The Watertight Turbine is a special machine designed to keep the case tight by the pressure of the water against the gates at the sides, no matter how much these gates wear.
Fig. 125 shows the plan of chutes, gate-seats, gates, and buckets of the wheel. Part of the gates are shown open, and others are closed. The gates make a quarter of a turn in opening, and the same in shutting, and to open all the gates, the gate wheel makes half a revolution. The upper half of case shows the gate-wheel and pinion for operating its parts.
Fig. 125.
The small illustration is a perspective view of the gate and gate segment used on the watertight turbine. The part cut away forms part of the chute when the gate is open as shown in the lower left-hand side of the figure. The sharp edge of the gate cuts off sticks and rubbish which are liable to get in the wheel, which is an obvious advantage. Another desirable feature claimed for this wheel is the plan of operating the gates in opposite pairs; by this means 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 full gates may be opened at will, according to the power required.
The Niagara Falls Turbine.—Fig. 126.