Patent ID: 9453412
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: F01C,F04C

Claim Text:
1. A method for generating shaft work using a turbine, comprising: providing at least one liquid ring rotating casing mounted for rotation about a first axis containing a liquid ring and having an eccentrically mounted impeller adapted to rotate within said liquid ring so as to form chambers of successively increasing volume between adjacent vanes of the impeller; said impeller having a plurality of vanes spaced from each other around said core with each vane extending outwardly from said core to a tip in a radial direction with respect to said second axis such that the vanes are directed towards and lie within said inner cylindrical surface, said vanes forming multiple chambers around said core; injecting steam at high pressure into the impeller, through a steam inlet within said static axial bore of the impeller, where the chambers are narrow so as to rotate the impeller and in so doing to expand said steam essentially isentropically within a plurality of said chambers and thereby cool said steam so that said steam at least partially undergoes a gas-to-liquid phase change in the impeller to convert heat to work; maintaining the liquid ring at a temperature sufficient to prevent the liquid ring from causing condensation of said steam; and allowing the steam to escape from each of said chambers at low pressure and low temperature, without being compressed, via a steam outlet within the static axial bore of the impeller, said steam output being fluidly separated from the steam inlet.