Patent ID: 9347331
Filing Date: 2016-05-24
CPC Classification: F01D,F05D,Y02T

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus, comprising: a plurality of blades; a casing, wherein: (i) a fluid flowing from a high pressure side of the plurality of blades to a low pressure side of the plurality of blades in a direction of flow is incident on the plurality of blades and causes the plurality of blades to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the apparatus, or (ii) a fluid is caused to flow from a low pressure side of the plurality of blades to a high pressure side of the plurality of blades in a direction of flow when the plurality of blades is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the apparatus, wherein when the plurality of blades rotates about the longitudinal axis of the apparatus the plurality of blades moves relative to the casing such that there is a gap between each blade of the plurality of blades and the casing and a leakage flow of the fluid flows in the gap in a leakage flow direction, wherein the leakage flow direction is from the high pressure side of the plurality of blades to the low pressure side of the plurality of blades; a voltage source; and at least one electrode pair, wherein the at least one electrode pair comprises a corresponding at least one blade electrode and a corresponding at least one casing electrode, wherein the at least one blade electrode is on a first blade of the plurality of blades and the at least one casing electrode is on the casing, wherein each casing electrode of the at least one casing electrode is offset in the leakage flow direction or offset in a direction opposite to the leakage flow direction from the corresponding blade electrode of the at least one blade electrode, wherein the voltage source applies a corresponding at least one voltage across the at least one electrode pair, wherein application of the at least one voltage across the corresponding at least one electrode pair creates a corresponding at least one plasma and causes a corresponding at least one electrohydrodynamic effect that pushes the fluid in the leakage flow of fluid flowing in the gap so as to reduce the leakage flow of the fluid.