Patent ID: 8813499

Claim:
An apparatus ( 1 ) for converting a portion of the specific energy of a fluid in gas phase into mechanical work, the apparatus ( 1 ) comprising: at least one housing ( 3 , 3 ′) which is provided with at least one gas-supply portion ( 7 , 7 ′) and at least one exhaust portion ( 9 , 9 ′), each of the at least one housing ( 3 , 3 ′) comprising; a blade wheel ( 5 ) which is rotatably arranged in the housing ( 3 , 3 ′) and which includes: a shaft ( 51 ) enclosed by a drum ( 53 ); at least two blades ( 55 ) which are movably arranged to the drum ( 53 ) so that a portion ( 57 ) of the blades ( 55 ) is arranged to be moved towards the internal casing surface ( 31 ) of the housing ( 3 , 3 ′) in such a way that the drum ( 53 ), the internal casing surface ( 31 ) of the housing ( 3 ) and the blades ( 55 ) define chambers ( 59 ) arranged to contain gas, wherein an effective area of a blade ( 55 ) which is immediately upstream of the exhaust portion ( 9 , 9 ′) is larger than an effective area of a blade ( 55 ) which is immediately upstream of the gas-supply portion ( 7 , 7 ′); the blade wheel ( 5 ) constitutes a barrier between the gas-supply portion ( 7 , 7 ′) and the exhaust portion ( 9 , 9 ′); and the exhaust portion ( 9 , 9 ′) of one of the at least one housing ( 3 , 3 ′) is provided with a condenser ( 11 ) to condense the gas which has been carried into the exhaust portion ( 9 , 9 ′), wherein the apparatus ( 1 ) is provided with a control device arranged to control the rotational speed of the blade wheel ( 5 ) by means of a load which is connected to the shaft ( 51 ) of the blade wheel ( 5 ), so that the flow rate of the gas through the apparatus ( 1 ) can be adjusted in relationship to the capacity of the condenser ( 11 ).