Hydrokinetic  Power Plants with Submerged JET Turbines

See a video of  new invented pontoon river stream power plant with submerged JET hydrokinetic turbines here  

See an animation of  new invented low head hydroelectric power plant with JET hydro-dynamic turbines here

Hydrokinetic power refers to the generation of electricity from moving water without impoundments or diversionary structures that are typically used at conventional hydropower facilities. New invented technology operates in open rivers, channels, tidal areas and oceans. It is a new high efficient standard of conversions of water kinetic energy to usable power thank to number of patented radical new technical solutions based on JET augmented turbine rotors. The invented JET hydrokinetic power plants designs include both horizontal and vertical JET turbines. It is basically surface-suspended systems, is also deployable downstream from existing hydropower facilities, which allows for new, environmentally- friendly power generation within the existing project footprint.

As far as the hydro-kinetic turbines have full continuity with the wind turbines then they have also their advantages and disadvantages.
I will not make a list of priorities and shortcomings but will only point the principal disadvantage in applying of the identical approaches to the wind turbines and airplane propellers and respectively to the hydro-kinetic turbines and water propellers:

The principal difference between the fluid propeller motors and the fluid propeller turbines is in their function. The propeller motors have the task to create traction. Their rotation is what creates their traction and it is not an aim but a mean. And as far as there are losses of energy during the rotation then they are parasitic according to the main function – the traction. In each case the losses from rotation are unavoidable.

The mission of propeller turbines in the mass case is to rotate for turning the electro-generator. It means that the rotation is the aim and not the mean as it is at the propeller engines. During their rotation the turbines are subjected to the dynamic thrust of the flow which is unfavorable from energetic point of view. This axial thrust is in a sense analogical to the traction at the propeller motors. But for the turbines it is parasitic from energetic point of view and from mechanical-constructive standpoint it destroys them and is also undesired.

The working Principe of the JET fluid turbines is radically new. The JET propeller turbines rotate by analogical reason causing the rotation of the non-reactive propeller turbines. The propellers of JET turbines rotate by reason of the difference of the flow pressure before and after their blades. But this difference around the outlines and especially at the periphery of their blades is almost zero, because the fluid with enhanced pressure freely passes to the back side of the blade, where the pressure is lower which ultimately leads to losses of energy. This is the first main disadvantage of the propeller turbines. The second one is that the axial stress of the fluid over their rotors is parasitic and does not contribute to their rotation but only loads them mechanically.

The JET turbines solve the main two problems of the conventional propeller turbine rotors by JET peripheral channels of the blades. These channels have two functions:

• The fist one is to obstruct the passing of the fluid with enhanced water pressure to the back side of the blade, where the pressure is lower.

• The second function is acceleration of the fluid current in the tip channel/s to create JET stream. In the opposite direction of the jet  flow appears JET force/torque which considerably supports the rotation. Because of the JET channels big part of the fluid pressure over the rotor is redirected into JET torque and also due to the channels the inductive blade tip losses  are vastly decreased.

 Thanks to the additional JET mode of blade rotations new designed turbines can increase the turbine efficiency many times (see  videos at www.b2b.bg/new.html ). Such JET turbines are presented in the patent descriptions BG110 251/2008 BG, 110 340/2009 and 110 525/2009.

See a comparison in operation of JET turbine vs. conventional turbine at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghp-7MqUyhs

 

 

100 kW Class of Axial JET Hydrokinetic Turbines

We have developed two basic project of the Axial JET Hydrokinetic Turbines:

• First type is applicable in relative low water speed currents or for bottom fixed stream energy converter units. It is a basically non-ducted JET-drag axial flow  turbine with fixed blades variable speed operated.

• The second type is applicable in medium to high water speed currents for pontoon supported structure. It is a non-ducted fixed blades  turbine with JET-lift blades variable speed operated.

Both developed (patent pending) tidal turbines JET/Drag and JET/Lift are relatively low cost solutions  operating with high capacity factor and generating low cost power.

Every axial rotating machine (e.g. turbine) in water creates vortex that forces water tangentially. Tip blade JET channel/s redirect/s the forced water to tip JET stream/s. As a result of the JET stream/s in opposite direction is creating tip JET force/torque.

Free river stream turbine is several meters in diameter. It is possible to develop more than 100 kW  power system by 2x100 side-by-side axial turbines operating in counter rotating mode using a common gearing and electric alternator, power electronics etc..

The non-ducted hydrokinetic power generation relies simply on the extraction of energy from the natural river velocity of water, these power systems can be placed  with minimal infrastructure or environmental impacts.

The JET rotors on the above described turbines turn slowly. A ship's propellers, by comparison, typically run 5 times as fast. The risk of impact from JET rotor blades is small, because the marine creatures that swim in strong currents tend to be agile, and can avoid slow-moving underwater obstructions..

 

For official patent publications see here