Patent ID: 7044452

Claim:
A hydraulic turbine adapted for increasing the oxygen content of water flowing through the turbine, the turbine comprising: a draft tube having a vertically extending inside wall; a plurality of deflectors each mounted relative to the vertically extending inside wall of the draft tube, each of the deflectors comprising an upstream plate and a downstream plate, the upstream plate being positioned to extend downwardly and outwardly relative from the vertically extending inside wall of the draft tube and the downstream plate being positioned to extend downwardly and inwardly from the upstream plate, each of the deflectors comprising at least one elongated air communication port extending through the downstream plate and adjacent the upstream plate, each of the deflectors having an air supply inlet portion positioned above the elongated air communication port at the inner wall of the draft tube, and the air supply inlet portion permitting an oxygen containing gas to enter the deflector and to flow downwardly through the deflector out the elongated air communication port and into the water flowing past the downstream plate.