New "Bladeless" Design for Turbines Could Dramatically Lower the Cost of Energy
Production
International Automated
Systems, Inc. (IAUS.OB) ["IAS"] has developed a new breakthrough bladeless turbine
technology. It is a patented propulsion turbine, which some believe may revolutionize
electrical power generation and low-cost hydrogen fuel production.
Tests conducted over
the past 12 months have shown that the technology offers a significant improvement
over traditional systems. Test results are from actual on-site tests by the company
at various geothermal power plant facilities. When operating at hot water temperatures
of 300-500F and 100-700 psig, using either single phase or bi-phase flow, conservative
numbers show that IAS's turbine can produce a minimum of 20% more power than today's
expensive multi-stage turbine under the same conditions.
Because of its unique
design, IAS's turbine can be manufactured at one-tenth of the cost of traditional
turbines. Unlike traditional turbines, IAS's design also includes a unique ceramic
shield, which thermally insulates and protects the turbine from corrosion and sediment
build up. Tests have indicated that IAS's turbine will offer unprecedented low-cost,
low-maintenance energy production.
How Does the Propulsion Turbine
Work?
View How
Rather than relying
on turbine blades to spin the turbine cylinder, IAS's Propulsion Turbine is designed
to turn the cylinder without blades. To do that, IAS's patent-pending bladeless
turbine utilizes a rocket nozzle to direct steam-a very different approach than
traditional turbines.
Rockets, widely recognized
as the most efficient engines, are typically propelled by steam. Based on preliminary
tests, the IAS-designed rocket nozzle 99 percent efficient, and its net thermal
efficiency is above 75 percent when traveling at 50 percent of the velocity of the
steam exiting the nozzle. This efficiency continues to increase as the velocity
of the rocket nozzle exceeds 50 percent of the velocity of the exiting steam.
Traditional turbine
performance relies upon the environment within its blade chambers. If steam condenses
on the blades, a sharp drop in efficiency and damage to the turbine can be the result.
Traditional multi-stage
turbines require dry, high-quality steam. This is more expensive to produce and
maintain. IAS's new turbine is structurally unaffected by low quality steam.
Unlike today's turbines, IAS's turbine immediately utilizes the energy from the
steam, allowing the turbine to ionize the steam after it exits the nozzle to generate
additional electricity. Based on tests, IAS estimates approximately 30-40 percent
of the unused energy in steam can be recovered through the process of ionization.
Bladeless Turbine Benefits
-
No blades to
corrode, crack, or wear from impact of particulates or condensation of low quality
steam.
- Specially designed enamel withstands
significantly higher temperatures than blades.
- Higher temperatures and higher velocities
translate into higher efficiencies.
- Simpler and less expensive heat recovery;
the turbine's chamber itself can be designed as a heat exchanger.
The Market for
Geothermal Electric Power
With the exception
of a few western states, geothermal energy remains virtually untapped in the U.S.
and throughout the world because of the expense associated with traditional steam
systems that are required to extract this natural and environmentally friendly resource.
Where geothermal
plants do exist, they use turbines that are large, extremely expensive, require
ultra-high tolerances, and are difficult to maintain. In most cases, high-temperature
water from under the earth's surface must be flashed and steam-separated so that
only the purest steam can pass through the expensive blades of the traditional turbines.
But, even after the steam-separation process, condensation, high impact from particulates
(the equivalent to coarse sandpaper) and scaling caused by mineral deposits can
cause serious damage to the blades in today's turbines.
IAS's bladeless turbine,
which works without expensive, temperamental blades is easy to clean and maintain,
and remarkably inexpensive. Because it is bladeless, this turbine can utilize a
lower-quality steam and even operate on hot water directly from a geothermal well
without having to first flash it into steam, thus bypassing a costly part of the
process.
Worldwide Power Consumption
According to the
International Energy Agency, the world consumes approximately 13 trillion kilowatt
hours of electricity each year. Experts predict, based on the consumption growth
rate of between two and three percent per annum, that it will cost over $3 trillion
of today's dollars to build the number and size of power plants necessary to meet
this growth during the next 10 to 20 years. This estimate does not include the cost
of delivery and distribution networks.
In addition to power,
hydrogen production presents unique revenue opportunities for geothermal companies.
Currently, 128 billion cubic feet of hydrogen is consumed each year in the production
of a wide variety of consumer products. In addition, hydrogen' s incredibly low
emissions may eventually make its use compelling for automobiles. Though environmentally
friendly, this solution is currently cost prohibitive. Compared with gasoline, hydrogen
costs between $4-$6 per gallon.
Because IAS's equipment
costs are significantly less than traditional systems, low-cost electricity can
be generated to inexpensively produce hydrogen. IAS believes that hydrogen will
eventually be priced as competitively as gasoline. Using hydrogen as a petroleum
substitute has positive implications both economically and environmentally.
IAS estimates that
the potential global market for its turbine surpasses several trillion dollars