pipe sections, the
two pipelines define between them a space which is easily
accessible and in which the drive meaLns for controlling
the turbine can be accommodated and through which the
outpu-t mechanism connected to the turbine may extend.
Even though that space is relatively small, it is easily
accessible because -there is no hollow shaf-t that extends
through th e*low passage but the driving water is fed to
the turbine runner in two pipelines, each of which consis-ts
of a plurality of pipe sections. ~he total cross section o~
these two pipelines is substantially the s~me as the
cross-section of the inlet chamber at its outlet so
that the conditions of flow are not greatly altered
by the fact that the flow passage is divided into -two
pipelines, particularly because only a small di~ersion
of flow is required by the division into two pipelines.
The space between the two pipelines need not be large
because it is easily accessible.
~ he two pipelines can easily be manufactured
because they are composed each of a plurality of straight
pipe sections so that the generatrices consist of straight
lines. The pipelines can be connected to the inlet chamber
without need for complicated and expensive junction fittings.
This is due to the fact that the cross~section of each pipe
section is substantially the same as that part of the
cross-section of the inlet chamber at its outlet which
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is left free by the respective other pipeline so that the
total cross-section of the two pipelines is substan-tially
-the same as the cross-sec-tion of the inlet chamber at its
outlet~ As the inlet ch~lber is generally defined by a pipe
which is circular in cross-section so that its cross-section
at its outlet will also be circular, the pipelines will be
semicircular in cross-section. In that case, the pipe
sections for the two pipelines can be made in that circular-
section pipes are bisected along axial planes.
Because the total cross-section remains the same
adjacent to the two pipelines and the flow is only slightl~
diverted, such design can be used also for installations
having high inlet velocities and operating under high
prcssures so that such turbine installations comprising
a turbine installed in a duc-t can be used also where the
heads are large. ~esides, the installation can easily be
installed in existing pipelines because it will be suffi-
cient to replace part of that pipeline by the flow passage-
defining means of the turbine installation.
Particularl~ simple conditions are ~nsured by the
pro~ision of the tube which carries the turbine shaft
because that carrying tube reduces the cross-section
of flow for the driving water so -that the latter is
accelerated in the desired manner before entering the
runner chamber~
'~he carrying tube acts to stiffen the confronting
planar walls of the two pipelines in the region in which the
driving water is accelerated. ~urther downstrea~9 the
carrying tube tends to reduce the turbulence of the
water flowing to the runner wheel. Although the carrying
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3~
tube is s-traight, -favorable conditions of flow can be
ensured bec~use the carrying tube does not terminate
in the interior o~ the flow passage-defining means and
~or this reason need not be streamlined. Besides, the
carrying tube, which extends thro~h the flow pass~ges
de$ined by the con~erging end portions o~ the two pipelines
near the ru~ner chamber, permits the provision o~ a simple
mech~nism which operatively connects the generator and the
runner because the turbine shaft which extends out of the
carrying tube into the space between the pipelines is freely
accessible. A bevel gear train may be arranged in the space
between the pipelines and ma~ be used to establis.h an
opera-tive connection to the generator, which ma~ ~)e
supported by the two pipelines. The bevel gear train
may be replaced by a belt drive9 which connects -the
turbine shaft to the generator shaft.
If the diameter o* the carrying tube is as
large as the largest distance betwee~ the two pipelines,
this will permit a particularly advantageous utilization
of space, on the one hand~ and the provision of a parti-
cularly stiff struc-ture, on -the other hand.
To ensure that all parts of the structura which
may require to be serviced will be readily accessible, the
interior oX the carr~ing tube communicates with the interior
of the $low passage-defining means so that the required seal
against the driving water is e$fected at the point where the
turbine shaft emerges $rom -that end of the carrying tube
which protrudes into the space between the pipelines. ~hat
seal is ef~ected in the usual manner by a stuffing box,
which in that arrangement is accessible ~rom the space
between the two pipelines. Because the carrying tube is
filled with driving water, the driving water ca~lot be
contaminated from the carrying tube. This fact is of
essential significance for turbine ins-talla-tions installed
in drinking wa-ter mains. Any leakage wa-ter cc~ enter the
space between the two pipelines only through the stuf-fing
box but this is no problemq
I~ the interior of the flow passage-defining means
communicates wi-th the interior of the carrying tube~ a
contamina-tion of -the driving water by the mea~s by which
the turbine shaft is supported in the carrying tube must
be prevented. If the turbine shaft is suppor-ted in the
carrying tube by a water-lubricated rubber bearing~ a
contamination b~y lubricating oil will be preven-ted.
Besidesg the water which fills the carrying tube will
then act as an emergency lubricant if the separate supply
o~ water to the rubber bearing should fail.
~ hree embodiments of the invention are shown by
way of e~ample in simplified views on the accompanying
drawing~ in which
~igure 1 is a perspective view showing the
flow passage-defining means of a turbine installation
embodying the invention and comprising a turbine installed
in a duct;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional ~iew showing
a turbine installation comprising a turbine ins-talled in a
duct;
~igure 3 is a sectional view taken on line III-III
in Fig1lre 2;
Figure 4 is a side elevation showing a modified
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-turbine installation embodying the invention,
~ igure 5 is a sectional view taken on line V-V in
Figure 4; and
Figure 6 is a longi.tudinal sectional view showing
another modified turbine installation embodying the
invention.
~ s is particularly apparent from Figure 17
the flow passage-defining means l of a turbine installation
according to the invention dafine an inlet chamber 2 and
comprise two pipelines 4, which eætend from the inlet
chamber 2 and are disposed on opposite sides of ~l axial
cen-ter plane and define between them a free space 3~ T:he
pipelines 4 converge to form a junction at a r~mer feed
pipe 5~ which leads to a runner chamber 6. ~he latter is
succeeded by a diffuser 7. The runner feed pipa 5 has at
its inlet end a circular cross section, which is substan-
-tially the same as the cross-section of -the inlet chamber 2
at its outlet~ The inlet chamber is defined by a pipe
Because each of the pipelines 4 is composed of straight
20 pipe sections which are semicircular in cross-~section
and their to-tal cross-section is substantially the same
as the cross-section of the inlet chamber 2 a-t its inlet
and the ^ross-section of the runner feed pipe 5 at its
inlet? the two pipelines 4 can easily be connected to
the outlet opening of the inlet chamber 2 and to the
inlet opening of the runner feed pipe 5. The pipelines 4
are virtually the result of a bisecting of the inlet
chamber.
~he turbine runner 8 is mounted in an upstream
carrying tube 9, which extends through and is sealed in
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j63~
pipelines 4 in end portions thereof which converge to a
junction at the runner feed pipe 5. The carr~ying tube
protrudes into -the space 3 between the two pipelines 4.
In order to show clearly how -the carrying tube 9 penetrates
the confronting pla~ar inner walls 10 of the pipelines 4, a
part ~1 of the ou-ter wall of one pipeline 4 and of the
runner feed pipe 5 is shown in a detached position in
Figure 1.
Owing to this design of the flow passage-defining
means 19 the pipelines 4 define between them the space 3,
which is freely accessible and in which all parts of the
structure which may re~uire to be serviced can be accommo
dated. This will hardly restrict the design o~ the mechanism
by which the runner 8 is operatively connected to a
generator because -the carrying tube 9 and the turbine
shaft protrude into that free space 3. Although the
output mechanism connected to the turbine and the control
mechanisms for controlling the turbine can be accommodated
in the free space between the two pipelines 4 so that said
mechanisms can easily be serviced, there will be favorable
conditions of flow so that such turbine installations can
be used also where relatively high inlet velocities and
high pressures will be encountered. Because the diversion
of flow is small and the cross-sections of flow remain
substantially constant as far as to the carrying tube,
it may be expected that the conditions will remain sub-
stantially constant in a major part of the length of the
two pipelines 4. Only adjacent to the junction of the two
pipelines 4 before the runner feed pipe 5 is the cross-
section of flow decreased by the carrying tube 9; this
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will result in a desired acceleration of thedriving ~waterbefore it enters the rlmner chamber 6.
It is apparent from Figure 2 that the -turbine
shaft 12 carrying the runner 8 is mol~ted in the carrying
tube 9 near the r~u~ler in a water lubricated rubber
bearing ~3, which is not shown in detail~ The interior
o~ the carrying tube is sealed agains-t the driving wa-ter
by a stuffing box 149 which constitutes a labyri.nth seal
and is disposed at that end of the carrying -tube that is
remo-te from the runner 8~ As a result~ the carrying tube 9
is filled wi-th the driving water and the stuffing box 14 is
accessible from the space 3 between the two pipelines. ~or
this reason the stuf~ing box 14 can be serviced ~ven d~r:Lng
operation. ~he mechanism by which the runner 8 is operative-
ly connected to an electric generator 15 comprises the
turbine shaf`t 12 and a rigid coupling 16 connecting the
turbine shaft 12 to a bevel gear -train 17. ~he outpu-t
shaft of that bevel gear train is connected b~ a flexible
coupling 18 to the shaft l9 of the generator 15. The latter
is carried by a bracket 20, which spans the free space 3
between the pipelines 4 and is supported by the pipelines 4.
The bevel gear traîn 17 may be mounted on crossbeams 21
which co~nect the pipelines 4 and hold the pipelines 4
spaced apart~ Control motors for controlling the turbine
may be accommodated in the space 3 between the two pipe-
lines 40 One of such control mo-tors is indicated at 22.
It is apparent ~rom Figure 2 that the turbine
shaft 12 is supported near its one end by the vvater-
lubricated rubber bearing 13 and near its other end
by the bevel gear train 17~
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In accordance with Figures 2 ~nd 3 the center plane
between the two pipelines 4 is verbically oriented so that
the generator sha-ft 19 is vertical too. ~he invention is not
restricted to flow passage-de~ining means having that
orientation, as is apparent from Figures 4 ~d 5, which
illustrate an embodiment in ~hich -the center plane disposed
between the two pip ~ines 4 and containing the axis of the
generator shaf-t 1g is horizontal. ~he electric generator 15
can be additionally supported by a foundation 23. Lf the
foundation 23 is provided, the bracket 20 may be omitted~
From Figure 6 it is apparent that the turbine
shaf-t 12 need no-t be connected to a bevel gear train~ ~he
shaft 19 of the generator is parallel to the turbine
shaft 12 and is connected to the latter by a belt drive 24.
~`igure 6 shows also that -the flow passage-defining means l
may be inclined. In other respects the -turbine installation
shown in Figure 6 also embodies the concept that -the flow
passage-defining means 1 comprise two separate pipelines,
each of which consists of a plurality of straight pipe
sections for easy manufacture. As a result, there is a
freely accessible space between the two pipelines so
that all parts of the structure which may require to
be serviced will be freely accessible, substantially
irrespective of the size of the turbine installation.
For this reason the design which has been described is
particularly suitable for turbine installations of small
and medium size.
~ he desig~ proposed by the invention for the
means defining a flow passage for the driving water will
not impose restrictions as regards the design of -the
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a~s
turbine so tha-t turbines having adjustable ru~ner blades,
adjustable guide vanes or adjustable runner blades and guide
vanes may be used.
