Claims
- 1. A turbine apparatus driven by a source of substantially oscillatory fluid pressure variation comprising a turbine including a rotor mounted to rotate about a rotor axis, a blade affixed to said rotor at a finite distance from said axis for receiving a pressure impulse from the fluid for rotating the rotor and blade about the rotor axis, passageway means for connecting said turbine in a fluid flow relationship with the source, said passageway means alternately conducting fluid in a direction from the source toward the turbine during a first portion of the oscillatory cycle while the pressure of the source exceeds the pressure of the fluid proximate the turbine and from proximate the turbine toward the source during a second portion of the cycle while the source pressure is less than the fluid pressure proximate the turbine, said passageway means being positioned and oriented so as to direct said conducted fluid from said passageway means in a stream toward a face of said blade during said first portion of the cycle so as to produce a positive pressure impulse on the blade upon deflection of the directed fluid by the face, said positive impulse producing a positive torque on said rotor and said turbine for driving the turbine in a positive direction of rotation about said axis, said conducted fluid during said second portion of the cycle being drawn substantially in a diffuse current from proximate the turbine into the passageway means, said diffuse fluid current producing a negative pressure impulse on the turbine, said negative pressure impulse being substantially weaker than said positive impulse, whereby a net positive torque on the turbine is derived from said alternate conduction of fluid, said net positive torque tending to drive the turbine in said positive rotational direction; wherein the turbine includes a multiplicity of blades functioning similarly to, and including, the first named blade, said blades being disposed approximately radially with respect to the axis of said rotor, said positive torque being augmented and made more uniform during the cycle of rotation as a result of said multiplicity of blades; wherein said passageway means has an apparent axis of symmetry which approximately intersects said rotor axis, said passageway means having a port in a face of said passageway means facing said rotor, the center of said port being approximately on said passageway means axis, said alternately conducted fluid flowing in alternate directions through said port, whereby said fluid appears to an observer to be directed along said passageway means axis toward and away from said rotor axis, said directed and drawn fluid appearing to the observer to be incapable of producing said net positive torque on the turbine; said passageway means having a passageway for alternately conducting said directed and said drawn fluid through said port, said passageway having a passageway portion proximate said port, said passageway portion being at least partially hidden from view by the observer by said passageway means, said passageway portion having a mean flow axis at a substantial angle with said apparent passageway means axis for directing said fluid toward said blade face at a finite distance from said rotor axis for providing said net positive torque so as to produce and sustain said positive rotation of said turbine in spite of said apparent incapability.
- 2. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 further including a housing around said turbine, said housing confining said fluid substantially to a region within and proximate said turbine and for channeling said fluid in a substantially rotational path in said positive rotational direction; thereby conserving the rotational inertia and rotational energy of said fluid and said turbine, whereby the angular velocity of the turbine is augmented.
- 3. A turbine apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the inside surface of said housing is substantially spherical.
- 4. A turbine apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the inside surface of said housing is shaped to form a substantially closed cylinder.
- 5. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said passageway portion forms a nozzle means for confining said directed fluid to a narrow stream during its travel from said passageway means toward said face.
- 6. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said rotor and said blade are substantially enclosed by a housing, whereby said turbine and source are substantially sealed from the environment.
- 7. A turbine apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said housing is substantially transparent to allow viewing of said turbine.
- 8. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said rotor, said blade, and said source are substantially enclosed by a housing, whereby said rotor, said blade, and said source are substantially sealed from the environment.
- 9. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 further including a housing substantially enclosing the turbine and substantially sealing the turbine from the environment, said housing facilitating operation of the source and turbine.
- 10. A turbine apparatus as in claim 9 wherein said source includes an oscillating piston apparatus for inducing said oscillatory pressure variation within said housing.
- 11. A turbine apparatus as in claim 10 wherein said oscillating piston apparatus is a thermally driven oscillating free piston apparatus.
- 12. A turbine apparatus as in claim 11 wherein said fluid is a compressible fluid, and said passageway means connects said housing with a chamber of said oscillating free piston apparatus to form a rebound chamber for said oscillating piston apparatus, said rebound chamber including: the chamber, said passageway means, and the chamber formed by said housing containing the turbine.
- 13. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 further including a thermally driven oscillating free piston apparatus for deriving said directed stream and said diffuse current.
- 14. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the turbine is mounted in a chamber which is at least partially transparent.
- 15. A turbine apparatus as in claim 14 wherein said apparent axis of symmetry, said turbine, and said chamber are oriented and positioned relative to each other so that confining and channeling of said stream and said diffuse current by walls of said chamber do not destroy said apparent incapability.
- 16. A turbine apparatus as in claim 14 wherein the chamber is substantially spherical and the rotor axis passes approximately through the center of the chamber.
- 17. A turbine apparatus as in claim 14 wherein the chamber is symmetrically formed, and is oriented and positioned relative to said axis of symmetry, so that confining and channeling of said directed and drawn fluid by the chamber walls do not destroy said apparent incapability.
- 18. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said connecting means for connecting said source with said turbine is formed so that substantially all of said fluid conducted from said source to said turbine passes through said port and substantially all of said fluid conducted from said turbine to said source passes through said port.
- 19. A turbine apparatus as in claim 18 wherein said passageway portion forms a nozzle.
- 20. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 further including a source of substantially oscillatory pressure variation for deriving said directed stream and said diffuse drawing of fluid.
- 21. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 further including an oscillatory pump for deriving said directed stream and said diffuse current.
- 22. A turbine apparatus as in claim 1 further including an oscillating piston apparatus for deriving said directed stream and said diffuse current.
- 23. A turbine apparatus as in claim 22 wherein the oscillating piston apparatus is an oscillating free piston apparatus.
- 24. A turbine apparatus as in claim 22 wherein the oscillating piston apparatus is a thermally driven, oscillating free piston apparatus.
- 25. The turbine apparatus of claim 1 wherein said passageway means includes vision obscuring means substantially surrounding said at least partially hidden passageway portion.
- 26. The turbine apparatus of claim 1 wherein said blades are approximately planar.
- 27. A device for producing motion of an object comprising a chamber, passageway means including a nozzle for connecting said chamber in a fluid flow relationship with a source of variable fluid pressure for alternately conducting fluid from said source through said nozzle into said chamber during a first set of time portions while the pressure of the fluid source exceeds the pressure of the fluid in the chamber and from said chamber through said nozzle to said source during a second set of time portions while the source pressure is less than said chamber pressure, the time portions of the first set occurring substantially alternately with the time portions of the second set, said conducted fluid being directed primarily in a narrow stream into said chamber by said nozzle during said first time portions, said conducted fluid being drawn substantially diffusely from said chamber through said nozzle during said second time portions, said fluid stream being directed into said chamber predominating over the diffuse fluid current in said chamber resulting from said diffuse drawing of fluid from said chamber, said chamber confining said fluid and channeling said predominant stream into a substantially circuitous path, whereby there is a circulation of the fluid having at least a substantial component which is substantially circuitous in the chamber; an object in the chamber, said object being susceptible to undergoing motion in response to pressure on the object by the circulating fluid, wherein said passageway means and said nozzle are constructed and oriented with respect to the chamber so that said nozzle appears to an observer to direct fluid approximately toward the approximate center of said chamber such that said alternate conduction of fluid through said nozzle appears to the observer to be incapable of causing the fluid in the chamber to substantially rotate about an axis passing approximately through the approximate center of the chamber, said nozzle having an internal bore portion proximate the end of the nozzle closest to the center of said chamber, said bore portion being angled with respect to said apparent direction so aa to direct said conducted fluid into the chamber at a substantial angle with respect to said apparent direction, said nozzle end being exposed and visible to an observer, means including the internal location of said bore portion for making the angular orientation of the angled bore portion substantially imperceptible to said observer; whereby said predominant stream passes a substantial distance away from said chamber center and induces and sustains substantial rotational motion of the fluid in the chamber about said axis in spite of said apparent incapability.
- 28. A device as in claim 27 wherein said chamber has a smooth internal wall surface, whereby conservation of the kinetic energy of the fluid and object in the chamber is increased and said kinetic energy is augmented.
- 29. A device as in claim 27 wherein said chamber has a substantially spherical internal wall surface, whereby fluid drag on said circulating fluid by said wall is relatively small.
- 30. A device as in claim 27 wherein said chamber is shaped to approximately form a closed cylinder, whereby fluid drag on said circulating fluid by said chamber is relatively small.
- 31. A device as in claim 27 wherein the object in said chamber has a density which is relatively low to augment the degree to which said object follows the circulation of the fluid in the chamber.
- 32. A device as in claim 27 wherein the object is formed to have a relatively high coefficient of fluid drag, whereby the degree to which the object follows the circulation of the fluid is augmented.
- 33. A device as in claim 27 wherein the object is formed so that it is susceptible to being induced by said circulating fluid to undergo rotational motion, wherein the nozzle appears to direct fluid in a direction which would appear to be incapable of inducing rotation of the object, said nozzle and said bore portion being oriented to induce said rotational motion of said object in spite of said apparent incapabilities, whereby said rotational motion of the object tends to provoke the curiosity of the observer.
- 34. A device as in claim 27 wherein said fluid is compressible and wherein said source includes an oscillating piston device having a rebound chamber, the chamber having the circulating fluid being connected to the source by said passageway means so that the chamber having the circulating fluid forms a portion of the rebound chamber of the source, whereby said circulating fluid chamber contributes to the rebound of a piston of said oscillating piston device.
- 35. A device as in claim 34 wherein said oscillating piston device is an oscillating free piston device which is driven primarily by means for alternately heating and cooling fluid within the oscillating free piston device.
- 36. A device as in claim 27 wherein substantially all of the fluid flowing from said source to said chamber passes through said nozzle, and substantially all of the fluid flowing from said chamber to said source also passes through said nozzle.
- 37. A device as in claim 27 wherein the object is a turbine mounted and positioned in the chamber so that said alternate conduction of fluid through said nozzle appears to be incapable of a net torque on the turbine, said turbine undergoing rotation in response to said alternate conduction and said rotational fluid motion in spite of said apparent incapabilities.
- 38. A device as in claim 37 wherein the blades of said turbine are substantially radially disposed with respect to the axis of rotation of said turbine as viewed from a position along said axis of said turbine.
- 39. A device as in claim 38 wherein said blades are approximately planar.
- 40. A device as in claim 37 wherein said blades are substantially flat.
- 41. A device as in claim 27 wherein the walls of said chamber are at least partially transparent to allow viewing of the motion of said object.
- 42. A device as in claim 27 wherein said source provides a substantially oscillatory pressure variation, whereby said alternate conduction is substantially cyclical.
- 43. A device as in claim 27 further including a source of variable fluid pressure for producing said alternate conduction.
- 44. A device as in claim 43 wherein said source comprises a substantially oscillatory pump.
- 45. A device as in claim 43 wherein said source comprises an oscillating free piston apparatus.
- 46. A device as in claim 27 wherein the object and chamber are formed so that said object undergoes motion which has at least a substantial component which is substantially circuitous in the chamber.
- 47. The device of claim 27 wherein the passageway means includes vision obscuring means substantially surrounding the angled bore portion.
RELATIONSHIP WITH COPENDING APPLICATION
The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application entitled Thermally Driven Device Utilizable for Novelty, Demonstration and/or Display Purposes, Ser. No. 408,288, filed Oct. 23, 1973, and now U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,263.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1,409,859 |
Jul 1965 |
FR |
345,223 |
Dec 1921 |
DD |
832,113 |
Feb 1952 |
DT |
123,620 |
Mar 1919 |
UK |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
408288 |
Oct 1973 |
|