Turbine flow meter

Claim 1

A FLUID FLOW METER COMPRISING A HOUSING DEFINING A FLUID PASSAGEWAY HAVING AN INLET END AND AN OUTLET, A PAIR OF FIXED SHIELDS MOUNTED IN THE PASSAGEWAY, THE SHIELDS CONVERGING TOWARD EACH OTHER, THE SHIELDS HAVING SPACED APART OPPOSING SURFACES AT THEIR ADJACENT ENDS, A ROTOR HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL HUB PORTION, MEANS FOR ROTATABLY SUPPROTING THE ROTOR IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE ADJACENT ENDS OF THE SHIELDS, THE ROTOR TURNING ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW THROUGH THE PASSAGEWAY AND BEING FREE TO MOVE ALONG SAID AXIS WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE SPACE BETWEN THE SHIELDS, THE OPPOSING SURFACES OF THE SHIELDS PROJECTING RADIALLY SUBSTANTIALLY BEYOND THE HUB PORTION OF THE ROTOR WHEREBY FLUID FLOWING OVER THE HUB SURFACE IMPINGES ON THE PORTION OF DOWNSTREAM SHIELD SURFACE PROJECTING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE HUB, THE ROTOR HUB AND SHIELD NEAREST THE INLET END OF THE HOUSING BEING SHAPED TO FORM AN ANNULAR CHAMBER HAVING A RESTRICTED OPENING AT THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE HUB, THE SHIELD HAVING A FLUID PASSAGE COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE INLET END OF THE HOUSING AND SAID CHAMBER FOR ADMITTING FLUID TO THE CHAMBER AND OUT THROUGH THE RESTRICTED OPENING BETWEEN THE HUB AND THE SHIELD.