Gorlov Helical Turbine

Gorlov helical
turbine
The Gorlov helical turbine (GHT) is a water

turbine evolved from the Darrieus turbine
design by altering it to have helical
blades/foils. Water turbines take kinetic
energy and translates it into electricity. It
was patented in a series of patents from
September 19, 1995[1] to July 3, 2001[2]
and won 2001 ASME Thomas A. Edison.
GHT was invented by Alexander M. Gorlov,
professor of Northeastern University.
quietrevolution QR5 wind turbine
The physical principles of the GHT work[3]

are the same as for its main prototype, the
Darrieus turbine, and for the family of
similar vertical axis wind turbines which
includes also Turby wind turbine,
aerotecture turbine, Quietrevolution wind
turbine, etc. GHT, Turby and Quietrevolution
solved pulsatory torque issues by using
the helical twist of the blades.
Stampa's patent figures

The helical turbine (Germany patent
DE2948060A1, 1979) was originally
invented by Ulrich Stampa (Bremen,
Germany), engineer, author and inventor.
Fluid performance
The term "foil" is used to describe the
shape of the blade cross-section at a
given point, with no distinction for the type
of fluid, (thus referring to either an "airfoil"
or "hydrofoil"). In the helical design, the
blades curve around the axis, which has
the effect of evenly distributing the foil
sections throughout the rotation cycle, so
there is always a foil section at every
possible angle of attack. In this way, the
sum of the lift and drag forces on each
blade do not change abruptly with rotation
angle. The turbine generates a smoother
torque curve, so there is much less
vibration and noise than in the Darrieus
design. It also minimizes peak stresses in
the structure and materials, and facilitates
self-starting of the turbine. In testing
environments the GHT has been observed
to have up to 35% efficiency in energy
capture reported by several groups.[4][5][6]
"Among the other vertical-axis turbine
systems, the Davis Hydro turbine, the
EnCurrent turbine, and the Gorlov Helical
turbine have all undergone scale testing at
laboratory or sea. Overall, these
technologies represent the current norm of
tidal current development."[7]
Turbine axis-orientation
The main difference between the Gorlov
helical turbine and conventional turbines is
the orientation of the axis in relation to
current flow. The GHT is a vertical-axis
turbine which means the axis is positioned
perpendicular to current flow, whereas
traditional turbines are horizontal-axis
turbines which means the axis is
positioned parallel to the flow of the
current. Fluid flows, such as wind, will
naturally change direction, however they
will still remain parallel to the ground. So in
all vertical-axis turbines, the flow remains
perpendicular to the axis, regardless of the
flow direction, and the turbines always
rotate in the same direction. This is one of
the main advantages of vertical-axis
turbines.
If the direction of the water flow is fixed,

then the Gorlov turbine axis could be
vertical or horizontal, the only requirement
is orthogonality to the flow.[8]
Airfoil / hydrofoil
Animatic of the rotation of a mirrored pair of Gorlov helical turbines
The GHT is a unidirectional turbine,

operating under a lift-based concept (see
airfoil), providing rotation in a consistent
direction from bidirectional or reversible
fluid flows. The GHT works under the
same principle as the Darrieus turbine; that
is, it relies upon the movement of the foils
in order to change the apparent direction
of the flow relative to the foils, and thus
change the (apparent) "angle of attack" of
the foil.
Environmental issues
A GHT is proposed[8] for low-head micro
hydro installations, when construction of a
dam is undesirable. The GHT is an
example of damless hydro technology.
The technology may potentially offer cost
and environmental benefits over dam-
based micro-hydro systems.
Some advantages of damless hydro are

that it eliminates the potential for failure of
a dam, which improves public safety. It
also eliminates the initial cost of dam
engineering, construction and
maintenance, reduces the environmental
and ecological complications, and
potentially simplifies the regulatory issues
put into law specifically to mitigate the
problems with dams.
In general, a major ecological issue with

hydropower installations is their actual
and perceived risk to aquatic life. It is
claimed that a GHT spins slowly enough
that fish can see it soon enough to swim
around it.[9][10] From preliminary tests in
2001, it was claimed that if a fish swims
between the slowly moving turbine blades,
the fish will not be harmed. Also it would
be difficult for a fish to become lodged or
stuck in the turbine, because the open
spaces between the blades are larger than
even the largest fish living in a small river.
A fish also would not be tumbled around in
a vortex, because the GHT does not create
a lot of turbulence, so small objects would
be harmlessly swept through with the
current.
How it works
Current flow to the left. Induced flow component created by clockwise

rotation of turbine.
Apparent flow velocity of turbine blade, and angle made
with current flow over ground (in degrees).
In this example the direction of the fluid

flow is to the left.
As the turbine rotates, in this case in a
clockwise direction, the motion of the foil
through the fluid changes the apparent
velocity and angle of attack (speed and
direction) of the fluid with respect to the
frame of reference of the foil. The
combined effect of these two flow
components (i.e. the vector sum), yields
the net total "Apparent flow velocity" as
shown in the next figure.
Net force vectors. Normal force vectors.

Axial force vectors.
The action of this apparent flow on each

foil section generates both a lift and drag
force, the sum of which is shown in the
figure above titled "Net force vectors".
Each of these net force vectors can be
split into two orthogonal vectors: a radial
component and a tangential component,
shown here as "Normal force" and "Axial
force" respectively. The normal forces are
opposed by the rigidity of the turbine
structure and do not impart any rotational
force or energy to the turbine. The
remaining force component propels the
turbine in the clockwise direction, and it is
from this torque that energy can be
harvested.
[With regards to the figure "Apparent flow

velocity...", Lucid Energy Technologies,
rights holder to the patent to the Gorlov
Helical Turbine, notes that this diagram,
with no apparent velocity at an azimuth
angle of 180 degrees (blade at its point in
rotation where it is instantaneously moving
in downstream direction), may be subject
to misinterpretation. This is because a
zero apparently flow velocity could occur
only at a tip speed ratio of unity (i.e.
TSR=1, where the current flow induced by
rotation equals the current flow). The GHT
generally operates at a TSR substantially
greater than unity.]
(The diagrams "Net Force Vectors" and

"Normal Force Vectors" are partially
incorrect. The downwind segments should
show the vectors outside the circles.
Otherwise there would be no net sideways
loading on the turbine.) M Koester 2015.
Commercial use
Helical turbines in water stream generate
mechanical power independent on
direction of the water flow. Then electric
generators assembled upon the common
shaft transfer the power into electricity for
the commercial use.
See also
Distributed generation
Darrieus wind turbine
References
1. A. M. Gorlov, Unidirectional helical reaction
turbine operable under reversible fluid flow
for power systems (http://www.google.co
m/patents/about?id=g8kjAAAAEBAJ&dq=i
ninventor:Gorlov&as_drrb_ap=q&as_minm_
ap=0&as_miny_ap=&as_maxm_ap=0&as_m
axy_ap=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_
miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&nu
m=10) , United States Patent 5,451,137 (htt
p://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sec
t2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetah
tml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G
&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN%2
F5451137) , Sept. 19, 1995.
2. A. M. Gorlov, Method for maintaining
flotation using a helical turbine assembly (h
ttp://www.google.com/patents/about?id=v
wgHAAAAEBAJ&dq=Method+for+maintaini
ng+flotation+using+a+helical+turbine+asse
mbly+6,253,700) , United States Patent
6,253,700 (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/n
ph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=
1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.
html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes
&Query=PN%2F6253700) , July 3, 2001.
3. M. J. Khan, G. Bhuyan, M. T. Iqbal, and J. E.
Quaicoe, Hydrokinetic energy conversion
systems and assessment of horizontal and
vertical axis turbines for river and tidal
applications: A technology status review (ht
tp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0
306261909000713) , Applied Energy,
Volume 86, Issue 10, October 2009, Pages
1823-1835.
doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2009.02.017 (http
s://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.apenergy.2009.02.
017)
4. Gorlov, A. M., 1998, Helical turbines for the
Gulf Stream, Marine Technology, 35, No 3,
pp. 175–182.
5. Gorban' A.N., Gorlov A.M., Silantyev V.M.,
Limits of the Turbine Efficiency for Free
Fluid Flow (http://www.math.le.ac.uk/peopl
e/ag153/homepage/Gorlov2001.pdf) ,
Journal of Energy Resources Technology -
December 2001 - Volume 123, Issue 4, pp.
311-317.
6. Han, Sang-Hun; Lee, Kwang-Soo; Yum, Ki-
Dai; Park, Woo-Sun; Park, Jin-Soon,
Evaluation of helical turbine efficiency for
tidal current power plant based on in-situ
experiment, Proceedings of the 5th
International Conference on Asian and
Pacific Coasts, Singapore, Oct 13-18, 2009,
Vol 4, 315-321.
7. J. Khan and G. Bhuyan (2009). Ocean
Energy: Global Technology Development
Status (http://www.iea-oceans.org/_fich/6/
ANNEX_1_Doc_T0104.pdf) Archived (http
s://web.archive.org/web/2011100721250
8/http://www.iea-oceans.org/_fich/6/ANNE
X_1_Doc_T0104.pdf) 2011-10-07 at the
Wayback Machine, Report prepared by
Powertech Labs for the IEA-OES. [Online],
Available: www.iea-oceans.org
8. Gorlov A.M., Development of the helical
reaction hydraulic turbine (https://www.ost
i.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/666280-D6NWM
1/webviewable/666280.pdf) . Final
Technical Report, The US Department of
Energy, August 1998, The Department of
Energy's (DOE) Information Bridge: DOE
Scientific and Technical Information (http
s://www.osti.gov/bridge/) Archived (http
s://web.archive.org/web/2013091112175
2/http://www.osti.gov/bridge/) 2013-09-
11 at the Wayback Machine.
9. Davis Jill, Alexander's Marvelous Machine
(http://www.nrdc.org/OnEarth/05spr/gorlo
v1.asp) , OnEarth, Spring 2005.
10. Petkewich, Rachel (2004). "Technology
Solutions: Creating electricity with
undammed hydropower" (https://doi.org/1
0.1021%2Fes0403716) . Environmental
Science & Technology. 38 (3): 55A–56A.
doi:10.1021/es0403716 (https://doi.org/1
0.1021%2Fes0403716) . PMID 14968846
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1496884
6) .
External links
The Gorlov Helical Turbine (https://web.
archive.org/web/20070314083413/htt
p://www.gcktechnology.com/GCK/pg2.h
tml)
Northeastern University's Alexander
Gorlov wins prestigious Edison Patent
Award for helical turbine invention (htt
p://www.scienceblog.com/community/o
lder/2001/C/200113694.html) Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20170518
234410/http://www3.scienceblog.com/
community/older/2001/C/200113694.ht
ml) 2017-05-18 at the Wayback
Machine
Double & Triple helix (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20060627195749/http://mys
tic.math.neu.edu/gorban/Gorlov2001.pd
f)
Onearth 2005 (http://www.nrdc.org/one
arth/05spr/gorlov1.asp)
Thomas A. Edison Patent Award (http://
www.asme.org/Governance/Honors/So
cietyAwards/Thomas_Edison_Patent_A
ward.cfm)
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title=Gorlov_helical_turbine&oldid=1139200870"
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Gorlov helical

The Gorlov helical turbine (GHT) is a water

quietrevolution QR5 wind turbine

The physical principles of the GHT work[3]

Stampa's patent figures

If the direction of the water flow is fixed,

The GHT is a unidirectional turbine,

Some advantages of damless hydro are

In general, a major ecological issue with

Current flow to the left. Induced flow component created by clockwise

In this example the direction of the fluid

Net force vectors. Normal force vectors.

The action of this apparent flow on each

[With regards to the figure "Apparent flow

(The diagrams "Net Force Vectors" and

This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at

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