US Patent 7638892 Generating energy from fluid expansion

Some embodiments of a fluid expansion system include a turbine generator apparatus in which the driven member is arranged on the outlet side of the turbine wheel. In such circumstances, the fluid output from the turbine wheel can flow towards the driven member, for example, to provide heat dissipation to some components of the turbine generator apparatus (e.g., generator electronics or the like). This arrangement of the turbine wheel relative to the driven member also permits the use of bearing supports on both the input side and the outlet side of the turbine wheel.