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A sealless turbine generator mounted on a single shaft compising a radial turbine having a unique thrust equalizing mechanism mounted thereto and operative with a portion of the applied hydraulic fluid to the turbine radial runner and a thrust bearing for equalizing the generated thrust forces by pr

A sealless turbine generator mounted on a single shaft compising a radial turbine having a unique thrust equalizing mechanism mounted thereto and operative with a portion of the applied hydraulic fluid to the turbine radial runner and a thrust bearing for equalizing the generated thrust forces by providing a small axial, bidirectional movement of the thrust bearing and the elements mounted on the single shaft and an induction generator driven by the turbine. The shaft along with the induction generator and the turbine components except the turbine runner are isolated in a common housing and the entire assembly included in a submersible containment vessel having a fluid inlet and outlet for receiving the input hydraulic fluid flow at a preselected fluid pressure and velocity for controlling the speed of the turbine. The induction generator includes a variable frequency, exciting current source for the generator stator windings that permits changing the synchronous speed of the generator as required by the hydraulic fluid flow and hydraulic fluid head to permit the overall efficiency of the turbine generator to be optimized. The turbine generator is operative with liquified gases that may be utilized to lubricate and cool the thrust bearing and the induction generator by the small portion of the operative fluid utilized for operating the thrust equalizing mechanism.

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A hydraulic turbine-electrical power generator comprising a single shaft assembly for mounting a hydraulic turbine and an electrical power generator thereon, said shaft assembly being bidirectionally axially movable, a hydraulic turbine mounted adjacent one end of the shaft, a ball bearing mounted o

A hydraulic turbine-electrical power generator comprising a single shaft assembly for mounting a hydraulic turbine and an electrical power generator thereon, said shaft assembly being bidirectionally axially movable, a hydraulic turbine mounted adjacent one end of the shaft, a ball bearing mounted on said shaft for said turbine, said power generator comprising an electrical induction generator mounted on said shaft on the opposite side of the ball bearing from said turbine to be rotatably responsive to the rotary movements imparted to said shaft upon the operation of said turbine and in accordance with the speed thereof, a radial bearing mounted to said shaft adjacent the opposite end of said shaft from said one end, said hydraulic turbine including thrust equalizing means mounted to said shaft adjacent said ball bearing, radial runner means rotatably mounted to said shaft adjacent to said thrust equalizing means to be rotatably responsive to a high velocity fluid flow for providing torque to rotate said shaft at a speed in accordance with the hydraulic pressure and velocity of the fluid impinging thereon and discharging the fluid flow at a relatively low velocity and pressure, a common housing means for said hydraulic turbine and said induction generator for enclosing and isolating said shaft between said opposite end of said shaft and said turbine including said thrust equalizing means, said housing terminating adjacent said turbine runner means whereby said runner means and the remaining portion of said shaft is outside said common housing, said ball bearing having an inner race mounted to said shaft and an outer race loosely mounted against said common housing means to permit the shaft to move axially, bidirectionally, relative to said housing a preselected distance, containment vessel means mounted over and in spaced relationship with said common housing and said remaining portion of said shaft and extending axially outwardly of said common housing and remaining portion of said shaft, said vessel having a fluid flow inlet adjacent the radial bearing end of said vessel and a fluid flow outlet at the opposite end thereof, said fluid inlet and outlet being in flow communication with each other so the fluid flow is around said commom housing means, said vessel including nozzle means spaced for receiving the fluid flow from said vessel fluid inlet and converting said fluid flow into a higher velocity fluid flow for impinging on said runner means for rotating said shaft, and exducer outlet means mounted on the remaining portion of said shaft adjacent said runner means to be responsive to the fluid flow discharge from said runner means and to discharge the fluid flow through the vessel outlet at a relatively low velocity and pressure, said thrust equalizing means comprising a stationary thrust plate ring means secured to the common housing adjacent to said ball bearing and extending axially outwardly of said bearing, said runner means including throttling ring means constructed and defined integrally with said runner on one side thereof for coaction with thrust plate for defining a substantially fixed orifice for receiving a portion of said high velocity fluid flow coupled to impinge on said runner means and a variable orifice defined between the throttling ring and the thrust plate and varying in size in accordance with the bidirectional movements of said shaft and receiving said fluid at said variable orifice from said fixed orifice, the fluid conveyed to said variable orifice flows through said ball bearing thereby cooling and lubricating the bearing and into said common housing to thereby cool said induction generator, and conduit means coupled to said common housing adjacent said radial bearing and to the low pressure fluid outlet for said vessel for conveying said coolant liquid to said outlet, said thrust equalizing means including first wear ring means secured to said common housing for coaction with said throttling ring means and second wear ring means secured to said containment vessel for coaction with the discharge end of said runner means, the diametrical spacing of said first wear ring means is constructed and defined to be larger than the diametrical spacing of said second wear ring means for creating thrust forces upon the application of hydraulic fluid thereto effective to cause the shaft assembly to move in response thereto and in a direction therewith until the thrust plate ring means engages said throttling ring means whereby said variable orifice closes and thereby throttles the fluid flow into the variable orifice, the closed condition of the variable orifice defines a chamber between said first wear ring means and the closed variable orifice allowing fluid pressure to build up therein so when the pressure is build up in said chamber to a preselected level sufficient for counteracting said created thrust forces and thereby producing movement of said shaft assembly away from said engaged position of said thrust plate ring means and the throttling ring means and then causing the flow of fluid into the variable orifice accompanied by the reduction of the pressure built up in said chamber whereby the balancing of the generated thrust force occur gradually and smoothly and without overshoot with the bidirectional axial movements of the shaft assembly.