ENGINE FOR UTILISING ENERGY OF FLOWING MEDIUM

摘要

The invention concerns the conversion of energy produced from a flowing medium into electric energy and relates to hydraulic power engineering, for example of rivers, flood-tide and ebb-tide streams etc, and also the conversion of energy of air mass into electric or mechanical energy for rotating various devices. The inventive engine for utilising energy of a flowing medium operates being submerged into said medium along a stream line and comprises a working device in the form of an endless chain of flexible elements provided with carrying and return runs embracing head pulleys which are mounted on a power take-off shaft and provided with blades disposed perpendicularly with respect to the direction of the flowing medium. Said blades are arranged between two endless chains and oriented in such a way that, they are self-openable by the pressure of the flowing medium at 90 DEG on two sides during operating motion and self-closable during free movement, thereby not producing resistance when the endless chain passes the curved sections of the path thereof.