Wind turbine suitable for mounting without a wind turbine tower

Abstract

This invention discloses an improved wind turbine suitable for mounting without a wind turbine tower. The wind turbine is based on a rotor with appropriately selected blades. A nozzle and diffuser in the wind flow increase the amount of wind energy available to the rotor. One or more wind turbines can be grouped together in a common housing. The lack of a wind turbine tower and the general compact design allows the wind turbine to be used in close proximity to or on buildings.

Claims

1. A wind turbine comprising: a freely rotatable drum-style rotor open at both ends, with an inlet at one end for funneling air into the rotor and an exit at the other end to direct air away from the rotor; one or more blades disposed within and connected to the drum-style rotor and co-axial therewith whereby the passage of air through the rotor induces the rotor to rotate about its axis, wherein the one or more blades are arranged around a conical-shaped spindle co-axial with the rotor; mechanical means to direct the rotor into the direction of the wind, wherein the mechanical means comprises a plurality of contact bearings, air bearings or magnetic bearings; and means to interruptibly connect one or more of a plurality of generators to the rotor on the rotor's circumference in order to generate electricity; wherein at least one of the plurality of generators is mounted on a hinged base and directly connected to a friction wheel, and wherein an actuator engages the friction wheel with the rotor.

2. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the one or more blades are screwlike blades.

3. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the one or more blades are fanlike blades.

4. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the wind turbine further comprises a diffuser following the outlet end of the rotor.

5. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the wind turbine further comprises a nozzle preceding the inlet at one end of the rotor.

6. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the wind turbine further comprises: a diffuser following the outlet end of the rotor; and a nozzle preceding the inlet at one end of the rotor.

7. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the turbine is built in a modular style to allow the use of the wind turbine with other like wind turbines and means to direct the plurality of such wind turbines into or out of the wind.

8. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of generators, when operated as a driver, converts electricity into rotational energy.

9. The wind turbine of claim 1, wherein the conical-shaped spindle is designed to provide additional intake airflow concentration by being conical in shape with its largest end in the direction of the one or more blades.

10. The wind turbine of claim 1, wherein the conical-shaped spindle is designed in a manner to concentrate incoming airflow as a nozzle.

11. The wind turbine of claim 1, wherein the conical-shaped spindle comprises an exit portion which decreases the air pressure acting as a diffuser from leading edges of the one or more blades to trailing edges of the one or more blades.

12. The wind turbine of claim 1, wherein a controller engages the plurality of generators with the rotor on an individual basis in proportion to the wind available.

13. A modular wind turbine comprising: a polygonal housing comprising a flat base, an open housing inlet end, and an open housing exit end, the open housing exit end being opposite the open housing inlet end, wherein the housing is shaped to allow a plurality of the housings to be used in a stacked modular fashion; a freely rotatable drum style rotor horizontally mounted within the housings, the rotor open at both ends with a rotor inlet end for funneling air into the rotor and a rotor exit end opposite the rotor inlet end to direct air away from the rotor, and wherein the rotor inlet end and the rotor exit end are aligned with the housing inlet end and the housing exit end respectively; one or more blades disposed within and circumferentially connected to the rotor and coaxial therewith whereby the passage of air through the rotor induces the rotor to rotate about its axis, wherein the one or more blades are arranged around a conical-shaped spindle co-axial with the rotor; an inlet cowling within the housing and located at the housing inlet end to concentrate air as a nozzle and direct the concentrated air into the rotor; an exit cowling within the housing and located at the housing exit end to act as a diffuser receiving the exit air from the rotor; a plurality of generators interruptibly connected with the rotor and located along the outer circumference of the rotor within the housing in order to generate electricity; wherein at least one of the plurality of generators is mounted on a hinged base and directly connected to a friction wheel, and wherein an actuator engages the friction wheel with the rotor; a motor driven turntable on which the flat base of the housing is placed which allows the wind turbine to be directed into or out of the wind; and a controller which measures speed and direction of the wind and which controls the motor driven turntable and the interruptible connections between the rotor and the plurality of generators.

14. The modular wind turbine of claim 13 wherein the one or more blades are screw like blades.

15. The modular wind turbine of claim 13 wherein the one or more blades are fanlike blades.

16. A turbine for the generation of electricity comprising: a housing comprising a flat base, an open inlet end and an open exit end; a drum style rotor means disposed within the housing, the rotor means comprising one or more blades located within and circumferentially connected to the rotor means, wherein the one or more blades are arranged around a conical-shaped spindle co-axial with the rotor means, and wherein the one or more blades are disposed to convert the flow of at least one of a liquid and a gas through the rotor means into rotation of the rotor means and oriented such that the rotor means is aligned with the open inlet end and the open exit end; one or more generator means disposed within the housing and located along the outer circumference of the rotor means, the one or more generator means interruptibly connected with the rotor means; wherein at least one of the one or more generator is mounted on a hinged base and directly connected to a friction wheel, and wherein an actuator engages the friction wheel with the rotor; motorized turntable means to direct the turbine during the flow of at least one of a liquid and a gas; and controller means to control the turntable means and a two-way clutching means in order to maximize the electrical output of the turbine under different operating conditions.

17. The turbine of claim 16 wherein the one or more blades are screwlike blades.

18. The turbine of claim 16 wherein the one or more blades are fanlike blades.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the present invention are explained, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings illustrate only examples of embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, as the invention may have other equally effective embodiments.

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a cut-away perspective view of a wind turbine according to the invention.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a front-view of a wind turbine according to the invention.

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a wind turbine according to the invention across a section A-A from FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates a phantom view of the principal interior components of a wind turbine according to the invention in the same orientation as FIG. 3.

(6) FIG. 5 illustrates a phantom view of a wind turbine according to the invention as in FIG. 4 with an alternate outer housing and situated on a turntable.

(7) FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a wind turbine according to the invention as illustrated in FIG. 5.

(8) FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of a wind turbine according to the invention as illustrated in FIG. 5.

(9) FIG. 8 illustrates a detailed schematic view of a generator assembly used in a wind turbine according to the invention.

(10) FIG. 9 illustrates a rear view of a wind turbine according to the invention as illustrated in any of the foregoing figures with the exit cowling removed in order to illustrate the disposition of the interior workings.

(11) FIG. 10 illustrates a side phantom view of an alternate embodiment of the invention where multiple wind turbines are grouped together in a common housing with overhead crane for maintenance.

(12) FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of the invention of FIG. 10.

(13) FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of the alternate embodiment of the invention of FIG. 10.

(14) FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of another alternate embodiment of the invention where a different grouping of multiple wind turbines are grouped together in a common housing.

(15) FIG. 14 illustrates a front view of the alternate embodiment of the invention of FIG. 13.

(16) FIG. 15 illustrates a side phantom view of the alternate embodiment of the invention of FIG. 13 showing that wind turbines can also be grouped in a disposition where the outlet ports of one set of wind-turbines can feed the intake ports of additional wind turbines all within a common housing.

(17) FIG. 16 illustrates the wind-turbine of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 situated on top of the roof of a building.

(18) FIG. 17 illustrates the invention of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 situated in many types of land based installations.

(19) FIG. 18 illustrates the invention of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 situated in off shore based installations.

(20) FIG. 19 is a graph showing potential power available versus wind speed comparing the invention and two traditional wind turbines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(21) FIG. 1 shows a cut-away perspective view of the wind turbine 10 according to the invention. The invention has helical blades 20 around a co-axial spindle 25. The housing 30 also shows the intake cowling 35 which concentrates the intake airflow as a nozzle. The cut-away section shows the location of the helical blade support 38. Everything within the helical blade support 38 comprises the rotor of the invention.

(22) FIG. 2 shows a front view of the wind turbine 10 according to the invention. The turbine shows the leading edges 22 of the helical blades 20 around a co-axial spindle 25. The intake cowling 35 concentrates the intake airflow as a nozzle and covers other equipment within the wind-turbine preventing the entry of dirt, animals and other detritus which would interfere with the wind turbine.

(23) FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the wind-turbine 10 across the section A-A from FIG. 2. The wind turbine is turned so that the wind enters the wind turbine from the left and exits at the right. This shows the intake cowling 35 which concentrates the intake airflow as a nozzle and the helical blades 20. The figure also shows a co-axial spindle 25 designed to provide additional intake airflow concentration by being conical in shape with its largest end in the direction of the helical blades. The helical blades 20 rotate within the blade housing 41 which is, in turn separated from the outer housing 42 by suitably positioned guide rollers 44 or generator assemblies 50. Everything within the blade housing 41 acts as the rotor of the invention.

(24) FIG. 4 shows a phantom view of the principal interior components of the wind turbine 10 in the same orientation as FIG. 3. All parts within the outer housing 42 are shown with dashed lines. The intake cowling 35 together with a co-axial spindle 25 concentrate the incoming airflow as a nozzle. The co-axial spindle 25 in this embodiment is also designed to have an exit portion 26 which decreases the air pressure acting as a diffuser from the point of the leading edges 22 of the helical blades 20 to their trailing edges 23. The helical blades 20 are attached to the exit portion 26 of the coaxial spindle 25 and, on their other side, the blade housing 41. The blade housing 41 acting as the rotor of the invention rotates by suitably positioned guide rollers 44 or generator assemblies 50.

(25) FIG. 5 is a phantom view of the principal interior components of a different embodiment of the invention. All parts within the alternate outer housing 43 are shown with dashed lines. The alternate embodiment of the invention is the wind turbine 10 with an alternate outer housing 43 which includes an extended intake cowling 46 and extended exit cowling 47. The wind turbine is turned on a mechanical turntable 70 so that the wind enters the wind turbine from the left and exits at the right. The mechanical turntable 70 can be powered by motors or other means and controlled by microcontrollers with input signals from vane anemometers and other techniques well known by those skilled in the art. The turntable 70 rotates about the centre line 71. The extended intake cowling 46 provides additional cross-sectional area to capture greater wind energy and acts as a nozzle. The extended exit cowling 47 lowers the pressure of the output airflow, increasing the speed of the air through the wind-turbine and acting as a diffuser.

(26) FIG. 6 shows the device of FIG. 5 in perspective view. Also shown is an optional mesh 75 placed at the entrance of the device and sized to prevent the entry of unwanted animals and objects and to act as a safety mechanism. This figure shows the wind turbine 10 which can be turned on a mechanical turntable 70 in order to place the opening into the wind. Also shown are the extended intake cowling 46 and the extended exit cowling 47. Inside the mesh can also be seen the co-axial spindle 25, the intake cowling 35, and the leading edges 22 of the helical blades 20.

(27) FIG. 7 shows the device of FIG. 6 in frontal view. This figure shows the extended intake cowling 46. The co-axial spindle 25, the intake cowling 35, and the helical blades 20 can also be seen. Also shown is the mechanical turntable 70.

(28) FIG. 8 shows a schematic detail of a generator assembly. A generator or alternator 80 is mounted on a hinged base 84 and is directly connected to a friction wheel or gear 82. The friction wheel or gear 82 can be engaged with a suitable driving source by engaging the actuator 86 which allows the friction wheel or gear 82 to be engaged with a source of rotational energy. The output of the generator or alternator 80 are connected by means well known in the art to enable the production of electricity by engaging the generator assembly with the rotor of the invention.

(29) FIG. 9 shows a full rear view of the wind turbine 10 with the exit cowling removed. This figure shows the trailing edges 23 of the helical blades 20 within the blade housing 41 which are, in turn, supported by the guide rollers 44. All of the details within the blade housing 41 act as the rotor of the invention. Generator assemblies 50 can be engaged with the blade housing 41 acting as the rotor on an individual basis in accordance with a controller system which is well known by those who are skilled in the art. The said controller system would allow the engagement of generator assemblies with the blade housing 41 in proportion to the wind available.

(30) FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention where individual wind turbine units can be grouped together in order to maximize wind energy available at specific locations. Each individual wind-turbine unit 11 can be housed in an external housing 90 which has an extended intake cowling 91 disposed to concentrate wind energy available to all units in the grouping. An overhead crane 93 can be used for maintenance and removal of individual units. The overall assembly is located on an appropriately sized mechanical turntable 70.

(31) FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of a grouping of individual wind turbine units illustrated in FIG. 10.

(32) FIG. 12 shows a frontal view of the alternate embodiment of a grouping of individual wind turbine units illustrated in FIG. 10.

(33) FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention where multiple wind turbine units according to the invention are grouped together in an alternate external housing 92.

(34) FIG. 14 is a frontal view of the alternate embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 13.

(35) FIG. 15 is a side phantom view of the alternate embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 13 where the dashed lines represent the principal components of the invention within the external housing. The figure illustrates that a second set of wind turbine units 95 can be placed behind a first set of wind turbine units 96 in order to ensure all wind energy available is converted within the invention. The space 97 between the two sets of wind turbine units is shaped and provided in a fashion that maximizes the diffuser effects for the first set of wind turbine units 96 and the nozzle effects for the second set of wind turbine units 95.

(36) FIG. 16 shows the embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, located on a building 100. The building is not shown as part of the invention but only to illustrate the present invention can be easily located on the top of a building with suitable mechanical connection and control means well known to those skilled in the art.

(37) FIG. 17 shows embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 located on different structures in land based applications. The installations shown are specifically a vertical installation and a run of river installation. The structures are not shown as part of the invention but only to illustrate how the present can be easily located on various structures. Wind turbines 10 can be located on towers or buildings. Groupings of turbines 15 as in any of FIGS. 10 to 15 can also be mounted on buildings of different heights. Turbines 16 powered from water currents can also be installed.

(38) FIG. 18 shows embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 located on different structures in an off shore based installation. The structures are not shown as part of the invention but only to illustrate how the present can be easily located on various structures. Wind turbines 10, or grouping of turbines 15 as in any of the FIGS. 10 to 15, can be located on off-shore towers or barges. Turbines 16 powered from water currents can also be installed.

(39) FIG. 19 is a graph showing potential power 101 versus wind speed in metres per second 102. Average Canadian wind speed 103 of 7.5 m/s is shown as are hurricane force winds 104. The potential power which can be attained by the invention does not have the same limitations of a three blade turbine unit that cannot operate efficiently at low speed 11 or in high wind, need to shut down to avoid destruction. The cross hatched area is the wind potential that can be utilized by the invention.