George Tonchev

New Technologies of Low Head Water Streams

Under water power plant with jet self augmented Savonius turbines

The present invention (patent pending)  relates to under water power plant for converting kinetic energy of ocean/river currents into electric energy, comprising a floating body carrying a plurality of Savonius turbines, each turbine having at least two hollow blades with a substantially semi-circular cross-section cylindrical configuration. Each scoop/ blade have outlet nozzles at the trailing edge and side wall inlet apertures at the up flow blade side. The jet self augmented crossflow Savonius turbine is a unique turbine worldwide. In the hollow blade part (by rotating) the centrifugal force is constantly transforming to jet streams trough outlet nozzles at the trailing blade edge that creating rotational jet torque. At low water speed the rotational jet torque is creating by flow redirection in the hollow blade trough outlet nozzles. Because of the invented blade all jet blade turbines increased both blade velocity and efficiency. The jet Savonius turbine allowing the turbine to be scaled independently in horizontally or vertically to fit to existing environment. The jet blade Savonius turbines have very good performance at low and moderate flow velocity.

JET augmented Savonius crossflow vertical axis turbine have the best performance in the comparison of any drag turbine in both flow wind and water.

Each jet blade Savonius turbine further includes a rotor shaft at one end thereof for transferring a rotary motion of the turbine to an electric power generating unit, such as an electric generator, on the floating body through a mechanical transmission.

When such jet self augmented Savonius turbines rotate due to the speed of the water flow, they are exposed for a force in the direction of the flow (x-direction) as well as a force directed normal thereto (y-direction), i.e. the so called Magnus-effect, the direction of which depending on the rotational direction of the turbine. In the prior art solution, the angle of deflection of the Savonius turbines is minimized by providing them with a suitably adapted counterweight at its distal (lower) end.

It is the second object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement of the Savonius turbines such that they are better mutually balanced and may produce more rotary and electric energy when mounted to a vessel or a floating body, such as pontoons.

To this end, according to one aspect of the invention, the arrangement described above by way of introduction is characterized in that the floating body comprises at least two parallel, elongated, mutually spaced, interconnected pontoons and defining between the pontoons a narrowed through-passage for water currents, and that at least one pair of Savonius turbines are suspended vertically across the through- passage so as to extend downwardly from an upper deck into the through-passage and configured to rotate in opposite directions.

Alternatively, according to another aspect of the invention, the Savonius turbines may be rotatably mounted at both opposite ends thereof in the pontoons so as to extend horizontally above each other across the through-passage and configured to rotate in opposite directions. In both the inventive embodiments, i.e. with vertically or horizontally disposed Savonius turbines, the latter are thus arranged in pairs, and adjacent turbines are rotatable in opposite directions so that the forces created by the Magnus-effect are directed in opposite y-directions to equalize one another, thereby obtaining a substantially dynamically stable condition of the turbines and minimized deflections thereof. Also, by placing the Savonius turbines in a narrowed through-passage between two parallel, elongated, mutually spaced, interconnected pontoons, an increased speed of the water flow there through will increase the rotational speed of the turbines. Hence, as the generated power of the turbine increases with the third power of the water flow speed, the power outlet of the turbines will increase substantially, thereby enabling lower investment costs for the plant and a substantially lower energy (kWh) price for the energy produced, which is especially important when the arrangement is applied in sea environments of relatively slow water flows.

Number of JET augmented hybrid vertical axis hydrokinetic turbines ( fixed to a common shaft Savonius JET scoops and straight JET blades) are developing. The performance coefficient of self JET augmented turbine is increased up to 2.5 times in the comparison to the conventional blade turbines.

Vortex hydro power plant
(Patent pending)

The principal
There are two basic variables in hydropower engineering that determine electrical output. They are the amount of water available and the velocity of flow. The first variable, the amount of water available, depends very much on location and is generally not subject to increase by human intervention. It is the second variable, the velocity of the water's flow, which can be manipulated in many ways. Apart from increasing water pressure, which is a comparatively inefficient way to increase flow velocity, this parameter can be influenced by other, more simple and more cost effective engineering solutions.

It is a common principle in rocketry to increase the velocity of flow of the hot exhaust gases by a restriction of the path of flow of these gases. This is called the jet principle and has been used successfully for decades. The jet principle of flow acceleration I am using of many different applications of my JET blade and JET turbine applications according to my inventions.

The same principle can be used to increase the velocity of a flow of water, such as a river. In fact, where a river is forced, by the natural configuration of terrain, to flow through a narrow gorge, the velocity at the narrowest point is much higher than it is before and after the river's passage through the gorge. This effect can be utilized by finding a natural gorge or by artificially narrowing a river's bed so as to bring about an increase in water velocity.

Another way to increase velocity of flow in water is to promote the formation of a longitudinal vortex. This is a rolling or spinning motion, the axis of which coincides with the direction of flow of the water. Such vortices have the property of causing an increase of the velocity of flow, and a contraction of the diameter of the space needed by the body of water. They also cause a lowering of the water's temperature and thus an increase in its density. (The highest specific density of water is reached at a temperature of + 4° C.)

Water has a natural tendency to form vortices, especially if its flow is accelerated by some external influence such as gravity. We can observe this by noting the swirl with which a full bathtub or sink or any other container full of water empties, if the water is forced to flow through a pipe connected to a hole in the bottom of the container. But even a simple water faucet, releasing a flow of water, will show this same phenomenon if the water flows relatively undisturbed, without bubbles or agitation. As the water picks up speed, it forms a distinctly funnel-shaped vortex right before our eyes.

A confirmation of this tendency of vortices to increase water velocity (or in other words to decrease resistance to the water's flow) comes from experiments performed in 1952 at the Technical College in Stuttgart by Prof. Franz Pöpel and Viktor Schauberger.

The Idea
New invented (2008) vortex hydro power plant is a single turbine plant, It shows extra efficiency, because of the spin (vortex)of the water caused by the spin of the earth. Regular old hydro power plants only uses gravity but new invented vortex hydro power plant takes advantage of gravity PLUS the spinning motion.

The efficiency of the vortex hydro power plant
A vertical axis centrifugal turbine is fitted coaxially in the vortex centre axis to transform vortex energy to electricity.
Centrifugal pumps have peak efficiencies in the 60% to 70% range. Is it possible for a turbine to exceed that ? YES - by JET turbine.

JET turbine of the vortex hydro power plant is a drag Savonius-like vertical axis turbine with several hollow scoops.

That turbine rotates as a jet augmented drag turbine but in the vortex.

In addition - number of inlet apertures is placed on the concave walls of hollow scoops. Outlet nozzles are at the periphery trailing edge of every scoop. Pressurized water from the hollow scoops/blades is directed downward as water jets by nozzles. The reaction force on the nozzles is creating a maximal rotational torque, because of peripheral nozzles and because of Jet streams are tangentially oriented to the rotor periphery. The water in hollow spaces is pressured continuously by dynamic pressure of spinning water and by centrifugal forces. By turbine rotation jet streams are ejecting continuously thought periphery nozzle outlets.  That is why the JET Savonius-like vertical axis turbine is much more efficient in comparison on the every known such kind of turbines. Jet streams reduced turbine loses at the scoops periphery.

JET/drag Savonius  turbine (see here) is rotating by both JET and drag forces. That is why it is more efficient of any drag turbine. JET/drag Savonius  turbine is applicable for extraction of tide and wave energy for different power applications.

There are many applications of the vortex power plant. This concept could be utilized anywhere water is stored and flushed out, such as water treatment plants or even water towers. If the full potential of this concept were realized this concept could even work on a smaller scale within sewage systems and underground piping. Even public pools could use this technology to recover evergy when draining the pool. This concept could really take off if people became really inventive and considered the distance water travels before it is redirected back into our waterways.

Generally, the jet blade turbines have very good performance at low flow velocity. See a scheme of a hydro power plant with over water drive power train coupled to the vertical shafts of the under water counter rotating turbines. 

language="javascript">