SUBMERGED HYDROELECTRIC TURBINE HAVING SELF-POWERED BEARING LUBRICANT CIRCULATION, FILTERING, AND COOLING SYSTEM AND AUTO-ADAPTIVE PRESSURE-COMPENSATION SYSTEM

摘要

An underwater hydroelectric turbine comprises a turbine housing having an inlet and an outlet, a central shaft extending axially inside the turbine housing, a self-contained, sealed front bearing unit for rotationally supporting a front end of the central shaft, and a self-contained, sealed rear bearing unit for rotationally supporting a rear end of the central shaft. The front bearing unit and the rear bearing unit each comprises a self-powered lubricant circulation system that draws a fraction of the mechanical power from rotation of the central shaft to circulate lubricant through each respective bearing unit. The turbine may have an equilibrium chamber for automatically balancing lubricant pressure inside a lubricant-containing chamber of the bearing chambers with ambient water pressure outside the bearing housing.