Rotating housing turbine
The invention is a new turbine structure having a housing that rotates. The housing has a sidewall, and turbine blades are attached to a sidewall portion. The turbine may be completely open in the center, allowing space for solids and debris to be directed out of the turbine without jamming the spinning blades/sidewall. The turbine may be placed in a generator for generation of electrical current.
1. The combination of an inlet fluid pipe, an outlet fluid pipe and a generator, mounted between said inlet and outlet pipe, the generator comprising a stator and a rotator, where said stator is mounted to said inlet or said outlet fluid pipe, wherein said rotator comprises a turbine comprising a tubular sidewall defining a cylinder having an open top and open bottom and an interior surface, said tubular sidewall defining a hollow interior from said open top to said open bottom, said hollow interior having a center portion substantially equally distant from said tubular sidewall, said sidewall having a vertical extent from said open top to said open bottom, said sidewall being substantially closed to fluid flow, said turbine further comprising a plurality of blades mounted to said interior surface of said sidewall, said blades offset from one another on said interior surface, each of said blades extending from said interior surface into said hollow interior but not into said center portion, and a bearing coupled to said sidewall to allow said sidewall to rotate about said bearing, said turbine tubular sidewall sealingly and rotatably coupled to said inlet fluid pipe and said outlet fluid pipe, and wherein said inlet fluid pipe is fluidly connected to a source of liquids containing entrained solids and wherein said center portion of said hollow interior is sized to allow expected entrained solids in said liquid to pass through said center portion.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said rotator further comprises a series of magnets positioned on said rotator.
3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said stator further comprises a series of coils positioned on said stator.
4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said liquids comprises sewage.
5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said inlet fluid pipe and said outlet fluid pipe are positioned in a sewer drop line.
6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said inlet pipe and said outlet pipe are positioned in a storm drain sump.
7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cylinder defines a diameter d, and said center portion has a center diameter of about d/2.