Turbine

Claim 2

A turbine comprising, in combination with a shaft rotatably journaled in a stationary support: at least one rotor mounted on said shaft for rotary movement therewith; said at least one rotor being formed of a central rotor section and a pair of outside rotor sections disposed one each on opposite sides of said central rotor section relative to the axis of said shaft; means surrounding said at least one rotor forming a closed chamber thereabout; said central rotor section having a plurality of circumferentially-spaced pockets formed in the periphery thereof and said outside rotor sections each having openings therein for providing fluid communication between said pockets and said closed chamber on both axial ends of said rotor; inlet means in said chamber-forming surrounding means for introducing fluid under pressure into said pockets substantially tangentally to the peripheral portions of said central rotor section between said pockets to provide a thrust and thereby to cause said rotor and shaft to rotate in a given direction; and outlet means from said chamber-forming surrounding means for permitting fluid to be discharged from the ends thereof on opposite axial sides of said rotor.

Claim 3

The turbine set forth in claim 1, wherein said central rotor section and each of said outside rotor sections of said at least one rotor are substantially cylindrical in configuration, and said closed chamber about said rotor also is substantially cylindrical in general configuration.

Claim 4

The turbine set forth in claim 2, wherein the peripheral edges of said central rotor section between each adjacent pair of said plurality of pockets therein are slightly sloped inwardly toward the pocket interior, whereby thrust-producing fluid introduced therein is caused to curve radially inwardlY and initiate a vortex flow pattern within the pocket.

Claim 5

The turbine set forth in claim 3, wherein the openings in said outside rotor sections correspond in number to the pockets in said central rotor section and are angularly oriented in said outer rotor sections in the direction of flow of said fluid being introduced into said rotor for causing a reaction during the passage of said fluid into said closed chamber, which further propels the rotor.

Claim 6

The turbine set forth in claim 4, wherein said means surrounding said rotor and forming said closed chamber comprises a substantially tubular stator coaxial with said shaft being closed at both ends and said means for introducing fluid into said pockets comprises a plurality of angularly oriented openings in said stator, said openings being in a plane perpendicular to said shaft and coplanar with said central rotor section, and further comprising means forming a central annular chamber about said stator substantially coplanar with said central rotor section through which fluid may be introduced to said angularly oriented stator openings and means forming a pair of annular chambers about said stator being axially spaced by said central annular chamber and being open through said stator to the sides of said closed chamber formed thereby on opposite axial sides of said rotor into which fluid may be discharged from said closed cylindrical chamber.

Claim 7

The turbine set forth in claim 5, further comprising: means for introducing fluid under pressure into said central one of said spaced annular chambers, and means for discharging fluid from said outside ones of said spaced annular chambers.

Claim 8

The turbine set forth in claim 1, further including means for preventing relative rotation between said central rotor section and said outside rotor sections, and for causing concurrent rotation of said central rotor section and said outside rotor sections with said shaft.

Claim 9

The turbine set forth in claim 7, further including means for preventing axial displacement of said central rotor section and said outside rotor sections on said shaft.

Claim 10

The turbine set forth in claim 3, wherein said at least one rotor includes a pair of said rotors mounted on said shaft in spaced relation, said rotors being inversely disposed on said shaft with said inlet means of the one rotor being angularly displaced about the shaft axis with respect to the inlet means of the other rotor and the peripheral edges between the pockets of the central rotor section of the one rotor being sloped inwardly in opposite circumferential direction than the peripheral edges between the pockets of the central rotor section of the other rotor, such that the introduction of fluid in one of said rotors causes rotation of said shaft in one direction and the introduction of fluid into the other said rotors causes rotation of said shaft in an opposite direction.

Claim 11

The turbine set forth in claim 9, further including valve means connected with said pair of rotors and adapted to be connected to a source of fluid under pressure for controlling the introduction of said fluid either to one or the other of said rotors.

Claim 12

The turbine apparatus set forth in claim 10 in combination with a steam generator.

Claim 13

The turbine set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one rotor includes a pair of said rotors mounted on said shaft in spaced relation, and further being characterized by: said central rotor sections and each of said outside rotor sections of each of said pair of rotors being substantially cylindrical in configuration; each of said closed chambers about each of said rotors comprising a pair of substantially cylindrical chambers disposed one each on either axial side of each of said rotors; the inlet means of the one rotor being angularly displaced about the shaft axis with respect to the inlet means of the other rotor; the peripheral edges between each adjacent pair of said plurality of pockets of the central rotor section of the One rotor being slightly sloped inwardly in one circumferential direction toward the interiors of the pockets thereof and the peripheral edges between each adjacent pair of said plurality of pockets of the central rotor section of the other rotor being slightly sloped inwardly in opposite circumferential direction toward the interiors of the pockets thereof, whereby thrust-producing fluid introduced therein is caused to curve radially inwardly in opposite circumferential directions and initiate vortex flow patterns within the pockets of each of the central rotor sections, such that the introduction of fluid in the one of said rotors causes rotation of said shaft in one direction and the introduction of fluid into the other of said rotors causes rotation of said shaft in an opposite direction; the openings in said outside rotor sections corresponding in number to the pockets in said central rotor sections and being angularly oriented in an annularly disposed series of chordal planes in said outer rotor section in the direction of flow of said fluid being introduced into said rotors for causing a reaction during the passage of said fluid into said closed chambers, which further propels the rotor; said means surrounding each of said rotors and forming said closed chambers comprising a substantially tubular stator being closed at both axial ends and said means for introducing fluid into said pockets comprising a plurality of angularly oriented openings in said stator, being oriented substantially in one circumferential direction in the one rotor and in an opposite circumferential direction in the other rotor; means forming an annular chamber about each of said stators through which fluid is introduced to said stator openings and into which fluid is discharged from said cylindrical chambers, each comprising a series of axially spaced separate chambers, the central one of which communicates with said openings in said stator and the other ones of which communicate respectively with said pair of cylindrical chambers disposed axially on the sides of each of said rotors; means for selectively introducing fluid under pressure into one or the other of said central one of said series of spaced annular chambers; and means for discharging fluid from said outside ones of said spaced annular chambers.