Patent ID: 6253700
Filing Date: 2001-07-03
Classification: F03B,F03D,F05B,Y02E,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for maintaining floatation of an object in a body of water, comprising:providing a cylindrical helical turbine capable of unidirectional rotation under multidirectional fluid flow and mounted to a turbine support, said turbine comprising:a rotatable shaft,at least one turbine blade support member fixedly mounted to said rotatable shaft for rotation therewith in a plane perpendicular to said shaft,a plurality of turbine blades having a fixed cylindrical helical configuration and mounted to said turbine blade support member for rotation about an axis of said rotatable shaft, each blade having an airfoil shape having a leading edge and a trailing edge and an airfoil profile lying in a plane parallel to a component of the fluid flow, each of said blades fixedly mounted to said blade support member to be radially spaced from said rotatable shaft for rotation in the plane perpendicular to said shaft in a direction of said leading edge and a distributor disposed between said turbine blades and said rotatable shaft to channel fluid to said turbine blades;attaching said turbine to a submersible object; andproviding a flowing current of fluid about said turbine.