US 20110027O69A1

(19) United States

(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2011/0027069 A1
Couto et al. (43) Pub. Date: Feb. 3, 2011

(54) HYBRID TESLA-PELTON WHEEL DISC (52) U.S. Cl. .......................................................... 41S/90
TURBINE
(57) ABSTRACT
(76) Inventors: Heraldo da Silva Couto, Cachoeira
Paulista (BR); Julio Cesar Batista, Utility Model Patent for a hybrid turbine that consists in a
Cachoeira Paulista (BR) Tesla turbine improved with the replacement partial or total of
its smooth discs by innovative discs called Pelton type discs
Correspondence Address: (2). The parts of the Tesla turbine are: stator, shaft, inlet,
Hollingsworth & Funk exhaust outlet (4) and smooth discs (2). The disc (2) with an
8500 Normandale Lake Blvd., Suite 320 innovative format, object of this patent, owns the character
Minneapolis, MN 55437 (US) istics of the Pelton Wheel, once it owns cavities (1) that are hit
by the working fluid. The Pelton type discs (2) have as
(21) Appl. No.: 12/920,907 purpose to increase the torque provided by the shaft of the
turbine and it is an improvement of the Tesla turbine that
(22) PCT Filed: Mar. 6, 2008 makes it useful for many applications and improve its effi
ciency in applications which demands bigger torque that fur
(86). PCT No.: PCT/BR2008/OOOO64 nished by the original Tesla turbine. The proportion between
Pelton type discs (2) and smooth discs, used in the turbine,
S371 (c)(1), defines the increase of torque. The Hybrid Tesla-Pelton
(2), (4) Date: Sep. 3, 2010 Wheel can be used like a pump, compressor or vacuum pump
O O if operates in reverse way, that means, the working fluid goes
Publication Classification into the openings near the centre (3) of the discs (2) and goes
(51) Int. Cl. out at the ends of the discs (2) (effect that is obtained turning
FOID L/36 (2006.01) the shaft by a motor).
Patent Application Publication Feb. 3, 2011 US 2011/0027069 A1
US 2011/0027O69 A1
HYBRD TESLA-PELTON WHEEL DISC
TURBINE
0001. The present Utility Model Patenthas the objective to
improve the so called Disk Turbine or Tesla Turbine with an
innovative change, based in the Pelton Wheel, that adds more
torque to become viable its use, and to improve its efficiency
in Such applications that require the drive through power to be
Supplied by a shaft and demand a high torque, such as electric
generators, high speed drill machines, automotive vehicles,
planes, centrifuges, etc. (The Tesla turbine is a motor, that
means, a source of mechanical motion). The hybrid Tesla
Pelton Wheel turbine that results from the improvement,
object of this patent, as well as the 10 original Tesla turbine,
can also be used as a pump or a compressor.
0002 The Tesla Turbine and Compressor were patented in
1910 in England under number 24001 by Nikola Tesla and
consist of parallel rotating discs assembled very closed to one
another in a shaft. In the case of the Tesla Turbine, the discs
moves due to the flow of the working fluid through them,
causing the phenomenon of adherence of the fluid to the
Surface of the disc, known as “non-slipping condition, that
makes the disk reach the speed of the fluid and to turn the
shaft. The objective of the Tesla Turbine is to turn the shaft to
produce mechanic powerfor any purpose. Due to the working
principle of the Tesla Turbine mentioned above, the working
fluid needs to have a pressure over the atmospheric pressure to
push the working fluid through, from the end of the discs to
their centre, through an exhaust port, and to the atmosphere.
The fluid is accelerated by an injector before going into the
turbine. It is possible to use any pressured fluid. Such as
compressed air, Steam and combustion gas, or a mix of them.
In the case of the Tesla Pump or Compressor, the machine is
similar, but works in inverse mode, that means, the pumped or
compressed fluid goes into the inlet near the centre of the
discs and is exhausted at the end of the disks. The pumping (or
compression) is obtained by turning the shaft and occurs due
to the same adhesive effect of the fluid to the surface of the
discs, as described previously. The shaft can be turned by any
motor or even a Tesla turbine.
0003. The properties of the Tesla turbine that distinguishes
it from the other types of turbines and motors are: its simplic
ity of construction, low cost, high efficiency and ability to
operate with water steam generated by any type of fuel,
renewable or fossil, or any source of heat.
0004. The Pelton Wheel was developed in the mid 1880's
by L. Pelton and it has been used in water falls to produce
electrical energy. It is a wheel mounted in a shaft which has
blades in its edge that are hit by the waterfalling against them,
thus producing the rotation of the wheel and shaft. Its prin
ciple of working consists in transferring the cinematic energy
from the fluid to the blades by impulsion. The rotating shaft is
used to run, for example, electric generators, saws, etc.
0005. In spite of the good qualities of the Tesla turbine
mentioned, there are no viable and massive commercial
applications. A disadvantage of the Tesla turbine compared to
other machines is its high speed but low torque, becoming
difficult to use it as a source of power to electric generators,
vehicles, etc.
0006 Considering this problem and with the purpose of
Solving it, a way to increase the torque Supplied by the Tesla
turbine it has been proposed, object of this patent, which is to
use discs in the Tesla turbine which Supplies bigger torque
Feb. 3, 2011
than the smooth discs of the original Tesla turbine. These
discs constitute an invention and they are based in the prin
ciple of working of the Pelton The adhesive effect of the fluid
to the disc Surface, also occurs in this new disc system, Such
as it occurs in the Smooth discs used originally in the Tesla
turbine (adhesive effect of the boundary layer). This sum of
principles on the same disc facilitates its insertion in the Tesla
turbine, although the principle of working of the Pelton
Wheel is more important.
0007 FIG. 1 shows the side view of the original Tesla
turbine.
O008) FIG. 2 shows the frontal view of the original Tesla
turbine.
0009 FIG. 3 presents the side of the disc which has cavi
ties such as the characteristics of the Pelton Wheel.
0010 FIG. 4 presents the smooth side of the disc with the
characteristics of the Pelton Wheel.
0011 FIG. 1 presents the side view of the original Tesla
turbine, that consists of smooth parallel discs 1 mounted very
near in a shaft 2, Spaces among the discs 3, the stator 4 which
is a closed stationary cylinder that houses the discs, by bear
ings 5, shaft seal 6 and by the disc exhaust ports 7 for the
working fluid, located in the centre of the discs 5, near the
shaft, where the working fluid flows into the atmosphere.
(0012. The Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel Turbine is similar to
the Tesla turbine, except for its discs, that are all or in part
replaced by the new discs that have characteristics of the
Pelton Wheel, which we will call from this point forward
“Pelton type discs to make it easy.
0013 FIG. 2 shows the frontal view of the original Tesla
turbine and the spiral path 1 that the working fluid goes along
on the face of the smooth disc 2 used in the original Tesla
turbine. The working fluid is injected in the tangent of the end
of the disc 3 and due to the difference of pressure between the
end of the disc and its centre (where there is an exhaust port 4
to the atmosphere) it takes a free and spiral moving toward the
centre. The disc 2, originally conceived to be used in the Tesla
turbine, has two smooth faces.
0014. The “Pelton type' disc takes up the same place of the
original Smooth disc of the Tesla turbine and it has a similar
exhaust port so that it can be compatible with the others discs
used in the Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel Turbine.
(0015 FIG. 3 presents the side that has cavities 1 of the
“Pelton type' disc 2, which its conception is an innovation
and it is the object of this patent, based in the principles of the
Pelton Wheel. It shows also its assembly together with others
discs of the same type. The cavity has the purpose to resist the
free flow of the fluid to result pressure and impulsion on it so
that it moves the shaft of the turbine. The path of the working
fluid in each cavity is shown in FIG.3 by arrows 3 indicating
the admission of the fluid into the disc and its way out to the
atmosphere through the exhaust port 4. The opening in the
centre of the disc 5 is filled by the shaft.
0016. The geometry and dimensions of the cavities and the
number of them in the “Pelton type' disc are any. It can, for
example, have an elliptical geometry like shown in FIG. 3, a
circular one or any another geometry, since it Supplies the
effect of impulsion on the cavity. Both the phenomena, that
means, adherence of the fluid to the surface of the disc (char
acteristic of the Tesla turbine) and impulsion (characteristic
of the Pelton Wheel), takes place in the cavities.
0017. The number of discs used in a turbine like its dimen
sions (be “Pelton type' or smooth discs) vary depending on
the power that one wishes to obtain from the turbine. It means
US 2011/0027O69 A1
that increasing the number of discs and/or their dimensions
increase the power supplied by the turbine. These construc
tion parameters like others ones are common to both original
Tesla and Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel turbines; Thus the tur
bines are differentiated by the insertion of the “Pelton type'
discs into the Tesla Turbine and, consequently the increase of
the torque.
0018 FIG. 4 shows the smooth side 1 of the “Pelton type”
disc 2 assembled together with other discs of the same type.
As shown in FIG. 4, joining the side of the “Pelton type' disc,
which have cavities, and the smooth side of another “Pelton
type' disc, these cavities become some ducts 3 by where the
working fluid enters and goes through, from the end of the
discs to the exhaust ports 4, near the centre of the disc where
it exits to the atmosphere.
0019. The jet fluid which goes into the discs compresses
the cavity before 10 going out by the exhaust ports in the same
way that occurs when a spray of water hits on the blades of the
Pelton Wheel. It is also possible to mount the “Pelton type'
disc joint togethera disc with both Smooth faces (discs used in
the original Tesla turbine). One must note that in the walls of
the duct (inside cavity), by which flows the fluid, occurs also
the adherence effect of the fluid so that there are present the
phenomena (or principles of working) of the Tesla turbine and
the Pelton Wheel. The smooth side of the “Pelton type' disc,
if not used to cover the cavity of another “Pelton type' disc,
also presents the adherence effect like the smooth discs used
originally in the Tesla turbine.
0020. The assembly of a turbine with only “Pelton type”
discs also results in a Hybrid Tesla-Pelton turbine, because it
mixes the two principles of working in a single disc.
0021. The mixture of “Pelton type' discs with the smooth
discs used in the original Tesla turbine allows to change the
proportion between speed and torque, that means, more “Pel
ton type' discs increase torque and reduce speed and vice
versa. This property allows the designer to adapt the turbine to
the applications.
0022. In the case of the “Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel'
Pump or Compressor, the machine is similar to the Tesla
Pump or Compressor, except by the discs that are all or
partially replaced by the new “Pelton type' discs. The opera
tion occurs in the reverse way of the turbine, that means, the
fluid to be pumped or compressed goes into the admission
inlet near the centre of the disc (used as an exhaust port by
Tesla turbine) and exits at the end of the discs. The pumping
(or compression) effect is obtained by turning the shaft and
occurs due to the sum of the two effects, that means, the
adherence effect of the fluid to the surfaces of the discs
Feb. 3, 2011
(together with centrifugal forces, like in the Tesla Pump or
Compressor) and the transfer of cinematic energy from the
disc to the working fluid, once the cavities pushes the fluid.
The spin of the shaft can be obtained by using any motor or
even a Tesla turbine.
1) “Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel Turbine”: it joints together
in the same turbine the principle of working of the Tesla
turbine, witch is run by the phenomenon of adherence of the
working fluid to the surface of the discs and the principle of
working of the Pelton Wheel, which is run by the transfer of
cinematic energy from the fluid to the blades by hitting the
cavities of the blades. The Hybrid turbine is characterized by
the replacement of part or all the discs of the Tesla turbine by
innovative discs with the characteristics of the Pelton Wheel,
allowing to joint together the two principles in the same
turbine, thus resulting in an improvement of the Tesla turbine,
because it increases the torque, thus improving its efficiency
in application that demands bigger torque than that furnished
by the original Tesla turbine, and becoming viable its. The
proportion between “Pelton type' discs and smooth discs,
used in the turbine, defines the increase of torque.
2) Discs with the principle of working similar to the Pelton
Wheel according to the request 1 characterized by owing
cavities that are compressed by the working fluid, generating
impulsion in the disc, like in the Wheel. The “Pelton type
disc consists of a side that has cavities and by another Smooth.
By jointing together the side of the disc with has cavities with
the smooth side of another disc, the cavities become ducts by
where flows the working fluid. The geometry and dimensions
of the cavity and the number of cavities are any. Its possible,
for example, to have a elliptical geometry, a circular one, a
spiral one or any other geometry, since it provides the impul
sion effect on the cavity.
3) Utilization of the Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel Turbine,
according to the request 1, in applications like "Hybrid Tesla
Pelton Wheel” Pump or Compressor characterized by the use
of “Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel” turbine in the reverse way,
that means, by the admission of the fluid through the openings
near the centre of the discs and by the exhaustion through the
end of the discs. The pumping (or compression) is obtained
by turning the shaft and occurs due to the sum of the two
effects, i.e. the effect of adherence of the fluid to the surfaces
of the discs (together with centrifugal forces, like in the Tesla
Pump or Compressor) and the effect of transferring the cin
ematic energy from the disk to the working fluid, caused by
the movement of the cavities that pushes the fluid. The spin of
the shaft can be obtained by any motor or even a Tesla turbine
c c c c c