Patent ID: 7701076

Claim:
A hydro-power generation system comprising: a housing having an inner wall that defines a passageway, the passageway having an inlet and an outlet and configured to accommodate a flow of liquid through the housing; a turbine nozzle positioned concentrically in the passageway, wherein the turbine nozzle includes a tip positioned near the inlet that is configured to divert the flow of liquid outwardly toward the inner wall and a plurality of struts operable in conjunction with the inner wall to form a plurality of inlet channels to channel the diverted flow of liquid, the struts formed to progressively narrow the inlet channels toward the outlet of the passageway to reduce a cross-sectional area of the inlet channels by a predetermined amount; a rotor comprising a plurality of turbine blades and a permanent magnet positioned concentrically in the passageway downstream of the turbine nozzle so that the flow of liquid through the inlet channels is directed to the turbine blades; a generator stator concentrically positioned in the passageway, the generator stator disposed within the permanent magnet; a centering rod fixedly coupled with the generator stator and non-rotatably positioned in the housing; and a plurality of exit guide vanes that are operable in conjunction with the inner wall to form a plurality of exit channels, wherein the inlet channels are aligned with the exit channels to form a flow path for the flow of liquid through the passageway past the turbine blades.