Improvements in Devices for Regulating Water Turbines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 27th Jan.,
1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Regulating Water Turbines.
I, FERDINAND RUESS, of Baienfurt, near Ravensburg, in the Empire of
Germany, Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to an improved method of regulating full and reaction
turbines in which the widths of exit of the turbine-wheel passages may be
adjusted without water shock and always maintaining an equal angle of entrance
and exit, even during the running of the wheel, either by hand, or automatically
by means of a Hoat or governor, in such a way that the level of the water during
any varying inflow of water is always maintained at the same height, and the
effective power of the turbine is always suited to the actual power required.
Arrangements have already frequently been made to enable the widths of
discharge of the turbine-wheel passages to be regulated. Such attempts were
endeavoured to be carried out by narrowing the width of the passages and
further by the attachment of shutter discs at the exit of the passages, but the
devices in question were found impracticable, and as they did not fulfil their
object they were quickly abandoned.
Other regulating devices consisted in a means for shutting off or closing the
passages of the directing wheel, by employing several rings of floats on the
turbine, and then closing these singly or severally or in groups of passages
according to the flow of water. Even if the working of the other rings or sets
had no essential drawback on an entire shutting off of one or more rows of floats
of the directing wheel, the effective power was considerably diminished by closing
the separate passages of one set and thus precisely with the least water supply
the smallest useful effect was obtained.
The same drawbacks arise in the regulation by means of separate slides in
cach directing wheel cell, or by means of annular slides as in the above men-
tioned shutter regulations, and the latter method of regulating has also the
further drawback that the apparatus is easily stopped by dirty water containing
grass, vegetation and the like, and frequently can no longer be operated..
Even the regulation by means of a throttle valve in the suction pipe under
the turbine very seriously affects the useful effect, and such a regulation can only
be taken into consideration when excess water is always present, and there is no
question of an economic utilisation of the same.
The regulation by means of Venetian shutters in the guiding apparatus such as
has of recent years been frequently employed is also very incomplete.
The angle of admission of the directing wheel passages is thereby altered to a
very high degree, so that the whole character of the turbine is thereby altered.
Whilst with a wider opening of the directing wheel it acts as a reaction turbine,
this action when the opening is smaller is converted into a free jet turbine.
Actually such a turbine yields the greatest effect with a medium angle of inlet,

page_text: whilst it yields relatively the least useful effect with the larger and smaller
width of opening.
My improved regulating device removes entirely all the above mentioned
drawbacks and may be applied with equal advantage to all full turbines with
upper, inner or outer water supplies.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 shows as an example my improved arrangement for an ordinary full
turbine in which the water supply encounters it axially;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the upper part of Figure 1.
Figure 3 an arrangement for a radial turbine with the water encountering
the floats internally; and
Figure 4 for a radial turbine with the water encountering externally;
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are longitudinal and cross sections respectively of these
three kinds of turbines and their floats shown on an enlarged scale.
This improved regulation consists essentially in that in each passage of the
float wheel a special revoluble float is inserted, which suitably approaches with
its outer end the normal float of the wheel, and thereby the width of exit of the
float wheel passages may be altered quite optionally. Each float wheel passage,
apart from its fixed side walls thus consists of a fixed float which may have a
favourable form corresponding to requirements, and the inlet and outlet angle of
which thus remains unaltered, and a float movable against this fixed float, the
inner part of which movable float fits in a correct continuation the form of the
fixed float, whilst the outer part is movable against the fixed float, and thereby
the clear width of exit of the float wheel passage is suitably adjustable. This
adjustment of all the movable floats may also be effected during the running of
the turbine in the simplest manner by hand or by means of a float or by a
regulator.
The passages remain fully filled with water at each width of adjustment, and
as the working angle of the floats always remains the same, the turbine works
in all conditions of water correctly according to its nature, and always with an
equally useful effect.
As already herein before stated, the form of the movable floats is suited to
that of the fixed ones, and for this object the fixed float 4 ordinarily made of
sheet iron, and let into the ring, is bent round above in a hook shape, the longer
arm of this hook having an exactly correct form of float corresponding to
requirements, etc, and the shorter arm of the fixed float being preferably made
of cast steel, and fits as closely as possible to the movable float, which otherwise is
made of such a form that its outer surfaces in conjunction with the form of the
fixed float yield the most favourable section of passage for the effective action
of a turbine.
The mobility of the adjustable floats may be obtained in any suitable manner.
In the drawing for instance it is assumed that the movable Hoats are pivotally
mounted above in pins 6 passing through the side wall of the turbine, and they are
provided at the other end with a pin 7 projecting beneath the side wall on
which pin 7 the adjustment is effected. Of course the movable floats 5 may also
be pivotally held by means of separate hinges or the like to the part 8" of the
float.
The cominon adjustment of all the movable floats may be effected in any
suitable manner. Where the water supply to the turbine is axial, all the
projecting pins 7 of the movable floats 5 lie in an annular groove in a wheel 9
mounted on a shaft 10 lying in the interior of the hollow axle 18 of the turbine,
said shaft 10 being pivotally held above by means of a ring 11 divided in two
parts and lying in its groove, by means of a bent arm 12 of a screw spindle 13.
On the spindle 13 a worm wheel 14 is mounted, which rests on a support 16
which is located on iron supports 17 on which a frame 19 for the shaft of the
turbine and the transmission shaft lies. With the worm 14 a worm 15 engages.
by means of which the worm wheel is rotated, and the shaft 10 together with

page_text: the regulating wheel 9 raised or lowered, whereby the pins 7 of the movable
floats 5 and the latter themselves are also raised or lowered, that is to say the
widths of discharge of the passages of the float wheel are made narrower or wider.
In a radial turbine with an internal water supply such as is shown in Figure 3
the adjustment of the movable floats may be effected by their pins 7 being
connected with the lower ends of double levers 21 pivoted on a ring 20 cast
on the float wheel, and the upper ends of which are flexibly connected by means
of rods 22 and hinges 23 with a tube 24 which is vertically adjustable and is
mounted round the turbine shaft 18. This tube 24 is revolubly mounted above
in a lever 25 which latter is pivoted at one end in a support fixed on the
bracket 17, and at the other end to a screw spindle 26 which is provided above
with a screw down wheel 27 mounted on a support 28 which is also attached on
one of the two iron girders 17. By turning the wheel 27 the lever 25 and
therewith also the tube 24 may be raised or lowered, so that the double levers 21
are turned and the movable floats 5 are opened and closed.
A similar regulating arrangement is shown in Figure 4 for radial full turbines
with external water supplies. Of course a large number of other regulating
devices may also be employed without departing from the spirit of the inven-
tion, which consists in the arrangement of adjustable subsidiary or assistant
floats in the float wheel.
The regulation itself may be effected extremely easily during the running of
the turbine. As the water supply is always constant on the movable floats, it
may be equalised by the weight of the parts necessary for the regulating or if
desired this may take place by means of a separate weight in such a way that on
the adjustment of the floats only the friction of the parts moved is to be over-
come, which may be easily effected by means of a float or a governor, and thereby
the regulation may be rendered automatic.
Under certain circumstances, such as for instance when an equal speed of
the turbines is demanded but the power requirement of the same is strongly
variable, the case might arise that with a stronger throttling of the exit passages
of the float wheel the speed of the water discharge from the float wheel stood no
longer in the correct proportion to the circumferential speed of the turbine,
whereby the useful effect would be considerably reduced. In such cases it is
preferable to also provide the directing wheel with movable vanes, with the
object to maintain at a constant pitch the speed of discharge of the water from
the float wheel. The regulation of the movable floats in the float wheel may
then be also effected automatically from the regulator. The regulation of turbines
takes place mainly for two reasons, either in the case of unlimited requirement
of power in consequence of varying the inflow of water when also the upper
water level must not sink or where sufficient water exists in consequence of a
varying consumption of power whilst a given speed is to be maintained.
In the first case the regulation takes place by means of a float which is
connected with a regulating rod 10 or rather regulating tube 24, whilst the other
parts situated above this rod or tube of the regulating device may be omitted.
In the other case the regulating device is connected with a powerful regulator
which is coupled preferably also by means of a lever direct with the regulating
rod 10 and the regulating tube 24, so that each up and down movement of the
balls of the governor operates directly the movable floats, and effects the closing
or opening of the discharge passages of the directing wheel, and thereby an
extremely rapid alteration of the power is obtained.
In addition to the hereinbefore described advantages of a constant high useful
effect with a varying water flow and always full float passages this improved
regulating device also affords the essential advantage that the cleaning of the
turbine in the case of eventual stoppages through vegetation or leaves or other
foreign bodies is a very simple one. It only needs the discharge openings of
the float wheel passages to be opened fully during the running of the turbine

page_text: for a moment and all the substances causing the stoppage are at once washed
through.
This improved regulating device has thus all the properties which may be
required in a complete turbine regulation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
A regulating device for full turbines of all kinds working by the regulation
of the water discharge from the float wheels without water shock in the latter
and without a deleterious alteration in the form of the float wheel floats, by
means of an adjustment of the width of exit of the passages, characterised by
movable floats being arranged in the passages in proximity to the ordinary fixed
floats which have the most suitable form for fully utilising water whilst the
angle of entrance and exit of the water to or out of the said float wheel always
remains even, which movable floats at the end where the water enters follow
closely the forms of the fixed floats and with their movable ends situated at the
water exits may be suitably adjusted relative to the fixed floats in such a way
that the width of the exits of the passages of the float wheel may be suitably
regulated even during the travel of the turbine without any contraction of the
water, and such regulation may be effected by hand or automatically by means
of a float or governor according as the varying level of water or a changing
requirement of power arises, substantially as described.
Dated this 11th day of December 1899
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.