Abstract
A construction (1) defining a volume submerged in an air-stream (10), with at least one surface (6) against which the air current impinges, directing, acceleration and laminating an air-flow against the lateral (6) of the construction (6) having at least one wind-mill generator (2) attached to said lateral (6) in an area where there is still no separation of said laminar air-flow (11) form the construction (1). Faced with said generator (2), is arranged at least one plate (9), the wind generator (2) being positioned between said plate (9) and said portion of the lateral wall, determining a tunnel (14) with an air inlet and outlet of the air-stream impinging on the blades of the wind-mill generator (2). The inlet of the air-stream into said tunnel (14) directed towards the blades of the wind-mill generator is placed adjacent the largest section of the perimeter of said construction (1), perpendicular to the direction of incidence of the wind-stream.
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. (canceled)
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. (canceled)
9. (canceled)
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. (canceled)
14. An air-flow submerged construction configured to direct and accelerate air-flow through at least one windmill generator associated with said construction, comprising: at least one surface against which said air-flow is incident, wherein the at least one surface is configured to direct and accelerate the air-flow against a contour of the at least one surface towards the at least one windmill generator; at least one vertically placed plate positioned to face said windmill generator, wherein the least one windmill generator is positioned between the at least one vertically placed plate and said contour of the at least one surface; an air tunnel formed by and between the at least one surface and the at least one vertically placed plate, the air tunnel comprising an inlet and an outlet and configured to channel said air-flow to act on blades of said windmill generator; and wherein said inlet is positioned perpendicular to the air-flow direction incident on said construction.
15. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 14, wherein the at least one windmill generator comprises a windmill rotor with a horizontal axis or a vertical axis.
16. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 15, wherein a windmill rotor comprising a vertical axis is of a WAWT type and particularly of a Savonius design.
17. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 14, wherein the at least one surface is a flat wall surface or a curved wall surface.
18. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 14, wherein the at least one vertically placed plate comprises: a first outer plate; at least two semi-plates substantially parallel to and separated from the first outer plate wherein the at least two semi-plates are positioned between said first outer plate and an external surface of said construction; wherein the at least two semi-plates are laterally offset respective to the first outer plate in both the inlet and outlet openings of the air-flow within said tunnel.
19. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 14, wherein said air tunnel comprises a vertical recess on a lateral side of the construction, said vertical recess positioned opposite said at least one vertically placed plate.
20. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 19, wherein said vertical recess comprises a circular cross-section of a larger radius than a radius defined by a rotor of the windmill generator.
21. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 18, wherein at least one of the at least two semi-plates is selectively displaceable on a vertical axis thereof, and defines an entry and/or exit damper of the air-flow within said tunnel wherein the windmill generator is placed.
22. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 14, wherein said at least one vertically placed plate comprise a portion facing the windmill's rotor axis with two end flaps outwardly curved, and defines a vertical axis Venturi duct. cm 23. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 14, wherein said at least one windmill generator is positioned on a gantry or bridge capable of a rotational displacement about a geometric center of a circular section of a construction, and wherein said at least one windmill generator is attached to an area of said gantry near a lateral wall or the roof of said construction.
24. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 14, wherein said air tunnel is formed by two or more vertical oblique plates connected to construction, wherein the two or more vertical oblique plates are separated from each other and comprise opposite slopes, wherein the windmill generator is positioned between the two or more vertical oblique plates.
25. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 14, comprising a plurality of windmill generators, each of said plurality of windmill generators substantially positioned along one or more lateral sides of the construction, wherein the plurality of windmill generators are aligned in pairs positioned on opposing sides of said construction.
26. The air-flow submerged construction of claim 14, wherein said windmill generator is positioned adjacent to a perimeter of the construction and perpendicular to a direction of the wind, and occupies at least partially said perimeter.
Description
[0037] In the following Figures, the same references identifies similar or equivalent means as herein employed.
[0038] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective of a general building or construction showing the several stages of installation of the windmill generators according to this invention;
[0039] FIG. 1a is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 schematically showing the incident airflow when facing said building.
[0040] FIG. 1b depicts the same top view of FIG. 1a but showing a wind-flow having a different incidence angle shifted 45 with regards of the wind-flow as per FIG. 1a.
[0041] FIG. 1c shows the upper view of a quadrangular cross section building having windmill generators almost entirely disposed within the apex of said quadrangular cross section improving the aerodynamics of the whole and the efficiency of the electricity generation.
[0042] FIG. 1d is a partial simplified perspective of one of the many possible constructions corresponding to the plan view of the previous figure.
[0043] FIG. 2 is the perspective partial detail of a construction according to this invention showing same from its exterior, with the windmill enclosed and hidden by at least one plate or vertical screen.
[0044] FIG. 3 shows in another perspective view the embodiment of FIG. 2, exemplifying the laminar airflow incident on one of the windmill generators of the building.
[0045] FIG. 4 is the horizontal cross section of an enlarged detail of FIG. 3.
[0046] FIG. 5 shows in horizontal cross section another design or embodiment of this invention, showing the wind-flow laminar regime attained and acting upon de windmills.
[0047] FIG. 6 is the horizontal cross section of yet another embodiment of this invention in which the windmill partial vertical housing is recreated by means by tangent plates affixed to the surfaces of the building thus avoiding to provide for the semi-cylindrical recess into which the windmill is placed, as per the previous figures.
[0048] FIG. 7 shows the simplified and perspective section of a series of plates arrangement by means of which a venture effect is obtained on the air-flow acting on the rotor of the windmill.
[0049] FIG. 8 shows the top view of yet another construction of this instant invention in which the windmill generators are arranged tangent to a building having a circular plan and placed upon a diametral bridge capable of rotating on the vertical axis of said building.
[0050] FIG. 8a is a simplified perspective view of FIG. 8.
[0051] In said figures, is generally indicated by reference (1) a construction according to one of the embodiments of this instant invention. This construction may be a housing unit, a factory or offices structure, or as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, it is a multiple floors construction, such as an apartment building. In said FIGS. 1, 1a and 1b, said building has a circular plan. This is specifically designed when said building is affected by a variable wind direction air-flow, striving to provide a building profile to the wind as aerodynamic as possible in order to increase the overall efficiency of the generating units associated to said construction. Hence the need to have a circular layout having four vertical axis windmill generators placed at 90 the from the other so to allow at least one of them to perform efficiently irrespective of the actual direction of the incident wind.
[0052] Also, while this invention is also applicable to windmills having rotors with both vertical and horizontal axis, same is preferably applied to vertical axis devices, and particularly those of the Savonius kind, with the possibility that the blades of its rotor are either of a curved or flat cross section, including profiles of variable curvature. According to this embodiment, the building's structure conceals from the aerodynamic point of view of the incidence of the wind on the blades of the rotor advancing (meaning turning on its axis) against said air-flow direction, leaving exposed to said air-flow only the blades turning with the wind. This also allows to generator to be equally efficient with winds entering from one direction or from the opposite direction in the windmill generation area. Accordingly, the construction depicted in FIG. 1 sports four orthogonally arranged Savonius windmills (2), of which in said figure only two of them, namely (2a, 2b), are shown. According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, these generators (2) are placed within semi cylindrical recesses (3) of a constant diameter cross section such that their diameter (4) is at least partially tangent to the curved profile (6) of the building's cross section and substantially coincides with the axis (5) of said windmill (2) placed within each semi-circular recess (3).
[0053] Also, according to FIG. 1, the lower end of shaft (5) of each generator (2) may pass through a passage (7) penetrating into a chamber (8) wherein the electricity generator or other related devices such as converters and storage of the obtained electric power. The upper end of shaft (5) can be inserted into a bushing or ball bearing (not shown) placed coincidental with the height of the vertical shaft of said windmill in a support arranged for this purpose at the top of the building.
[0054] According to this instant invention it is placed at least one vertical plate or screen (9) facing each windmill generator (2), and preferably it is placed a series of stepped screens (9, 9a, 9b) for the purpose down below explained.
[0055] FIG. 1a shows a top view of the building of FIG. 1, wherein it is observed an eventual incident turbulent wind-flow (10) of the airstream impinging the screen or plate (9) facing it; the other plates or screens (9a, 9b) acts as inlet dampers, which in some embodiments of this same invention are adjustable dampers limiting the inflow of air to the corresponding windmill (2d) by turning on an axis to (9a, 9b) streamlining the sector which may not be active in its generation capability, since by blocking the air inlet it prevents to incident air-flow driving the windmill generator in its rotational displacement. Said turbulent air-flow (10) begins to laminate upon reaching the plates placed in the depicted position (9a, 9b) transforming said turbulent wind regime into a laminar air-flow (11) hugging the construction s surface. It is thus accelerated and it adds to the other air-stream surrounding that sector of the building and then enters into inlet (12) tangent to the outer surface (6) of said building. When accelerating, coincidental with Bernoulli's Law, the air-flow facing the building at a certain speed, tends to concentrate its energy in a smaller section captured in that circumstance by the appropriately arranged windmills. The consequence is that by using windmill rotors of a smaller diameter it is possible to obtain more energy than if it were arranged in a free air-flow. We may recall that the aerodynamic force depends on the square of the speed of the air-stream wind mass.
[0056] FIG. 1a shows a plan view of the building of FIG. 1 with the series of plates or screens (9, 9a, 9b) whereby it is achieved a plurality of inlet ports (12) parallel to each other providing to laminate the airstream (11)acting upon the corresponding windmill generator (2), which in this particular case are windmills (2a, 2c) therefore increasing the efficiency and performance thereof
[0057] FIG. 1b, assuming a constant turbulent airflow (10) helps to show how the variation of incidence of the damper plates on the building does not vary significantly the energy generating capacity or performance of the associated windmills. In fact, a 45 displacement in the direction of the incident wind according to precedent FIG. 1a, can be observed in this FIG. 1b. In the latter case, the active vertical axis windmill generators are of the kind sporting flat blades (112b, 112c). The air mass flow is divided into two streams and after generating a rotational movement at (112b, 112c), exits aligned and oriented thanks to the downstream deflectors, which in turn reduces the tendency of the airflow limit layer to separate from the building's wall, whereby achieving a laminar flow regime, capable to induce the generation of an additional rotational movement in the other windmills (112d, 112a), hence increasing the overall generation output, developed by the same building or structure. This figure also shows the virtue of accelerating and channelling towards the vertical axis windmills a large part of the airflow facing the building.
[0058] FIGS. 1d and 1d shows a further embodiment of this invention wherein the building (111) has a quadrangular plant cross section, e.g., a substantially prismatic building. In this embodiment of the invention the windmill generators (112) (in this case having flat bladed rotors) are placed almost entirely within the cross section of the building to improve the overall aerodynamic generation efficiency. It is also observed (see FIG. 1c) how the plates or screens acting as blinds or dampers benefits the proper orientation of the air-flow increasing the output of all the generators and improves the aerodynamics of the whole. FIG. 1d shows the vertical axis windmill generators in several stages of the installation or fitting to the building.
[0059] FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 allows observing that according to an embodiment of this invention, notwithstanding the eventual use of horizontal axis windmills, it is preferred to employ vertical axis windmills, and the latter may extend to almost the total height of the building. This is not a capricious disposition, and in fact, by occupying most or all the height of the building's laterals, the airstream is forced through the windmill's blades of the rotor, creating a tunnel effect capable of channelling the air-flow, whereas, if we have installed in the building only one windmill of discrete or discontinuous length, the air-flow according to Fermat Principle, chooses to take the path of minimum energy consumption, that is, it passes preferably where there are less or no obstacles, hence avoiding the rotor s blades.
[0060] FIG. 2 shows a perspective partial lateral view of the construction (1). In this figure it is observed that plates (9, 9a, 9b) although they constitute each one and individually a continuous surface, they are sectioned to aid its eventual replacement, when necessary, and the rotors (2) are also sectioned (not shown) for the same purpose. As seen in this FIG. 2, these plates (9, 9a, 9b) defines multiple inlets (12).
[0061] Said damper plates or panels (9, 9a, 9b) placed along the building's wall and facing it defines a passage or air tunnel (14) within which it is placed the rotor of the windmill generator (2). FIG. 3 depicts a very interesting particularity of this invention, while in FIG. 4 we find that in the preferred construction therein illustrated the laminar air-flow (11) entering the air tunnel (14) through inlets (12) undergoes a conversion from a laminar flow into a turbulent air-flow due to the agitation generated at the outlet (15) by the rotating blades of (2), but plates (9, 9a1, 9b1) which together with surface (6) of the construction defines the outlets (15) of the laminar flow (13), helps to again align the air-flow and retard the detachment thereof from the wall of the building downstream of the generator, reducing the turbulence left over in order that said airstream can be used by other downstream buildings having these same windmill generators, which may then placed downstream close to the upstream building. This minimizes the turbulent action of the rotating blades of each generator, allowing similar buildings to be placed downstream. This novel result cannot be obtained by the cited prior art known up to date, associated with a building or construction.
[0062] FIG. 4, complementing FIG. 3, further shows a construction in which the pivotal ends of some of the plates or screens, such as plate (9a) acts as a damper of the airstream entering tunnel (14). This embodiment is particularly important since it enables to regulate and eventually close the air intake to the tunnel (14) in the event of adverse weather conditions such as stiff winds, storms, etc. As shown in FIG. 4, axis (5) of the windmill's rotor (2) is placed tangent to the outer surface (6) of the construction (e.g.: tangent to the inlet of recess 3), while this recess (3) is placed in vicinity of the portion of larger diameter (16) of the curved surface (6) of said construction.
[0063] FIG. 5 illustrates a further profile given to a building and/or construction suitable to the ends of this invention. Here we may see that the profile of the construction (1) has lateral surfaces (6) with a drop-like cross section helping to produce at its outlet (17) a low amount of turbulence. This particular profile is ideal for winds having a defined direction tendency or for situations in which the totality of the construction could be oriented with respect to the variable wind direction. The advantage of the above is that the installed generation capacity always operates at its maximum potential. In these particular embodiments the use of concave-convex type blades in a Savonius windmill is a valid option since the s wind always prevails from the same direction relative to the horizontal axis of the building.
[0064] FIG. 6 shows yet another embodiment of this invention, wherein whenever it is desired or is impractical to define a semi-circular recess (3) on surfaces (6) as in the previous figures, then it is possible to provide plates (18) eventually placed tangent to (6) and with its free ends (19) reaching line (16a) representing the vertical plane containing said edges (19), being (16a) parallel to wall (6) or the tangent (16) thereof, and in coincidence with axis (5) of rotor (2).
[0065] FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of this invention. As already seen in the previous embodiments, a tunnel (14) is formed between plates (9) and the side wall (6) of the construction, with the eventual inclusion of the vertical recess (3) wherein is directed the incident laminated air-flow (11) on the rotor (2). In said FIG. 7, the tunnel (19) is formed by a plate having its ends (21)spaced from wall (6) and plates (9a) with a central depression (20) restricting the flow of the incident air-flow increasing its speed by applying Bernoulli theorem, taking advantage of the relative height of said tunnel (19) and the upper and lower closures thereof (not shown), whereby the mass of air must necessarily accelerate in line with the rotor's blades of generator (2). The embodiment of FIG. 7 is applicable to all constructions of this instant invention.
[0066] FIG. 8 shows a top plan view of another embodiment of this invention wherein it is possible to place the windmill generators (2) integrated to a bridge or gantry (22), rotating about its vertical axis (24)on a circular construction (23), thus allowing said windmills to be placed in an optimum position according to the incident shifting wind direction. This arrangement is placed contiguous with the entire lateral wall (6) or around the perimeter of the building, including its roof (25), rotating about the longitudinal axis thereof. This same embodiment may be applied to semi-conical or semi-spherical constructions (not shown) or any construction having a horizontal circular cross section, allowing this bridge or portico carrying said windmills to rotate on the vertical axis of the building while maintaining a minimum distance from walls (6) or lateral profile so that the advantages provided by this invention can be efficiently applied.
[0067] It should be noticed that in all the above figures, the bonding of plates (9), their possible displacement when acting as dampers, and the present linking of the windmills (2) is not detailed since they are matters known in the art.
