Turbine systems

Claim 1

IN A TURBINE MECHANISM FOR CONVERTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE KINETIC ENERGY OF A STREAM OF HOT GASES INTO MECHANICAL ENERGY INCLUDING MEANS FOR GENERATING A STREAM OF HOT GASES AND MEANS FOR DISCHARGING THE GASES AFTER THE EXTRACTION THEREFROM OF AT LEAST A PORTION OF THEIR KINETIC ENERGY, A TURBINE UNIT COMPRISING A TURBINE CASING, MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE GENERALLY TUBULAR TURBINE CHAMBER IN SAID CASING, DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED PORTIONS OF THE SURFACE OF SAID CHAMBER BEING GENERALLY FORMED AS ARCS OF A COMMON CIRCLE SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF SAID CHAMBER TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID STREAM, A SINGLE TURBINE BLADE MOUNTED IN SAID CHAMBER FOR ROTATION ABOUT A LONGITUDINAL AXIS, SAID AXIS BEING COINCIDENT THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH WITH THE CENTRE OF SAID CIRCLE, THE PROFILE OF SAID BLADE IN CROSSSECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS BEING THAT OF TWO SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL, SHALLOW ARCS SUBTENDING A COMMON CHORD WHICH IS BISECTED BY SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID BLADE, THE LENGTH OF SAID CHORD BEING ONLY SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID CIRCLE, THEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSING SAID CHAMBER OVER A RANGE OF THE ANGULAR ROTATION OF SAID BLADE; AN INLET PASSAGE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID TURBINE CHAMBER ALONG AT LEAST A PORTION OF ITS LENGTH, THE POINT OF MAXIMUM CONSTRICSTREAM OF GASES INTO SAID CHAMBER, MEANS FOR CONSTRICTING THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID INLET PASSAGE OVER A PORTION OF ITS LENGTH, THE POINT OF MAXIMUM CONSTRUCTION BEING LOCATED ADJACENT SAID TURBINE CHAMBER, SAID INLET PASSAGE BEING SO POSITIONED AS TO DISCHARGE SAID GASES INTO SAID CHAMBER AT AN ANGLE WHEREBY SAID GASES IMPINGE DIRECTLY UPON SAID BLADE WHILST SAID BLADE IS ROTATING THROUGH SAID CLOSED CHAMBER RANGE OF ANGULAR ROTATION AND BEING SO DIMENSIONED AS TO CAUSE SAID GASES TO SO IMPINGE SUBSTANTIALLY ON ONE RADIUS OF SAID BLADE WHEN SO ROTATING; AND AN OUTLET PASSAGE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID TURBINE CHAMBER ALONG AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE LENGTH THEREOF WHEREBY TO CONDUCT SAID STREAM OF GAS FROM SAID CHAMBER, SAID OUTLET PASSAGE HAVING A MINIMUM CROSS SECTIONAL AREA WHICH IS GREATER THAN THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA AT THE POINT OF MAXIMUM CONSTRICTION IN SAID INLET PASSAGE.